THE DIALECTICS OF OPPRESSION AND RESILIENCE: REREADING AMRITA PRITAM’S PINJAR

Abstract

The subcontinent’s Partition in 1947 and its unparalleled repercussions contradicted most expectations of the approaching future. The historical narratives of the cataclysmic Partition chronicle the collective agony of marginalized, oppressed, and silenced women who endured the harsh realities of the male-dominated patriarchal society. Relegated to a vulnerable position, women faced utmost savagery, ignominy, double marginalization, and gender inequality. Their subjection to traumatic experiences of abduction along with geographical and psychological dislocation left ineffaceable scars on their psyche. This research paper examines the established nature of gender dynamics, focusing on the atrocious violence and oppression, exploitation, and victimization that woman endured with particular reference to Amrita Pritam’s novella Pinjar. The paper not only endeavours to reposition women in nation’s history, but also critically engages in revisiting Pooro’s identity crisis and her transformative journey from Pooro to Hamida. Additionally, it highlights Pritam’s artistic dexterity in unravelling an alternative outlook, highlighting the experiences of a victimized abducted woman. Furthermore, it delineates how Pooro, the central character defies the stereotypical portrait of women; despite her subjugation, she emerges as a strong and resilient character by dismissing the decision of restoration and rehabilitation, and opting to remain back with her abductor husband, Rashida.