timepass: Protima Bedi’s Memoir as a Rebuttal to Media

Ramya M. H.^1* & Shashikantha Koudur^2
1Ph.D. Scholar, School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Management, National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, Surathkal, Srinivasnagar Post, Mangalore – 575025, India. *Corresponding Author
²Professor, School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Management, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, Srinivasnagar post, Mangalore-575025, India.

^{Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 17, Issue 3, 2025. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v17n3.01g
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Abstract

Feminist autobiographical writings often serve the purpose of legitimising the author’s praxis/professional life and partake in the process of reshaping their identity. This article argues that Indian classical dancer Protima Bedi’s posthumously released memoir — an example of ecriture féminine – is a personal space to confide and create a new sense of self. The paper gives a glimpse of Protima’s transforming identities in different stages of her life. This paper tries to explore her memoir as a rebuttal to the media and hullabaloo it created with her persona. Exploring a love-hate relationship between Protima and the media, this article focuses on how the autobiographical writing, traversing through the past and the present, attempts to reclaim the lost ground through legitimisation by confiding.

Keywords: Protima Bedi, memoir, media, rebuttal, ecriture feminine, legitimising, confiding