Anais Nin once wrote, ‘Role of a writer is not to say what we all can say but what we are unable to say’. Many a times however an author writes to give words to popular protagonists in history, in folklores and in mythology. As a writer speaks to the world through its protagonists and characters, Inamdar’s Panchaali emotes through the words of her creator what she had not been able to say through the ages. It is this power of words and power of constructive imagination that can revolutionize protagonists and their stories and subsequently try to question the morbid unjustifiable social diktats dictated by the society.
Panchaali is not a mere character from Mahabharata nor is her disrobing a one day event that was forgotten. Draupadi is synonymous with Disrobing and vice versa. The disrobing of Draupadi, that one shameful voyeuristic act by men in her relation in front of men who were married to her could be deemed as no less than a ‘butterfly effect’ in the Indian society and its psyche. It created ripples in the social fabric as it got embedded in it and carried the message through ages that women could be stripped of their dignity as and when desired by men accusing and charging them with inane accusations, a fabrication of their fallen mind. .The audacity of men to carry such acts and use such vituperations on the women becomes easier when such precedents are available. When a woman can be destroyed physically and verbally in front of multitude of men more so those in her relation it gives an impetus to the schadenfreude brimmed mind filled with leer and lust and an innate disdain they carry for the weaker sex as they call her. An event that occurred, was narrated through the ages becomes a part of that society. The event becomes dangerous when it is accepted by that society as commonplace especially by its men. A loose tongue in a moment of power is a powerful weapon that has destroyed the mental peace of multitudes of women in the society.
Inamdar’s Panchaali questions Krishna about the disrobing, her polyandrous marriage to five brothers and the verbal abuse to herself by ones in her relation and in her questions exists her answers and her salvation. I love protagonists who kick away the ‘Puss of your boots’ attitude that men expect from women. Because when one woman is made to fall in a society she takes her sisters with her like dominoes falling one after another. You need to change the stories of your women to change the mindset of the men! We need protagonists that constantly and continuously elevate the dignity of their tribe.
The author has with brevity freed Panchaali from the shame of disrobing to a life of dignity and peace. Although Inamdars Panchaali lives a life of obscurity and loneliness she is a witness to the war of Mahabharata without being part of it.
In Inamdar’s Panchaali, Draupadi’s quest for justice extends beyond individual grievances to a broader critique of societal structures and power dynamics. Throughout the narrative, she exposes the inherent flaws in systems built on ego and revenge, challenging us to confront our own complicity in perpetuating injustice.
Saniya Inamdar’s Panchaali indulges Krishna in an intellectual discourse, where Panchali quite skillfully presents her argument as to why she shall neither marry the five brothers nor partake in the war— Kurukshetra.
“Oh esteemed ones assembled together, I, Princess Draupadi with all respect obey not to marry the five illustrious brothers! I agree to marry Prince Arjuna who won my Swayamwara or I will marry no one! There will be a war but Princess Panchaali will have no part in it!”
In this conversation, we find Panchali asking apposite questions, befitting even to this day. For instance, verbal abuse is a prevalent issue that has slowly crept into both our private and professional world. Both unwittingly and intentionally, people question women’s character and the absurdity of its reason could be as far-fetched as the length of her hair or the tone of her voice. Such actions have the potential to disarm a woman’s mental peace, dismantle their confidence, and even suppress the weaker sex leveraging societal prejudices as a weapon.
Saniya’s Panchaali finally shoots the question to Krishna, “…is it justified to call any woman a woman of questionable character and that too publicly?”
He replies, “No human has a right to abuse a creation of the Almighty! It is ironical however, that in our society the abuser gains a sense of power by abusing and the victim feels humiliated and mortified!”
Krishna, further explains, “Our tongue is our biggest enemy, but do you know what our fiercest nemesis is, our ego! Our tongue feeds the entire body, but our senseless ego and pride nourishes our tongue.”
These replies are not just mere speculations. Panchaali veritably pools out Sakha’s reflections almost as a means to let mankind know what Krishna believes in. You may call it reverse psychology! Krishna is portrayed in this story of friendship as the ideal feminist society yearns for today.
