The Bandit Queens: Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023

Product Information

Siddiqui, Faiz Rahman (26 July 2021). "Uttar Pradesh: District administration stalls unveiling of Phoolan Devi's statue in Unnao". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022 . Retrieved 18 December 2022. If you like "serious" novels, but need a break from time to time without going full-on cozy mystery fluffy, The Bandit Queens is exactly the novel you need. It will feed you rage *and* you sense of hope.

From here the book goes in so many different directions, it is heavy on plot without ever feeling manipulative. It just keeps raising the stakes and introducing more characters into the antics. And somehow, amazingly, it also gives us a fuller and broader picture of the social problems women face in a patriarchal, caste-driven society. With murder just as with their loan group, with every step the women take towards independence, they find five more obstacles in their way. The story is told from the perspective of a woman named Geeta. The other women in the loan group tend to ignore her and treat her like an outcast. She is regarded as a widow and as a childless woman, a failure. Her drunken, abusive husband deserted her five years ago, but according to gossip, people believe she murdered him. She is content with living alone. Unable to convince the others that she did not kill him and dispose of his body, she seizes on their suspicions. Let us Know Something About It In Detail. The real-life Phoolan Devi was born in 1963 and was married when she was about 11. See Phoolan Devi for more detailsSeriously, though. Look at it. That is a fantastic cover. It’s visually striking, its vibe matches that of the novel itself, and it does not closely resemble any other books out there. Geeta lives a life of solitude since her husband, Ramesh, walked out on her five years ago never to be seen again. She's okay with that because he was an abusive drunk but what she isn't okay with is the fact that her village have all turned on her claiming she killed him. Now labeled a churel she's become an outcast in the community. It's also hilarious. I want to emphasize this point even while I deny you examples to illustrate it because I want the hilarity to stay in the context of the novel where it plays out alongside much more serious matters. The book has many references to CID (it is a popular crime show on Sony TV and one of my favorites). As someone who watched 1000+ episodes, it’s a treat to see it inspire women ( let’s ignore that the inspiration is not something the makers intended).

Battle of one-upmanship among two Nishad parties worries SP". The Pioneer. 26 July 2021. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021 . Retrieved 26 October 2023. The Kanpur district court set aside Yadav's pronouncement, which reinstated the charges against her in connection with the Behmai massacre. This decision was upheld by the Allahabad High Court. [31] In 1996, Phoolan Devi lost a Supreme Court appeal to have the charges against her dropped. The following year, the court approved a request from Uttar Pradesh to arraign Devi on charges related to the Behmai massacre. She did not attend the court hearing in Kanpur. After several months of legal machinations, the Supreme Court ruled that Devi did not need to be jailed before trial. [32] She lost her seat to the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in the 1998 elections, then regained it the following year. [7] [32] Mala Sen, India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi, HarperCollins, 1993. ISBN 0-04-440888-9. With Geeta’s dangerous reputation becoming a double-edged sword, she has to find a way to protect the life she’s built—but even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry. What happens next sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything, not just for Geeta, but for all the women in their village. Indian society is divided into four castes or social classes. From top to bottom these are: Brahmin (priests), Kshatriya (warriors), Vaishya (traders) and Shudra (labourers). [5] :194 Underneath these four classes are the Dalits, also known as the untouchables. [6]That being said, all potential readers should go into The Bandit Queens with their eyes open. If you are triggered by any of the above subjects, or if you would be upset by dark humor being utilized as a way to process trauma, this may not be a novel you want to engage with. There are lots of books out there, and life is too short to read ones that will distress you!

or claustrophobic. Families have known each other for generations, reputation is one’s currency, gossip runs amok, and it’s all but impossible to keep secrets—especially ones about murder. The close- knit bonds within such a village, however, are also what drive these characters to their ultimate actions and choices. Man arrested for murder of 'Bandit Queen' ". The Daily Telegraph. 27 July 2001. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019 . Retrieved 17 December 2022. A former leader of the gang, Sri Ram Singh, [ when?] was released from prison together with his brother Lalla Ram Singh; they were Thakur men (Thakurs being a subcaste of the higher Kshatriya caste) and thus a higher caste than the other members. After they rejoined the bandits, a power struggle ensued and Sri Ram murdered Vikram Mallah. Without the latter's protection, Phoolan Devi was a prisoner of Sri Ram; he took her to the remote village of Behmai where she was repeatedly raped by Thakurs. In a final indignity, she was forced to collect water for him from the well whilst naked, in front of the villagers. [10] [21] [2] :57,125–126 Behmai massacre [ edit ]Phoolan Devi birth anniversary: An exceptional journey of the Bandit Queen". CNBC TV18. 10 August 2022. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022 . Retrieved 28 November 2022.