Dalit Literature Research Articles

Problematising Testimony in Autobiographical Narratives by Dalit Women in the English Translation

Dalit autobiographical narratives are widely and habitually being categorised by critics as testimonios or sociobiographies, with an implication to be understood as representative life-stories. Because of the genre’s perceived emphasis on ‘authenticity’, ‘representation of collective suffering’, and immanent connotations of being a political genre of speech for the marginalised, scholars/critics of Dalit literature have been applying the term testimonio to describe autobiographical narratives, which has inadvertently led to a normativisation of the available modi of ‘truth production’ about Dalit lived experiences. The objective of this paper is to dispute the adulatory assessment of testimonio as a genre, by highlighting the instances where the relationship between the self and the community in autobiographical narratives by Dalit women appears uneasy, fraught with dissensus and problematic, when examined from a Dalit feminist standpoint. By looking into ways of reading agency in Karukku (2000), Sangati (2005), and Viramma, Life of an Untouchable (1997), beyond the true-false, victim-oppressor and Dalit-Savarna simplistic binaries, this paper enunciates the problematic implications of using the nomenclature testimonio for reading these autobiographical narratives translated in English. Further, it posits arguments for shifting the emphasis on the politics of language and narrative to avert the trappings of the genre.

Transformation From Aesthetics to Activism: An Analysis of Select Dalit Women Personal Narratives

Dalit resistance gained prominence in postcolonial India through Dalit literature, with Dalit life writing emerging as a significant way to address ongoing problems and issues faced by Dalit communities. Dalit personal narratives are not mere reflections into the past but lived experiences with a timely and current sociological base. Dalit narratives have become a platform for social and political activism against various hegemonic discourses that otherwise exclude the experiences of the Dalit population. Moreover, Dalit women suffer many layers of oppression and violence, and there is a necessity to understand the intersectionality of Dalit women’s realities. Hence this article analyses select personal narratives of two Dalit women writers: P. Sivakami’s The Grip of Change ([1989] 2006) and ₹Author’s Notes: Gowri’ ([1999] 2006); and Bama’s Karukku ([1992] 2005). The ₹Author’s Notes: Gowri’ is a reflection on The Grip of Change and the two narratives are collectively referred to as The Grip of Change. This article attempts to understand the extent to which Dalit personal narratives transform from aesthetics to activism. This article analyses the narrative technique and form used in the narratives and explores how the narratives expose embodied issues to foster activism in and through the content.

Representation of the Namasudras in Literature

In Bengali Dalit literature, the Namasudra writers and poets play a crucial role in combating the complete social margsinalization of Dalits, their movements, iconography, experiences, and worldview. According to Manohar Mouli Biswas, “It is a counter cultural movement that has been aiming to undo the age-old caste ridden oppressions against the dalits by representing their lives, deprivations, struggles, histories and promoting their culture and liberation through literature” (Biswas XXV). There have recently been many books written by Dalit Namasudra authors, some of which have been published in English. Using these archives and texts, we may now see the Dalit Namasudras from a different perspective, one that previously would not have been possible through the use of traditional historical archives and writings. Among them mentionable are Manohar Mouli Biswas’s Amar Bhubane Ami Benche Thaki translated as Surviving in My World, Manoranjan Byapari’s Itibritte Chandal Jiban translated as Interrogating My Chandal Life, Dr. Manoranjan Sarkar’s Ekjan Daliter Atmakatha, Jatin Bala’s Sikar Chenra Jiban and so on. This article attempts to rebuild the alternate history of the Namasudras by deconstructing the standard material on the subject using historical and literary analysis.

Bengali Dalit Literature and the Politics of Recognition

Bengali Dalit literature has been published for over a century but is yet to be appreciated by a larger mainstream readership. In this essay, I examine how the ‘absence’ of Bengali Dalit literature was constructed by several social, political and ideological factors that together obscured the cultural history of Bengali Dalits. Using literary texts—primarily autobiographies—written by Bengali Dalit authors as an entry point, this essay analyses the explicit and implicit mechanisms of Brahmanical oppression that have prevented Bengali Dalit writers from consolidating their distinct identity. Set against the critical debate regarding the subaltern’s (in)ability to speak and/or be heard, this essay records Bengali Dalit literature’s triumph over casteist endeavours to relegate it to the periphery.

