Gender and Suniti Namjoshi : A Study

Abstract

Gender is a unique term with multiple meanings. It is primarily a social construct and understood in
relation to sex and sexuality. Gender was initially used to refer to the cultural and social aspects of
sexual difference. The present paper focusses on the concepts of sex and gender from the viewpoint of
Suniti Namjoshi. Suniti Namjoshi enters into the world of letters as a woman who rejects social
norms. She counters attacks on gender exploitation. Lacking sexual ties with men and managing
enough space for getting herself free from the heterosexual commitments. Namjoshi can think radically
and profoundly about the possibility of social change with reference to gender arrangements. The
present paper’s focus is on Queer theory. It focuses gender and sexuality, sex and desire etc. It
undergoes a psychic reading of man in order to present the deviation in the mind of people and its
effects on society. This theory gives rise to a debate whether sexual orientation is natural or essential
to a person, or if sexuality is mere a social construction and subject to change. Indian Society is a
unique and especial. In this society woman is designated as either too good as God, or too bad as devil.
There are only two shades of woman. Suniti Namjoshi’s feelings and her style of writing can also be
observed as a lesbian feminist. She belongs to the group of writers who had taken a step forward in
their thinking, style and even expression. The main focus is her poems. The paper tries to unveil her
ideas on the major issues of society in the form of poetry.
Keywords – Sex and Gender, Patriarchy, Homosexuality, Queer and Hegemony.