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= Standayini =

Stanadayini is a work of Mahashweta Devi, it first appeared in Stanadayini o Onnanno Golpo (Nath Brothers,1979) and has been reprinted in Mahasweta Devir Shreshtha Galpo [The Best Stories] by Mahasweta Devi (Kalakata; De’ja Pabalisim, 2004). The story concerns the character Jashoda and her transformation from a mother to a professional mother.She took a job in a big family, Haldar Family to breastfeed their children.She was given this job after a son of Haldar Family injured her husband in an accident. It is Jashoda whose survival is seriously jeopardized by the castration of her husband’s feet and then the death of their patron, lacking as she is of anything monetarily or spiritually relevant to a patriarchal culture — save for her prophetic lactation, her ever flowing supply of breast milk. In producing heirs, husbands of the house wanted to preserve their wifes' beauty — and this became the deal sealing point for Jashoda’s induction into professional motherhood. The mistresses of the house thought of grabbing the opportunity as they thought that the daughter in laws will be mothers and will continue to be for as long as possible and suckling will ruin a woman's shape. As she extends her task to not only her own but to many more, Jashoda becomes ‘Martyr’ — a role that suggests both significance and sub-ordinance, and even worship, while she constantly secures her ‘never ending’ lack of milk and nourishment. In the end, Jashoda suffers a painful and a lonely death. Her plentiful breasts were now only a wound. She suffers from breast cancer which was caused due to numerous breast feeding. She died in the hospital with memories of her beast fed sons who did not even bother to meet her in her last days.

About the author
Mahasweta Devi was born in 1926 in Dacca. She has written more than hundred books which include novels, plays and a collection of short stories. She was a leading contemporary writer in Bengali. She is recognised nationally and internationally due to translations of her work into Indian languages. She was known for Sunghursh (1968), Rudaali (1993) and Maati Maay (2006). She was married to Asit Gupta and Bijon Bhattacharya. She died on July 28, 2016 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Plot
In her story, “The Breast Giver,” from her collection of short stories called, “Breast Stories,” Mahasweta Devi outlines women’s identity as body, worker and object. In a tale of a Bengali wet-nurse, Devi shows female protagonist, Jashoda, living in a 1960’s India as she is compelled to take up ‘professional motherhood’ when her Brahman husband loses both his feet.

With her only ability held in her ‘always full’ breasts and her desperate economic destitution — she is swiftly utilised and praised for her expert weaning of wealthy offspring, which she does for 25 years, before losing her usefulness and consequentially dying from breast cancer.

Kangalicharan a member of the highest of the Hindu religion. Kangalicharan stirs the seething vat of milk in the sweet shop and cooks and feeds to those pilgrims at the Lion-seated goddess's temple. One afternoon when Kangalicharan was returning home with handful of samosas and sweets under his dhoti. While coming home Kangalicharan was picturing about his pleasure time with Jashoda. At that moment the Haldar son with his Studebaker, swerving by Kangalicharan, ran over his feet and shins. Instantly the crowd gathered there and the owner of the shop was also there. Haldar started shouting on his son and was saying that You'll kill a Bhramin. The doctors were not able to bring his feet back. Seeing this Haldar said that Kangali you don't have to worry as long as I'm around. I'll give your family food and I'll also give you a shop after my Son's wedding but until then I'll send your family food. Nabin had a plan from which they can earn money like anything but Kangali rejected the offer. And suddenly the Haldar died and left Kangali and Jashoda in the lurch. After his accident they used to get fancy food from Haldarbabu's house but after the death of Haldarbabu this stopped. Kangali started longing for the food. Jashoda was truly an Indian Woman who has unreasonable devotion towards her husband and love for her children. She wanted to feed his husband and children with food and she was ready to do anything. Therefore she went to Radharani (Mistress) to ask for the job of cook. Radharani came to know that she has now full proprietorship of the house and rice warehouse. The mistress had a six month baby in her lap. She told Jashoda to give the baby some milk as the baby would not suck the bottle. Jashoda happily milked the baby and at that day she stayed there till 9 p.m. and the cook filled the bowl with rice and curry for her house. Jashoda while milking the baby told Mistress that Master said many things. As the Master is gone now any of his words are not worthy to me. Jashoda said I am not asking this job for myself, I'm asking for the job because my husband has lost both his feet and now she is the one who has to feed her children and her husband.

