D“Coming Out” of The Baby Dyke in Babyji By Abha Dawesar: An Attempt to Understand Adolescent Lesbianism.
Anjali Krishna1, Kavya Purushothaman2
1Anjali Krishna, M. Phil. Student, Department of English and Languages, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Kochi Campus, India.
2Kavya Purushothaman, Assistant Professor, Department of English and Languages, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Kochi Campus, India.
Manuscript received on 15 May 2019 | Revised Manuscript received on 22 May 2019 | Manuscript Published on 08 June 2019 | PP: 143-147 | Volume-8 Issue-7C May 2019 | Retrieval Number: G10270587C19/19©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open-access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Queer is an all inclusive termforgender andsexual minorities who aren’t” straight” in their sexual orientation. This includes lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trangenders, transexuals, cisgenders etc. Literally, the word means “strange” or “peculiar”, and therefore came to be used rather derogatori lyagainst those who practiced same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Around the world, homosexuality is now receiving legitimacy; stigma and discrimination aregiving way to equalit yandinclusion. Nevertheless, the Indian scenario seems to be still in dark even after the decriminalization of Section 377 of the IPC. People are sensitized through media in the form of advertisements, documentaries, novels, books, journals and so on, about theburgeoning’ third gender’ .Yet, Homophobia is prevalent among the majorityin India with all of its conventional stereotypesand misconceptions. Amost natural human existence is termed as unnatural, abnormal, disease stricken yet curable and subjected to conversion therapies. Most adolescents naturally identify themselves as heterosexual, however there is a minority of teenagers among us who are never taken seriously in the matters of sexual importance. Aim of the study is to lay bare thesubtle intricaciesof the working of a sophisticated adolescent lesbian mind, through the much acclaimed novel Babyji by Abha Dawesar. Published in 2005and set in 1980s Delhi, it narrates the coming of age, sexual feats and fantasies of a 16 year’s old baffled schoolgirl. The paper titled “Coming Out” of the Baby Dyke in Babyji by Abha Dawesar: An attempt to understand Adolescent Lesbianismis an attempt to understand the sexual orientation of the protagonist Anamika Sharma who in her teens is figuring out herself. She is faced with several psychological, philosophical and existential questions in the course of the novel that leads her towards a revelation about her sexual and emotional preferences in a heteronormative, heterosexual world that surrounds her. The study is essentially narrowed down to focus on Adolescent Lesbianism. Theories of sexual orientation in the form of models by Vivienn Cass, Richard roiden and Eli Coleman, theory of psychosexual development by Dr Sigmund Freud and theory of existentialism as put forth by Jean Paul Sartreand Simone de Beauvoir, would shape the framework for the analysis and interpretation of the character and the novel as a whole. Queerness which is inseparable from the very essence and existence of life of LGBTQ population is spoken about through the study.
Keywords: Queer, Dyke, Lesbianism, Inversion, Adolescence, Identity Formation, Phases of Identity Formation, Models of Identity Formation,” Coming out”, Existentialism, Ethical freedom.
Scope of the Article: Agent Architectures, Ontologies, Languages and Protocols