Marginalised or Empowered: Subverting Traditional Portrayal of Karna in Chandra Prasad Saikia's Maharathi

Abstract

Reimagining the epic figure Karna as a symbol of both social exclusion and social resistance in fictional mythological texts reaffirms the dialogic continuation of the Mahabharata in the contemporary context. In postcolonial discourses, Karna has been re-imagined as an emblem of social resistance to caste-based marginalisation. His social exclusion is read as an allegory of systemic discrimination, while his alliance with Duryodhana is redefined as a political statement against upper-caste hegemony. Against the backdrop of the stratified social structure of Indian society, this paper intends to interpret/reinterpret Karna's social exclusion and struggle for recognition as reimagined in Chandra Prasad Saikia's Maharathi. There will be attempts to validate through relevant evidence how this fictional retelling of the Mahabharata purposefully deviated from the epic and fashioned a contemporary narrative where Karna has been placed at the center of the great Mahabharata War. Subverting the narrative point of view, the selected novel attempts at rewriting Karna's life history through his own perspectives. Reframing the traditional idea of heroism, Karna has been projected as the protagonist in Saikia's narrative.