ಬಾಳ ಬಟ್ಟೆ - ಎಂ. ಉಷಾ ಅವರ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ

In her novel 'Baala Batte', Usha has created a vibrant world. Readers who enjoy observing details and slowly building a world of words will find rich material here. Based largely on her childhood memories, she depicts the twists and turns and ups and downs of life during the period from 1925 to 1965 in the Chamarajanagar region, narrating the story of three generations of middle and upper-caste communities. Many who are now entering their sixth decade of life are turning their childhood dream world into novels. The specialty of this work is that it portrays the dream of that era, as seen now, through the perspective of female characters.

The desire and longing to establish one's identity as individuals moving towards modernity, coupled with the struggle to not abandon familiar ways of life, is common in all societies and all times. Usha's novel aims to capture the inner world of various characters and the changes in the outer world through the details of daily life. The world of Baalabatte takes shape through the complexities and entanglements of relationships like mother, aunt, and weekly visitor, through meals, rituals, festivals, markets, and the power systems that shake and change even the most rural lives. Individual, home, village, society, world—thus the expanse of the past dream expands. In her very first novel, Usha has succeeded in achieving detail, thought, and the power of language.

- O.L. Nagabhushana Swamy