Nirmala (Munshi Premchand, translated by Surendra Singh

 I have not read this book in Hindi. I have read other works of Munshi Premchand and I am well aware of the power of his words and how the original would have read - each sentence would have made the reader pause. I have read the English translation now and I must say that what they are doing is pure yeoman’s service to literature in general and Hindi literature in particular. 

Nirmala is 15 years old when we first meet her. She lives with her family and she and her younger sister are busy evading household chores and playing with dolls. Things spiral due to the untimely death of her father, and she quietly accepts her fate of getting married to a middleaged man with three sons. The eldest son she becomes a step mother to, is also a teenager like her. From here start the trials and tribulations Nirmala faces - adjusting to marriage with a man 25 years older, dealing with the bards thrown at her by his sister, taking care of three boys and running a house. In order to woo her, her husband showers her with gifts and outings, but seeing his new young wife and his own young teenage son getting along, a seed of suspicion sets into his mind. From here begins the story of the downfall for the whole family and in the next 6 years, it is all downhill and tragic.

Premchand does not let up anywhere. When one character realises their mistake and wants to make amends, another steps in with a bias or prejudice or pettiness. No one is blameless - everyone contributes to the downfall in one way or another including Nirmala herself. In that, every character is so human - there are no black and whites - only greys in each person. No one is a hero or a villain. Munshiji also shows us clearly that there are no easy choices. Every choice and decision leads to a domino effect and things spiral. At the end, there is no way of saying “Here, this is the place where it all began to deteriorate, this is the person to blame and this is how it went wrong”. In relationships and in life, there are no backsies - one hurtful word, one cruel action, one careless remark and it is registered in the heart forever. You may retract, change your mind, become a better person, repent - but there is no  going back. Again and again, while reading the book, this was going on in my mind. 

The translation is literal, and possibly loses out the flavour of the words Premchand would have used. A more experienced translator may have been able to translate not just the words, but the essence behind them also. However, even as it is, I would recommend readers to pick this up and get at least a fraction of what Premchand wrote.