Sriyanshi Bhatt, Week 10

Reading Devdasi Practice through Popular Marathi Literature: Anagha Tambe

The masterful way that Brahmanical patriarchy operates is fundamentally by controlling the sexual expression of women. This is done by classifying women into the binary of “ideal goddess-like” entities in the form of upper class wives whose chastity and modesty are her most prized possessions. This “respectable” behaviour rewards the woman with privileges and material possessions, which includes defined parentage for her child and hence, a promise of inheritance and security. On the other hand, the secondary option of being non-wives or prostitutes is that while the woman is allowed sexual expression, this is often collaborated with the cost of coercion, economical insecurities and the safety that a monogamous relationship offers in the structure of the society. 

While the author notes that the devdasis, were/are viewed as species subjected to constant humiliation and had no authority to refuse the upper-class men, thereby, being commodified by them, in the debates regarding the abolition of the devdasis, it was noted that the devdasis freedom of sexual expression and opportunity to engage with multiple partners challenged the very notion of Brahmanical authority that finds its hold by creating the caricature of the perfect woman. Hence, what is seen as a paternalistic and protective move to “protect” these women, could also be viewed as a tactic to diminish its threat to the oppressive hegemonic structure that we find ourselves in.