WAR AND WOMEN: AN ANALYSIS OF T D RAMAKRISHNAN’S SUGANDI ALIAS ANDAL DEVANAYAKI

Abstract

War has so far been an institution led by men. Women are not usually assigned the identity of a warrior in the times of war, even though they make significant contributions. They are viewed as powerless when it comes to their roles during wartime. Their participation in the war is never appreciated and is ignored by comparing their service with those of men. Their ability to fight for their nation, to be part of an organization and to be in a political sphere are largely restricted by the patriarchal society. The traditional role of women in war is as a victim. Sexual assaults have become a war tactic and the victim’s often face stigmatisation and exclusion. The Sri Lankan Civil War between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan state in 1983 brought women to the warfront. The dissertation titled War and Women: Analysing T D Ramakrishnan’s Sugandhi Alias Andal Devanayaki focuses on deconstructing the notion of women as a submissive victim of war to that of a strong warrior using T D Ramakrishnan’s political novel Sugandhi Alias Andal Devanayaki. The article gives the historical background of the novel and examines the involvement of women in the LTTE organization. It also points out how rape and suicide bombing was widely employed by men in power to subside women in the society. The resistivity shown by the women towards the atrocities of war gives a conclusion to the whole argument.