The Pursuit of Social Justice in Kavery Nambisan’s The Hills of Angheri

Abstract

This paper critically examines Kavery Nambisan’s novel The Hills of Angheri under the lens of Dr. Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach. The core concepts of this approach serve as critical tools in assessing the social inequities existing in Indian society. Kavery speaks about the massive inadequacy of healthcare and basic amenities found in rural places, especially in the village Angheri. Both Sen and Kavery aspire for the enhancement of a person’s well-being. They truly believe that necessities such as education, health are requisite for an individual to achieve more in life. The unfavorable socio-economic conditions and the unavailability of the basic medical care within his reach create social insecurity. Kavery brings to light the dearth of hospitals in our rural villages and reinforces the need for well-equipped hospitals and highly qualified doctors in the village. She expresses her anguish that most of the doctors flock to cities and neglect the villages where seventy or seventy-five percent of the people live. She points out the need for facilitating health care amenities in the health-care deprived villages to ensure social justice in the society. The novelist wants better health-care conditions to be made accessible to all, irrespective of their socio-economic status. The health disparities in villages can be eliminated if socially-responsible persons like the protagonist Nalli volunteer to serve the less advantaged people.