Nirmala by Premchand

Nirmala (Hindi: निर्मला, lit. ‘virtuous or pure’) is a novel by Munshi Premchand

The melodramatic novel first published in 1927 is centered on a young girl, Nirmala, who was forced to marry a widower of her father's age. The novel deals with the question of dowry, and consequently mismatched marriages and related issues. The story uses fiction to highlight an era of much needed social reform in 1920s Indian society.