Feminism in the Writings of Kamala Das

Abstract

The term 'Feminism' is derived from the Latin word 'Femina' meaning 'woman'.  It refers to the advocacy women’s rights, status and power on par with men on the grounds of equality of sex. The term has garnered popularity in early twentieth century when there ensued a struggle to secure women’s suffrage and later for women's emancipation from patriarchal oppression.  Contrary to popular opinion, its impact, however was not restricted to only urban population but soon extended even to rural areas.  Many Indian women poets and writers have applied the term significantly in their writings and attained global recognition.  Prominent among them are Kamala Das, Anita Desai, Arundhati Roy, Kamala Markandaya, and Bharathi Mukherjee. The paper attempts to shed light on the evolution of Feminism. It dwells on some of the writings of Kamala Das, her autobiography My Story, “The Old Playhouse and Other Poems”, “A Doll for the Child Prostitute”, “An Introduction'”, and “A Widow's Lament”.