Folklore: Fabricating Womanhood in the Works of Vijaydan Detha

Abstract

Folktales are an important part of cultural legacy and serve as a realistic reflection of that society. These tales are considered as a treasure trove of a community’s collective memory and passed down through generations by word of mouth. Folktales portray the customs that are typical of a certain society. Vijaydan Detha is one of the regional writers who present a panorama of mediaeval Rajasthani culture by providing insights into the social, political and economic practices of the past which continue to influence contemporary culture, shaping cultural heritage and fostering a sense of shared identity among communities. His folk stories have universal as well as regional qualities as his Batan ri Phulwari (A Garden of Stories) which was published between the years 1960 and 1975 in a total of fourteen volumes, emerges with some specific themes related to feminism and the paper throws light on the dreams and dilemmas of women. In a societal structure that is hierarchical, men are in charge of establishing the rules and laws that govern society. In his several collections of short tales, Vijaydan Detha explores the hopes and predicaments that her female protagonists face. The majority of which have been translated from the original into other languages and published in collections such as The Dilemma and Other Stories (1997) by Ruth Vanita, New Life: Selected Stories (2008) by Mridul Bhasin, Kailash Kabir, and Vandana R. Singh, Chouboli and Other Stories (2010) by Christi A. Merrill and Kailash Kabir in two volumes, etc.