Challenging Social Norms: Exploring Subaltern Perspectives in Vijay Tendulkar's Sakharam Binder

Abstract

This research paper, "Challenging Social Norms: Exploring Subaltern Perspectives in Vijay Tendulkar's Sakharam Binder, " examines the representation of subaltern consciousness in Tendulkar's acclaimed play. This study examines the significance of subaltern perspectives in challenging and deconstructing dominant social norms prevalent in contemporary Indian society. The research investigates how Tendulkar's Sakharam Binder provides a voice to marginalised individuals and communities on the periphery of societal structures. It emphasises the complex interplay between power, agency, and subaltern consciousness through a close textual analysis of the play, including its characterisation, dialogues, and narrative developments. It explores the play's provocative themes of gender, caste, and class and their implications for subaltern agency and resistance. Incorporating literary analysis, cultural studies, and social commentary, this study employs a multidimensional approach to decipher the subaltern consciousness embedded in Sakharam Binder. But as Gramsci and Spivak argue, there is the politics behind speaking or working for the subalterns, which suggests the central and severe issue about the liberation of the subalternity has existed for centuries. In addition, it investigates the play's reception and influence within the Indian socio-cultural context, casting light on its contribution to challenging dominant norms and spurring dialogue about subaltern experiences. This study contributes to extant scholarship on the works of Vijay Tendulkar and the study of subaltern consciousness in Indian literature.