Ruptures of the Unspoken on the Self: Resonances of Trauma in a Kannada Folktale "A Story and A Song"

This paper scrutinises “A Story and a Song,” a folktale from A.K. Ramanujan's anthology A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India (1997), to trace the earliest and colloquial expression of trauma in folklore. It analyses the narrative in the folktale to articulate and reflect on the theme of trauma through an interdisciplinary framework that integrates folklore, gender, and trauma theory. Examining the folktale through the lens of trauma establishes vital connections between the story and its cultural significance, as well as a deeper psychological understanding of the experiences it portrays.