Abstract

Every dramatist has his own style of expression. Some prefer imagination while some stick to folklore; some love philosophy whereas some follow the realism. Many of them write plays with the primary motif of amusement but few believe in writing for reformation. Mahesh Dattani is considered as the highly sensible playwright melding imagination with reality to initiate the discourse on social-political, cultural-moral, religious, and philosophical aspects of human life. His dramatic world is full of plethora of issues addressing the chaos, taboos, and relegated existence of human society. Mahesh Dattani’s plays showcase the sufferings of the most neglected people of the society that consist of women, eunuchs, homosexuals, minorities, children and unfortunates. Dattani wishes to aware society, that these marginalized people are also human beings, and they have equal rights on happy and prosperous life like other people in society. Each of his play is a demand for justice for these subjugated segments of the society. rnIn Seven Steps around the Fire, he deals with the most neglected part of society i.e., eunuchs. Eunuchs are the most unnoticed part of the society. They are known by different titles - Hijra, Chhakka, and Transgender. They are reckoned neither as man nor as women. Men do not consider them as males due to their dressings and behaviour like women whereas women do not accept them as females because of their appearance and men like voice. Hence their existence lies in the third gender. It brings insolence for them as human beings. rnPresent paper is an attempt to throw light on the appalling conditions of eunuchs and issues of queer marriages in India as reflected in Mahesh Dattani’s realistic play Seven Steps around the Fire. The Methodology implemented for this research work is of descriptive type.