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The IUP Journal of English Studies

A Study of Gender, Sexuality and the Zenana in Selected Short Stories of Ismat Chughtai

Article Details

Pub. Date	: June, 2022
Product Name	: The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type	: Article
Product Code	: IJES120622
Author Name	:Anupama Bandopadhyay
Availability	: YES
Subject/Domain	: Arts & Humanities
Download Format	: PDF Format
No. of Pages	: 14

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Abstract

Women's choices have always been curtailed because of the societal constructs of shame associated with the presence of her female body. This silencing of her voice and negating her embodied presence have been a perennial tool used by the society to maintain its patriarchal hegemony. The paper explores how society views female sexuality and her own acknowledgement of her body and her desires and constantly tries to stifle her voices under the veils of sobriety and propriety. It further investigates the spaces of the zenana as not merely being patriarchal ones to constrict her presence; rather, the zenana could act as spaces of negotiations with the dogmatic society, moulded with imagination and acts of deviation and defiance.

India is in an ambivalent position with regard to sexuality and its representations across various cultural groups. While talking about sex and acknowledging diverse sexual orientations that are not heteronormative are considered taboo topics, there are cultures that celebrate the onset of puberty and menstrual cycle in a young girl. Furthermore, we have the Kama arts sculpted on the Khajuraho temples. Although premarital sex is prohibited, completely denying the very urge as natural, the sexual initiation after the nuptials is celebrated in the form of proper rituals. Ours is a land worshipping the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva. Also, there are ample manifestations of diverse sexual orientations amongst the deities. The ancient Sanskrit text Kama Sutra actually explores and associates sexual fulfillment with emotional satisfaction, also acknowledging 'Kama' as one of the purposes of life that also contextualize pleasure, thus negating the religious aspect of sex, as being a mere tool for procreation.