Published Paper Details:

Women play a significant role in the history of humankind. However, their valuable contributions to the society have not been recognised and are looked upon as inferior to that of men. They are always treated as second to men and not as equal. The society has restricted them to certain roles within the domestic sphere. There are various myths and legends knitted around women in the society whereby they are projected as inferior and men as superior. The rise of feminist movements through the various waves in the late 19th century and the 20th century has paved the way for women to break the shackles of stereotypes and demand for equal rights as of their male counterparts. The feminist tries to re-evaluate gender inequality in the society. It is a common belief that only the women in the patriarchal society face such subordination by men and the society and not the women of the matrilineal society. However, at close observance we will find that even in a matrilineal society the rights enjoy by women are limited and they are often enclosed to a limited space of expression. Many literary expressions have attempted to portray this marginalisation of women even in a matrilineal society. Their experiences seem no different to the women in rest of the patriarchal society. She is treated as a passive receiver of the male dominated society. This paper aims at exposing the marginalising of women in a matrilineal society of the khasis through the feminist interpretation of the two khasi novels, KamKalbut and ka Jingieit ba Nylla. Since literature is the reflection of the society, the analysis of the position of women in the two novels will give us an insight into the understanding of their status in the society and help us to evaluate the gender equality that is present in politics, society, family, religion etc.