Construction of Self in Aravind Malagatti’s Government Brahmana

Abstract

The issues based on caste, gender, and religion have been imprinted upon the medium of art. The canvas of literature has many a time laid focus on the discrimination based on caste. This theme has been etched in different hues. The subject of being dominated, discriminated, and the stigma attached to it has been justified by the individual ideologies of Dalit and Non-Dalit writers. But in this prominent autobiographical work titled Government Brahmana, by Arvind Malagatti there is a different perspective is presented. Dalit autobiographies speak about the rampant practices of intolerance towards Dalits and have significantly impacted society, In a step ahead, Arvind Malagatti Dalitatva is the literature that has the flow of Dalit consciousness throughout. This autobiography Government Brahmana speaks about various sagas the writer witnessed in different stages of life. In the beginning, he justifies the title Government Brahmana by considering the benefits given by the government to Dalits in comparison to the ideology of Brahmanism which was in practice from Sanatana Dharma. Later he draws the attention of readers by revealing how his name was misinterpreted in school and a variety of punishments imposed on him. He also writes about the ways in which the society marginalized the people belonging to his community in the name of untouchables. His writings not only interpret the chaos of marginalization but also reflect the consciousness of constructing his identity in tackling the hurdles. This apparently resulted in oppression and alienation after the country became sovereign. Apart from this, he has been able to contemplate his narrative style using his special dialect to withstand the interest of readers in the original text. It is good to know that the same has been achieved in the translational work by translators.