Negotiating Patriarchy, Empowerment, and Resistance: A Study of Satyavati in Saoli Mitra’s Katha Amritasaman (Timeless Tales)

Author(s): Dr. Soumya M Ghosh

Abstract:

The two Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, constructed the image of the ideal woman as a “pativrata”, a dutiful, chaste, and devoted wife, a submissive silent woman modeled on the principal women characters whose function is to highlight and glorify male protagonists and who are devoid of agency, subjectivity, and expressing emotion. The proposed study focuses on the performance of Katha Amritasaman (Timeless Tales) that deconstructs the patriarchal ideologies in the Mahabharata and performs indigenous feminisms on stage to protest against myriad forms of injustices that women suffer in the contemporary society. The study proposes to analyze the female characters of the Mahabharata, focusing on the dramatized renditions of Satyavati in Saoli Mitra’s Katha Amritasaman (Timeless Tales). Mitra invites the audience to ponder on the issues of women’s freedom in a male dominated world and provides fresh perspectives. She offers a critical perspective of analyzing the patriarchal epic and confronts power and gender dynamics of the then society through her characterization of Satyavati.

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Pages: 104-106     |    2 View     |    0 Download