Bodies in Rebellion: Subverting the Normative constructs of Disability, Silence, and Marginalisation in South Asian literature

This paper explores the interrelation of disability, normativity and narrative through a theoretical analysis of three diverse texts: Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh, Salma's short story “Toilets” and Rabindranath Tagore's “Subha”. Anchored in Lennard J. Davis's theory of Normalcy, the paper examines how the normal body is historically constructed and socially enforced. Through Bakhtin's theory of the Grotesque, The Moor's Last Sigh is analysed as a site of resistance to corporeal conformity. Salma's "Toilets" and Tagore's "Subha" are both evaluated from feminist theories and disability frameworks of emotional and physical marginalisation. Together, readings underscore the immediacy of reframing disability beyond pathology—cultural and political understanding of embodiment.