Author(s): Nilofar Yasmin

Abstract: Mahasweta Devi's Mother of 1084 (Hajar Churashir Ma, 1974) is a strong narrative that explores motherhood that mixes political criticism with personal pain. The narrative of Sujata, a mother confronting the brutal demise of her son Brati, a Naxalite insurgent, unfolds in Bengal during the 1970s amidst the Naxalite insurrection. This study examines the notion of motherhood in the text, emphasising how Devi redefines it beyond traditional stereotypes to embody resistance, trauma, and self-actualisation. It studies how Sujata, the protagonist of the novel, changed from being an outcast in a patriarchal home to a symbol of subaltern agency who fights against social norms and systematic oppression from a feminist and postcolonial point of view. The novel also talks about how politics, gender, class, and being a mother are all connected. Devi's main focus is her criticism of state violence and the middle-class family. This study highlights the transformative and evolution of motherhood as a site of dissent and reconstruction of identity.

Keywords: motherhood, Naxalite, resitance, evolution, trauma, patriarchal, identity.

Article Info: Received: 25 Aug 2025; Received in revised form: 22 Sep 2025; Accepted: 25 Sep 2025; Available online: 28 Sep 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.105.39