Dalit movement began in Maharastra during the seventies of the twentieth century, witnessed the emergence of Dalit literature. The translation of such literature proclaims the problems of Dalits, the voiceless to the world. The first wave Dalit writers have shown Dalit women characters as victims not as fighters, whereas the second wave, attempted to portray women as real: heroic, audacious and self-respecting, began placing them in the battle field for fighting against atrocities. One such Dalit writer is Bama, well-known for her novels Karruku (1992), Sangati (1994) and Vanmam (2002), belongs to paraya community. Holmstrom commends in the introduction of Sangati that, “Bama was already formulating a ‘Dalit feminism’ which redefined ‘woman’ …show more content…
Though globalised and at the pinnacle of technological success, the world fails to respect the fellow human as a living creature. People have started respecting others for money, power and caste. Humanity and brotherhood are at the verge of extinction. Loss of humanity is going to be the identity of mankind, who lost their conscience in the darkness of discriminations like caste, religion, language and race. The issue is discussed elaborately by Bama in Sangati, who in the preface of her novel declares, “Sangati, which has as its theme the growth, decline, culture, and liveliness of Dalit women, changed me as well. Even in times of trouble, boredom, and depression, the urge grew to demolish the troubles and to live happily. To bounce like a ball that has been hit became my deepest desire, and not to curl up and collapse because of the blow” …show more content…
She laments: “It’s one justice for men and quite another for women” (24). Netto shares the view on the need for protest says, “Bama, like Periyar contests this construction of the male as the superior and advises women to break the rules of patriarchy as a framework to oppress women and maintain their hegemony” (70). The narrator shows that the women not as victimized creatures but as protesters. Abedi, in his book Contemporary Dalit Literature, says “Bama through her writing hopes to influence Dalit women readers to shape their lives positively. Her works lay a lot of emphasis on empowerment of dalits through education” (109). Dalit Christians have difficulty in breaking their marriage bonds. Divorce which is possible for any other Dalit woman becomes difficult for them by their conversion into Christianity. Bama pities Dalit Christians and upper caste women
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” This famous quote well represents a theme often evident in literature. Whether the characters in the stories achieve or fail in making that change, the reader is able to infer that the literature is challenging the existing standards, and by challenging the things as they are there are positive changes to the society and in the characters. The short story “Dinner Party” challenges the circumstances at that time, with the hostess of the party trying to prove women inequality wrong. The story “The lottery” follows the status, however the consequences of this make it obvious to the reader why change is needed.
In this book, the people are subject to thousands of different ways to condition them to society. Whether this is based off of there standing in the society, or even the jobs that they are performing. Every single person is conditioned, and they are all expected to think exactly like their fellow caste members.
The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, brings to light the human right's issue of Women’s Rights and this is a problem in the US and in India.
Women chose to Sati voluntarily because they want to bring competence to their clan. Also it is one of way to show the death of heroism is instructive. But, there are some different from Sati, the Brahmin women should join with husband and should die on his pyre. On the other hand, Julia Leslie emphasizes that understanding and judging. Understanding how Sati importance is in women and men’s mind. Furthermore, judging how patriarchal society and women persecute themselves.She divides the definition of Sati in two ways, victim and victor. She figured out the conclusion is that “A strategy for dignity in a demeaning world”. Normally, Sati is an only chance for women to confer a posthumous title and increase the level of status in Hindu society. The issue is due to values and gender ranking in Indian
Prachi, a militant Hindu living in the rural side of India believes that the Hindu life is for her. In a Hindu camp she preaches resistance to Islam, Christianity and western culture. Prachi feels strongly about defending her beliefs and would not hesitate to use violence. In this camp, Prachi and the girls are taught to use firearms and to fight. This training has made Prachi believe that she is capable of killing, and ready to put her life at risk in defense of Hinduism. Her dedication to Hinduism has made Prachi question God’s desire for her. She states, “I'm different from girls, I'm different from boys. My life is not to get married, to produce children. I have the feeling I’ve not been made by God for these things” (Prachi). With this declaration, Prachi reveals a lack of sexual continuum and this leads us to consider that her sexual identity had an impact in her choosing to live her life this way. Being surrounded by so much violence has made Prachi tough and the treatment she receives from her father has made her strong. Her father doesn’t allow her to cry, he believes it shows weakness. He ...
The book of Ruth is a female dominated story known for its traditional family values, female dynamics, and the restoration of social status. Although, let it be known that the book of Ruth varies in interpretation depending on one’s own social-location. Social-location is the identity of a person’s gender, race, social class, age, ability, sexuality, and geographical location. After examining A South African Indian Womanist Reading of the Character of Ruth, by Sarojini Nadar, I have learned the significance of the character Ruth for windows in India. Since Womanist is not a very common term, I think it is important to define it for the purpose of this paper. Sarojini Nadar explains “I use the term womanist in the title as opposed to feminist
Right from the ancient epics and legends to modern fiction, the most characteristic and powerful form of literary expression in modern time, literary endeavour has been to portray this relationship along with its concomitants. Twentieth century novelists treat this subject in a different manner from those of earlier writers. They portray the relationship between man and woman as it is, whereas earlier writers concentrated on as it should be. Now-a-days this theme is developing more important due to rapid industrialization and growing awareness among women of their rights to individuality, empowerment, employment and marriage by choice etc. The contemporary Indian novelists in English like Anita Desai, Sashi Deshpande, Sashi Tharoor, Salman Rusdie, Shobha De, Manju Kapoor, Amitav Ghosh etc. deal with this theme minutely in Indian social milieu.
