The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few years. It has crossed many stages from equal status with men in ancient times through the low status in the medieval period to the promotion of equal rights as a result of struggle by many reformers. These several stages in the status of women have made the history of women in India eventful. In this connection, Mahasweta Devi who is an activist writer not only brings into the forefront the negative side of the treatment towards women but also brings out the way they react towards the different kinds of oppression in different ways, in her works. This paper is an attempt to explore how in one of her works ‘Rudali’, Mahasweta Devi lays open the bare realities of an exploitative and repressive socio-economic and religious system and also promotes women’s journey towards agency and empowerment. This paper also throws light on how women who are weak can emerge as better equipped to adapt, survive and manipulate the system according to their needs of survival. Keywords: Subalterns, exploitation, oppression, agency, resistance, empowerment