Manjula Padmanabhan’s Writing: A ‘Machete Strike’ At The Realities Of Indian Society

Abstract

As a writer, Manjula Padmanabhan explores the oddities in the society as an unconventional Indian woman. Sometimes, her writing is a machete strike at the realities of Indian society. She has boldly stepped forward to address and define women’s exploitation, suppression, and issues related to gender discrimination in Indian society. However, she does not consider herself as a Feminist. Her oeuvres primarily focus on the societal issues that are women-centric and are narrated from their viewpoint. Her scripts portray alienation, rape, the physical and mental suffering of Indian women in a patriarchal society. This paper studies with her play, Lights Out, focuses on the activities connected with the darkness of the physical and mental worlds; and also studies her famous play, Harvest,deals with the trade of Human Body organs by the Outsiders and Insiders, projects the exploitation of poor people in India in the light of advanced medical technology.