LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 25:2 February 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

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         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Reclaiming Identity and Authority:
A Feminist Analysis of Kavita Kane's Lanka's Princess

M. Sarada Devi, Research Scholar
Shakila Bhanu Shaik, Associate Professor of English


Courtesy: www.amazon.com

Abstract

Emphasizing the often misinterpreted and disregarded figure of Surpankha, Kavita Kane's Lanka's Princess offers a creative rereading of the Ramayana. Kane challenges the traditional definition of flawless womanhood by humanizing Surpankha, who was once presented as a villain. Originally called Meenakshi, Surpankha's rebellious character drives her brother Ravana to choose her a new name. Examining Surpankha's experiences as a neglected and underprivileged daughter, Kane offers a detailed study of her inner turmoil and the social rejection she suffers. By stressing Surpankha's resilience among hostility and loss, the story questions the usual dichotomy between Surpankha and Sita—where Surpankha marks disobedience, and Sita epitomizes acquiescence. By dissecting Surpankha's portrayal as a dreadful "other" and pushing for reevaluating women's image in Indian mythology, Kane's reworking highlights sometimes disregarded aspects of female identity. This study questions the way women are portrayed in legendary literature, challenging patriarchal paradigms.

Keywords:: Lanka's Princess, Kavita Kane, Ramayana, Indian mythology, female subjectivity, revisionism, gender perspective, Indian literature.

Introduction: Image of Women in Indian Mythology

Oppressive stories that uphold rigid and idealized qualities for femininity have historically shaped how women are represented in Indian mythology. Deeply anchored in the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, these mythologies have helped to produce regressive and often repressive images of women. While marginalizing and denigrating any who deviate from these norms, these epics have created the archetype of the ideal woman as subservient, obedient, and self-sacrificial. In this framework, it is essential to scrutinize and challenge these images and the mythological conceptions of women that support them. Pillai (161) argues that rereading these male-centric epics from a female perspective helps to question the ideas of ideal womanhood.

Postmodernist theory has challenged the legitimacy and claims of universal truth, undermining the authoritative standing of "grand narratives" since the late 20th century. Lyotard (xxiv) argues in The Postmodern Condition that an "incredulity towards metanarratives," which denigrates the dominant institutions controlling knowledge development, defines the postmodern ethos. Particularly by feminist writers who challenge the predominance of patriarchal mythology, this metamorphosis has produced more reinterpretation and modification of legendary stories. According to Madhavi Arekar (132), Indian feminists seek to "revisit mythology by recreating, retelling, and refolding it from a woman's perspective," therefore subverting the patriarchal portrayal of female characters.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

M. Sarada Devi
Research Scholar, Department of English & other Indian and Foreign Languages
School of Applied Science and Humanities, VFSTR Deemed to be University &
Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women (A)
Bhimavaram- 534202, India
saradadevibs@svecw.edu.in

Shakila Bhanu Shaik, Associate Professor of English
Department of English &Other Indian and Foreign Languages, School of Applied Science and Humanities, VFSTR Deemed to be University
Guntur-522213, India
bhanushakila@gmail.com
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