Mahesh Dattani's Thirty Days in September: Unveiling the Psychological Scars of Sexually Abused Children

Child sex abuse is one of the most heinous crimes recorded in the human civilisation. Though this crime is condemned world over, yet the frequency of this abuse is alarming. The victim of the crime is not only physically abused but gets psychologically wounded also because of his/her tender and impressionable age. Mahesh Dattani's Thirty Days in September is a realistic depiction of the trauma of the victims of this abuse in Indian English Theatre. The play depicts the damage that forced sexual relations can do to an individual at a tender age. It is the rape of innocence, identity and of the childhood itself. Dattani questions the society that tries to sweep such matters under the carpet and prefers to remain silent on such topics. The play spotlights the psychological scars this crime has given to a girl that persist even in her adulthood and has damaged her personality.