SHAKUNTALA: THE PLAY OF MEMORY - AN ECO-FEMINIST READING

ABSTRACT There may hardly be any disagreement that all popular cultures are of male dominance. Females’ subordination is normalized by various norms that are full of assumptions and prejudices. Things have historically been, to a large extent, put at ‘right’ place from a male perspective. In various societies across the world ‘voices’, over the long period of time, that questioned and argued against these norms led to a social and political movement: feminism. Eco-feminism is a subset of feminism and it has a strong ‘feeling’ that the patriarchy has adversely affected the environment and ecology also. The ‘exploitation’ of ‘female’ and ‘natural resources’ are interrelated. These issues of subordination and exploitation are raised in eco-feminist writings. This research looks at Namita Gokhale’s Shakuntala: The Play of Memory from an eco-feminist perspective to see to what extent the story in the novel raises important eco-feminist concerns. It aims at identifying the explicit and implicit instances of feminist and eco-feminist issues in the text. It explores into how Gokhale reclaims the mythological figure of Shakuntala, transforming her from a passive character into one with agency, closely tied to the rhythms of nature. This Shakuntala is different from the mythical one depicted in the Mahabharata and Kalidasa’s Abhijnanasakuntalam. Gokhale critiques the historical and cultural narratives that have justified both environmental degradation and the oppression of women by retelling the story of Shakuntala myth from an eco-feminist perspective. The protagonist’s connection to the natural world, particularly the forest, symbolizes her resistance to patriarchal structures and reflects the broader eco-feminist critique of domination. The novel’s exploration of memory parallels the degradation of the environment, as protagonist’s fragmented recollections mirror the broken relationship between humans and nature. Gokhale’s Shakuntala offers a powerful commentary on the interconnectedness of women’s and nature’s struggles under patriarchal systems. Key Terms: Eco-feminist, exploitation, patriarchy, environment, nature, memory Paper Type: Research Paper