Existential Crisis, Sexuality and Immutable Plight of Women in the Plays 'Sakharam Binder' and ‘Silence the Court is in Session'

“It's a men's world women are here only to assist, serve and please men. It’s the way the world has always been.” 
In the world there is only one supreme culture prevailing universally in all the societies is the men-centric culture, which is all powerful and all pervasive. This patriarchal culture and its norms are so deeply engrained in the soul of people that they relegate women into fringe or secondary position. 
Women's rights talk about equality in each aspects of life but in India where patriarchy has solid roots in society, it appears to be extremely hard to acquire concordance and equality in power structures. Patriarchy has clasped Indian middle class society in its stereotyped shackles and its hold on society is unbending and heavy which adversely affects the lives of women. The torture born by women is the result of brutal dominating tendency of males and Tendulkar in general, spotlights on the patriarchal society in both of his plays. He indicated how a men centric society and women's liberation are interconnected and how male domination transforms into maltreatment of women. All the power in Indian society is in the hands of the males which at last prompts the pathetic state of females. Power, when gets discordant, without a doubt results into persecution and domination whether it is mastery of man over women or the other way around. Indian middle class has the same imbalanced power structure and consequently male domination exists because of male dominated society. The ruling idea of males tosses women into a well of persecution of each sort. Such state of females is exhibited by Tendulkar in ‘Sakharam Binder' and in ‘Silence the Court is in Session' caused by the patriarchal system of culture wherein the women have to struggle hard and pass through severe plight to establish their place in society. As we see in case of these three women Miss Benare, Laxmi and Champa. All these three are discarded women who strive hard for their existence in society and have to pass through so many inextricable difficulties. But the plight goes immutable, and unending.


Torment, Capitulate
The play'Sakharam Binder' begins when Sakharam takes Laxmi, the seventh lady, home to fulfil every single need including his carnal desires. Laxmi is depicted as a decent and religious lady who has faith in God, but the manner in which she worships her better half demonstrates her to be a victim of male commanded society. She has faith in social codes and traditions. In spite of the fact that, she is displayed as a decent lady and a great spouse, yet she can't escape from being exploited by the society. She is relinquished by her husband because of her barrenness. This shows the cruelty of male-dominated society. In patriarchal society, women are oppressed for not satisfying their spouses' wishes and desires.
Meenakumari strongly agrees with Tendulkar when she states: SMART MOVES JOURNAL IJELLH e-ISSN: 2582-3574 p-ISSN: 2582-4406 VOL. 8, ISSUE 12, DECEMBER 2020 www.ijellh.com 43 "Indian Civilization has an unquestioned practice of treating women as the secondary self who has to dance to the tune of man's lyric as regards their choice, belief and life style…. In patriarchal culture, power is equated with aggression and masculinity, weakness with compassion and feminity. Women are supposed to bear male oppression silently and meekly." (140) The harsh thing that Tendulkar displays in this play is that the exploited women don't blame their better halves for their destitution; they see themselves as the one responsible for this uncouth treatment. They even think that their spouses have the privilege to rebuff them if they can't satisfy their husbands' desires. A similar treatment can be found in the life of Laxmi, who is first tortured and oppressed by her own better half and later by Sakharam. He beats her in any event, for not giggling on his interest. Tendulkar shows passive frame of mind of Laxmi towards her sufferings and her compliant nature to the male-centric culture.
As Sakharam doesn't have faith in the foundation of marriage. Hence, he stays unmarried throughout his life. However, he offers haven to a vulnerable, forsaken woman in the society not with the goal of improving her life but to abusing her further by fulfilling his sexual want. It is a sort of legally binding relationship dependent on common accommodation. Wine and women are his main attractions. He has his own guidelines of the game, an exceptional good code, which he anticipates that his brief time woman should maintain. In a series, he brings Laxmi to his home, the seventh one in the arrangement of his women or 'transitory spouses'.
Sakharam's relationship with Laxmi realizes some great changes in his way of life. He turns out to be sincerely strict, cleans up, and changes himself into a capable 'family man'.
He himself sees these progressions happening in him but neglects to ascribe the credit to Laxmi. After her departure he admits sincerely:   Sakharam is an utter slave for his lustful feelings,that is not satisfied completely by Laxmi as she never participated freely in sex due to somewhat her submissive,and coy nature. Maybe so as to escape from this claustrophobia, and to have her own will, she catches with Dawood and thus finds a brief alleviation from her torments. Hence, inspite of her beguiling character, Champa turns into a victim of the distorted man centric culture and pays for her free will or of her indecency. She is mercilessly killed by Sakharam out of doubt. Laxmi was also struggling for her existence when re-entered into the life of Sakharam just to change it. At first she has all the earmarks of being compliant, tame, meek and defenceless lady, a normal 'angel in the house'who never sets out to apply her will over Sakharam. Her returning back to Sakharam likewise shows her adoration and commitment towards him other than her weakness of being shelter less. She is even prepared to bargain with Champa when the later says -"Stay. You look after the house, I"lllook after him."  Be that as it may, what the established truth is by all accounts is that Laxmi had as of now in her a shrouded aspiration of controlling others and to appreciate a free life-a real existence which will stream as indicated by her very own will and of which she is constantly denied. In the practice of the mock trial, they make Miss Benare, the accused of the wrongdoing of child murder. First and foremost, everything is by all accounts happy but later it turns out to be very brutal that Miss Benare is intentionally focused on. She was closed up in the trial room deliberately so that there will never be a way out for her even in her life.
Benare, before setting up the trial, is cautioned to be quiet while others do the dissection of her own life.
Continuously these men for the sake of arraignment put negative shades on Benare's character. As she is unmarried in her 30's they mean that she is running behind each man constantly. It's exceptionally shocking that Mrs. Kashikar despite being a woman is unable to feel the pain and suffering of a lonely miserable woman, isn't reasonable at all as a woman and causes men to maintain it. Miss Benare requests them not to discuss her own life in the fake trial but men were particularly intrigued and getting a relish out of it.
Whatever she expresses in her defence and tries to clarify her situation, everything is taken in a negative sense. The observers give the indication that she was seen alone with Professor Damle in his room and the discussion among Damle and Benare is portrayed. Kashikar Says "Our society should receive the old custom of child marriage. Marry off the girls before puberty. All this promiscuity will come to a full stop." (98) Mrs. Kashikar blames of all the calamity befell on Benare because of her doing a job which has made her like that as she has got a lot of liberty and because of her being unmarried, she moves openly with men.
In this connection, Simon de Beauvoir says"….her wings are cut and then she is blamed for not knowing how to fly." Benare is seen as blameworthy of child murder and a verdict is issued to condemn her. She is an unmarried woman and has conceived the child out of wedlock and her conscience has been messed up for her transgression. The man behind this transgression isn't blamed for anything who keeps an equal part in this sin. Regardless of whether it is an assault on a child having conceived by an unmarried woman, it is only the woman who is focused on and tormented and made to feel guilty. Tendulkar  show no mercy to the accused, but give her the greatest and severest punishment for her terrible crime…." (Tendulkar 1967:115) Here the male centric social framework prescribes the way and examples for women but couldn't care less about the men's deeds. This methodology just aggravates the gender discrimination in the society.
Again in this play Tendulkar expresses his view that women, according to man, isn't more than the 'body'; she is adored as goddess in myths and customs but in reality she doesn't have a will of her own; has no privilege on her feelings; has no identity of her own to choose, to act or even to think and to love. If she goes against this bad-to-the-bone truth of the male centric culture she is rebuffed, oppressed and underestimated as victim. This cruel circumstance of Indian culture is reflected impeccably when misled Miss Benare, breaks down to express a great deal to the men throughout her life and to the society on the loose:  (Tendulkar 1967:118) Along these lines through this expression plainly one can understand woman is socially moulded in such a way that she can't overrule the social standards made for her by the male controlled society; even her body is controlled to make her vibe that she is set optional in the society; and she doesn't have any privilege on her body; if she crosses the limit she is rebuffed; in the expressions of Kashikar:  (Tendulkar 1967:118-119) In evident sense this play of Tendulkar appears to be ready to voice the unheard cryings and outcries of women that are constantly kept in the background: 'from some place inconspicuous, her very own voice is heard singing delicately.'

