NAVIGATING THE PLURALITY OF GENDER IN CHITRANGADA
Identity, Alterity and Beyond
Keywords:
Adaptation, Chitrangada, femininity, gender-identity, masculinity, pluralityAbstract
The hierarchical binary of the masculine ‘self’ and the feminine ‘other’ establishes polarised discrete categories defining a rigid sex-gender system. This paper explores how Rabindranath Tagore’s adaptation of The Mahabharata’s Chitrangada in his dance drama1 transformed the character into a warrior princess who dismantles the hierarchical binary of the masculine self and the feminine other by questioning and redefining dominant gender norms. The paper examines how Rituparno Ghosh’s adaptation Chitrangada - the Crowning Wish2 reconceptualizing Chitrangada as an androgynous gender nonconforming dancer who undergoes sex reassignment surgery dismantles the binary sex-gender system suggesting a plurality of sex and gender. The paper interrogates how acceptance and celebration of plurality leads to a more progressive society enabling individuals to achieve their potential.
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