A Dalit Among Dalits: The Angst of Tamil Dalit Women

Abstract

The social structure of caste in India has relegated Dalits to the lowest stratum in society. After centuries of subjugation Dalits are liberating themselves from the shackles of slavery and untouchability. Dalit literature is a literature of protest, pain and agony. Its beginnings can be traced to the undocumented oral folklore and tales of the past decades. Dalit literature as a genre was established in the 1960’s and 1970’s when a spurt of Dalit writing was published in Marathi and Gujarati. Nearly two decades later, Tamil Dalit writing marked its identity in the literary map of Tamilnadu. Amidst literary works predominantly written by Dalit men, the works of Dalit feminists likeSivagami,Bama and Sugirtharani assume special significance, because they reveal the specific problems of Dalit women.A Dalit woman is a Dalit amongst Dalits.Dalit women are oppressed by the social structures of caste, gender and class and, hence their problems are compounded. Though they share a common ground with Dalit men and women in general, their suffering as Dalits and women is unique.The literary works of Dalit women writers underlinethe double oppression faced by Dalit women both as Dalits and women.Doubly oppressed by a patriarchal and caste tyrannical society, a Dalit woman nonetheless has exemplary endurance and the indomitable spirit to bounce back against all odds. This paper seeks to expose the specific problems of Dalit women through an analysis of the literary works of Dalit women writers.