Presenter
Parashar Ayushi - The Bhopal School of Social Sciences, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, IndiaPanel
63 – Gender and Sexual Diversity in South Asia: Cultural Connections in Contemporary Practice, Activism, and AttitudesAbstract
Hindu mythology and scriptures offer fluid understandings of gender and sexuality, challenging rigid heteronormative frameworks. Yet, colonial and nationalist narratives have often erased or stigmatized queerness in India. This paper critically examines Devdutt Pattanaik’s works, including Shikhandi: And Other Tales They Don’t Tell You and The Man Who Was a Woman, to explore how his retellings reclaim and reinterpret Hindu mythology to highlight its inherent queerness.
Using queer theory and postcolonial discourse, this study interrogates whether Pattanaik’s narratives challenge or reinforce contemporary understandings of queerness in India. It examines how his interpretations navigate mythology, history, and LGBTQ+ identity, questioning whether they serve as acts of cultural reclamation or adaptations catering to modern liberal sensibilities. Additionally, it explores how Hinduism’s cyclical, non-binary cosmology contributes to inclusive gender and sexual identities.
This paper examines Pattanaik’s impact on queer representation in Hindu thought, exploring how his retellings reshape modern queer consciousness and cultural identity in India.
