Gender Roles
In “Twilight in Delhi”, the separate rooms were allocated to men and women and the women were not allowed to go out without any purpose. They were supposed to be loyal to their husbands while the men could do whatever they want. The novel urges the reader to look deep into the realities. The women were relegated to the periphery and the feudal lords restrained them from participating in the societal matters. Begum Nihal, Mehro and Bilqueece are the victims of this chauvinistic system. They were taught to remain loyal to their husbands and to play the role of a perfect housewives while Mir Nihal remained indulged in extra-marital affair with Babban Jan. His son, Asghar also visits his mistress Mushtari Bai. The irony is that the girls were not consulted even about their own marriages, Mehro Zamani accepts her marriage with the old and disfigured Meraj while Asghar compels his parents for marrying him to his beloved Bilqueece.
Conditions of Mistresses
There is an irony in the condition of Babban Jan and Mushtari Bai who sang and dance for the Nawabs and the upper-class men in order to entertain them but still these women remained neglected and ruined throughout their lives. Mushtari Bai describes herself as “a candle who burns its own self and sheds the tears of blood and blackens its habitat with its smoke.”
Boots
Asghar’s fondness for his shoes is also ironical. He abhors British culture but at the same time he likes English boots. He complains to his father about English men but still he tries to hide his shoes from his father’s eyes because he knows that he would condemn their use.
