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@article{190849,
        author = {Dr. Alaghari Ramesh Babu},
        title = {Kajoli’s Defiance and the Feminist Voice: Reading Gender Empowerment in Rural India},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {8},
        pages = {5280-5289},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=190849},
        abstract = {Bhabani Bhattacharya’s So Many Hungers! Is a socially committed novel that foregrounds the interconnected crises of colonial oppression, famine, and gendered marginalization in pre-independence India. Among its memorable characters, Kajoli emerges as a powerful representation of rural Indian womanhood, embodying resilience amid extreme socio-economic adversity. This study addresses the persistent research problem of the marginalization and silencing of rural women within patriarchal and colonial frameworks, where female suffering is often normalized and rendered invisible. The primary objective of this article is to examine Kajoli as a feminist voice and a symbol of moral resistance who negotiates dignity, agency, and selfhood in a hostile social environment. Employing a close textual analysis informed by feminist literary theory and Gandhian ethical philosophy, the paper explores Kajoli’s transformation from passive endurance to conscious defiance. The analysis reveals that Kajoli’s moral courage, rooted in ethical self-determination, challenges both patriarchal exploitation and colonial dehumanization without resorting to violence. The study underscores the enduring relevance of Kajoli’s character to contemporary discourses on rural gender empowerment, highlighting indigenous feminist paradigms grounded in moral strength, social responsibility, and human dignity.},
        keywords = {Kajoli; Feminist Resistance; Rural Women; Gender Empowerment; Gandhian Ethics; Indian English Fiction; Patriarchy; Moral Agency; Women’s Dignity; Colonial Oppression; Rural Feminism; Ethical Resistance},
        month = {January},
        }