Defamiliarization of the Myth of Meerabai in Kiran Nagarkar’s Cuckold

Abstract

Kiran Nagarkar’s Sahitya Academy Award Winning novel Cuckold is a twisted tale of love and war set in the early 16th century during the era of Bhakti movement. It is based on the life of mystic saint Meerabai and her husband Bhoj Raj. Meerabai is considered to be the first woman saint of Bhakti movement in the Indian History and still remembered throughout the world for her utmost devotion towards Lord Krishna. There are several novels and movies based on her life and in most of them she has been celebrated and pedestalized as a saint. Nagarkar’s Cuckold is an exception. A novel dealing with the life of saint Meerabai and her husband with such title makes it out of the ordinary. This paper aims to scrutinize the character of Meerabai in this novel.