ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN IN THE SELECTED PLAYS OF MANJULA PADMANABHAN, POILE SENGUPTA AND KISHWAR DESAI

Abstract

This paper explores the portrayal and attitude towards women in the works of Manjula Padmanabhan, Poile Sengupta, and Kishwar Desai, eminent figures in Indian literature. Their stories mostly centre on the lives of women, questioning and challenging established gender conventions and prejudices in Indian culture. We identify a common theme of female empowerment and opposition to conventional patriarchal limitations via a thorough examination of the plays they chose. We witness a brave tale that criticises the monetization of the human body in a dystopian future in Manjula Padmanabhan's "Harvest." A testimony to Padmanabhan's belief that women are strong, resilient people is the female protagonist's capacity to take charge of her family and make important choices. Poile Sengupta's "Inner Laws," in contrast, is a psychological examination of an everyday housewife who struggles with patriarchal domination and social conventions. Sengupta's passion for understanding and embracing the diversity of women's emotional landscapes is reflected in the play's introspective examination of a woman's psyche and celebration of her resilience in the face of tragedy. We then review Kishwar Desai's whole corpus of work. Desai is mostly a writer, but her representations of women are important. Her stories often show women as strong, competent, and multifaceted characters who transcend stereotyped preconceptions. In conclusion, the works of Padmanabhan, Sengupta, and Desai stress women's empowerment while questioning patriarchal conventions and emphasising the emotional, psychological, and sociological experiences of women. By providing tales that create a greater knowledge and respect of women's experiences in the context of Indian society, they greatly contribute to current Indian literature.