Fate's Game and Other Stories

One of the three major women writers in Kannada in the early 20th century, Gouramma's career was only about eight years and 21 short stories long. Born in Kodagu (then called Coorg) in 1912, she was influenced by Gandhi after his visit to the district and became a khadi-wearing nationalist and budding politician. Gouramma was an ace swimmer and a tennis player, pursuits not common in the upper caste, conservative community she was born into. Her short stories were published as a collection posthumously after her untimely death in a swimming accident at age 28. Caught in a web of family, tradition, and duty, the women at the centre of Gouramma's stories grapple with the demands of love, betrayal, and sacrifice. Several of them focus on the plight and emancipation of widows of all ages. Although her stories must be read keeping in mind the times she lived in and with the knowledge that her writing career was only just beginning when she died, her critique of the patriarchy and the suppression of women through religion and tradition are just as relevant today as in the previous century they were written in.