Women writers have often been ignored and robbed off the credit they deserved, as society in general and the field of literature in particular favoured men. Even if extraordinary women emerged from the sidelines they had to face absurd allegations made against them. Even Shivrani Devi or Premchand’s wife was also not immune to this.
Shivrani Devi was the author of “Kaumudi” (Moonlight), a collection of short stories, and a memoir “Premchand Ghar Mein”(Premchand in Home).
Munshi Premchand and Shivrani Devi Premchand Source: The Quint
Both her works had to face the allegations that the original author of the story was Premchand himself. Premchand even issued a contradiction stating that Shivarani Devi was a warrior and that her stories are imbued with her spirit. He further added that a man of his nature, could never even imagine such aggressive plots pertaining to the lives of women.
Very little is known about the early life of Shivrani Devi. She mentions the date of birth of Premchand in her memoir but fails to mention her own. She was married as a child and was widowed at the age of 11, only three months after her first marriage. It was in 1905 when Pemchand chanced upon a matrimonial ad in Kayastha Bal Vidhva Uddharak Pustika (a book on the welfare of the kayastha child widows), written by Shivrani’s father Munshi Deviprashad and sent his proposal for marriage. Shivrani Devi was Premchand’s second wife.
She developed an interest in literature and started writing short stories. She wrote a total of 46 short stories. Kaptaan (Captain),Vidhvansa Ki Holi (Holi Of Destruction), and Aansu Ke Do Boond (Two Drops Of Tears) are some of her famous works. Her stories always had strong and ruthless women characters and focused on hardships and struggles faced by women. Her works reflected a specific form of indigenious feminism. Even the memoir that focuses primarily on Premchand, provide details about her life and reflects her strong and independent personality.
Cover of Shivrani Devi’s book ‘Kaumudi’
Source: The Hindu
She was not just a house wife, a writer and an activist. She actively participated in the social and political struggles of her time and worked in a “Mahila Ashram’’ based in Lucknow and led a protest of 56 women against foreign clothes in 1929. She went to jail on multiple occasions and Premchand was proud of her activism.
The early 20th century or for that matter even today women’s identity has often been eclipsed by their husbands and therefore are often erased from our collective memory. Premchand believed in uplifting the society and worked for the same and also was far from eclipsing the identity of his wife. However, the society often fails to appreciate and applaud women of great calibre. The total erasure of authors like Shivrani Devi from the Hindi literature forces us to question the essence of literature itself. There are so many legendary women who continue to exist in the shadows. It is high time that we read, write and research about them.
Sadaf Jawed
