Thank you for tuning in to learn more about the context behind the story in AGAINST THE ODDS OF TRADITION, my debut Women’s Historical Fiction novel available for pre-order on Amazon. Even if you decide not to buy the eBook, I would love to hear what you think of the book’s page. It might help me make improvements for the official release on March 1^st. To catch up on all posts and videos for this book, please use the links at the bottom. Or keep reading.

I started posting about the historical and cultural context behind Meena’s story on December 3^rd and, over the next five weeks, scratched the surface with three key reveals. First, there are over 40 million widows living in India today. They represent roughly 10% of the country’s female population and are not expected to remarry. What surprised me the most during my research is that widow remarriage had to be legalized in the first place.

It is interesting that husbands never needed the power of the law behind them to remarry after the deaths of their wives. Despite its legality, progress for widow remarriage speaks for itself in the statistics above. But this is the world in which we live and where Meena lived. Second, after seven centuries of rule by foreign powers, by the 1930s daily life for Indians came to be influenced by three mainstreams religions: Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity.

Meena’s daily life exists somewhere between ancient orthodoxies of Sati, self-immolation of widows on their husband’s funeral pyre, and progress of the 20^th century. Educated and intelligent, Meena lives a life very much against the traditions of spending widowhood in ashrams and temples. She lives at home, with her father and her cousin. In the absence of a matriarch, Meena runs the household and occasionally helps her father who is in business with the British.

Third, Indian women played interesting roles during the two centuries India was occupied by Great Britain. In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, these women became companions to Englishmen far from home, trying to learn the ways of an unfamiliar world. They were regarded by the men as companions, wives, and mothers of their children. In most cases, they were set up with inheritances so they would be taken care of after their husbands’ deaths.

Things started to change in the 19^th century, and not in a good way, but I have not come across fictional works on these stories. Perhaps I will just write one myself.

Stay with me as we continue to dive deeper into the story and its context during the pre-order period. More promotions and bonuses will be revealed over the coming weeks as we make our way to March 1st. In the meantime, please reach out via DM or a comment. For automatic updates, subscribe to my monthly newsletter That’s a Wrap! for key dates on this book, free book and movie recommendations, and chances to be featured in a future newsletter. Thank you.

Amazon Book Page: Against the Odds of Tradition

eBook Cover Reveal: eBook Cover Reveal!

All posts on the story, context, and promotions/bonuses: Fiction | Jatinder Koharki

YouTube Channel: Book for Every Nook - YouTube

Social Media Profiles: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Substack, Pinterest