Voices Silenced: Trauma, Gender, Power, and Oppression in the Sati Series Through the Narratives of Mandodari, Ahalya, and Tara

The Sati series offers a reimagined lives of the mythological women characters like Mandodari, Ahalya and Tara by providing an insightful lens to explore the intersection of trauma, gender, and power to portray how the patriarchal structures are raising the emotional and psychological sufferings of the respective characters. Women often become the subject of male-dominated power hierarchies. They experience trauma not just through violence but also through systemic oppression of thoughts, social exclusion and silencing. Gender-based trauma is often tied to the oppression of their identities, choices and existence.This paper is a study of how the female characters of Indian mythology, such as Mandodari, Ahalya and Tara, navigate the complex patriarchal environments that shape their lives and identities. It also defines their relationships to the respective male characters and the expectations placed upon them by society. These women, despite their wisdom and strength, were marginalised, and are subjected to societal judgement and often victimized by oppressive gender norms. Under this weight of cultural norms and societal expectations, they suffer from personal trauma, which gradually paves the way for collective trauma.By exploring the trauma narratives experienced by these women, the study highlights the psychological scars left by gendered violence and oppression, framing Mandodari, Ahalya and Tara as symbols of resistance and suffering in the Indian mythological discourse. Thus, through their stories, the Sati series explores the themes of power, gender and the trauma of oppression.

Keywords: Gender, mythology, trauma, oppression, power