Reading this story, we can see how this caste system in India has changed very little from the time it was written. Dhowli is a woman who became a widow, resulting in her identity as an Untouchable. This class of people were seen as unwanted, polluted, and the outcast people of society. One touch from an Untouchable would cause a person to become polluted, even if it was drinking form the same cup. A young boy from a higher class fell in love with Dhowli, ignoring her social status. This shows readers how society was beginning to change in this time period of the short story. Since then, Untouchables have been giving many more rights as they earn a higher education or even a higher position in the caste system. However, they are seen as the lowest humans in the caste system still today. Dhowli overcame the challenges of her social status in the environment she lived in. She finds a way to turn around the reality of life for Untouchables as she lives off of the environment by making them pay her for pleasure, rather than her begging them for money. The short story of "Dhowli" brought a new look on Untouchables as they might find themselves in a world with more opportunities and chances to make a difference for their status in caste
For thousands of centuries literature has been used as a clever device to show the negative outlook in which society has on women at that time. The common theme of men exploiting women for personal gain and using their heavy-handed power to make women feel inferior can be seen in writings from the ancient Greeks all the through authors of the 20th century. Writers and intellectual thinkers such as Plato, Peter Abelard, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Henrik Ibsen, and even women such as Virgina Wolfe, and Fatima Mernissi have all written about the struggles caused by domineering men which women have fought against for so long. It is not until the late twentieth century that we see a positive almost spiritual view of women from the stories told by Gao Xingjan in his book One Man’s Bible. The 1994 publication of Fatima Mernissi’s memoirs of her girlhood in a harem spoke powerfully in favor of women shedding prescribed gender roles in favor of embracing their own identities. It is books such as Fatima’s and Gao’s which will help carry out feminist movements into the 21st century.
...es based on their desires instead of the desires of their male counterparts. As the women age, they take on new names to represent their physical and emotional changes. Naseem gains power as a married woman and becomes Reverend Mother while Mumtaz acquires power through the realization of her reproductive abilities. These women have varying degrees of power over their lives but it is limited to the value Indian society places on the domestic sphere and the importance of a woman’s place in this sphere. A married woman will garner more respect and have more of a voice than an unwed daughter living within her father’s household, while motherhood is regarded as one of the most important roles for a woman and given special considerations. Rushdie portrays ascension to power within the realm of the home and family by to show how power is passed between social boundaries.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy tells the story of the communist state of Kerala and the forbidden love between two castes, which changes the lives of everyone. In the novel an ‘Untouchable’, Velutha is a carpenter and works at Paradise Pickles and Preserves for much less than he deserves because of his status as an Untouchable in the caste system. Velutha falls into a forbidden love with a divorced woman, Ammu who is associated with an upper caste Syrian Christian Ipe family. Marriage was the only way that Ammu could have escaped this life, but she lost the chance when marrying the wrong man, as he was an alcoholic and this resulted in them getting a divorce. Ammu breaks the laws that state ‘who should be loved, and how and how much’, as their affair threatens the ‘caste system’ in India, which is a hierarchal structure and social practice in India in which your position in society is determined and can’t be changed. Arhundati Roy portrays the theme of forbidden love within the caste systems and shows how they are t...
Human right is a dynamic concept and endeavours to adapt itself to the needs of the day. The Dalit human rights have to be taken to the center stage of any political and social movement in the country. Dalits have to spearhead this human right movement and all progressive forces should join their hands with them. In this 21st century it is absolutely necessary that common people need to be sensitized about the prevailing atrocities against Dalits. Education and enlightenment can go a long way to break the social, economic and cultural shackles that have bound Dalits. Capacity building, awareness generation and developing leadership skills among women can help them gain confidence to raise a voice against violence and assert their rights. Dalit organizations, NGOs and Human Rights bodies could play a vital role in the above identified areas. Dalit is a social force, a cultural symbol and has a historical background. Dalit women are estimated to contribute eighty per cent of total labour to strengthen the national economy. Ambedkar rightly said “Rights are protected not by laws but by the social and moral conscience of society”. Dalits are not voiceless, and capable to raise their voice. To conclude, there is a growing need to capture violence of Human Rights of Dalits so that talent and potential of Dalits can be used for development of the nation. Dalits need to be empowered with their basic rights. So, voice of the voiceless is voiced here and that should be heard by society and the mainstream as
Despite the focus on poverty, suffering and untouchability, there is zest for life, deep optimism and intense human sympathy which shows his writing has emerged as a powerful weapon to explore Dalit’s identity. The majestic building of the Inter college was constantly before my eyes. As soon as I returned home. I said to my mother, ‘Ma I want to go to school’
The novels of Mulk Raj Anand within their complex of thematic structure and techniques invite immense possibilities of explorations and insights. Apart from the countless number of studies undertaken on Mulk Raj Anand, the thematic aspects of his novels, even in their traditional classification offer multiple interpretations and insights. Man and society form a variegated fabric of life. Within the complicated structure of society lie the joys and sorrows of man. Mulk Raj Anand with his exposure to various social theories and philosophies has incessantly attempted to present a just and righteous vision of life. His novels deal with socio-economic aspects of life. As a progressive writer sympathising with the Sarva hara (the deprived class of society), Mulk Raj Anand envisions a world of love and human concern.
Wading through the tempestuous waters within which our society is drowning, is India’s first Sahitya Akademi award winning dramatist, Mahesh Dattani. He is a humanist who uses his multifaceted personae as a weapon in his fight against inhumanity. Dattani sees in society what others wish to ignore. His works are a plea for humane treatment of homosexuals, equality towards women and moreover equal rights for every small section of society including the hijras. His plays question all kinds of discrimination, be it religious prejudice, gender discrimination or even homosexuality. His plays not only bring up gender issues and the space allotted to women in a patriarchal society, but also they deal with gender biases and prejudices which still affect the lives of many girl-children even amongst educated, urban families.