Poverty, Tyranny And Fear In I, Phoolan Devi

16. Poverty, Tyranny and Fear in I, Phoolan Devi:

The Autobiography of India’s Bandit Queen

Pradip Sarikhada

A

Phoolan Devi is known as the Bandit queen of India. She was born on August 10, 1963 in a village Ghura Ka Purwa in Jalaun District in Uttar Pradesh. She was born in a lower caste called mallah (boatmen). Her father, obody in our family owned any shoes” (8). It is the general concept of the society that girls are not welcome in the homes when they are born. Especially the poor have problems with the birth of a girl child because they think girls extra burden to their poverty. In the novel Inside the Haveli when a girl is born to the poor servant Gar khat with her younger sister, Choti. They had to spread straw under them so that they might save themselves from the cold wealthier.

The Pradhan of their village was a wicked man. The girls of the low caste had to do the work told by the upper caste men. Phoolan also has to work in the Pradhan’s house. One day the village Pradhan slapped her when she asked a piece of mango from her. She asks, ‘Please can I have a little piece of mango?” (10) Phoolan Devi gets a very fierce slap instead of getting any mango. Phncle Bihari creates problem three times in the marriage of her sister, Rukmani but the last time he could not break this marriage because the groom party told him if he tried to meddle with the affair he will be in trouble. In fact, her uncle Bihari had fears that this family was strong and after this marriage they will lose their power. One day there is a fight between Phoolan and her sister, Choti. When they go to their home running, Choti tells her mother that Phoolan is beating her. To heae beats her so hard that two big weals are developed on her left buttock and next day one more weal develops like a mango. Phollan is in great pain due to her mother’s beating and she tells her mother,