Exploring Female Identity in Nayantara Sahgal's Rich Like Us

<p>The field of literature presents us with diverse perspectives on the theme of ‘female identity’ as expressed by both male and female writers. Throughout history and across different cultures, the role of women in society has transformed significantly, with one constant fact that women have always been looked down upon as being inferior to men. However, the female literary tradition in India has challenged patriarchal norms and given new meaning to women's self-assertion and identity. Indian female writers such as Ruth Prawer Jhabwala, Kamala Markandaya, Nayantara Sahgal, Shashi Deshpande, Anita Desai and others actively champion the cause of 'female identity'. The paper draws upon the subtle nuances of identity that Nayantara Sahgal assigns to her female characters in her political novel Rich Like Us. There is a distinct cleavage between two types of women; one who strives and aspires for freedom and ultimately achieves it and the second who pivots around the axis of tradition and modernity and finally finds solace into one. Sahgal breathes power into her heroines to resist and cultivates faith in modernity despite complying with their traditional roles and eccentricity.  </p>