Gender And Inequality in World Literature: A Cultural Studies Reading of Vijay Tendulkar’s Plays

This paper examines the representation of gender inequality in Vijay Tendulkar's selected plays through the theoretical lens of Cultural Studies, situating his dramatic vision within the broader framework of world literature. Tendulkar’s theatre is distinguished by its uncompromising exposure of patriarchal power structures operating through social institutions such as the family, marriage, law, and the media. Rather than portraying gender oppression as an outcome of individual moral failure, his plays reveal it as a culturally produced and institutionally sustained phenomenon. Drawing upon the insights of key Cultural Studies and feminist theorists such as Raymond Williams, Stuart Hall, Michel Foucault, and Judith Butler, the paper explores how ideology, representation, surveillance, and gender performativity function in Tendulkar’s dramatic world. Through close textual analysis of Silence! The Court Is in Session, Sakharam Binder, and Kamala, the study demonstrates how women’s bodies and voices are subjected to moral policing, domestic control, and public spectacle. By placing Tendulkar within world literature, the paper argues that his plays articulate universal patterns of oppression and resistance that resonate beyond the Indian context. The study concludes that Tendulkar’s drama remains a significant cultural intervention that challenges dominant ideologies and contributes meaningfully to global conversations on gender justice.