Challenges and possibilities in the translation of Dalit literature: An interview with Susheela Punitha

ABSTRACT This interview with Indian translator Susheela Punitha was conducted by email over the course of eight months from October 2020 to May 2021. Punitha describes how she embarked on a career as a translator through an English version of U.R. Ananthamurthy’s novel Bharathipura and assesses her motivation for translating Dalit literature into English from regional Indian languages such as Kannada. She discusses her recent translation of Lakshman’s Samboli! (2018), which portrays the experiences of Madigas, who, in Punitha’s words, are considered “the lowest of the low castes in Karnataka”. Punitha reflects on the uses and difficulties of explanatory “interpolation” and the ways in which she engages with the language, content, aesthetics, and affect of the source text. She comments on her professional relationship with the authors, Lakshman and U.R. Ananthamurthy, and also suggests how the idea of “Dalit consciousness” may be perceived differently by men and women.

From Worse than Dogs to Heroic Tigers: Situating the Animal in Dalit Autobiographies

Dalit autobiographies narrate the journey of protagonists from the ‘untouchable’ communities of India towards self-realisation and their struggle for human rights. A vigilant reading recognises the representation of animals as tropes in Dalit autobiographies that trace the reconstitution of the non-human limit of the Dalit as narrative subject. This paper reads Dalit autobiographies by Narendra Jadhav, Bama and Namdeo Nimgade to reveal the importance of animals as an analogy in Dalit literature, but then, following the work of Spivak and Derrida, it deconstructs the circulation of the hegemonic logic of the rational humanist subject in the radical gesture of Dalit subject constitution.

FROM MARGINALISATION TO QUEST FOR IDENTITY BY DALIT IN INDIAN LITERATURE

India is one of the world's fastest expanding economies, but it is also known for its severe caste system. The history of oppression, the plight of the oppressed, and the origins of Dalit texts are all explored and taken into consideration here. The present article throws light on topics like movement and the scope of Dalit literature. All Dalit literary works, it is often assumed, have their origins in Ambedkarite ideology. The article also examines the harsh circumstances of Dalit people and their admirable efforts to improve their social standing. It shows vivid accounts of the Dalit community's social and political experiences in India's caste-based society. It examines the social conditions that surround Dalits in India, as well as their interactions with Dalits and non-Dalits. It looks at how the Dalit community fought for equality and freedom. Strong Dalit movements, as well as pounding upper caste society through Dalit literature by writers and philosophers, as well as the execution of welfare packages by the government, have resulted in a good attitude toward equality in the Dalit community's social life today. Discrimination based on caste and gender is prohibited by law. This is a literary journey of oppressed people from their search for identity to social equality.

The Subaltern Critique of Dominant Historiography and a Case for Retrieving a Historiography of Dalit Literary Traditions in India

In order to retrieve literary history in India, teleology operates on three levels: ancient, medieval and modern. As per the longue duree approach to the study of history, history is not an event or an object, but like the concept of time, is a configuration and a process. The history of the longue duree gives priority to long-term monumental historic patterns, moments and shifts in society, that is, the slow-paced structural processes which tend to have strong historical consequences. Similarly, languages and literatures, too, marked by historical catastrophes, undergo a process of sedimentation. For this reason, instead of a single literary history of South Asia, Sheldon Pollock proposes the concept of ‘literary cultures’ which allows room for ‘historical individuation’ of each culture rather than homogenising them merely for the sake of historical analysis. The basic questions that I have tried to look into through this study include: Why is it problematic to retrieve literary history in India? Why is it essential to have an alternative literary historiography of Dalit literature? How does Dalit subalternity differ from colonial subalternity? How the Dalit voice is disintegrated from within because of the prevalence of graded inequality? What constitutes the politics of history writing and canon formation in the third world countries like India where retrieving subaltern literary trends remain a problematic discourse?

