One of Premchand's most successful Hindi novels, Sevasadan is bold statement on the political and religious debates about marriage, sexuality, and prostitution, at a time when Indian women were being held up as standard-bearers of a nation in chains.

Premchand depicts the hypocrisy of the so-called 'pillars of society', who can sacrifice their orthodox principles behind closed doors, Yet do not shirk from mouthing moral platitudes in public. He portrays the reality of the interest groups which cut across the newly emerging Hindu-Muslim divide, but also conceives of an ideal community that gives new direction to the life of a fallen woman and allows her to lead a meaningful existence. The stream of idealist that runs through Premchand's works has often been criticized by scholars, but it is the counterpart of a relentless psychological and social realism, which has remained unmatched to this day.

A hugely popular novel, Sevasadan went through several editions after its first publication in 1918. It was made into a film in 1938 with M.S. Subbulakshmi in the lead role. It is not only a gripping novel but also a sensitive and perspective document on the lives of young urban men and women at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The general reader interested in literature, literature in translation, and social history will find this volume invaluable.

About the Author :

Munshi Premchand (1880-1936) began life as a schoolteacher, but voluntarily gave up government service to spend the rest of his life as an editor, social reformer, and author of many great works. He was one of the initiators of realism in Indian fiction and introduction the genre of the short story in Hindi. With social themes and character studies, he set the standard for writers who followed. His writings have been translated not only into several Indian languages, but also into Russian, Chinese, and other foreign languages.

Snehal Shingavi is pursuing a Ph.D. in English at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Vasudha Dalmia is Professor of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley, USA.