The mistress always praises her the amount of milk she produces but When mistress dies the daughter in law stop giving her food and jashoda has to find another way to full-fill the daily needs of her family but jashoda doesn’t know how to provide that because she only knows breast-feeding from last thirty years. When women have no need of jashoda, they leave her alone without any concern for her well being and survival of her family. Jashoda take the place of his husband and still faces the oppression in the society. Instead of joining her together, women see her as a just service provider, leave her alone in harsh condition and supports the patriarchal society in which they live. It was great pride for her body as only women can do this and men can’t. she is seen as submissive and nurturing in a way that traditional gender roles support and She has also played the role of a professional mother, a spiritual role, indeed. Jashoda, a woman who had been the mother of many, was nurtured back despite she getting Brest Cancer and also there was no one to look after the sore she got on her Brest. It was in the last moment when her husband and her son realised that her mother was going through all this, but when they turned back to help her it was to late to save her. It was then when Jashoda had revealed the scars and the sores on her Breast to her husband making them realise the difficulty she went through to make provide the basic necessity to her family members. She was taken to the hospital where the doctors named her sickness as Breast Cancer. She laid in the hospital for a few days with cancer and finally passed away one night. Her family didn't bother to visit her so long, they were not even aware of her death. Her body laid in the hospital as Jashoda Devi, Hindu female. She was cremated by an untouchable.

Summary
Breast Giver The story was composed by Mahasweta Dev i. The story is about a gendered subaltern, Jashoda, who is used as a dominant Sexual Ideology in India.The story concentrated on how motherhood transforms into a profession, how the relationships which were subjected to consumerism, and how the issues are showing toward the corrupted position of a female of a general public and it centers around womans' body as question instrument additionally the resource that social norms makes legitimately exploitable. The protective love and support are made up into basic item which were accessible in return of cash. In the entire story, the role of man and woman were switched. The man should be the provider, yet it was the woman who was the provider and the woman should be the compliant and simple one, yet it was the man.

The story the contention emerges from the desire not to serve the world class and after that having conditions that power the individual to do only that. Jashoda is a young lady who uses her breast as a means of production to bring sustenance for her family. An affluent family procures her as a wet nurse and her breast are subjected to consistant torture due to serving many children at the big house, Haldar Family. Jashoda has all the reasons to not take up this derogatory job.There are such stark divisions in society that offering your milk to children of upper class appears to be a sign of subjugation. The son of that wealthy family had crippled her husband and it was because her husband was not capable of earning that she had to seek a job and circumstances force her to serve the very people who caused her so much pain and misery.

It was difficult for Jashoda to cook food and feed the babied of the big house. The mistress of the big house therefore suggested Jahoda's Husband Kangalicharan to take up cooking instead of Jashoda which will give her time to rest. Later in the story Kangalicharan took up cooking in the temple as well. In the entire story Devi depicts her as having "The Heavy Breasted, sluggish hipped body". She is employed as a nurse and she nurture fifty youngsters, a whole more distant family. The story takes a turn when the children of the Haldar Family grew up and the mistress dies. Jashoda later finds out her husband having an affair with Gopali. Jashoda's condition turned out to be more regrettable and she dies in a hospital with breast cancer.

In the end, Devi sums up Jashoda’s story with the final line, “when a mortal masquerades as a god here below, she is forsaken by all and she must always die alone”. Devi uses the story as indictment of Indian culture and social norms.

Characters
A professional mother, who breastfeeded many children of his own and of the big house, Haldar House. Ultimately she died of breast cancer. Husband of Jashoda, he lost his legs in an accident. He supported his wife by cooking food in the house. Later he joined a temple to cook food and fell in love with Gopali. Nepal ; Gopal ; Neno ; Boncha; Patal ; Nobay ; Gaur Radharani, Altarani, Padmarani Old maidservant of the Haladar house
 * Jashoda
 * Kangalicharan
 * Son's of Jashoda and Kangalicharan
 * Daughter's of Jashoda and Kangalicharan
 * Basini
 * Mr Haldar
 * Mrs Haldar
 * Nabin
 * Gopali