ECHOES OF EXILE: NARRATIVE INSIGHTS INTO GENDERED TRAUMA AND RESILIENCE AMONG DISPLACED KASHMIRI PANDIT WOMEN

Abstract

Displaced Kashmiri Pandit women, decades removed from their 1990s exodus, remain a doubly marginalized group whose gendered experiences are obscured by patriarchal narratives. This paper employs narrative analysis of Sudha Koul’s memoir The Tiger Ladies (Koul), Chandrakanta’s novel The Saga of Satisar (Chandrakanta), and Ankur Datta’s ethnography On Uncertain Ground (Datta) to surface themes of gendered violence, enduring psychological trauma, social ostracism, and economic precarity. It demonstrates how women not only endure collective conflict and prolonged displacement but also bear silent burdens imposed within refugee camps and host communities. Yet amid hardship, these narratives reveal acts of resistance—from preserving cultural identity and forging solidarities to asserting personal agency. By juxtaposing memoir, fiction, and ethnography, the study exposes critical gaps in state welfare provisions and argues for gender sensitive interventions. Grounded in women’s own voices, it advances policy recommendations that address their unique challenges and honor their resilience.