392 Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak "Drau,padi"

Page 397: "Panchayat" is a supposedly elected body of village self-

government.
Page 399: "Champabhumi" and "Radhabhumi" are archaic names
for certain areas of Bengal. "Bhumi" is simply "land." All of Bengal is
thus "Bangabhumi."
Page 399: The jackal following the tiger is a common image.
Page 400: Modern Bengali does not distinguish between "her" and
"his." The "her'' in the sentence beginning "No comrade will ..." can
therefore be considered an interpretation.22
Page 401: A sari·conjures up the long, many-pleated piece of cloth,
complete with blouse and underclothes, that "proper" Indian women
wear. Dopdi wears a much-abbreviated version, without blouse or
underclothes. It is referred to simply as "the cloth."

Draupadi
Name Dopdi Mejhen, age twenty-seven, husband Dulna Majhi (de-
ceased), domicile Cherakhan, Bankrajharh, information whether dead
or alive and/or assistance in arrest, one hundred rupees ...
An exchange between two liveried unifonns.
FIRST LIVERY: What's this, a tribal called Dopdi? The list of names I
brought has nothing like it! How can anyone have an unlisted name?
SECOND: Draupadi Mejhen. Born the year her mother threshed rice
at Surja Sahu (killed)'s at Bakuli. Surja Sahu's wife gave her the name.
FIRST: These officers like nothing better than to write as much as
they can in English. What's all this stuff about her?
SECOND: Most notorious female. Long wanted in many ...
Dossier: Dulna and Dopdi worked at harvests, rotating between Bir-
bhum, Burdwan, Murshidabad, and Bankura. In 1971, in the famous
Operation Bakuli, when three villages were cordonned off and machine
gunned, they too lay on the ground, faking dead. In fact, they were the
main culprits. Murdering Surja Sahu and his son, occupying upper-caste
wells and tubewells during_the drought, not surrendering those three
young men to the police. In all this they were the chief instigators. In the
morning, at the time of the body count, the couple could not be found.
The blood-sugar level of Captain Arjan Singh, the architect of Bakuli,
rose at once and proved yet again that diabetes can be a result of anxiety
and depression. Diabetes has twelve husbands-among them anxiety.
Dulna and Dopdi went underground for a long time iil a Neanderthal
darkness. The Special Forces, attempting to pierce that dark by an
armed search, compelled quite a few Santals in the various districts of
West Bengal to meet their Maker against their will. By the Indian Con-
22. I am grateful to Soumya Chakravarti for his help in solving occasional problems
of English synonyms and archival research.
 Critical Inquiry Winter 1981 393

stitution, all human beings, regardless of caste or creed, are sacred. Still,
accidents like this do happen. Two sorts of reasons: (1), the under-
ground couple's skill in self-concealment; (2), not merely the Santals but
all tribals of the Austro-Asiatic Munda tribes appear the same to the
Special Forces.
In fact, all around the ill-famed forest of Jharkhani, which is under
the jurisdiction of the police station at Bankrajharh (in this India of ours,
even a worm is under a certain police station), even in the southeast and
southwest corners, one comes across hair-raising details in the eyewitness
records put together on the people who are suspected of attacking police
stations, stealing guns (since the snatchers are not invariably well
educated, they sometimes say "give up your chambers" rather than give
up your gun), killing grain brokers, landlords, moneylenders, law of-
ficers, and bureaucrats. A black-skinned couple ululated like police sirens
before the episode. They sang jubilantly in a savage tongue, in-
comprehensible even to the Santals. Such as:

