Discuss how Dattani’s Tara addresses
stereotyped notions of gender.
Answer: Mahesh Dattani is an eminent contemporary Indian playwright who uses his plays to represent the dark evils of the society. All his plays make the audience or the readers think about the social evils that are dominant in the society. Tara is a play by Mahesh Dattani which encompasses several themes related to social evils into one play. The play mainly focuses on the parental authority and gender discrimination that victimized the children and how gradually the family was also led to pain and suffering. Parents and their notion of gender led to the death of their own daughter and it is also the reason why Chandan flees to London to escape the harsh and crude memories that burdened him in India.
Tara and Chandan are conjoined twins and their separation brings in a lot of chaos into the family. Though it is only the mother and the grandfather who were keen on separation, the father can also be held responsible as he gave in to the decision of his wife. The father and the mother should be the source of impartiality towards their children. Patel and Bharati failed to be in the true sense of the term ‘parenthood’. They made their children suffer both psychologically and physiologically through the operation. Their impudent decision over separation and preferring Chandan over Tara, not only with regard to separation but also the post-operation concerns that Patel had for Chandan and his education made Tara feel low and unnoticed by her father. Her life was a sacrifice and she was not even aware that she was making a sacrifice for the sake of her brother.
