“‘I waited all day,’ I gasped. ‘I must see you. My husband will be back soon and then I cannot come.’ His frown deepened. He said coldly, ‘You people will never learn. It is pitiful to see your foolishness.’” (p.59)
As Rukmani rushes towards Kenny after she has waited all day for him, he calls her a fool. This opinion made by Kenny, who is the source of modern knowledge, is an attitude toward the slow, stubborn, and blind Indian culture. As she is allowing and accepting her husband to have the superior title over her, Kenny shows disgust and reminds her the fair equality which should be made between men in women. However, she does not understand and ignores his comments and does not take offence.
“I saw her head fall back, the thin sari she wore slipped from her shoulders. Then I saw that it was not tied at her waist but below the navel, like a trumpet’s, and that she was naked below. Sandalwood paste smeared her swelling hips, under her breasts were dark painted shadows which gave them sensuous depth, the nipples tipped with red.” (p.60)
In this description of Kunthi, it is clear that she is into the occupation of prostitution. As her body is exposed to Rukmani, she sees that her beautiful body is being misused. Kunthi is a woman who struggles to adapt to a rapidly changing society, and incorrectly approaches it by deceiving men through taking advantage of her beauty and femininity. Kunthi is blessed with her attractive and striking looks, however still lacks in something which she envies Rukmani for.
“‘And for you,’ she said, with knives in her voice, ‘and for your precious husband.’” (p.60)
In the conversation between Rukmani and Kunthi, Kunthi threatens Rukmani as she tells her that she knows of her secretive meetings with Kenny while her husband’s departure. Kunthi shows a hint of jealousy as she tries to destroy the ‘strong’ relationship between Rukmani and Nathan, for her own husband does not truly love her, or care for her dirty choices she has made. Kunthi may be indirectly showing her desire of true love, for the closest thing she can get out of her associations with men is lust. Although Rukmani is not as rich in attractive looks, Kunthi wonders why she is not able to achieve something an average looking girl could have. In addition, as mentioned before, Rukmani’s true reason of in need to hide her relationship with Kenny could be that she does not want Nathan to consider, or doubt that she is making a similar choice as Kunthi. Rukmani feels that Kunthi’s choice is nothing but filth and disrespect, and personally feels offended.
“As my pregnancy advanced she turned completely away from me. Sometimes I saw her looking at me with brooding, resentful eyes, and despite myself I could not help wondering if hatred lay behind her glance.”(p.61)
Rukmani is a woman twice Ira’s age, and she is continuously gifted with the ability to birth many children. Ira, as she was abandoned by her husband at a very young age, is helplessly broken inside. Although it is out of her control, she is now tossed like useless garbage that cannot be repaired. A polite, kind, and a beautiful girl which Ira once was, she has learned hatred and envy even against her own mother.
“How could I stop worrying? We had no money to leave her. Who would look after her when we were gone and the boys were married with families of their own? With a dowry it was perhaps possible she might marry again; without it no man would look at her, no longer a virgin and reputedly barren.” (P.61-62)
One good reason a woman in India could be appreciated and accepted for, the ability to reproduce, she does not possess. Ira is nothing but an empty shell, where her youth and hopeful future has departed without warning. The transformation occurring to Ira emotionally is what would bring her to the same position as Kunthi without any option.
Markandaya’s Nectar is a Sieve is a tale of crucial and undeniable reality of the roles of women in India. Given no equality and the only way to survive, is to have the ability to give preferably male children, and to be used as objects of trade between families through marriage to gain some fortune. As Kenny mentioned to Rukmani, of him being sick of seeing their foolishness, it is mostly directed to the women in the Indian society, as they do not learn to do anything about their unequal treatment. They do not try to stand up for their rights and fight up for some standard, but just obey the rules and commands made by the men patiently. Possibly, Markandaya’s hidden message to the readers through Kenny is to remind the irrational ways of the women for not looking for change and development on behalf of their rights.
