Cross-dressing in the context of men and women prevails in the society through ages. It can be seen as old as clothing itself. Now and again humans have twisted the dress code to rework the gender boundaries and human identity. The traditional dressing ordained by the society can be stifling. However, breaking free from the code can make people feel liberated. Cross-dressing has served as a major trope in the arena of drama, theatre and literature. It provides a gap where sensibility of gender beyond the anatomy can come to fore. The concept of female impersonation is not new to the culture of South Asia. Launda Nach and Bacha Bazi are two such traditions which have more in common than one can fathom. Launda Nach is performed in India while Bacha Bazi is performed in various parts of Afghanistan. These traditions involve boy play, where men masqueraded as women perform to titillate men. The blending of gender markers on such nights definitely undermines the stability of gender binary. The seemingly heteronormative sexuality of a patriarchal society borders on the flimsy line of queer. Khaled Hosseini is one of the few novelists who focus on the theme of Bacha Bazi in their work. He has documented about the evil practice in his novel The Kite Runner. The plot of the novel is anchored firmly to the issue. The protagonist Amir presently living in America must return to his war-torn country to rescue his little nephew Sohrab from being a ?Bacha Bazi? sex slave.
Research Scholar, Department of English, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya
