The Gendered Self in Conflict: A Theoretical Reading of Tara through Bem's Androgyny Framework

Mahesh Dattani is the most prominent Indian English playwright to win the Sahitya Akademi award in 1998. Mahesh Dattani was born on August 7, 1958. He questions the problems that develop in an Indian society. Mahesh Dattani, the pioneering feature in the Indian dramatic world, is known for centring the marginalized voice—particularly those of women, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community. In the present paper a study is made on Mahesh Dattani’s Tara through the lens of Sandra Bem’s Androgyny Theory to explore the intersection of gender identity, societal exceptions and psychological conflict in the contemporary Indian society. Tara is one of the most poignant plays, centres on the female child protagonist from the affluent, educated family in Bangalore which dramatizes the division of conjoined twins—a boy and a girl—as a symbolic act underscoring gender bias, parental partiality, and the emotional ramifications of male favouritism. Using a qualitative interpretive methodology, this study employs close textual analysis to trace the psychological and societal tensions within the play. Sandra Bem’s theoretical framework provides a critical lens to understand how psychological androgyny could serve as a counter-narrative to the restrictive gender roles that perpetuate inequality and emotional dissonance.