Tamil Dalit Literature: Some Riddles

Abstract

THE GRIP OF CHANGE, MY MOST RECENT WORK, IS AN INTRODUCTION and an invitation to a dialogue on caste. In this novel, I tried to depict the caste hierarchy that exists in the Indian villages and its visible and yet intricate links with the village economy and human relations. In the first part of the novel, a leader of the Dalit community plays the role of saviour and fights against the atrocities and injustices committed against Dalits. But he has his own drawbacks. In the second part of the novel, Gowri, the daughter of Kathamuthu, plays the role of watchful observer and critic; through her, Kathamuthu's corruption, polygamy, and tyrannical behaviour towards his family are exposed and reviewed. The novel provoked a great deal of discussion, as it was the first of its kind to spark a dialogue on caste in all its dimensions in the form of a work of fiction. It has its limitations. It is not the complete story of the Dalit; nor has it been designed to make any such claim. However, the content and presentation of the text will, I hope, initiate broader discussion of issues of Dalits and Dalit literature.In this essay, I shall try to trace the common trends in Dalit literature and the issues in Dalit politics that impinge upon literature. At times, I may come across as absolute in my views. Nevertheless, let me assure you that I am perfectly sincere in my desire to humanize the thus far acrimonious dialogue.Untouchability, like slavery, is a unique phenomenon. But I hope that freedom of thought and expression will act like a cleansing agent on the neuroses and deep-rooted beliefs of the current liberalized generation. For me, Dalit literature, which is the rebellious expression of a new awakening among educated Dalits, is one such agent.Literature by the dominant castes, particularly in Tamil Nadu, has been cleverly avoiding open dialogue on caste for a long time now. The justification for such an elusive attitude was drawn from the universalist aesthetic that largely characterizes the literature of the dominant castes. A universalist aesthetic claims that in literature there is no distinction between the dominant and the oppressed. The reluctance and relative silence on the part of non-Dalits on issues of caste amount to an assumption that confronting casteism and untouchability is the sole responsibility of Dalits, just as it was assumed that confronting gender inequalities was the job of feminists.In the postcolonial period, colonial domination was the major preoccupation of almost all writers. Hence, the precolonial roots of caste, gender, and class discriminations became subsidiary. The core principles of the non-brahmin movement were atheism, anti-brahminism, rationalism, and the unity of the Dravidian race. Although this movement gained popularity during the period of E.V. Ramasami Naicker, commonly known as Periyar, the true founder is Pandit Ayodhi Dasar, a Dalit who lived long before Ramasami. It is a different story that the Dalits discovered Ayodhi Dasar only after the centenary celebrations of Dr Ambedkar. Attracted by the principles of the non-brahmin movement, most Dalits joined the movement. But, to their dismay, they discovered later that the single objective of the movement was to share power among the non-brahmin and non-Dalit communities, and not the abolition/ annihilation of caste. During the non-brahmin movement in Tamil Nadu, writers completely overlooked issues specific to Dalits and the interventions of Dalits, especially of Ayodhi Dasar. This invisibility, coupled with atrocities perpetrated on Dalits and day-to-day deprivation, has led to the recent autonomous assertion by Dalits in the field of literature.The late 1980s witnessed the emergence of Dalit writers on both the regional and the national level. The pioneers were from Maharashtra and Karnataka. Now there are numerous Dalits writing in almost all the Indian languages. In Tamil alone there are about a hundred writers and the number is likely to increase. …