This document is a student paper analyzing Kamala Das's poem "The Dance of Eunuchs" using queer theory. It provides background on Kamala Das, defines queer theory, summarizes the poem, and analyzes it from a queer theory perspective. The poem depicts a group of eunuchs dancing until they bleed to entertain others but also express their suppressed desires and complain about their treatment in society. The student then discusses the current conditions faced by LGBT and eunuch communities in India, noting some legal and social challenges as well as recent progressive policies.

1. NAME: VYAS NUPUR H.
ROLL NO: 39
SUBJECT: PAPER-7 LITERARY THEORY AND CRITICISM
SUBMITTED TO DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
M. K. BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY ,INDIA ,
GUJARAT,[BHAVNAGAR]
TOPIC: QUEER THEORY APPLY ON KAMALA DAS POEM-
“THE DANCE OF EUNUCHS”
EMAIL ID: NUPURVYAS1995@GMAIL.COM

2. KAMALA DAS INTRODUCTION
She was an Indian English Poet.
Her pen name is
Madhvikuttiy.
Her well Known work are ‘’My story’’ an
autobiography.
She was Poet, novelist ,and
short story writer.

3. WHAT IS QUEER THEORY?
• The term ‘Queer’ was originally used in derogatory sense. [to
say or suggest that something or someone is not important or
not worthy of respect].
• It is an approach to literary and cultural study that rejects
traditional categories of gender and sexuality.

4. Think about Queer
• The term Queer have a set of
negative and often unfair
beliefs that a society or group
of people like Male and
Female same sex love as
deviant and unnatural.
• The Queer study indicate the
combined area of gay and
lesbian studies.
• It also concerns theoretical and
critical writing of all modes of
variance from the normative
model of biological sex, gender
identity, and sexual desires.

5. IMAGES
• Lesbian Gay
• Bisexual
• Transgender
• Transgender
• Bisexual
Biosexual

6. ABOUT THE POEM “THE DANCE OF EUNUCHS”
• The poem is about Eunuch [ Hijara]
community.
• Eunuchs is a man who has had his sexual
organs removed.
• By hormonal changes a man who is impotent
and celibate or he not inclined to marry and
procreate.
• These poem is about the painful dance of
Hijara, and objective correlative of
suppressed desires.
• Their sterility and barrenness suggests they
belong to neither sex and they are destined
to remain unfulfilled.

7. IF I AM QUEER THEORIST.
It was hot, so hot, before the eunuchs came
To dance, wide skirts going round and round, cymbals
Richly clashing, and anklets jingling, jigling
Jingling……. Beneath the fiery gulmohur, with
Long braids flying, dark eyes flashing, they danced and
They danced, oh, they danced till they bled…. There were green
Tatoos on their cheeks, jasmines in their hair, some
Were dark and some were almost fair.
Eunuchs wear skirts. They are entertaining
people through their dance or they try to seek gaze from people. It was
summer season, they are continucely dancing until they bled. They beautifies
themselves with jasmine in hair and tattoos on cheeks. They are black and
white.

8. CONTINUE…
• Their voices
• Were harsh, their songs melancholy; they sang of
• Lovers dying and children were left unborn…..
• Some beat their drums; others beat their sorry breasts
• And wailed, and writhed in vacant ecstasy.
•
• Their voices are harsh. Their voices are
different from common people.Their songs are full of sadness and
meloncholy. They sang songs of their lovers are dying and children born as
sterile child. Their conditions in society points out through poem. Actions
speaks louder than words. By beating drums and breasts,they represents
their anger to society. They are twisting body from side to side and shows
no indication of someone who thinks and feels their emotions. They are
complaning in loud voice and they mask their face in extreme delight.

9. CONTINUE….
• They were thin in limbs and dry; like half- burnt logs from
• Funeral pyres, a drought and a rottenness
• Were in each of them.
• They are very thin and suffered from malnutrition. Their
limbs are dried and full of rottenness.
• Even the crows were so
• Silent on trees, and the children wide eyed ,still;
• All were watching these poor creatures’ convulsions
• The sky crackled then, thunder came, and lightning
• And rain, a meagre rain that smelt of dust in
• Attics and the urine of lizards and mice…..
• All are watching their violent dance and children are
gazed at them. Then rain comes, the dirty smell emerges from their places urine of lizards
and mice. How they lived in poor condition and dirty area? They lived at the edge of city

10. TODAY CONDITION OF LGBT AND EUNUCHS IN INDIA
 Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in India face
legal and social difficulties not experienced by non- LGBT
persons.
 Same sex marriages are not legal in India. India legally
recognize Hijras as a gender separate from men or women,
making the country one of the few in the world to legally
recognize a third gender.
 Homosexual intercourse was made a criminal offence under
section 377 of the Indian penal code 1860.
 On 23 February 2012, the Ministry of Home Affairs expressed
its opposition to the decriminalization of homosexual activity,
stating that in India, homosexuality is seen as being immoral.
 The states Tamil Nadu and Kerala in India was the first state
to introduce a Transgender [Hijara] welfare policy.
 Hijara were legally granted voting rights as a third sex in 1994.
 On 24 April 2015, the Rajya sabha passed the Rights of
Transgender persons Bill,2014 guaranteeing rights and
entitlements ,reservations on education and jobs ,legal aid
,pensions, skill development for transgender people.

11. REFERENCES
• Wikipedia
• M.H Abrams – glossary of literary terms
• www.literary- articles.com

12. THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION