Rasthiyadukara Cinderella

Description

Rasthiyadukara Cinderella (The Loitering Cinderella) is a bestselling Sinhala novel by Aruni Kalupahana, widely praised for its emotional honesty, social relevance, and fearless critique of systemic injustice. Set amidst the mist-covered tea estates of Sri Lanka, the story follows Cinderella Anderson, a teenage girl born to a Tamil plantation worker and an absent English father. Raised in a line room surrounded by poverty, isolation, and cultural division, Cinderella’s life becomes a reflection of countless young girls growing up in the shadows of the country’s colonial past.

The novel is inspired by real-life stories Aruni encountered as a journalist traveling across rural Sri Lanka — particularly within the tea estate communities, where generations of Tamil families brought from India during British colonial rule still face systemic marginalization. Even today, many children in these regions are denied access to education, healthcare, and safety, despite their quiet longing for a better life. In Rasthiyadukara Cinderella, Aruni gives these hidden voices space on the page — exploring deeply rooted issues like child pregnancy, domestic abuse, alcoholism, cultural erasure, and the invisible labor of girls who are taught to survive, not dream.