Kumbakonam Encounters Subaltern Studies

healing shows yet another dimension of the scenario. For her, it was an alternative to get back to her economic activities in order to fulfil her responsibilities as the head of the household. The gender restrictive social norms thus act as critical factors in determining women's health at family level. Its importance to social ethics is often overlooked in the discourses of socioeconomic development. In the case of Thanda's death, the local media failed to reach beyond the issues of poverty and family feuds. For this a gender sensitive inquiry, in addition to the analysis of hierarchical and exploitative society, is needed.