Pavitra Naidu- Week 5
Dalit Autobiographies
Dalit Autobiographies make for an interesting read for they introduce us to the world that our past experiences have conveniently 'other-ed'. These stories show us the other-side of the world that our privileged families have hidden from us. Moreover, they speak of atrocities that our fore-fathers have committed.
These autobiographies started as a way to bring to life a Dalit Hero and provide validity. Additionally it also helped in giving an in-dept characterization of a Dalit Character who would otherwise feature as a side- character in a very stereotypical manner. In 1970s Dalit writing turned into a socio-political tool. This genre developed to shatter caste- hierarchies that continued to plague India much after Independence.
These Dalit biographies have also evolved more the decades. What began as a social critique of the varna vyavastha turned into a story of success. The differences are stark. In the earlier writings, the writers used to re-visit their village and gave a descriptive analysis of their social settings. They wrote about the pain and sufferings faced by Dalits. They often talked about their school experiences and how they were abused by their teachers and classmates. The product of its time, Baluta is one such story of how caste interacted and how untouchables were treated by the upper caste. However, contemporary Dalit writers have decided to let go of this form of writing where in the upper caste readers were reminded of the burden that was on them because of the acts of their grandfathers, but they started narrating the story of their personal achievements which was their victory in their war against war. The contemporary writers wrote about how they reached to their position despite their struggles.
Dalit Autobiographies make for an interesting read for they introduce us to the world that our past experiences have conveniently 'other-ed'. These stories show us the other-side of the world that our privileged families have hidden from us. Moreover, they speak of atrocities that our fore-fathers have committed.
These autobiographies started as a way to bring to life a Dalit Hero and provide validity. Additionally it also helped in giving an in-dept characterization of a Dalit Character who would otherwise feature as a side- character in a very stereotypical manner. In 1970s Dalit writing turned into a socio-political tool. This genre developed to shatter caste- hierarchies that continued to plague India much after Independence.
These Dalit biographies have also evolved more the decades. What began as a social critique of the varna vyavastha turned into a story of success. The differences are stark. In the earlier writings, the writers used to re-visit their village and gave a descriptive analysis of their social settings. They wrote about the pain and sufferings faced by Dalits. They often talked about their school experiences and how they were abused by their teachers and classmates. The product of its time, Baluta is one such story of how caste interacted and how untouchables were treated by the upper caste. However, contemporary Dalit writers have decided to let go of this form of writing where in the upper caste readers were reminded of the burden that was on them because of the acts of their grandfathers, but they started narrating the story of their personal achievements which was their victory in their war against war. The contemporary writers wrote about how they reached to their position despite their struggles.
Comments
Post a Comment