Novel explores girlhood and beauty standards in India
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In Mahe, India, young Umaiba observes the women around her as she nears her first period, noticing their focus on beauty and the social pressures it creates.
Fathi Salim’s novel, Dechoma and the Women of Mahe, translated by J Devika, follows Umaiba’s journey through the complexities of becoming a woman. The story features a wide range of women, mothers, brides, widows, and neighbours, each experiencing womanhood in a unique way.
The novel centers on two concepts that shape women’s lives: “monch,” or beauty, and “bejaar,” a state of anxiety or social distress that follows a loss of beauty. Women strive to obtain and maintain monch because it determines their social standing, while those lacking it face isolation and hardship. Umaiba finds herself torn between wanting to be admired for her appearance and rejecting the expectations placed upon her.
Amidst this world, Dechoma stands out as a woman who resists conventional standards. She consistently defies expectations, choosing comfort over appearance, and becomes a source of comfort and fascination for Umaiba. Salim presents a nuanced portrait of womanhood, acknowledging the contradictions between the allure of beauty and the desire for freedom, and Afrin Badhar’s illustrations capture this uneasiness.
Devika’s translation preserves the cultural specificity of the original Malayalam text, allowing readers to experience the world of the novel on its own terms.