Samaray hijulenako mar goekope

and,
Hende rambra keche keche
Pundi rambra keche keche

This proves conclusively that they are the cause of Captain Arjan
Singh's diabetes.
Government procedure being as incomprehensible as the Male
Principle in Sankhya philosophy or Antonioni's early films, it was Arjan
Singh who was sent once again on Operation Forest Jharkhani. Learning
from Intelligence that the above-mentioned ululating and dancing
couple was the escaped corpses, Arjan Singh fell for a bit into azombielike
state and finally acquired so irrational a dread of black-skinned people
that whenever he saw a black person in a ballbag, he swooned, saying
"they're killing me," and drank and passed a lot of water. Neither uni-
form nor Scriptures could relieve that depression. At long last, under
the shadow of a premature and forced retirement, it was possible to present
him at the desk of Mr. Senanayak, the elderly Bengali specialist in com-
bat and extreme-Left politics.
Senanayak knows the activities and capacities of the opposition bet-
ter than they themselves do. First, therefore, he presents an encomium
on the military genius of the Sikhs. Then he explains further: Is it only
the opposition that should find power at the end of the barrel of a gun?
Arjan Singh's power also explodes out of the male organ of a gun. With-
out a gun even the "five Ks" come to nothing in this day and age. These
speeches he delivers to all and sundry. As a result, the fighting forces
regain their confidence in the Army Handbook. It is not a book for every-
one. It says that the most despicable and repulsive style of fighting is
394 Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak "Draupadi"

guerrilla warfare with primitive weapons. Annihilation at sight of any

and all practitioners of such warfare is the sacred duty of every soldier.
Dopdi and Dulna belong to the category of such fighters, for they too kill
by means of hatchet and scythe, bow and arrow, etc. In fact, their
fighting power is greater than the gentlemen's. Not all gentlemen be-
come experts in the explosion of "chambers"; they think the power will
~o.me out on.its ?wn if the gun is held. But since Dulna and Dopdi are
1lhterate, their kmd have practiced the use of weapons generation after
generation.
I should mention here that, although the other side make little of
him, Senanayak is not to be trifled with. Whatever hispractice, in theory he
respects the opposition. Respects them because they could be neither
und~rstood nor demolished if they were treated with the attitude, "It's
nothmg but a bit of impertinent game-playing with guns." In order to
destroy the enemy, become one. Thus he understood them by (theoretically)
becoming one of them. He hopes to write on all this in the future. He has
also decided that in his written work he will demolish the gentlemen and
highlight the message of the harvest workers. These mental processes
might seem complicated, but actually he is a simple man and is as pleased
as his third great-uncle after a meal of turtle meat. In fact, he knows that,
as in the old popular song, turn by turn the world will change. And in
every world he must have the credentials to survive with honor. If neces-
sary he will show the future to what extent he alone understands the
matter in its proper perspective. He knows very well that what he is
doing today the future will forget, but he also knows that if he can
change color from world to world, he can represent the particular world
in question. Today he is getting rid of the young by means of "apprehen-
sion and elimination," but he knows people will soon forget the memory
and lesson of blood. And at the same time, he, like Shakespeare, believes
in delivering the world's legacy into youth's hands. He is Prospero as well.
At any rate, information is received that many young men and
women, batch by batch and on jeeps. have attacked police station after
police station, terrified and elated the region, and disappeared into the
forest of Jharkhani. Since after escaping from Bakuli, Dopdi and Dulna
have worked at the house of virtually every landowner, they can
efficiently inform the killers about their targets and announce proudly
that they too are soldiers, rank and.file.Finally the impenetrable forest of
Jharkhani is surrounded by real soldiers, the army enters and splits the
battlefield. Soldiers in hiding guard the falls and springs that are the
only source of drinking water; they are still guarding, still looking. On
one such search, army informant Dukhiram Gharari saw a young Santai
man lying on his stomach on a flat stone, dipping his face to drink water.
The soldiers shot him as he lay. As the .303 threw him off spread-eagled
and brought a bloody foam to his mouth, he roared "Ma- ho" and then
went limp. They realized later that it was the redoubtable Dulna Majhi.
 Critical Inquiry Winter 1981 395

