Sampat Pal: A Life-Story Beyond Narrative Boundaries

Abstract

Stories form the foundation of our cultural narratives. They travel from generations, across time, space and geography only to etch a memory on the human mind. Previously, the only way of communicating the stories were through oral accounts. However, with the advent of time, several methods came into being to elevate the scope and process of transmission of the narratives. Written accounts, art, media (social and print), technology, became the modes of expressing and promoting the narratives. Narratives had always been gendered under patriarchy until women struggled to find a room of one’s own. One such narrative is the life story of Sampat Pal from the rural background of Uttar Pradesh, India who dared to challenge the hegemonic privilege of dominant and gendered narratives. She is a social activist who founded a group named the Gulabi Gang inspiring women on the path of self-respect, solidarity and human rights. The motto of the group was to battle against domestic violence, discrimination and injustice. Her noble chronicle transcends boundaries of conventional narrative and finds ways to seep into the crevices of human imagination. She is a grassroots social activist who presents her authentic self in a story-telling manner on every platform. The abstract explores how her narrative is engrafted into traditional methods, media, and technology to deliver her messages. She integrates human values that are long prejudiced against, through her songs and oral accounts, documentaries, books and print media, television shows, contemporary social media methods. Her fame has spread across the world to attract international attention through various creative productions on serious social issues. The abstract attempts to analysis the negotiation between a life-story, media and technology; and deliberate on the agency and aesthetics underlying the narratives.