Sita and Draupadi in Novels: Retelling of Epical Women Characters

Mythology, like history, has a tendency to repeat and reinvent itself. In order to comprehend the contemporary world, the modern writer seeks a parallel in the remote past. Mahasweta Devi’s short story Draupadi revisits the past and recreates the character of the mythical Draupadi to formulate an account of a helpless woman who must fend for herself unlike the epical Draupadi who had Lord Krishna as her saviour. Both these characters—Dopdi of Mahasweta Devi’s story and the mythical Draupadi-- symbolize exploitation at the hands of their patriarchs. However, Dopdi represents the extreme abjectness of circumstances in the case of a woman in the modern world that boasts of an ultimate cultural advancement. Separated by thousands of years in time, the two are united in this fictional account of Mahasweta Devi only to showcase the never-ending miseries of the women who are no better than the Fanon’s wretched of the earth. This paper presents an analysis of Mahasweta Devi’s Draupadi under the archetypal framework given by the Canadian scholar Northrop Frye reasonably appropriated into the contemporary Indian context.

Research Scholar --An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations, 2014

In conventional societies like India's, for woman to liberate herself from the overbearing patriarchy and to find her own voice to express her thoughts, to invent her own ways to manage her 'self' is a long and grueling journey against female-subservience, self-sacrifice, and selfdenial. Several stories of the well-known Urdu writer Ismat Chugtai and of renowned Indian writer in English Shashi Deshpande are concerned not only with social and psychological problems affecting middle-class Indian women, but bring about the complexity of their situations and their changing attitudes to and their abilities in confronting those situations. Their stories reveal the manifestation of woman's diplomatic ways of negotiating with her life in order to gain autonomy over her body and mind, to have the freedom to decide her own identity released from all conditionings, freeing her from sex-determined roles and performances, in spite of what she has to many times face as consequences. In many of the stories of Chugtai and Deshpande, it is evident that while for men power means the ability to impose one's self on another, for the female protagonists it is the ability to defend one's self from such imposition The paper analyses the fictional characters of Chugtai's 'Ghungat' and Deshpande's 'An Antidote to Boredom' as harbingers of change who do not necessarily let their 'beings' become 'identities' dictated by some of the gender ideologies and hierarchies that are embedded in the very fabric of life.

Feminism is a word that can be found in books, on social media, in print media, and in the expressions of so-called intellectuals. This is a burning era. Because this epic is so huge and each character is so powerful, every great writer, thinker, and literature lover has written from the perspective of various Mahabharta characters. Draupadi will be shown not only as an unsung heroine in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, but also as a role model for women's empowerment and resistance in the face of injustices. Her capacity to triumph over adversity in a venerable manner distinguishes her from other women. As a result, Draupadi becomes Hindu literature's most complicated and divisive female heroine. She could be womanly, empathetic, and generous on the one hand, yet wreak devastation on people who had offended her on the other. She was never willing to compromise on her rights as a daughter-in-law or the Pandavas' rights, and she was always ready to fight back or avenge any injustices meted out to her with zeal. She is considered a feminist pioneer. The subversion theory will be used to support the article's claim. This article will show how, despite her suffering, Draupadi was able to overcome her difficulties and persevere where other women would have given up. You'll find it more engaging and fascinating if you look at it from different writers' perspectives.

SMART MOVES JOURNAL IJELLH, 2024

This study aims to examine the transformation of Sita's character in the works of Volga and Amish Tripathi, analysing how these authors challenge traditional patriarchal narratives in Indian mythology through the lens of Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity. Butler's concept of gender performativity, which postulates that gender is constructed through repetitive acts and can be subverted through alternative performances, provides the theoretical framework for this analysis. Volga's narrative emphasises female solidarity, portraying Sita's empowerment through interactions with other women. This approach substantiates how collective performative acts can challenge established gender norms. Amish Tripathi reconstructs Sita as a warrior and leader, directly subverting traditional gender roles. This reimagining illustrates how gender identities can be actively reshaped through new forms of performance. Both authors present Sita as an empowered figure, contrasting sharply with her traditional portrayal as passive and submissive. This transformation represents a deliberate disruption of the repetitive acts that have historically defined Sita's character. This study endeavours to reveal how literary reinterpretations of mythological figures can serve as powerful sites for challenging and reshaping gender norms and concludes by suggesting that these narratives not only empower her character but also can promote gender equality by offering counter-narratives that challenge traditional gender roles.

