Summary
“Three
Sisters,” which is inspired by Chekhov’s play of the same name and by Jane
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is a satirical look at the snobbery and misguided
values of the Sen family. The story focuses on a mother, Mrs. Sen and her three
daughters, Rita, Tina, and Dipsy who were unwillingly transplanted from
Calcutta to a small pre-industrial north Indian town in the 1970s, by the now
deceased Brigadier Sen. Tony, the son, is viewed by the mother as the heir.
There is a nanny, Doris, who was a de facto mother of the Sen children, and
subsequently serves as the underpaid servant. She is also a catalyst in helping
Rita develop empathy for others and come closer to a fellow teacher and union
organizer Mr. Bose.
Rita’s
main objective at the beginning of the story is to return to Calcutta from this
provincial small town and to marry someone within her class like her father.
Gradually, as she gets close to Bose, she learns to think outside the confines
of her family and to care for those less fortunate. As she navigates, several
challenges she realizes that the real value of a man is not the outer trappings
but an inner core which stands for something greater than one’s own comfort.
One crisis takes place when Bose is beaten by the police during a peaceful election
rally with the bidi workers and Rita is compelled to shield and nurse him.
During another confrontation, Bose is attacked at the behest of the Bidi mafia
boss and Rita has to shield him from the corrupt administration that rules this
pre-industrial town. The subtext of the story reflects the evolution of a
western centric colonial India to an indigenous, messy, post-colonial world.
Writer Statement
I
chose to write the script, "Three Sisters" because I lived through
this era of great tumult in Indian society in the 1970s. The post-colonial
western centric political elite was facing pressures from a more indigenous
elite which was often less educated and caring of how the world viewed the
country. Expectations for Indian women were also rapidly changing. From being
glorified as Goddesses and abused at home, women were now demanding their own
political and economic space. Despite having a female prime minister, India at
this point in history was an extremely traditional society. Women were expected
to carry on traditions which were often detrimental to their wellbeing.
I
wanted the readers to experience the journey of one Indian family who lived
through this turbulent era. The story centers on the journey of the eldest
daughter, Rita who initially shares the prejudices and regressive views of her
mother but moves to a more enlightened viewpoint as the story progresses. It is
essentially a story of a woman who finds the inner strength to work towards
changing society and not just ensuring her own security.
This story mirrors the life of women during the
1960s and 70s across the globe as they journeyed from a position of being
controlled and seen as objects to later being viewed as equal partners in
society. The story is, therefore, relevant across communities and allows the
viewer to experience one period of Indian history. It also shines the spotlight
on women as they struggled to obtain equal rights within their families and in
society.
