Exploring Women’s Identity in Kamala Das’ Poem – ‘The Old Playhouse’

Abstract

Kamala Das is an Anglo-Indian poet who shot to the limelight for her unabashed portrayal of women’s identity and sexuality in her poems, at a time when women writers writing such topics were considered taboo in India. Das used various literary techniques and devices to portray the urgency of an Indian woman for freedom. This paper samples one of her best-known poems – ‘The Old Playhouse’ and attempts to depict the ills of patriarchal Indian society and also provide an insight into the macro-level implications it offers, of our culture and norms.