Indu the representative of Modern Woman with Reference to ShashiDeshpande’s Roots and Shadows

The Roots and Shadows explore the struggle of Indu, who is an educated and modern girl. She comes to her paternal home for the funeral ceremony of Akka. She has been determined girl, who always wanted to be free and independent. She got married to Jayant her own choice like Saru. Indu is a modern girl, she laughs at the idea of not calling one’s husband by his name as it shortens the age of husband. ShashiDeshpande is undoubtedly the most significant of the contemporary Indian novelists in English. She has taken for study the issues and problems of contemporary middle class women. Almost her protagonists are women; her heroines are sensitive, intelligent and career-oriented. She is one with Anita Desai and NayantaraSehgal. She is not merely describing the pathetic life styles of Indian women but, trying to understand and suggest measure for amelioration. ShashiDeshpande is very recent author in Indian writing in English. Her contribution to the world of fiction dates backs to the70s. Initially she wanted to bring forth in her novels the changed society, but she is too much fascinated by her women characters’ so much that she lays more emphasis on women. She herself says that she knows how women feel and she knows the mood of India.