Abstract

Aim: This research paper examines the dynamics of patriarchal power and gendered identity in the plays of Vijay Tendulkar, with special reference to Kamala, Silence! The Court Is in Session, and Kanyadaan. Tendulkar’s dramatic works reveal how male-dominated social systems control women’s voices, identities, and bodies through institutional authority, social morality, and ideological pressure. The study argues that patriarchy operates not only through direct domination but also through liberal hypocrisy, emotional control, and internalized oppression. Kamala exposes the commodification of women and the silent subjugation of Sarita, while Silence! The Court Is in Session reveals patriarchal morality through the public humiliation of Leela Benare. Kanyadaan further explores how caste, ideology, and marriage reinforce gendered power.

Methodology: The study uses close textual reading and thematic analysis of the selected plays. It examines characterization, dialogue, and dramatic situations to understand how gender roles are constructed, enforced, and resisted. Feminist theoretical perspectives are applied to interpret patriarchal structures, internalized oppression, and emerging female consciousness within socio-cultural contexts.

Outcome: The analysis shows that Tendulkar skillfully portrays the many forms of patriarchal power that suppress women in both private and public spaces. His plays reveal how women experience commodification, moral policing, emotional abuse, and ideological domination. At the same time, female characters develop awareness and resistance, creating a space for questioning oppression and asserting identity.

Conclusion and Suggestions: Tendulkar’s plays challenge patriarchal mindsets by exposing gender injustice embedded in social institutions, family structures, and political ideologies. Women’s resistance in these plays is psychological, symbolic, and ideological rather than openly revolutionary, yet it signals emerging feminist consciousness. The study suggests that Tendulkar’s works provide an important framework for examining gender and power in modern Indian society. Further research may extend this analysis to other contemporary writers to better understand how literature interrogates power relations and advocates social change.

Keywords: Negotiation of Power; Patriarchy; Gender Identity;Feminist Resistance; Commodification; Domestic Subordination; Media and Masculinity; Gender Construction.