“Joy is a very militant thing,” author Arundhati Roy once said said.
This was particularly true for Indian women in the 1990s, a time when they were forced to follow the script of being “good” women. However, Tara Taneja of Srishti Chaudhary’s Lallan Sweets contradicts this expectation.
The “new woman”: a way of thinking, not a concept
Women sell better when they are docile or submissive. At least that’s how it is Entertainment industry of the 90s in India wants us to believe. Looking forward to getting married to a man in her family, being happy in her husband’s happiness and dying a martyr by being dutiful till her last breath – this is what Indian pop culture taught us about being a “good” woman.
Over time, Indian women began to break away from the patriarchal ideas of femininity imposed on them and developed into outspoken women with more individualism. However, this development was viewed by a patriarchal society not only as threatening but also as deeply Western.
But Lallan Sweets rejects these simplistic ideas and instead asks a difficult question: What if love goes beyond a romantic thing and is political? However, the book avoids the probable and the obvious, defying readers’ expectations while still remaining relatable.
In “Lallan Sweets,” Srishti Chaudhary, a contemporary feminist author whose writing is dedicated to revolution, transformed the “new Indian woman” from a concept into a mindset.
In “Lallan Sweets,” Srishti Chaudhary, a contemporary feminist author whose writing is dedicated to revolution, transformed the “new Indian woman” from a concept into a mindset. This is evident in the character of Tara, who comes from a middle-class Indian family, does not appear “Westernized” on the outside, but still earns her own money and aspires to one day run her family’s business, Lallan Sweets.
Lallan Sweets, the performance of gender and feminism
Lallan Sweets is set in the small town of Siyaka, where Tara’s family runs a sweet shop. When her grandfather retires and her extended family begins vying for control of the business, a battle for succession begins. The grandfather challenges the grandchildren to find the secret ingredient in their famous laddoos to be named the successor.
Tara’s character is at odds with the prevailing ideas of femininity at the time due to her aspirations and unrelenting ambition.
From here, the focus turns to Tara, who not only sets out to find the secret ingredient, but also teaches others to claim and exercise their agency. Tara’s character is at odds with the prevailing ideas of femininity at the time due to her aspirations and unrelenting ambition. Her undivided focus on her goal – one day running the store – makes the sexist and patriarchal society around her uncomfortable.
Tara also does not conform to the everyday patriarchal and sexist norms forced upon women. For example, she doesn’t hesitate to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night with her childhood friend Nikku after he offers to join her in her search for the ingredient. She decides to do this even though she will soon marry someone else. Even today, let alone the 90s, women are expected to have minimal interaction with men, and if a woman is seen with a man without marriage, it remains a cause for patriarchal panic and policing.
While at first glance “Lallan Sweets” seems like a bittersweet family drama that leaves readers excited for Tara’s victory and her choice as successor, we eventually realize that it is also a story of self-discovery. Over the course of the book, Tara learns more about herself and her desires, which is why she breaks off her engagement with her fiancé and enters into a relationship with Nikku instead.
However, this is not just about Tara’s self-discovery, but also that of the readers who understand the importance of self-realization that Tara advocates throughout the book. Although the ending seems a bit rushed, it successfully conveys the message it is intended to convey: Radical love is political. Tara’s strong characterization as someone who makes her own point of view and exercises her agency is revolutionary for Indian fiction set in the 90s.
At the end, when Tara and her cousins reunite to find out who the successor will be, a momentous twist occurs. We learn that there can be more than one right answer and that together they can run Lallan Sweets much better than just Tara alone. The “win together” approach stands in stark contrast to patriarchal and hypermasculine notions that see victory as a solitary affair, achieved only by outdoing others, and that rarely recognize the benefits of collective effort and cooperation.
Nikku’s character in Lallan Sweets contradicts the idea of hyperactive and toxic masculinity.
Srishti Chaudhary also draws a comparison between the man Tara was initially engaged to and the man Tara ultimately chooses – Nikku. While the former was seen as committed but emotionally unavailable, the latter only wants to be a support and expects nothing in return. Nikku’s character in Lallan Sweets contradicts the idea of hyperactive and toxic masculinity. He is characterized by a gentle but strong personality who better understands Tara’s dreams. Through Nikku, the book rejects the idea that masculinity can only look a certain way.
The Politics of Love in Lallan Sweets
Love brings liberation. Control and the enforcement of patriarchal norms in the name of love is merely possession. In Lallan Sweets, Tara doesn’t try to build her empire on the backs of the other characters in the book. She doesn’t seek control. However, the book goes one step further by questioning the patriarchal control we unconsciously impose on ourselves. What Lallan Sweets portrays brilliantly is the deconditioning of the patriarchal consciousness that women are trapped in, preventing them from choosing themselves or putting themselves first.
“Love is as political as feminism,” Srishti Chaudhary told FII. This is the belief that dominates her writing but emerges as a crucial element in Lallan Sweets. Srishti, through Tara, enables the coexistence of love and rebellion as well as kindness and strength, making “Lallan Sweet” a timeless classic.
Apart from being a teacher, reader and storyteller, Disha also writes to quiet the voices in her head. Writing was initially an act of survival for her, but today Disha writes about truth, curiosity and life and its possible meanings.
