During the mid-nineteenth century, foreign influence began to settle around the large and very independent nation of India. The country flourished under its kings, great patrons of science and art. India was one of the most powerful nations of its time. However, the separation of its kingdoms left it vulnerable to oversea nations. Power was wrestled from the hands of its once prosperous kings and the country began to fail. Widespread famine and poverty swept the nation as its resources were stolen away. India's culture was dying, and so were its people. Kamala Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve depicts the waning sense of tradition through the subtle acceptance of urbanization, seen in the characters Ruku and Old Granny.

The evidence of India's failing power is first seen in her original village where her father is the headman. Indian villages are self-governed. Once Ruku reaches womanhood, she has to...