Who is Dopdi? (in Mahasweta Devi’s Bengali short story, Draupadi)

Dopdi Mejhen is the female protagonist of Mahasweta Devi’s Bengali short story, Draupadi, which was translated in English by Gayatri Chakravorty. The name Dopdi (actually pronounced Draupadi) is given intentionally, by the author as an allusion to the mythological female character Draupadi, the wife of the Pandava brothers in the epic, Mahabharata. The story also alludes to the heinous act of the disrobing of Draupadi, a shameful incident that occurred in front of wise men and valiant warriors.Dopdi is a santhal widow of 27 years.Her husband, Dulna Majhi was shot dead by the soldiers.She is the resident of Cherakhan, Bankrahjarh. Dopdi is a tribal woman who belongs to the group of rebels whom the government attempts to subjugate by apprehending, torturing, encounter killing, and rape by the soldiers. She is one of the most wanted rebels, according to the soldiers. A handsome reward of hundred rupees will be awarded to whoever provides any information or assistance in the arrest of Dopdi. She is a notorious name in the area. Dulna and Dopdi were initially farmers, and used to harvest rotating between, Birbhum, Burdwan, Murshidabad and Bankura. In 1971, she participated in the infamous Bakuli and both Dulna and Dopdi played a crucial role in it by murdering Surja Sahu and his son, in order to invade their area that contains upper caste wells and tube wells, during the draught.During their confrontation with the soldiers three villagers were gunned down, but Dulna and Dopdi laid on the ground faking their deaths, and later they absconded. After Bakuli operation, the couple proudly proclaimed themselves as soldiers who fought for a noble cause.They ululated, sang a song in Mundari language, during these operations and roared ‘Ma- ho’.An army informant Dukhiram Gharari informed the soldiers about the location of Dulna. As a result, he died in an encounter on that day.After that fateful day, Dopdi assumed the role of the savior of the fugitives. moneylenders, landlords, grain brokers, anonymous brothel keepers were the target of these fugitives. Dopdi is a strong, fearless woman. Even in the face of adverse situations in her life, she stands strong and unperturbed. Her husband was murdered brutally by the army and they used the body as a bait to apprehend the fugitives. Dopdi remained calm as no one came to claim the body of Dulna. She concocted a plan, that if in the face of the excruciating agony of torture, she feels like divulging the secret, she would bite off her tongue but will not drop a single word. When she was apprehended, she already knew what waits for her, though she expressed no sign of nervousness or fear. She was sexually assaulted and brutally raped by the soldiers in the camp. Even after that, she appeared before the Senanayak naked asserting that there are no man present there. Finally, she pushes Senanayak with her two mangled breasts and exclaims, what more can he do to her. So, ‘come on, kounter me?’ Her fierce appearance makes the Senanayak tremble for the first time.