Understanding Caste and Gender-Based Discrimination in Assamese Culture: A Study of Arupa Patangia Kalita’s Doiboki’s Day

This research paper seeks to explore the issue of caste and gender-based discrimination in Assamese society and culture through a critical reading of Arupa Patangia Kalita’s short story Doiboki’s Day. This paper examines how deeply entrenched these discriminatory practices are within a patriarchal society by studying the character of Doiboki, the protagonist of Kalita’s Doiboki’s Day, who hesitates to seek refuge even in a sacred place due to the fear of transgressing such discriminatory societal norms, even at the face of death. The paper also attempts to study the consequences of defying the norms of society. The paper sheds light on the importance of standing up for oneself and raising one’s voice against the injustices, rather than being mere victims of oppression. The issue of caste and gender-based discrimination is explored in this paper against the backdrop of the politically volatile period of insurgency in Assam. The paper also reflects on the egalitarian ideals of ‘Eka Sarana Nama Dharma’ which was propounded by Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev in an attempt to establish a just and equal society. The paper draws upon Kimberlé Crenshaw’s concept of ‘intersectionality’ to analyse how Doiboki is perpetually at a disadvantaged position in the society she is living in due to her identity as a so-called low caste woman from a lower-class background as she is just a fisherwoman. Through an analysis of Kalita’s Doiboki’s Day, the paper reflects on the broader realities of Assamese women’s lived experiences in a patriarchal society, and how their struggles are further intensified amidst the period of insurgency in Assam. This paper argues that Doiboki’s Day is a powerful literary work that strongly critiques the caste and gender-based discrimination in Assamese society.