RECONFIGURING HISTORICAL WOMEN: FATEH KANWAR IN SANTOSH SINGH’S ZENANI DEORDHI: THE LIFE AND JOURNEY OF A PRINCESS

Abstract

This paper explores the politics of women's representation in history books and emphasises the importance of historical fiction in reinterpreting history to reintegrate women into it. Dr. Santosh Singh’s Zenani Deordhi: The Life and Journey of a Princess (2020) examines the life of Fateh Kanwar, a female figure in history who has been largely overlooked and thus neglected by historians. She was the first wife of Maharaja Sawai Jagat Singh of Jaipur. The study offers a brief analysis of the novel using the frames of New Historicism, highlighting the patriarchal restrictions that led to the exclusion of Fateh Kanwar. She served as the queen regent of Jaipur following the untimely death of Sawai Jagat Singh. Despite her noble lineage, education, and influential position, she faced numerous barriers imposed by a patriarchal society. The paper discusses her shortcomings and clarifies the strategies she employed to surmount them, thereby establishing herself as an independent and formidable woman, worthy of her own niche in the historical narratives