Mahesh Dattani’s Seven Steps Around the Fire: Breaking the Stereotypes

Abstract

Seven Steps Around the Fire is one of the most widely read of Mahesh Dattani 's dramas which depicts the miserable plight of neglected and marginalized eunuchs through the research work and enquiry of Uma Rao who is the daughter of the Vice Chancellor and wife of Chief Superintendent of police, Suresh Rao when she happens to meet other eunuchs Anarkali and Champa. Except the two occasions of child birth and wedding, the eunuchs are looked down upon due to their inferior gender.They are not welcome.The drama is about the murder mystery of Kamala, a eunuch, who is mercilessly burnt to death by the powerful minister Mr Sharma just because she dared to love and marry his son Subbu.Through this drama, Dattani has tried to break the stereotypes regarding the hijaras in our society.Hijaras are human beings like us; they have equal rights to be respected like us and they have also equal right to get married and to be parents.