In Mahasweta Devi’s “Draupadi,” the story is about a 27-year-old tribal woman named Dopdi Mejhen from a village in West Bengal. She is married to Dulna Majhi and their life is tough because they live under the control of a rich landlord named Surja Sahu. Dopdi’s mother used to clean rice at Surja’s house and it was Surja’s wife who named Dopdi when she was born.
Dulna’s family has been paying off a debt for generations. Dulna’s great-grandfather borrowed rice from Surja Sahu and now Dulna works at Surja’s house to repay that debt. But Surja does not pay Dulna properly for his work and he also has bad intentions towards Dopdi.
One day, there’s a severe water shortage in the village. The lower-caste people, who are already struggling, are denied water by Surja. In anger, they surround Surja’s house to protest. Surja comes out with a gun, but the tribals capture him and tie him to a tree. Dulna steps forward and asks to deal with Surja himself. Dopdi then says that Surja has bad intentions towards her. Dulna, seeking revenge for his family, helps kill Surja and his son.
The villagers blame Dopdi and Dulna for the murders. The police start searching for them, so Dopdi and Dulna hide in the jungle to escape. Since they know the jungle well, they manage to avoid the police for some time.
The police then start a special operation called “Operation Forest” to find Dopdi and Dulna. A new character, Arjun Singh, is in charge of the operation. He orders his men to stay near water sources, thinking that the couple will need to come out to drink. One day, Dulna is drinking from a river when an officer named Dukhi Singh spots him and shoots him dead. When they realize it’s Dulna, Arjun Singh orders that his body be left where it is, hoping that Dopdi will come to get it.
Dopdi, though heartbroken, knows that if she goes near Dulna’s body, the police will catch her. So, she stays hidden. Arjun Singh waits, realizing that Dopdi won’t come for the body and orders his men to drag Dulna’s body back to the village.
Now, Dopdi is alone in the jungle, living on raw rice. One day, while crossing a river, she is seen by Rotoni Sahu, Surja’s brother. Dopdi tries to escape, but Rotoni and his officers catch her. They take her to a camp, where she is interrogated for hours. There are over 100 men in the camp and Dopdi is the only woman. Arjun Singh orders his men to torture and rape her.
The officers torture and rape Dopdi for hours until she loses consciousness. When she wakes up, she finds herself naked, tied up and covered in blood. Her body is bruised and she’s in terrible pain. Even then, the officers rape her again.
The next day, Dopdi is taken to Arjun Singh. When he sees her, he’s shocked by how badly she’s been hurt. Her body is bleeding and she has injuries everywhere. Despite everything, Dopdi stands in front of Arjun Singh and smiles. She asks him if he’s happy with what his men did to her.
In the end, Dopdi spits in Arjun Singh’s face and tells him and his men that they are cowards. She says she is not afraid of them. Then, she pushes her body against Arjun and for the first time, he feels fear. Dopdi, even after all the suffering, refuses to be broken.
“Draupadi” is a story about the harshness of caste and gender discrimination. Dopdi’s strength and courage, even after everything she endures, show that no matter how much people try to hurt her, she will never give up.