Identity In The Outcaste, By Sharankumar Limbale

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Abstract
Like other Dalit autobiographies Sharankumar Limbale’s The Outcaste reveals the self of a dalit, he has to suffer because of the hypocrisies and the prevalent traditions of the upper caste (Patil). In spite of the provisions in the constitution which safe guard the interest of the Dalits, they have to suffer because of the well defined social hierarchy based on caste, has existed in India from the time of antiquity. The present paper will bring out the life of the Dalits in the post independent India, the economic discrepancy, prevailing caste system, identity of a dalit and practice of untouchability.
Key Words:- Outcaste, Untouchable, Identity, Dalit

India is known for its peculiar form of caste system. It has stratified the society …show more content…

With the emergence of Dalit literature, which is a part of Dalit liberation movement (Dalit Panther,1972) , the Dalits are now conscious of their being and are ready to interrogate and challenge the hegemony of the upper castes and classes. Autobiographical narratives constitute a significant segment of Dalit literature. Some of the prominent Dalit autobiographies are; Omprakash Valmiki’s Jhoothan : A Dalit’s Life, Laxman mane’s Upara, Bama’s Karukku, Narenra Jadhav’s Outcaste; A Memoir, Sharankumar Limbale’s The Outcaste etc. Most [of these narratives are tales of personal sufferings of the Dalit writers fused with their interpersonal response and community feelings which they experience in a Hindu …show more content…

It will focus on the situation of the Dalits in an independent India on three major issues; discrimination on the basis of caste, identity crises and economic disparity. Limbale’s The Outcaste is a frighteningly candid story of his childhood and growth as a person of an outcaste. It is the shattering experience to see in Limbale’s graphic depiction of the want and the woes of a Dalit child and later his saintly forgiveness, compassion and detachment. It is this aloofness, and the ability to turn away from the personal, that makes The Outcaste a distressing life narrative. In the middle of the narration of humiliation and hunger, Limbale suddenly assumes the tone of a philosophical questioner, who is trying to deconstruct the

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