"And the wound that's born to bleed
Bleeds on forever, faithfully

There is a battle sometimes, where
Defeat is destined as the end.

Some experiences are meant
To taste, then just to waste and spend" Here through this song Miss Leela Benare expresses not only her very own energy to live completely and pursue the fantasies of her own but additionally the yearnings of Indian women to confront the world and its difficulties, regardless of knowing the results.
The most striking fact in this trial is the silence of the person who is being accused.
Benare holds fast to quiet and it indicates her enslavement and weakness. She is compelled to acknowledge her wrongdoing and the co-accomplice in the wrongdoing is left set free. That is the manner in which the society is structured for men to control women. Simone De Beauvoir properly cites, "Representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men; they describe it from their own point of View, which they confuse with absolute truth". Benare is educated, straightforward, and independent and free reasoning. She is a woman so her independent way of driving life is objected. Tendulkar is denouncing the supposed modern society which likes about everything and as a general rule chokes out women's free will of living. Just Benare is expelled from her teaching work scrutinizing her ethical quality however Mr.Damle is having unlawful connection with a woman though wedded is allowed to continue as a professor.
Thus victim Benare is capitulated to power and felt being smothered severely under the wall of the male centric hypocrisy.
Being distraught and shattered with all the allegations and court verdict Benare says: "Life isn't worthy of life" (Tendulkar 73 The tune expressly maps the trouble of Benare's life. Like the sparrow, quite a bitter of her security (or home) has been taken from her; Benare now has lost her job and has minimal possibility of finding a spouse. Moreover, during the trial when Mr. Kashikar gives verdict that she should end her pregnancy. In spite of the fact, that this trial has no real lawful grounds. The thought of her unborn kid's life in peril damages Benare and further mirrors the taking of the sparrow's home.
Tendulkar, through his plays, criticizes the way that the destiny of all women is for the most part a similar whether they are educated or not, from rural or urban territory, from high or low class with less or more contrasts. They are defenceless before men's tricks and they even don't have the full fortitude to defeat any unjustifiable norms. In addition, they have to curb their emotions which affects theirs decision as they have to continue deferring their choice. As indicated by the social standards, man ought to be strong leader, don't tune into his woman, and use viciousness to control her. Unwittingly, man does this to be worthy as a man in the power framework. Man consistently regards woman as 'other' and gives her merely the subservient roles. Thus women are way-laidof all their rights with this sick, power wielding mentalityof men. As we see those three women in both the plays where miss Benare and Champa are punished for fulfilling their sexual desires in search of true love and true man while Laxmi too is punished for not being a desirable woman in man-centric