Gendered Subalterns in Mahasweta Devi's ?The Hunt?

Dr. Ruchika Chauhan

Abstract: Novelists and Writers since time immemorial have been instrumental in mirroring the plight of subordinated and exploited classes. Literature is the genre through which writers since the inception of civilization have emphatically highlighted the current problems of the day. Through this research article a sincere attempt has been made to understand the problems and the struggles of tribal women with particular focus on Oraon women. Mahasweta Devi was a revolutionary in the sense that her writings are bold indictment of society that uses custom, religion and even brute force to keep women subjugated. The struggle of Mary, the protagonist in The Hunt immortalizes the struggle for survival of tribal women in particular and women in general.

Keywords: Subaltern, internal colonialism, dispossessed tribals, resistance, tribal myths, male chauvnist society