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Is Mahasweta Devi’s ‘Draupadi’ Anti-National? Listen for Yourself

ABVP along with some ex-servicemen and locals have said that the play is ‘anti-national.’

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(The Department of English and Foreign Languages at the Central University of Haryana is facing backlash after producing a dramatic adaptation of Mahasweta Devi’s short story “Draupadi.” The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), along with some ex servicemen and locals have said that the play is ‘anti-national.’ Here is an ‘offending’ excerpt from the short story originally published on 29 July 2016. )

“Name Dopdi Mejhen, age twenty-seven, husband Dulna Majhi (deceased), domicile Cherakhan, Bankrajharh, information whether dead or alive and/or assistance in arrest, one hundred rupees...”
(Draupadi, Mahasweta Devi, Translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak)

Unembellished and brutally honest, Mahasweta Devi’s Draupadi tells the story of Dopdi Mejhen, a tribal woman ‘encountered’ by state Special Forces. The narrative doesn’t mince words: Dopdi’s rape and torture is portrayed in stark, naked detail.

Also Read: Draupadi’s ‘Encounter’: Seditious Students and Teachers of Haryana

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However, Draupadi is not the story of a woman cowed down or destroyed by state violence; it is the celebration of her indomitable spirit. Battered but unbroken, Dopdi is a symbol of resistance to gender, class and caste oppression.

(Featuring the voices of Urmi Bhattacheryya and Isha Purkayastha.
Audio edited by Purnendu Pritam.)

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

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