Review Article: Dalit Literature and Criticism by Raj Kumar

The term ‘Dalit’ refers to a particular group or community in India which have been ostracized, exploited and humiliated due caste structure and social order ardently followed in India. The etymology of the word ‘Dalit’ can be traced to the root word dal in Sanskrit and dalan in Hindi meaning ‘broken down’ or ‘broken to pieces.’ It is believed that Jotibarao Phule (1826-90) first used the term to describe condition of outcastes and untouchables in India. Later, the term was popularized by B.R. Ambedkar as he used it profusely in his speeches and writings in Marathi. The term gained new meaning in 1970s, a period of literary and cultural boom that witnessed the birth of Dalit literature and in the present, the term refers to belated recognition of the Dalit’s militant claims upon a history of humiliation and suffering (Rao, 11). Since its origin Dalit Literature has emerged as a form of social resistance literature principally aimed at community identity formation and bringing about political and economic changes among the Dalit population. Arjun Dangle, the Marathi Dalit writer, editor and activist suggests, “Dalit literature is marked by revolt and negativism, since it is closely associated with the hopes for freedom by a group of people, who as untouchables, are victims of social, economic and cultural inequality” (Trans. Mukhherjee; 1). Dangle traces the origin of Dalit literature to Ambedkar. It was his revolutionary ideas that encouraged Dalits to speak for themselves and therefore Dalit literature is an expression of this self- awareness; an assertion for a dignified life.

Segregating Social Strategies and the Sequestered Women in Bama’s Sangati

The evils of racial supremacy, patriarchy, feudalism, imperialism, colonialism, castism, class contrasts are legally dispensed with unquestionable authority to perpetuate inequality through institutionalized sanctions. The ubiquity of male dominance and its burgeoning evils paradoxically became the causes of the recession. The recent centuries have given rise to resistance literature that break all barriers and shatter all shackles. Dalit literature, like Black literature, was born from the deep rooted dignity of the “others” to assert themselves, and is characterized by a new level of pride, militancy, creativity and the eagerness to use writing as a weapon to expose and to strike back.

A Cultural Psychological Reading of Dalit Literature: A Case Study of 'Joothan' By Om Prakash Valmiki

Dalit literature has been a major cultural artefact in struggles against caste based oppression and discrimination. It not only negotiates a collective identity for Dalits but also introduces variability in negotiations for the same. This paper focuses on the nuances of one such negotiation- the making of a Hindi Dalit writer. At the theoretical backdrop of cultural psychology, utilizing the conceptual machinery of Zittoun, the paper analyzes the autobiographical narrative of Om Prakash Valmiki. It identifies the ruptures and the transitional processes in Valmiki’s life. These processes of transitions include identity redefinition, knowledge and skills; and meaning making. These processes were facilitated by varied resources: social, cognitive and symbolic. Valmiki’s relocation to a city led to the change in his frame of activity. Thereafter, at each stage of his life, his social circle widened, his cognitive skills got enhanced and symbolic resources were used at progressively higher level of reflexivity. The major social resources were found to be the people with whom he came in contact after relocating to the city. The cognitive resources were found to be Hindi mainstream literature, Marathi Dalit literature, and theatrical devices. The symbolic resources were the works of Phule, Ambedkar and Marx. Accessibility and utilization of all these resources eased the reconfiguration of the semiotic prism reifying his identity as a Hindi Dalit writer enabling him transform the caste-based experiences on the plane of fiction challenging the power hierarchy embedded in social reality.

