Published Paper Details:

This article examines the portrayal of female subalterns in ancient Indian texts like the Mahabharata and the Manusmriti and compares them to the depiction of contemporary female subalterns in Mahasweta Devi's short story "Dopdi" from the collection Agni Gharba. While using the framework of subaltern theory, articulated by Antonio Gramsci and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, this paper attempts to analyze how women are marginalized, oppressed, and denied agency within patriarchal power structures. It highlights the experiences of both the mythological Draupadi and Devi's Dopdi and their shared vulnerability and exploitation as women. While the mythological Draupadi endures pain and humiliation within the confines of her social status and ultimately relies on male intervention for revenge, Dopdi, a tribal woman and Naxalite rebel, personifies a more thorough form of defiance. Dopdi's resistance in her response to sexual violence challenges scruples and exposes the vicious realities of the androcentric approach in modern India. This research addresses the forms of female subalternity that may have evolved, but the core issues of marginalization and suffering persist. The comparison between the two characters underscores the enduring struggle for justice and agency women in India face, even as they strive for empowerment and recognition.