Tradition Vs. Modernity, Amy Kramer

England and India never did understand one another. (Prasad 37)

Undilute East had always been too much for the West; and soulful East

always came lap-dog fashion to the West, mutually asking to be not too

little and not too much, but just right. (Prasad 37)

The struggle of individuals caught between tradition and modernity, or between

India and the west, is a very common theme in Indian literature. This struggle is evident

in Nectar in a Sieve, as Rukmani often finds herself battling between her traditional

views and opinions, and the various modern forces that seem to be taking over her life.

On the one hand, Rukmani yearns for the traditional way of life she has always known

and loved, while at certain times she acknowledges the benefits modernity can bring. In

contrast, in The Painter of Signs, Daisy is the symbol of modernity as she does her best to

fight against traditional ways of life; however, she is met with opposition by people who

adhere to a more traditional lifestyle.

The conflict between tradition and modernity becomes a force in Rukmani’s life

even when she is a young girl. Rukmani’s father is the headman of their village, which

gives her family prestige. This prestige allows for Rukmani’s elder sisters to have grand

weddings and marry fittingly. However, with the abolition of zamindari system, “the

headman of the village was no longer of consequence” (Srivastava 9). Because of this,

Rukmani was without a dowry, and had to be married off below the family status, to a

tenant farmer “who was poor in everything but in love and care for [Rukmani]”

(Markandaya 8).

After Rukmani has her first child, a daughter named Irawaddy, she does not

conceive again for about seven years. This is tragic because in Indian culture it is very

important to have many children, especially sons (Srivastava 14). During this time,

Rukmani’s mother takes her to a temple and together they pray before the deity

“imploring for help” to conceive sons (Markandaya 22). Rukmani’s mother also gives

her a small stone lingam, the symbol of fertility, to wear for good luck. When this

traditional approach to conceive does not seem to be working, Rukmani seeks the help of

Kenny, the Western missionary-doctor in her village. After Kenny gives her fertility

treatment of some kind, Rukmani bears many sons. This becomes Rukmani’s first

experience with the benefits that modernity can bring to Indian life.

Rukmani’s greatest struggle against modernity begins with the construction of the

tannery in her village. The tannery symbolizes “mechanical power” and it quickly

“[changes] the face of [the] village beyond recognition” (Markandaya 135). Not only

does the tannery invade the village with “clatter and din,” and take away the maidan

where the children used to play, and make the bazaar prices too high, but it also causes

the beautiful birds such as the kingfishers and flamingoes to be replaced by “crows, kites,

and other scavenging birds, eager for the filth and garbage of the town” (Srivastava 10).

However, the tannery becomes a greater threat to Rukmani’s life on an individual

level, as it is, directly or indirectly, responsible for many of the hardships she experiences.

Her two eldest sons, Arjun and Thambi, move to the tea plantations of Ceylon for work,

after the tannery refuses to give them a raise. Rukmani’s other son, Raja, is brutally

murdered