A general analysis of dalit literature with the references to Bama’s works

A general analysis of dalit literature with the references to Bama’s works

Say Hello to Ambedkar: Understanding Dalit Consciousness through Ajay Navaria’s Hindi Short Fiction

Ajay Navaria is considered “the modern-day Premchand” by Mohammed Hanif, for his radical representation of the Dalit subject in Hindi literature. Navaria’s stories contain the urban Dalit individual dangling between his identity as a village “bhangi” and the privilege of a city “babu” at the center of the narrative. This paper is an attempt to understand Dalit consciousness within Hindi literary discourse and the language politics of urban India by closely analyzing Navaria’s Hindi short stories, translated into English by Laura Brueck in Unclaimed Terrain (2014). In the first part, I examine Navaria’s intertextual relationship with Premchand in “ कथा” or “Hello Premchand” in order to understand the discursive potential of Navaria’s “Dalit consciousness” as inspired by Ambedkar. In the second part, through “गोदना” or “Tattoo,” I explore the hybridized nature of his literary-language, and the attendant questions of translatability of Dalit chetna into English. I argue that Navaria’s use of language is an exercise in the construction of a modern Dalit identity that is often silenced and reserved. This paper, therefore, studies the revolutionary potential of Dalit literature as manifested in, both, its political and esthetic sensibility.

Subaltern and Marginalised in the poetry of Namdeo Dhasal

According to the Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsei, Subaltern and marginalized communities are those sub-sects of the society which are discriminated on the basis of religion, caste, gender, sexuality, culture, tradition, economic status etc. Literature plays a majar role in raising the question of sufferings of against the social supremacy. Anguish of the oppressed communities expressed its strongest protest with piercing words and attacking theme. In the Dalit Literature, Namdeo Dhasal is a universally acknowledged Dalit poet, who attacks social hierarchy with his realistic poems. Namdeo Dhasal’s poetry not only unveils the multiple social oppressions but discusses the social problems also.

A Critical Analysis of Sharankumar Limbale’s Hindu: A Novel (2010)

A Critical Analysis of Sharankumar Limbale’s Hindu: A Novel (2010) This paper critically analysis Sharankumar Limbale’s Hindu: A Novel (2010). It is set in a small casteist village of Achalpur in Maharashtra and is translated from Marathi (2003) by Arun Prabha Mukherjee in 2010. Dalit literature has undergone a transformation in the twenty-first century and Sharankumar Limbale is an active participant in it. The paper, thus, traces this very trajectory along with providing a detailed analysis of the plethora of techniques Limbale employs to present a world of Dalits, which is not binary world but one where characters are grey and humane; where the path Dr. B. R. Ambedkar left for them to follow is not liberating enough; where the struggle against casteism is as much internal as it is external; where the women and the lower class are doubly oppressed; and where the Dalit movement’s trajectory is in question. This paper then addresses these themes and tries to comprehend what Limbale tries to project through his work.

Stepping out of the ‘Difference’: Discerning the Dalit Female Standpoint in Bama’s Sangati

The term Dalit carries, within itself, a structural negativity since its inception in every sphere of life be it political, social or economic. It encapsulates the trials and tribulations of a crushed and suppressed community, which is known as the ‘Dalit community’. Dalit literature is a manifestation of the life of Dalit community, which is nothing but a painful saga of an endless suffering. Initially, it was viewed as an all-male affair, but in recent times we have seen the emergence of very powerful narratives by Dalit females. Thus, paving the way for Dalit feminist literature with a new perspective and new ideology which can be termed as ‘Dalit female standpoint’. It unravels some hidden territories of Dalit females’ lives and talks about their situation, location and experiences. Sangati, a very powerful novel written by Bama, a Dalit female writer, stands testimony to the things mentioned above as it presents the agency and audacity of the Dalit women who question their subjugation and raise a step against the biased society. Their knowledge towards the outer world gives them a new outlook and fresh perspective on life as they re-examine gender relations as fundamental to the broader ideologies of caste. The present article seeks to explore the life conditions of Dalit females as they are caught in the vortex of caste, gender and class and their grit and resolve to survive despite all odds by harping on their oppositional consciousness.

