Folklore, Social Constructs and Gender in Vijaydan Detha's “Double Lives”

Abstract

Folklore, as an organic repository of indigenous knowledge, resists the Western critical hegemonies that focus on fixed textuality and prioritises community epistemologies over individual authorship. This research attempts to understand the social constructs that shape the gender roles as represented in Vijaydan Detha’s story. The story is located in Rajasthan’s rich oral traditions that subvert dominant critical paradigms by foregrounding indigenous knowledge systems, communal storytelling, and performative aesthetics. This paper analyses the story through the lens of gender studies and social constructivism, exploring how Vijaydan Detha deconstructs normative frameworks of identity, power, and societal expectations. His use of regional dialects and cultural motifs not only reinforces the authenticity of the setting but also serves as a tool of resistance against hegemonic structures. The study analyses the story Double Lives by focussing on reinterpreting traditional tales, using folklore both as an aesthetic device and an instrument of social resistance.