Feminist Resistance in Kamala Das's Confessional Poetry: Body, Desire, and Shame

Kamala Das, a pioneering figure in Indian English literature, is renowned for her bold, evocative poetry that defies traditional norms of femininity and challenges patriarchal constructs. This paper investigates the nuanced modes of feminist resistance articulated in her confessional poetry, particularly focusing on the interplay between body, desire, and shame. Her poems are acts of defiance that unveil the emotional and physical vulnerabilities of womanhood while simultaneously confronting societal expectations. Through a qualitative literary analysis of selected poems, the study explores how Das’s unapologetic portrayal of female sensuality, emotional alienation, and bodily agency destabilizes conservative cultural narratives. Das reclaims her voice in a literary space historically dominated by male voices and disrupts the silence often imposed on women's desires and traumas. Her poetry reveals how personal experience becomes a potent political tool. This exploration situates Das within the framework of Indian feminist discourse, emphasizing how her confessional style morphs into a strategy of resistance, empowering women to speak from the margins.