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND HUMANITARIAN RESEARCH, 2023

Within this complex spectrum of "culture" Indian Literature has represented accurate sufferings of numerous characters. Identity and our skirmish in finding its appropriate nature, has often pressurized the psychic nature of humans, particularly women. To be precise the struggling of marginalized identities is more toilsome in comparison to the "centered" identities. In this phallocentric Indian society, the "white-cis-phallus" is the centre and the remaining becomes the "other". Marginalization can be considered as a chain of events taking place in a society to create certain restrictions for few and power for the rest. Gender, class and caste are further divided into layers, creating a stratified structure where power dynamics moulds and produces identities, not for recognition but for marginalization, oppression. Within this marginalized "remaining" the identity of women and their effort to break the imposed roles of Woman/Wife/Mother is somewhere trapped between the supposed links between "sex" and "gender" which then is to be inherently related and "culturally" bound. Therefore my paper would focus on politicized children"s literature-Brave Rajputs by Anant Pai, and presentation of Tilo in Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni"s The Mistress of Spices, gender-power dynamics in Mahasweta Devi"s Breast Stories, Jhumpa Lahiri"s Lowland, and Khaleid Hosseni"s A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Indian women writers have significant contribution in Indian English Writings. Indian literary scene has witnessed a tremendous change as far as women writers’ role. Women writings are concerned with the status of women in India. The ups and downs in these writers’ life have emphasized much upon the socio-cultural and psychological aspects. Women’s literature in Indian English Studies presents many women characters as role models or as silenced voices. This research paper takes into account the Indian women writers’ perspective of women’s world. For the study the following works have been selected - the novel Cry, the Peacock which explores the sociological state of the protagonist, Maya. She reflects internal conflicting realities of her psyche in de-motivational or subversive terms. The novel is concerned with a modern new woman’s rejection of her priorities and subsequently her failure on account of her meaninglessness in her thoughts, choices and deeds. The novel The God of Small Things portrays the politics of caste/gender and its effects on the marginalized, deprived woman in context of informalization and feminization of labour, her body and her ‘Self’. Manjula Padmanabhan’s play Harvest delves deep inside the pains, anguish of the poverty-stricken family that falls victim to the commoditization of the Third World body; while it also visualizes the futuristic approach of woman to counter the machines that may likely to govern human body in modern times. The Selected Poems of Kamala Das represent the wishes, aspirations, individuality, ambiguity and frustration. She is concerned with the women’s status in the men’s world. This research paper will attempt to find insights into the subjective experiences expressed in the writings, and same will be investigated as a source of self-discovery of these authors and their creative urge to find their space in public sphere. Other aspects such as - woman’s subjugated past, their voice breaking the silence, resisting the patriarchy and finding a female tradition and their imagined stereo- typed image will also be discussed. Keywords: Indian English Literary Studies, Women Writers, Gender-autonomy, Discriminatory doctrines

International Research Journal of Multidisciplinary Scope, 2024

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel The Forest of Enchantments (2019), popularly known as Sitayan revolves around the journey of Sita, the wife of epic hero Rama, who emerges as a harbinger of change, lending her voice to the muted echoes of marginalized women characters within the expanse of Indian mythology, Ramayana. The study analyzes the character of Sita with the societal challenges confronted by her and also her quest for identity and space within the constraints of a patriarchal milieu. Using the tool of feminist revisionist mythology, Divakaruni undertakes a humongous task of scrutinizing the narrative of Sita-a quintessential figure in Indian mythology. Revisionist writing, which received significant applause in recent times, presents an alternative perspective by deconstructing the age-old mythological narratives. Moreover, it highlights the adaptable quality of myths to address contemporary challenges. By employing feminist lens, this study not only unpacks the strictures of patriarchal conventions that dominate, exploit and marginalize the women characters but also establishes the fact that the age-old myths, written mostly by men, have become the victim of patriarchy. Sita's journey stands as a beacon of inspiration for women fighting for justice against the injustices perpetrated by patriarchal society. This paper delves deep into these issues, exploring how Sita navigated the patriarchal landscape while simultaneously amplifying the voices of marginalized women characters. Her story serves as a powerful catalyst for resurrecting and empowering women relegated to the periphery.

This article aims to explore the larger-than-life mythological characters of Sita and Draupadi in Indian epic poetry and literature. It seeks to examine the aura, mindset, and nature of these heroic figures, shedding light on their journeys, struggles, and daunting situations. Moreover, it delves into the correlation between Janaki (Sita) and Panchali (Draupadi). Through this analysis, this review hopes to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges and perseverance of these iconic female warriors in Indian history. The study draws inspiration from the epic tales of Ramayan and Mahabharat, which depict the stories of Sita and Draupadi, respectively. Although they were princesses, they showcased the sweet and sour personalities of women's nature. Despite facing numerous obstacles and societal norms, these characters displayed unwavering courage and fought fiercely for their rightful place in society. Ultimately, this review seeks to delve into the inspiring stories of these legendary women and inspire readers about their resilience.

