Lal Ded: Re-defining the Socio-Religious Realms of Kashmiri Culture

Abstract

Lal Ded is an iconoclastic 14th century Kashmiri saint poetess whose life and works mark the beginning of the modern period in Kashmiri language and literature. Her poetry is an amalgamation of multifaceted and heterogeneous culture of Kashmir. Her works provide a fertile ground for studying and critiquing the existing norms and ways of life in Kashmir. The present paper attempts to understand the ways in which Lal Ded’s entry into the realm of religious poetry disrupts the dominant socio-religious order and lays down a foundation for a new understanding of the self, of the individual and the society, and that of the self and the cosmos. The two of the most important aspects of her social identity that the paper would focus on in order to study the contemporary social structure and its gradual growth are her gender and her religious philosophy. Her creation marks a radical break from the traditional roles associated with women as well as saints. In creating a space for herself and being true to her spirit, Lal Ded, left us a legacy that transformed the landscape of Kashmiri culture, language, and literature forever. She transcends the human constructed boundaries of gender, caste, age, and education. She asserts her individuality in an idiom and language that takes shape through her experiences and hence speaks to the hearts of millions. The present study provides a critical reading of her life and works through theories of feminism, marxism, and deconstruction.