The Marginalised ‘Voice(s)’: Foregrounding Narrativity in Mahapatra’s “Tomorrow I Could Find Myself Lying about My Life”

The Marginalised ‘Voice(s)’: Foregrounding Narrativity in Mahapatra’s “Tomorrow I Could Find Myself Lying about My Life”
B. Sai Vaishnavi and Maitali Khanna

Abstract

Narrative theories have transcended the study of regular narratives and embraced non-narrative genres, thereby proving the universal and pervasive character of stories across literary forms. The lyrics of Jayanta Mahapatra, a celebrated Indian English poet, possess immense potential to narrate tales of marginalised voices; however, a systematic study of this narrative dimension remains significantly under-researched. Employing narrative theory to foreground narrativity in Mahapatra’s lyrics enables readers to participate actively in narrative-building and uncover hidden tales embedded within poetic expression. This article aims to explore the narrative of a tribal woman’s generational trauma in Mahapatra’s “Tomorrow I Could Find Myself Lying about My Life” by employing H. Porter Abbott’s narrative concepts: character, setting, temporality, focalization, and causality, as discussed in The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Furthermore, the study examines how lyric poetry can function as a narrative medium that articulates silenced experiences, collective suffering, memory, displacement, and gendered marginalisation. By analysing the poem through a narratological lens, the article foregrounds the intersection of lyricism and storytelling, ultimately highlighting Mahapatra’s contribution to representing subaltern consciousness and expanding the scope of narrative studies within Indian English poetry.