Does Panchali stop there? No, she doesn’t leave a single stone unturned at criticizing the major figures in mythical history. And her father King Drupad and the eminent Guru Drona doesn’t escape her skeptical vision.
She asks Krishna, “Do my father and the learned guru even fathom how many lives are wasted, how many relations lost in their selfish ego peddling! Who is sacrificed in their ever thriving cauldron of revenge and false self-esteem, the innocents who had no part in this internal ruinous pretense of friendship?”
Again Panchali goes against the tide— she questions her father’s kingly abilities and the learned Guru’s sense of justice. Besides doubting the patriarchs, she also lays out the futility of war and the authorities’ error in judgments before all.
At one point, Saniya’s voice and Panchali become one maybe that has always been the case for all. Every woman has a fierce and arrogant Draupadi hidden inside. The author evokes her to get the narrative straight.
She writes, “…How could any woman defend herself if she was to be stripped of all her modesty! …How could I let the world blame Panchali for a war that was never ever her fault!”
Inamdar’s versatility and imaginative, evocative prose doesn’t cease to surprise me. Her book Cornucopoem, an anthology of poems, navigates through the varied incidences concerning violence and sexual abuse against women. In the foreword to the book, actress Sushmita Sen writes, “the poet has tried to awaken, to arouse” and I concur.
Two of her poems ‘The Moving Bus’ and ‘The Rape of Civilization’ emphatically explains the precarious situation of the victim. Most significantly, the poems concentrate on the Nirbhaya case from 2012. Through her verses the poetess embarks on a journey to make people realize the rotten state of humanity, a desperate attempt to dismantle the long-held prejudice of shaming the victim.
In The Moving Bus, she writes,
“Do humans eat each other when in hunger?
Is she their food” asked the lamb ignoramus!!!
Spit the Lion and replied
“Although we are masters of the jungle, The untamable and the wild, But there is no creature born as dangerous as their kind. The only animal that do not kill for their appetite, Unreasonably brutal uncontrollably cruel, They killed the very WOMB from which they gained life!!!”
It’s interesting how the term ‘WOMB’ owns two different meaning for Saniya’s two different pieces of work. In The Moving Bus, womb stands for the centre of origin while in ‘Panchaali’, womb becomes the ultimate destination where the Panchaal Princess can seek eternal refuge.
The poet, further writes, ‘The Rape of Civilization’ from the perspective of time, throwing a caustic look at two incidences that has taken place in two different time span— disrobing of Draupadi and the rape of Nirbhaya. The poet agitates throughout her verse—
“I see the mound of unstitched weave, As I reckon the poignant historical scene, Opulence and might, Sagacity and gallantry,
All lay waste, a puppet to debauchery.”
The last line brings out the harrowing and grim reality that we live in. It’s unfortunate how a few things remain unchanged since the beginning of civilization — violation of women’s body, objectification of the female sex, and throwing their dignities at a toss.
Saniya doesn’t limit her voice just to the predicament of female fate. She is critical of that human race who surreptitiously dons their liberal garb only to talk about national issues over a glass of wine. But in her quest to bring out the hypocrisy of the society she doesn’t forget to pay homage to the valorous few like Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan of NSG, who was martyred during the bloody scuffle of 26/11. In her poetry, ‘Moxie,’ she writes,
“The TEST of a man is his VALOR, his courage
The audacity to see Death in its face,
Especially for a stranger’s sake”
In her writings, Dr. Saniya Inamdar further amplifies all a victim’s voice, shedding light on their plight subjected to violence and abuse. With unwavering honesty, she confronts the harsh realities of a world. In the face of such stark truths, her work serves as a clarion call for change—a plea for a more compassionate and equitable society. But Inamdar’s pen that unflinchingly writes for equality, bringing the attention of the world to trials a woman goes through, also pens about the terrorist attacks that led to the death of humanity, with equal fervor.
In the world riddled with romantic narratives, Dr. Saniya Inamdar’s writing stands as a testament of social responsibility of a scribe. Her writing prevails and perseveres in restoring ‘the sanctity of life.’
Siddhi Palande
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