User:Vivvt/The Sari Shop

The Sari Shop is a 2004 debut novel by Indian author Rupa Bajwa, published by W. W. Norton & Company.

Bajwa won the Sahitya Akademi Award in English category in 2006 for the novel.

Plot
Ramchand is a poor uneducated fellow working as an assistant in Sevak Sari House at Amritsar, Punjab. After his parents' death, he is brought up by his poor uncle and has to leave schooling due to challenging economic status of the family. He lands up the job in the sari shop which makes his life mundane and loneliness creeps in. He faces rich customers on regular basis, who flaunt their wealth and education by speaking in English. Impressed by his hard work, he is given other duties to visit the customers' homes marketing variety of saris. On one such occasion he reaches to the lavish household of Kapoors for their daughter Rina is set to be married. Ramchand's passion for English gets a spark and he buys himself a second-hand grammar book, an Oxford Dictionary, a fresh pair of socks and a bar of Lifebuoy soap; four things that since his childhood somehow make him think will change his life. Ramchand crashes in Rina's wedding, who despises him for his lowly economic stature and mocks his will to learn English.

On one occasion, Ramchand visits his colleague's home to find his wife Kamala in drunk state. He discovers her life story from neighbours. After having lost her family she is all left alone with her husband who is a sadist habitual abuser and alcoholic. One day in frustration she resorts to her husband's alcohol and herself eventually becomes alcoholic. Kamala routinely creates nuisance in the locality when drunk and is hence arrested by police where two policemen rape her. Infuriated by the incidence, Ramchand creates havoc in the shop verbally abusing rich customers and is hence ultimately fired from the job. He decides to help Kamala and revolt against the rich, powerful and corrupt. He comes to know that Kamala was one night murdered on orders of a rich family. Ramchand finds himself helpless and destitute for being unable to change and challenge the situations of his life. He returns to the sari shop and begs for his job and continues with his humdrum life.

Publication and development
Bajwa often rented rooms in various cities to look for peaceful place to work on the novel. She used to hire computer to type the work. Bajwa had earlier written a short story on same plot and later developed it into a full novel.

Reviews and reception
In 2006, Rupa Bajwa won the Sahitya Akademi Award in English category.
 * longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2004

Although the book is about the deprived class, Bajwa is noted to have not focused on their unhappy conditions, their economic difficulties and their harassment by the rich.