Daughter of Agunmukha

Reviewed by: Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, Srinagar, Kashmir

Published by: London: C. Hurst & Co. Publishers Ltd, 2023, 315pp. ISBN: 978-1805260608.

Translated by: Rebecca Whittington

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Women are oppressed in societies dominated by patriarchy and toxic masculinity. It is rare to find a woman of substance in such societies, as patriarchy and toxic masculinity decimate any hope for women to realize their true potential. However, patriarchal societies sometimes have their own exceptions. The book under review relates the story of one such exception, a truly inspirational woman who strived against all odds and overcame all obstacles that hampered her progress.

The life of the author and activist Noorjahan Bose, during her childhood and youth, revolved around river Agunmukha. Her mother came from an affluent and rich family while her father’s family was humble and poor. Despite difference in their background, her parents got married. Her mother was not happy in her marriage. However, like all women in patriarchal societies, she compromised and found meaning in her devotion to her children. Bose praises her mother whom she considers quite ahead of her times. Her mother believed that education is the only means for social mobility and changing one’s fate. This is why all her daughters got educated.