Volume III Special Issue I January 2023

Name of Author : S Besma Joy, Mrs. A R Jemi

Title of the paper : Loss of Lass: A Study of Amrita Pritams The Skeleton

Abstract: Since time immemorial, the condition of women has been at stake due to so many reasons. In ancient days, the Indian women did not have the privilege of making decisions, the right to speak or the spirit of enquiry. They were expected to have various qualities, which can term them as ‘woman’. Some stereotypical qualities attributed to women are simple, divine, silent, obedient, patient and tolerant. The definition of women are the above qualities in ancient India. If a woman does not fit in the above parameters, then they are punished severely or simply graded as good for nothing by the society. The plight of women becomes degrading after the partition of India. Indian women had to overcome various obstacles in order to survive. They were treated as vassals. They were abducted and sexually abused during the chaos, which was prevailing during the partition. They were treated as puppets, which can only be operated by the hands of the riots. They were forced to question their existence, where they even lost their identity. The novel The Skeleton was originally written in Punjabi, titled Pinjar by the Indian writer Amrita Pritam. It was translated into English by the Indian writer, Khushwant Singh. This novel gives a clear-cut view of the sufferings and pains undergone by Indian women during partition. This paper aims to bring out the plight of women during the partition of India, which highly questions the identity of each and every Indian woman during partition through the novel The Skeleton by Amrita Pritam.

Keywords : Partition, Superstition, Religious clash, Sufferings and Loss of Identity

DOI :

Page Number : 167-169