The Binding Vine

Winner of Sahitya Akademy Award

What would be your reaction if you find your grandmother’s diary…Diary that narrates everything from her childhood to married life?

I would certainly have loved to read about my grandmother’s life, her happy and sad moments, her thoughts and feelings and how she raised 8 children single handedly.

I think the most exciting part of this book is its basic plot. Urmi finds out her mother-in-law’s (Mira’s) diary. This diary tells the tale of Mira’s life in the form of poems. So the book’s story is about Urmi and how certain incidences in her life unfold the meaning of those poems and in turn makes her aware of the shocking life of Mira.

Shashi Deshpande’s characters' struggles are those of ordinary women fighting to be themselves rather than conform to stereotypes - to a fixed idea of how women should be.