Dynamics of Upper Caste Paramountcy as Expressed in Dalit Literature A Reading of Sharankumar Limbales

Dalit literature is a kind of writing that evolved after independence. The beginning of Dalit literature has significant historical relevance. Similar writings exploring the lives and the pathetic existence of the marginalized and downtrodden sections feature in many other countries also, cutting across borders. Arjun Dangle has defined Dalit literature as one which familiarises the readers with the age-old caste system and untouchability in India. As we know, the caste system in India has always relegated Dalits to the marginalized ‘other’ side of Indian society; in other words, they were fully excluded from the social mainstream. So when they began protesting after centuries of silence, a new kind of literature came to the fore that depicted an assertion of human rights, self-esteem, revolt against social oppression, stories of personal and collective suffering, and put forth a vision of a new society sans any discrimination. The word Dalit is not new; it was in use in the 1930s as the Hindi and Marathi translation of ‘Depressed classes,’ a term the British used for the present-day Scheduled Castes.

Words Unspoken: A Testimonial Discourse of Bama’s Karukku: A Gratification of Self-reflection and Inner Strength of the Subaltern Women

If untouchability lives, humanity must die. —M.K. Gandhi In this present and current global research scenario, the theme of subaltern has become a household word in regular usage and also in various disciplines other than literature. Literature, on the other hand, represents life in relation to social reality. The word ‘subaltern’ has its origin in the German word which means ‘inferior rank’ or ‘secondary importance’. Julian Wolfreys defines subaltern as a concept: ‘It contains the groups that are marginalized, oppressed and exploited on the cultural, political, social and religious grounds’. Thus, subaltern literature reflects various themes such as oppression, marginalization, gender discrimination, subjugation of lower and working classes, disregarded women, neglected sections of society and deprived classes of the existing society. As De Boland rightly confesses, ‘literature is an expression of society’. Literature in itself embodies life and life is a social reality of society. A writer, who is a member of a society, is influenced by specific social status and receives some degree of social recognition and recompense. Though this may benefit them in one way: it obviously helps them bring to limelight the sufferings and difficult paths the downtrodden tread upon. Thus, this article focuses on the voice of the voiceless in bringing out their voices to be heard in the outer world. In Bama’s Karukku, she testifies her situation of life and narrates her feelings in this small writing. In a world where problems relating to human privileges have been under perilous focus, literary portrayals of the experiences of demoted groups have assimilated great implication. The modern stream in Dalit literature in India is a challenge to bring to prime the experiences of discrimination, inequality, violence, injustice and poverty of the Dalits.

Dalit Culture and Ethos in Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance

Rohinton Mistry (1952- ) is a South Asian Canadian writer. He was born in Mumbai on July 03, 1952. A Fine Balance (1996), Mistry’s second novel, is set in India of mid seventies and focuses especially on the period during Emergency and afterwards i.e. post- Emergency. The setting of the novel is from 1945 to 1984. In this novel Mistry delineates the predicaments of the Chamaars (leather-workers) who are considered untouchables. Mistry is seen to draw abundantly from Indian history, but more purposely to rewrite the history of the marginalized and the oppressed. A Fine Balance is one of the very few Indian English novels which present reader the very essence of Dalit culture. Many other novels confine to portraying Dalit characters by neglecting to include their very life style, culture due to which the characters are too apart from their roots. Dalitness which is the soul of the character itself is not seen in the characterization. That is the reason many works cannot be a part of Dalit Literature in which projecting the Dalit culture is an essential part of it. But A Fine Balance is an exception to it. The novel A Fine Balance is effective in presenting Dalit culture realistically to some extent

Writing Back

Shyamal Kumar Pramanik is an author on social and political values and an engaging writer of Dalit literature and movement. His works glitter with pain, angst and social good will. For him, writing is a commitment, social and political. Dalit literature is born out of ideological warfare. Pramanik is a socially committed artist with many works under his belt. All his works lead us to a better society based on justice, equality and fraternity.His collection of Dalit poetry titled Aguner Bornomala was first published in 2000 in Bengali. In 2019, it was published in English as Fiery Garland of Letters translated by Kalyan Basu (Gangchil, Kolkata). This collection of poems is rich with military images to change the society for good. These are mainly protest poems, protest against the age-old stereotypes in the Bengali caste pyramid.This interview was conducted via emails in the month of December 2019. We sat with the author a couple of times in a café in south Kolkata where we discussed his works and activism for the upliftment of the Dalits in Bengal.