Resilience in Stigma: Leukoderma as a Metaphor for Social Discrimination and Female Emancipation in Sudha Murthy's Mahashweta

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 created unprecedented disruption across human society. While medical professionals and scientists focused on understanding the nature and impact of the disease, academicians and literary scholars revisited the representation of pandemics and diseases in literature. Historically, such themes have diminished in literary prominence over time, but the resurgence of global health crises has renewed scholarly attention. In Indian literature, various works have explored disease as a narrative device. For instance, Amitav Ghosh’s The Calcutta Chromosome (1995) is set against the backdrop of malaria research, while Pahighar by Kamlakant Tripathi is a Hindi novel centered on the dual threats of cholera and plague during the 1857 independence struggle. This paper examines Sudha Murthy’s novel Mahashweta (2007), which portrays the social implications of leukoderma (vitiligo), a skin disorder characterized by the loss of pigmentation. Known in India as “Safed daag” or “kod”, the disease becomes a metaphor for social stigma and a catalyst for the protagonist Anupama’s transformation. Following her diagnosis after marriage, Anupama confronts humiliation, alienation, and psychological turmoil due to prevailing prejudices. However, her journey toward self-discovery and emancipation culminates in her relocation to Bombay, where she reclaims her agency and identity. The paper interprets leukoderma not merely as a physical affliction but as a symbolic vehicle that liberates Anupama from patriarchal constraints, allowing her to redefine herself beyond societal expectations.