What does "Ma-h o" mean? Is this a violent slogan in the tribal
langua ge? Even after much ~h<;>ught, the Depar t~ent of Defens e could
not be sure. Two tribal-spec1ahst types are flown m from Calcut ta, and
they sweat over the diction aries put togeth er by worthi es such as
Hoffm ann-Je ffer and Golden-Palme r. Finally the omnisc ent Senan ayak
summo ns Chamr u, the water carrier of the camp. He giggles when he
sees the two specialists, scratch es his ear with his "bidi," and says, The
Santals of Malda h did say that when they began fightin g at the time of
King Gandh i! It's a battle cry. Who said "Ma-h o" here? Did someo ne
come from Malda h?
The proble m is thus solved. Then, leaving Dulna 's body on the
stone the soldier s climb the trees in green camou flage. They embra ce
' . as the large red
the leafy bough s like so many great god Pans and watt
ants bite their private parts. To see if anyon e comes to take away the
body. This is the hunter 's way, not the soldier 's. But Senan ayak knows
that these brutes canno t be dispat ched by the approv ed metho d. So he
asks his men to draw the prey with a corpse as bait. All will come clear, he
says. I have almost deciph ered Dopdi 's song.
The soldier s get going at his comm and. But no one comes to claim
Dulna' s corpse . At night the soldier s shoot at a scuffle and, descen ding,
.
discov er that they have killed two hedge hogs copula ting on dry leaves
Impro vident ly enoug h, the soldier s' jungle scout Dukhi ram gets a knife
g
in the neck before he can claim the reward for Dulna 's captur e. Bearin
Dulna' s corpse , the soldier s suffer shooti ng pains as the ants, interr upted
in their feast, begin to bite them. When Senan ayak hears that no one has
come to take the corpse , he slaps his anti-Fascist paperback copy of The
Deputy and shouts , "What1 " Immed iately one of the tribal specia lists runs
in with a jqy as naked and transp arent as Archim edes' and says, "Get up,
sir! I have discov ered the meani ng of that 'hende rambr a' stuff.
It's
Mund ari language."
Thus ~he sear~h for Do_pdi co~tin ues. In the forest belt ofJhark hani,
-
the Oferatwn_ contm ues--w tll contm ue. It is a carbun cle on the govern
ments backsi de. Not to be cured by the tested ointm ent not to burst with
the
the approp riate herb. In the first phase, the fugitiv e;, ignora nt of
n
forest' s topogr aphy, are caugh t easily, and by the law of confro ntatio
n,
they are shot ~t the_taxpay er's expen se. By the law of confro ntatio
e
their eyebal ls, mtestm es, stomac hs, hearts , genita ls, and so on becom
un-
the food of fox, vultur e, hyena , wildca t, ant, and worm , and the
toucha bles go off happil y to sell their bare skelet ons.
They do not ~llow thems elves to be captu red in open comba t in the
seems that they have found a trustw orthy coune ·
next phase. NowDIt pc1· . r.
T t · ,
en ~ ~ne 1t s o . 1. Dopd1 loved Dulna more than her blood No
doubt 1t 1s she who 1s saving the fugitiv es now. ·
"They " is also a hypothesis.
Why?
396 Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak "Draupadi"

How many went originally7

. The answer is silence. About that there are many tales, many books
m press. Best not to believe everything.
How many killed in six years' confrontation?
The answer is silence.
Why after confrontations are the skeletons discovered with arms
broken or severed? Could armless men have fought? Why do the collar-
bones shake, why are legs and ribs crushed?
Two kinds of answer. Silence. Hurt rebuke in the eyes. Shame on
youl Why bring this up? What will be will be. . ..
How many left in the forest? The answer is silence.
A legion1 Is itjustifiable to maintain a large battalion in that wild area
at the taxpayer's expense?
Answer: Objection. "Wild area" is incorrect. The battalion is provided
w_ith supervised nutrition, arrangements to worship according to reli-
gion, opportunity to listen to "Bibidha Bharati" and to see Sanjeev
Kumar and the Lord Krishna face-to-face in the movie This Is Life. No.
The area is not wild.
How many are left?
The answer is silence.
How many are left? Is there anyone at all1
The answer is long.
Item: Well, action still goes on. Moneylenders, landlords, grain bro-
kers, anonymous brothel keepers, ex-informants are still terrified. The
hungry and naked are still defiant and irrepressible. In some pockets the
harvest workers are getting a better wage. Villages sympathetic to the
fugitives are still silent and hostile. These events cause one to think ... .
Where in this picture does Dopdi Mejhen fit?
She must have connections with the fugitives. The cause for fear is
elsewhere. The ones who remain have lived a long time in the primitive
world of the forest. They keep company with the poor harvest workers
and the tribals. They must have forgotten book learning. Perhaps they
are orienting their book learning to the soil they live on and learning new
combat and survival techniques. One can shoot and get rid of the ones
whose only recourse is extrinsic book learning and sincere intrinsic en-
thusiasm. Those who are working practically will not be exterminated so
easily.
Therefore Operation Jharkhani Forest cannot stop. Reason: the
words of warning in the Army Handbook.

