Echoes of the Disempowered: Representations of the Subaltern in M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s Bhima: Lone Warrior

Abstract

Aim: This article examines Bhima: Lone Warrior, Gita Krishnankutty’s English translation of M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s Malayalam novel Randamoozham, through Subaltern Studies, deconstruction, postcolonial hermeneutics, myth criticism, and translation theory. It argues that Nair’s retelling of the Mahabharata re-centres marginalised figures—Bhima, Karna, and Ghatotkacha—long silenced within Brahmanical–Kshatriya epic discourse. By engaging caste, lineage, tribal identity, emotional marginality, and constructions of dharma, the novel functions as a counter-epic.

Methodology and Approaches: The study employs a multidisciplinary approach. Subaltern critique draws on Gramsci, Guha, and Spivak; Derridean deconstruction unsettles epic binaries; Barthes informs myth criticism; and Venuti and Bassnett frame translation as a cultural and political practice. Close textual reading with theoretical analysis reveals how narrative voice reconfigures power structures in myth.

Outcome: Findings show that the novel disrupts epic hegemony through narrative re-centring. Bhima’s emotional marginality, Karna’s caste humiliation, and Ghatotkacha’s expendable tribal identity emerge as sites of ideological resistance. The English translation preserves cultural specificity while enhancing global accessibility.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The novel marks a significant moment in Indian mythic retellings, dismantling epic normativity and restoring dignity to silenced figures. Myth emerges as an ideological battleground open to ethical reinterpretation. Future research may pursue comparative retellings or examine translation’s role in mediating subaltern narratives.