Nirmala as coined by Premises Chand was published in 1928. The story revolves around the character’Nirmala’ who is a 15 year old eldest daughter of a well to do prosperous lawyer. It is considered as one of the most poignant novels ever written by Premises Chand and is published in 1928. Clearly reformist in its agenda, this novel succeeds in exploring sensitive and even the most dangerous terrains of society.
Nirmala around whom the author has weaved the entire story, is about to get married to a very suitable boy named bharat, who is well off and they being from the groom side do not seem to ask for any dowry. This is just one side of the coin as, although they do not seem to ask for dowry but the notion of accepting a huge dowry is welcomed by them. This makes Nirmala’s father leave no stone unturned. He arranged for the wedding in a grand way so that his daughter is married off well. When it came to hospitalities, his budget surpassed way beyond his income and savings and as a result he had a fight with his wife who advises caution.
But, the story takes a twist the moment an unfortunate incident took place in Nirmala’s life. Nirmala’s father met with a tragic death due to the conviction of a criminal who had swear to revenge his punishment by taking his life.
Things seem to topsy-turvy after the demise of Nirmala’s father as her mother was unable to meet the demands of dowry. She tried a number of places to get her daughter married and finally got her married to a man named Totaram who had three children.Her sad plight is very well expressed by the author Nirmala’s marriage to Totaram, begins the tale of her woe, the story of how a bright and beautiful girl is reduced to despair. Nirmala, is a hard-hitting commentary on two social evils. One is dowry and it’s consequences and second is young girls marrying off to much older men.