If the twentieth century afforded great change due to wars and decolonization, a great deal of the twenty-first century’s upheaval comes from globalization and technology on one hand and a new kind of warfare labelled terrorism on the other. The purpose of the research is to examine against the backdrop of this development, to what extent the image or construct of a woman has changed in India for readers, particularly by studying the way it has been depicted in the writing of Indian women authors. The fact that recently these authors have received international acclaim in the form of awards makes it even more important to understand how readers all over the world and India perceive the image of an Indian woman. In short how are Indian women being positioned? The texts studied are: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, who is a second generation immigrant; The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, a first generation immigrant; Ladies Coupé by Anita Nair and Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur, both of whom are Indian nationals residing in India with a certain amount of western education, the latter being a ‘traditional’ intellectual. The last chapter deals with the ‘organic’ intellectual focussing particularly on two contrasting short stories—“The Hunt” and “Statue” by Mahasweta Devi. However, to substantiate the hypothesis and for the purposes of comparison, the study also takes a brief look at other novels by Arundhati Roy, Sudha Murty, Lalithambika Antherjanam, Sharmila Rege, Baby Halder and P. Sivakami, keeping in mind that many of these works are translations. The approach adopted is a close reading of the texts focussing on the female characters, themes and attitudes. On this basis, the theoretical approach adopted is the writer’s interpretation of Hegel’s master-slave dialectics and Fanon’s reinterpretation of the same, Freud’s love-hate binaries, Gramsci’s differentiation between the ‘traditional’ intellectual and ‘organic’ intellectual and Spivak’s vision regarding the role of the humanities. According to Hegel, consciousness does not exist in isolation but is always dependent on another for a sense of selfhood. As there is injustice and an imbalance of power in this world, the two consciousnesses engaged with each other will assume the roles of master and slave with respect to each other. The injustice inevitably results in a struggle for selfhood on the part of the slave; one way this selfhood can be attained is through recognition of the slave’s labour. A defining emotion in this relationship is fear and it is only by overcoming fear that the slave can break free. The ultimate fear is that of death. In addition to the instinct for domination, Freud does not see the true self as one entity but as in Marx, it is a balance between contradictory forces and in this case the dialectic is between Eros—the love instinct, and Thanatos—the death one. For Antonio Gramsci, a solution or an instrument of change is the ‘organic’ intellectual. The purpose of an intellectual is not to be “specialised” but to become “directive” that is one who is political and driven to bring about change. However, in the face of globalization and the crisis that it brings with inequality, war and terrorism, according to Spivak, hope is available through education in the humanities, for it is through the humanities that one can bring about “the empowerment of an informed imagination” (Spivak, “Righting Wrongs” 2). The aim of the research is to try and understand whether western education helps to envision a new-age woman, whom this study defines as self-reliant, able to question roles and norms society has set for her, thinks independently and uses her own free will to choose to live life for herself rather than be subservient to the needs of her husband and family, or is this education an impediment. Thus in addition to intellectual and economic independence, she must be emotionally independent as well. It must be stressed that this concept of new-age is an ideal which is strived for but never actualized because it is dynamic and constantly changing over space and time. Also one must be wary of the tendency to generalize women who vary on the basis of geography, race, economics, caste and so on. The thesis statement explored is that although in some cases western educated Indian women may ostensibly live more liberated lives, the characters or images of women in the novels by the selected writers are more circumscribed as women. Another concern of the study is the difference between lived and written reality. A questionnaire based on the movie The Namesake taken by a community of informed readers in Pune indicated that in reality the image of the woman may have changed on the page but not in the minds of women and hence paradoxically in reality the concept of ‘new-age’ is a myth. The key women protagonists analysed are Ashima and Moushumi from The Namesake; Sai, her grandmother Nimi and her mother along with Noni and Lola in The Inheritance of Loss; Akhila and her companions in the coupé in the novel Ladies Coupé and Mary in ‘The Hunt’ and Dulali in ‘Statues’. The research hopes to indicate, that the most revolutionary change in the image is captured in the characters drawn by the Indian woman who is an ‘organic’ intellectual. By working intimately with the subaltern, she is aware of the urgency for change unlike a more privileged woman. She functions as a “permanent persuader” who is an instrument of change. Thus perhaps one answer to the conundrum could be that the writing of the ‘organic’ intellectual has the potential to capture one of the myriad images of a new-age Indian woman. As for a definite final one, perhaps it can never be found as it will always be dynamically changing and evolving and hopefully aspiring towards an ideal concept akin to the one defined by the study

Proceedings of the 2nd World Conference on Gender Studies (WCGS 2021)

The novel entitled Drupadi, written by Seno Gumira Ajidarma, tells the story of a female character named Drupadi in the epic Mahabharata. Seno changed the nature of several characters in the Mahabharata based on the tragic fate of Drupadi. People in Drupadi's novel give various responses to the chance experienced by Drupadi. Through literary works, people's views of women are voiced. This study aims to describe the public's view of women associated with facts outside of literary texts. The method used in this study is a qualitative descriptive analysis method with a mimetic approach. The mimetic approach was chosen because it questions the relationship between literature and reality, and utilizes documents as social reality or facts. The results obtained in this study, namely (1) women who are considered perfect by society have physical beauty and a high degree, (2) women who have become the property of a person/group are free to be treated whatever, (3) great women always get place in people's hearts. Based on the analysis and discussion results, it can be concluded that society's view of women is described as a reflection of the times that are still entrenched in placing women's position in society. With this cultural reflection, it is hoped that the community will be wiser in placing women in life in society, such as giving proper rights, not discriminating against women from a physical point of view, and making the definition of beauty more complex which is not only seen from the physical form, but also spiritually and intellectually. .