scholarly journals Literature, Resistance, and Visibility: “Draupadi,” by Mahasweta Devi, in Translation

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cielo G. Festino ◽  
Liliam Cristina Marins
Keyword(s):  

Think India ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-281
Author(s):  
Sadhana Rengaswamy. R ◽  
S. Ambika

Mahasweta Devi is one of the most important writers writing in India today. she stands with few equals among today's Asian writers in the dedication and directness with which she has turned writing into a form of service to the people. Her writing is disturbing because it shows the reader her or his own true face. Her Mother of 1084 analyzes the occurrences of failed Naxalite insurgency in Bengal in the 1970s. It shows the larger problem of the nation’s suppression of any authentic form of subaltern insurgency. It’s a saga of the Naxalite resistance in Bengal through the characters of Sujata and Nandini, her powerful exploration of subjectivity voiced through the female character. It’s a tragedy of an apolitical mother. This paper explores how the Naxalite movement brings two subaltern mothers together instead of their class barriers which in turn lead to the awakening of Sujata.



2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 78-87
Author(s):  
Dr. A.R. Uma Ramamoorthy

In the contemporary scenario, Subaltern Studies group brings together the writers, like Amitav Ghosh and Mahasweta Devi who have been frequently associated with subaltern concerns. Mahasweta Devi is a champion of subaltern community and through her works she always indicts and questions the government and other people about the sanctioning of human rights to dalits, tribals, women and children. Mahasweta Devi’s After Kurushetra narrates the stories of women who were subalternized by the kings and queens of Hastinapur. The life stories of these women appeared in the forms of short stories namely “The Five Women (Panchakanya)”, “Kunti and the Nishadin (Kunti O Nishadi), and “Souvali” in After Kurushetra. “Souvali” narrates the story of Souvali who was a dasi working in the royal palace of Hastinapur: She was sexually exploited by Dhritarashtra and gave birth to a son named Yuyutsu. Though Yuyutsu @ Souvalya was not considered by Dhritarashtra as his first son, yet he was allowed by Yudhishtira to give ‘tarpan’ to Dhritarashtra during the time of ‘mahatarpan.’ Souvalya, as a son, had done his duty to Dhritarashtra but Souvali voiced against the oppressions meted on her by the king through her action. She did not adhere to the norms of widowhood after the death of Dhritarashtara for she was never considered by him as his wife.



Author(s):  
Christian Weiß
Keyword(s):  


Author(s):  
Christian Weiß
Keyword(s):  




2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Dr. Arpita Ghosh

Mahasweta Devi’s Rudali has gained critical responses for raising the voice on behalf of the silenced subaltern individuals and communities. However, this paper attempts to analyse the text through the gendered lens of ‘motherhood’. Rudali not only delineates the struggles and exploitations of the lower caste people and the outcastes, but the text also divulges the condition of mothers and their struggles of mothering. Mahasweta Devi, true to her strong writing agendas, has not written in favour of the mothers belonging only to the subaltern communities; she has taken into account of those mothers who are wealthy and belong to respected families as well as those who are defamed and disrespected and belong to the marginalized, red-light areas of the society. All the ‘mothers’ portrayed in Rudali have undergone similar ecstasy, agony, humiliation, dejection and rejection. The text leads us through motherhood as a ‘community’ and not just a biological attribute conferred with a namesake social status.



2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-126
Author(s):  
Alexander Bubb

AbstractFrom the 1960s to the 1990s, the corrupt building contractor was a stock-villain of Bombay cinema. He was, this article argues, emblematic of crony capitalism prior to the liberalization of the Indian economy. This filmic role was, however, foreshadowed by his depiction as cynical accomplice and profiteer of British rule in fiction of the early and mid-twentieth century. Furthermore, the figure’s ultimate origins lie in colonial literature, in which he is often identified as a threat to the British civilian community that nourished itself with the ideal of its disinterested civilizing mission. This article traces the genealogy of the contractor-as-villain in fiction and film, demonstrating a continuity of themes, and persistence of concerns, across the work of Rudyard Kipling, Flora Annie Steel, Premchand, R. K. Narayan, and Mahasweta Devi. Using historical sources to contextualize these texts, it will also suggest possible explanations for the ubiquity of contractors in the Indian economy.



2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Dr. Shreeja Sharma ◽  
Prof. Shubhra Tripathi

The marginalised tribal women comprise the weakest section of the Indian society. It is a sad reality that their identity remains weak, unvoiced and largely unexplored. Invigorating them would enhance the collective national capability as it will carry  justice, equity and development to the most vulnerable segment of the nation, thereby reinforcing and the frailest of its stalk. The portrayal of tribal women in literature can go a long way in spreading awareness about the cause, not only on the national, but also on an international scale. Writing on these marginalised, poor, and socially excluded women can in the long run, change the perception of the society and bring to attention the neglected lot, integrating them rightfully with society. Prominent writers including Mahasweta Devi, Kamala Markandaya and Gita Mehta among others have made important contributions in this area. While the tribal narratives voice the concerns of the tribals, there still remains lot of room for exploring and  expressing the concerns of these women for a feminist rendition . This paper examines the potential of writings on the female tribal protagonist.  





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