2
Catch Dopdi Mejhen. She will l~ad us to t~e others. .
Dopdi was proceeding slowly, with some nee knotted mto her belt.
 Critical Inquiry Wihter 1981 397

does so occasionally.
Mushai Tud u's wife had cooked her some. She
tcloth and walks slowly.
Whe n the rice is cold, Dopdi knots it into her wais
in her hair. If she had
As she walked, she picked out and killed the lice
rid of the lice. The n she
some kerosene, she' d rub it into her scalp and get
ards put trap s at every
could wash her hair with baking soda. But the bast
r, they will follow the
ben d of the falls. If they smell kerosem in the wate
scent.
Dopdit
she hear s her own
She does n't respond. She never resp ond s whe n
today the notice for the
name. She has seen in the Panchayat office just
, "What are you look-
rew ard in her name. Mushai Tud u's wife had said
her up!"
ing at? Who is Dopdi MejhenJ Money if you give
"How much?"
"Tw o-hu ndre d!"
Oh God!
arat ion this time.
Mushai's wife said outside the office: "A lot of prep
A-1 1 new policemen."
Hm.
Don't come again.
Why?
has come again. If
Mushai's wife looked down. Tud u says that Sahib
they catch you, the village, our huts ...
They'll bum again.
Yes. And about Dukhiram . ..
The Sahib knows?
Shomai and Bud hna betrayed us.
Where are they?
Ran away by train.
e. I don 't know
Dopdi thou ght of something. The n said, Go hom
me.
what will happ en, if they catch me don 't know
Can 't you run away?
t will they do if
No. Tell me, how many times can I run away? Wha
they catch me? The y will counter me. Let them.
Mushai's wife said, We have nowhere else to go.
Dopdi said softly, I won't tell anyone's name.
so long, how one
Dopdi knows, has learned by hear ing so ofte n and
y give way und er tor-
can come t~ t~rm~ with tortu re. If min d and bod
did it. The y coun tere d
t~re, Dopch will bite off her tongue. Tha t boy
behi nd you. All you r
him. When they coun ter you, you r han ds are tied
Killed uy police in an
bones are crushed, you r sex is a terrible wou nd.
encounter . . . unkrwum male . . . age twenty-two ...
d someone call-
As she walked thinking these thoughts, Dopdi hear
ing, Dopdil
d by her own nam e.
She didn 't respond. She doesn't resp ond if calle
Her e her nam e is Upi Mejhen. But who calls?
 "Draupadi"
39 8 Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
ed 1·n he r mi nd . He ari ng "D op di"
~url /ls thefilm of kn n fac es
ow
Sp ine s of sus pic ion are alw ays . Sh om ai an d
y stif fen lik e a hed geh og' s. Wa lki ng, she u~r oo n the run h . .
the Sh Sh om ra isson s No t Go lok , e JS m
. he r mi nd . Wh o? No t om ra, . '
m h run , for oth erBrea ku li he r an d Du lna s na me s
t e . fi
Bu dh na are als o on sha i an d his wi fe
