Author: K Tara Bhat, Translator: Geetha Sreenivasan

Lotus Pond explores women’s plight beyond the emotional level; it is evident that the author is immensely intrigued by the feminist ideals.
The novel potently depicts how each woman is restrained by her own body; she is compelled to safeguard it at all costs. This becomes her inescapable destiny. It is ironical that the elite colony- Garden view, shares this helplessness with the neighbouring slums. Whether it is the attack on the composure of a rich woman- Krupa, or the inhuman exploitation of poor Chami’s infant, the common source of torment remains- patriarchal cruelty.
The entity which reigns supreme in the Garden View colony is money- a weapon wielded by men. In the grand houses of the colony, there are all the commodities that money can buy; still, the grandeur of these houses is incomplete, empty; devoid of sounds of joy. The residents think no more of love and compassion. Hence, they receive only these- a wealth which fails to bring love and contentment. Ayesha, who endures in this environment like a shadow, is a witness to this hypocritical way of life.
Tara Bhat gained prominence with her first novel Avyakta and continued to make valuable contribution to the Kannada literary world with her second endeavour- Lotus Pond.

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