Voices of the Marginalized: Exploring Subaltern Perspectives in Madhuri Vijay’s The Far Field

Abstract

Madhuri Vijay’s The Far Field (2019) follows the lives of marginalised Kashmiri civilians caught in the war-torn region. The novel centers on Shalini, who learns about her mother’s past while witnessing the abuses of the innocent locals, many of whom are incorrectly viewed as militants. Through the lives of ordinary Kashmiris seeking justice and peace, Madhuri Vijay challenges stereotypes of the conflict. By following Shalini’s narrative arc, the novel spotlights and emulates the non-consensual voices of a people subject to violence, allowing readers to interrogate the prevailing narratives surrounding Kashmir and its people. The narrative is an effort to fight against stereotypes — fr((m the struggle of Kashmiris as participants of violence, the people of Kashmir are individuals dragged to violence, caught in violence. Her emphasis is on the silenced voices of people caught in the machinery of the state: the ordinary men and women who search amid the violence of a large-scale conflict for dignity and justice, for peace. Realistically portraying human stories is the focus of the novel, and it calls on the readers to rethink mainstream narratives and the layers of existence in Kashmir. In this paper, I read the novel through the framework of subaltern studies, emphasising how Madhuri Vijay amplifies the voices of those overlooked in broader political and social discourses.