Ba kul i Is it som eonMe fro m Ma Ba ku h? A ter aon e bu t Mu all o f th e
. jhi He re noun g gen tle me n, no t
. . ng · h
we re Up1 Me Jhe n, ata es. Am on g t e yo
kno ws the ir rea l nam
nk s ab o~ t
s kne w. . pd i is con fus ed wh en she thi
pre vio us hat che 0 Sa hu arr an ge d wi th Bi dd iba bu to dig
Th at wa s a tr? ~b led ur~ e. ? h po un d of his tw o ho use s. No
it. Operation Ba kuh m Ba kuh. S~ IJ~ . S h ,
II and th ree we.lls w1 thm t e U lim ite d wa ter at Su rJa a u s
com
. bh
two tub ew e s BIT um. n
wa ter any wh ere , dro ug ht m . . bu rni n
hou se, as de ar as a cro w's eye . is. h g. ?
h can al tax , ev ery thm g
Ge t yo ur wa ter wit • ltiv ati on wit tax mo ne y
. . g cu
Wh at's my pro fit m mc rea sm I se
thi ng' s on fire . no nse nse . ncr ~a
Ev ery ept yo ur Pa nch aya t
Ge t ou t of her e. I do n't acc for sha rec rop pi- ?g.
wa nt ha lf the pa dd ypa
cul tiv atio n wit h wa ter . Yo u dd Th · e me dddy at ho me , giv e
. h fre e pa Y· . en giv
Ev ery one is hap py wit les son try mg to do yo u go o
·
me mo ney , I'v e lea rne d my
.
Wh at go od did you do ? vil lag e?
Ha ve I no t giv en wa ter to the
agu nal .
Yo u'v e giv en it to yo ur kin Bh
Do n't yo u get wa ter ?
ge t wa ter .
No . Th e unt ouc hab les do n't the dro ug ht, hu ma n pa tie nc e cat ch es
Th e qu arr el beg an the re. In
ntl e~ an , wa s
the vil lag e an d tha t yo un g ~e
easily. Sat ish an d Jug al fro m e a thi ng , pu t
wn ing mo ne yle nd er wo n't giv
Ra na his nam e?, sai d a lan do
him do wn . Sa hu ha d
Sa hu 's ho use wa s su rro un de d at nig ht. Su rja
Su rja wh itis h
t his gu n. Su rja wa s tie d up wi th cow rop e. Hi s
bro ug ht ou d ag ain . Du lna
he wa s inc on tin ent ag ain an
eye bal ls tur ne d an d tur ned , the r too k a bit
w, bro the rs. My gre atg ran dfa
had sai d, I'll hav e the firs t blo ay tha t de bt.
l giv e him fre e lab or to rep
of pa dd y fro m him , an d I stil me . I'll pu ll
wa ter ed wh en he loo ked at
Do pd i ha d sai d, Hi s mo uth
ou t his eye s. tra in.
hu . Th en a tele gra phi c me ssage fro m Sh iur i. Spe cia l
Su rja Sa h-m arc h. Th e
e up to Ba ku li. Ma rch -m arc
Army. Th e jee p did n't com r@ n up. Co m-
unc h-c run ch of gra vel un de r ho bn ail ed bo ots . Co
cru nch -cr Pr ab ir ali as
mik e. Jug al Ma nd al; Sa tis h Ma nd al, Ra na ali as
mands on the . No sur -
lna Ma jhi -D opd i Me jhe n sur ren der sur ren der sur ren der
Dip ak, Du tt pu tt- pu tt-
~ Mo w-m ow -mo w down the village. Pu tt- pu
r ~ ~r re me thr ow er.
the ~r --p utt -pu tt- rou nd the clo ck- pu tt- pu tt. Fla
cordue _ ~n se can al
bu rnm g. Mo re me n an d wo men, children . .. fir e-f ire . Clo
Ba ku h 1s
 C

