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Item Minority Speaks For/Against Itself: A Reading of Baharul Islam’s Play Jatra(2016-04-25T09:57:59Z) Anusuya, Paul AOne of the emerging voices that speak of the minority in an unbiased way in Assam is Baharul Islam. Baharul Islam, a playwright, director and actor attempts to dismantle the marked identity of the marginalised (in the present context woman or Islam) from a judicious perspective. His sceptical attitude towards certain set of people who misinterpret religion and treat women as biologically and religiously inferior have earned him much admiration around the globe. One of his most celebrated plays Jatra speaks of a Muslim woman who is trapped in limbo by biological as well as religious misinterpretations. It is very interesting to note how Baharul Islam amalgamates gender and religion together to bring forth his cynicism on people who have ignorantly considered themselves authorities for preaching the religion and advocating gender hierarchies. He reinstates the position of Islam as well as women in Islam. In a place like Assam, which is known for its polyglot society and heterogeneous culture, reinstating the position of Islam and the position of women in Islam has to negotiate with diverse sociological strategies. Islam yet held as “minority”, looked as the “other” with its internal discrepancies projected through the words of false interpreters further reduces the possibilities of breaking the manifested image of “minority”. Baharul Islam attempts to deconstruct the same. Hence, in this case, it becomes difficult to comprehend who is the minority? The complex network of various socio-cultural strategies that partake in forming an identity whether of Islam or of being a woman can never be ignored in such cases. And this is very skilfully presented in the present play Jatra by Baharul Islam.