Memory, Gender, and Feminist resistance in M.K. Binodini Devi’s Tune

The gendered limitations imposed on female artists in traditional Manipuri society are profoundly reflected in the short story, Tune by M.K. Binodini Devi. This article will examine the story from the perspectives of memory theory, gender theory, and feminist resistance, focussing on how Tune expresses the inner and outside challenges of a woman whose creative ambitions are suppressed by patriarchal norms. The protagonist of the story, Tampha Ibemma (Abok Ibemma), is a musically once talented woman who carries both inherited grief and personal longing, making her a site of cultural memory. The article will make the case that the protagonist's memories, especially those related to music, are influenced by both societal silences about women's creativity and familial inheritance, drawing on Marianne Hirsch’s idea of postmemory. At the same time, Judith Butler’s theory of gender performatives shows how the protagonist’s identity is created by the repeating social roles that are placed on her as a mother-in-law, wife, and daughter. Her quest for self-expression clashes with these roles, highlighting the contradiction between one's own identity and socially acceptable gender performances. Additionally, the study will employ bell hooks’ feminist resistance paradigm to emphasise the protagonist’s small yet important forms of agency. Her need for music and the emotional upheaval it produces represent a psychological and symbolic challenge to patriarchal dominance, even though her resistance does not manifest as overt revolt. This paper will argue that Tune is a symbolic act of remembering, fighting, and reclaiming the repressed voices of women artists in Manipuri society, rather than merely a personal lament, through a thorough reading of the text enhanced by critical discussion on Binodini’s collection of works. By doing this, it turns memory into a potent tool for feminist critique and may restore narrative space for women's experiences.