critical Inquiry Winter 1981 399

. ,.,.,all 0opcli and Dulna had crawled on

apProach. Over-<JVer-<JVtT 1,y mg,..1· ·
their stomachs to safety. d p I kuri after BakuIi. Bhupati and
They could not ha.ve reach~dedaJ:at Dopdi and Dulna would work
Tapa took them. Then 1t was dee d 1at·ned to Dopdi , Dear , thi's 1s
·
· b l oulna ha exp
around th e J h arkbam et. . h' But who knows? La d
best! We won't get family and children t ,s.whay. d be . d n ·
I. m n mtg t one ay wipe out!
d
owner and moneylender an po ice e
Who called her from the back today? .
. k lk' Vi'llages and fields, bush and rock-Public
Do pdI ept wa mg. . · ba
Works Departfflt'nt markers-sound of running steps. m ck. Only one
person runnmg, · Jh kb · f..w*st still about two miles away. Now she
ar am v•.,
thinks of nothing but entering the forest. She must let them know that
the police have set up notices for her again. ~ust tell them that that bastard
Sahib has appeared again. Must change hftkouts. ~lso, the plan to do to
Lakkhi Bera and Naran Bera what they did to SuIJa Sahu on account of
the trouble over paying the field hands in Sandara must be cancelled.
Shomai and Budhna knew everything. There was the urgency of great
danger under Dopdi's ribs. Now she thought th~~e was no shame as a
Santai in Shomai and Budhna's treachery. Dopd1 s blood was the pure
unadulterated black blood of Champabhumi. From Champa to Bakuli
the rise and set of a million moons. Their blood could have been con-
taminated; Dopdi felt proud of her forefathers. They stood guard over
their women's blood in black armor. Shomai and Budhna are half-
breeds. The fruits of the war. Contributions to Radhabhumi by the
American soldiers stationed at Shiandanga. Otherwise, crow would eat
crow's flesh before Santai would betray Santai.
Footsteps at her back. The steps keep a distance. Rice in her belt,
tobacco leaves tucked at her waist. Arijit, Malini, Shamu, Mantu-none
of them smokes or even drinks tea. Tobacco leaves and limestone pow-
der. Best medicine for scorpion bite. Nothing must be given away.
Dopdi turned left. This way is the camp. Two miles. This is not the
way to the forest. But Dopdi will not enter the forest with a cop at her
back.
I swear by my life. By my life Dulna, by my life. Nothing must be
told.
The footsteps turn left. Dopdi touches her waist. In her palm the
co~fort of a half-moon. A baby scythe. The smiths at Jharkhani are fine
artisans. Such an edge we'll put on it Upi, a hundred Dukhirams--
Thank God Dopdi is not a gentleman. Actually, perhaps they have
understood scythe, hatchet, and knife best. They do their work in si-
lence. T~e_lights of th~ camp at a distance. Why is Dopdi going this way?
St_op a bit, 1t turns agam. ~uh! .1 can tell where I am if I wander all night
wtth my eyes s~ut. I wont g? m _the forest, I won't lose him that way. I
1
won t outrun him. You fuckmg Jackal of a cop, deadly afraid of death,
 400 Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak ''Draupadi"
h, throw you
you can't run arou nd in the forest. I'd run you out of breat
in a ditch, and finish you off.
has sat in
Not a word must be said. Dopdi has seen the new camp, she
found out
the bus station,_ passed the time of day, smoked a "bidi" and
Squash four,
how many police convoys had arrived, how many radio vans.
This information
onions seven, peppers fifty, a straightforward account.
en has been
cannot now be passed on. They will understand Dopdi Mejh
ht, the others
countered. Then they'll run. Arijit's voice . If anyone is caug
Dopdi arrives
must catc~ the timing and change their hideout. If Comrade
gone. No
late, we will not remain. Ther e wiH be a sign of where we've
comrade.. ~:ll le! the others be destroyed for her own sake.
. A~Jlt ~ voice. The gurgle of water. The direction of the
next hideout
r the stone.
wd) be md1cated by the tip of the wooden arrowhead unde
teU you,
Dopdi likes and understands this. Dulna died, but, Jet me
our heads to
he didn 't Jose anyone else's. life. Because this was not in
Now a much
begin with, one was countered for the other's trouble.
n't retur n-ba d.
hars her rule, easy and clear. Dopdi retur ns-g ood; does
won't see it,
Change hideout. The clue wiJJ be such that the opposition
won't unde rstan d even if they do.
of land
Footsteps at her back. Dopdi turns again. These 3½ miles
i has left that
and rocky grou nd are the best way to ente r the forest. Dopd
. The army
way behind. A little level grou nd ahead. Then rocks again
area is quiet
coul d not have struck camp on such rocky terrain. This
r. That 's fine.
enou gh. It's like a maze, every hum p looks like every othe
Sara nda had
Dop di wiU lead the cop to the burn ing "ghat." Patitpaban of
been sacrificed in the name of Kali of the Burn ing Ghats.
Apprehend!
elderly
A lump of rock stands up. Another. Yet anot her. The
Senanayak was at once trium phan t and despondent. Ifyou
want destroy
to
ago he could
the enemy, become one. He had done so. As long as six years
d. Since he
anticipate their every move. He still can. Ther efore .he is elate
seen approval
has kept up with the literature, he has read First Blood and
of his thou ght and work .
sorts of
Dopdi coul dn't trick him, he is unha ppy abou t that. Two
mation storage
reasons. Six years ago he published an article about infor
supp orted this
in brain ceUs. He demonstrated in that piece that he
is a field hand .
struggle from the poin t of view of the field hands. Dopdi
apprehe?'Ukd.
Veteranfighter. Search and destroy. Dopdi Mejhert is about to be
WilJ be destroyed. Regret.
Ha/,t!
the front.
Dopdi stops short. The steps behind come arou nd to
Sahu's broth er
Und er Dopdi's ribs the canal dam breaks. No hope. Surja
Shom ai and
Roto ni Sahu . The two Jumps of rock com e forw ard.
Bud hna. They had not escaped by train.
must also
Arijit's voice.Just as you must know when you've won, you
 Critical Inquiry Winter 1981 401

acknowledge defeat and start the activities of the next stage.

