Between Silence And Revolt: Women’s Negotiation With Patriarchy In The Plays Of Mohan Rakesh

Abstract

Wth understatement and strength, Mohan Rakesh, who is an early leader in modern Hindi drama, summarizes the conflicts of women trying to bargain within patriarchal limits of the Indian society that has become post-independent. In his plays, especially Aadhe Adhure (Halfway House) and Lehron ke Rajhans (The Swan of the Waves), women characters swing between imposed silence and muffled act of defiance. The critical analysis presented in this paper shows how Rakesh performs women as more than the objects of patriarchy but rather as people who live in the predicament of both tradition and autonomy and the dissatisfaction with life in general. Based on intertwined feminist criticism and close readings, the present article discusses the dramaturgy of Rakesh as opposing reductionist gender binaries and providing highly detailed representations of women living in margins of cultures, philosophies, and affects.