Representation of Male and Female Self: A Disabilities Studies Inquiry

Abstract

The present paper analyses the play Tara by an acclaimed modern Indian playwright Mahesh Dattani, from Disabilities Studies perspective. The play has been analysed through various perspectives earlier. E.g. application of feminism, modernism, and postmodernism etc. but very few studies applied Disability Studies perspective. The present article discusses about various theories of Disability Studies. It is mainly concerned with the ways in which disabled people are treated, especially in the context of India. The present study applies an interdisciplinary approach to analyse the play. It combines anthropology, sociology, gender studies etc. The study has found that disabled persons are always treated with either pity or disgust. Especially disabled women because they are subject to double oppression in the society. The play clearly shows this through the two characters, Tara, and Chandan, who were born as conjoined twins.  The present article shows how Dattani uses the family of disabled children as a microcosm to show the struggle of the typical Indian family which has disabled members.