Now Dopdi spreads her arms, raises her face to the sky, turns to-
ward the forest, and ululates with the force of her entire being. Once,
twice, three times. At the third burst the birds in the trees at the outskirts
of the forest awake and flap their wings. The echo of the call travels far.

Draupadi Mejhen was apprehended at 6:53 P.M. It took an hour to

get her to camp. Questioning took another hour exactly. No one touched
her, and she was allowed to sit on a canvas camp stool. At 8:57
Senanayak's dinner hour approached, and saying, "Make her. Do tht
needful," he disappeared.
Then a billion moons pass. A billion lunar years. Opening her eyes
after a million light years, Draupadi, strangely enough, sees sky and
moon. Slowly the bloodied nailheads shift from her brain. Trying to
move, she feels her arms and legs still tied to four posts. Something
sticky under her ass and waist. Her own blood. Only the gag has been
removed. Incredible thirst. In case she says "water" she catches her lower
lip in her teeth. She senses that her vagina is bleeding. How many came
to make her?
Shaming her, a tear trickles out of the corner of her eye. In the
muddy moonlight she lowers her lightless eye, sees her breasts, and
understands that, indeed, she's been made up right. Her breasts are
bitten raw, the nipples torn. How many? Four-five-six-seven-then
Draupadi had passed out.
She turns her eyes and sees something white. Her own cloth. Noth-
ing else. Suddenly she hopes against hope. Perhaps they have aban-
doned her. For the foxes to devour. But she hears the scrape of feet. She
turns her head, the guard leans on his bayonet and leers at her.
Draupadi closes her eyes. She doesn't have to wait long. Again the pro-
cess of making her begins. Goes on. The moon vomits a bit of light and
goes to sleep. Only the dark remains. A compelled spread-eagled still
body. Active pistons of flesh rise and fall, rise and fall over it.
Then morning comes.
Then Draupadi Mejhen is brought to the tent and thrown on the
straw. Her piece of cloth is thrown over her body.
Then, after breakfast, after reading the newspaper and sending the
radio message "Draupadi Mejhen apprehended," etc., Draupadi Mejhen
is ordered brought in.
Suddenly there is trouble.
Draupadi sits up as soon as she hears "Move!" and asks, Where do
you want me to go?
To the Burra Sahib's tent.
402 Gayatri Chakravorry Spivak "Draupadi"

Where is the tent?

Over there.
Draupad i fixes her red eyes on the tent. Says, Come, I'll go.
The guard pushes the water pot forward.
Draupad i stands up. She pours the water down on the ground.
Tears her piece of cloth with her teeth. Seeing such strange behavior , the
guard says, She's gone crazy, and runs for orders. He can lead the
prisoner out but doesn'.t know what to do if the prisoner behaves in-
compreh ensibly. So he goes to ask his superior.
The commot ion is as if the alarm had sounded in a prison.
Senanay ak walks out surprised and sees Draupad i. naked, walking to-
ward him in the bright sunlight with her head high. The nervous guards
trail behind.
What is this? He is about to cry, but stops.
Draupad i stands before him, naked. Thigh and pubic hair matted
with dry blood. Two breasts, two wounds.
What is this? He is about to bark.
Draupad i comes closer. Stands with her hand on her hip, laughs and
says, The object of your search, Dopdi Mejhen. You asked them to make
me up, don't you want to see how they made me?
Where are her clothes?
Won't put them on, sir. Tearing them.
Draupad i's black body comes even closer. Draupad i shakes with an
indomitable laughter that Senanayak simply cannot understa nd. Her
ravaged lips bleed as she begins laughing. Draupadi wipes the blood on
her palm and says in a voice that is as terrifying, sky splitting, and sharp
as her ululation, What's the use of clothes? You can strip me, but how
can you clothe me again? Are you a man?
She looks around and chooses the front of Senanayak's white bush
shin to spit a bloody gob at and says, There isn't a man here that I should
be ashamed . I will not let you put my cloth on me. What more can you
do? Come on, counter me-com e on, counter me-?
Draupad i pushes Senanayak with her two mangled breasts, and for
the first time Senanayak is afraid to stand before an unarmed target,
terribly afraid.