A CRITICAL STUDY OF QUEER TRIBAL IDENTITY IN R. RAJ RAO’S SELECT NOVEL ‘<i>THE BOYFRIEND’</i>

The portrayal of queer lives in Indian literature has predominantly been examined in urban contexts, whereas the intersection of tribal identity and queer sexuality has been minimal. R. Raj Rao, the revolutionary writer of Indian queer literature, amplifies these marginalized voices to challenge existing paradigms and enlarge the concern of queer debate in Indian fiction. This article seeks to investigate the multiple representations of tribal queer protagonists in Rao's fiction, highlighting the dual marginalization of these characters due to their sexuality and indigeneity. Through critical analysis of Rao's fiction in “The Boyfriend”, this study thoroughly states the awareness of Rao's protagonists as they resist the dual boundaries of identity, belonging and resistance, amid social and cultural constraints. This paper also employs queer theory and subaltern studies as a method of analysis, yielding a close examination of the narrative strategies, linguistic possibilities, and thematic frameworks that Rao uses to represent tribal queer lives. Moreover, Rao is an unflinching the representation of marginalised desires resisting normative perceptions of sexuality and identity and also demonstrates a landmark for future exploration of the intersection between queer and tribal identities.