TYBA-SEM-VI-PAPER-IX-LITERATURE-OF-PROTEST-II-munotes

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1 1
PROTEST IN CONTEMPORARY
REGIONAL WRITINGS - I
Unit Structure
1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Marathi Literature
1.3 Tamil Literature
1.4 Gujrati Literature
1.5 Check Your Progress
1.0 OBJECTIVES
This Unit aims at making the students familiar wi th various aspects of Dalit
literature that are found in Marathi, Tamil and Gujrati literature.
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Dalit literature has been an established branch of literature that has been
practiced by several writers all over India. As India is a multilin gual country,
people belonging to different states speak different languages and express their
thoughts and ideas in their own languages giving birth to regional literature.
Owing to this multilingual character of the country, Dalit literature is also writ ten
in multiple languages. So there is Dalit literature in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil,
Gujarati and so on.
1.2 MARATHI LITERATURE
Marathi literature, in general it is believed that a kind of literature that represents
an artistic expression of thoughts and idea s, passions, emotions, experiences and
actions of human life. It also captures the day -to-day happenings of life like other
literature. Marathi literature, too, is considered as a source of pleasure to the
Marathi readers from 4000 years and it will remain in the future too. As literature
is defined as a ‘true reflection of personal, political, religious and spiritual
conditions in which the writer lives’. Marathi literature is known as one of the
important types of Indian literature has made its deep impac t on the canon of
Indian Literature.
In early 17th century, Sant Tukaram, a noted poet has achieved remarkable
position in Bhakti Literature. His ‘Abhangas’ are the outcome of peculiar,
economical, social, political and religious conditions of his time. Tu karam was
greatly disturbed by Varna System (especially two varnas - Brahmin and
Shudras). Brahmins considered themselves superiors than all other castes, so the
common man was politically, socially, economically exploited. munotes.in

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Literature of Protest -II
2 As per the dictionary, protest me ans a statement of disapproval when a person or
a group is physically, mentally, economically, politically and socially oppressed.
Protest is born when a man decides to get rid of his exploitation and acts
accordingly. It means that to express his protest, one has to disapprove his
circumstances to reform prevalent condition. Narendra Mohan writes “The
foundation of protest is laid when man becomes conscious of his life rights and
for their attainment puts himself into protest with body and soul”.
Sant Tuka ram like all sensitive poets became aware of the oppressive social
systems that were framed for torturing of common people under the influence of
religious practices. Sant Tukaram with the help of Abhangas spread awareness
among the people regarding social and religious practices. In his noted work -
‘Tuka Mhane’ or “Says Tuka’ expressed his protest against religious and social
structures. With the help of Abhangas, he expected society to be strong and
healthy.
Protest in Marathi literature was explicit in t he writings of Marathi writers like
Keshavsut, N.C. Phadke; V.S. Khandekar glorified the culture, history and
literary values. But, the literature of elite class has very less interest in the
exposition of protest elements and ignored the sufferings and ex ploitations of
Dalits. Dalit writers under the philosophical path of Shahu -Phule -Ambedkar
exposed their collective protest against their exploitation. It is true that Dalit
literature has brought out democratic revolution which demanded a society with
equa l social rights. It has discussed and exposed the lives of oppressed Dalits and
emphasized humanism and criticized the stigmatized social practices. It has also
challenged the hierarchy of caste system which is believed to be a root cause of
oppression of millions of Dalits for centuries.
The philosophy of Jyotiba Phule and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the key
figure in the formation of protest movement in Maharashtra. He gave birth to
Dalit literature in Marathi language. It challenged the very practice of traditional
literature and came up with Dalit subjects, styles and techniques. It mainly deals
with the exposition of oppression and suppression of Dalit and manifested their
protest. In contemporary Dalit writing, Dalit writers initiated writings of Sant
Tukaram, Sant Gora Kumbhar, Chokhamela and others.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar started a periodic ‘Mooknayak’ in 1920 that has again
inspired Dalits to compose poems. Contemporary writers like Sharankumar
Limbale, Laxman Mane, Dr. Narendra Jadhav, P.E. Sonkamble, Ur mila Pawar
and Pradnya Pawar, Mallika Amar Shaikh and others. All the writers took Dalit
literature at the highest position and exposed the ways of Dalit’s liberation, for
that they are used literary genres like poems, short stories, autobiographies,
trave logues and plays.
Sharankumar Limbale writes,’’ Dalit literature is not neutral because Dalit
writers cannot bear their relationship with pain.’’
With the help of protest, Dalit writers rejected the very foundation of mainstream
literature. In Dalit litera ture, Dalit writers gave large contribution that gave new
identity to Marathi literature.
Arjun Dangle edited a book - ‘Poison Bread’. It has made a huge impact in
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Protest i n Contemporary
Regional Writings - I
3 Sharankumar Limbale’s Marathi autobiography ‘Akkarmashi’ was translated by
Alok Mukherjee in 2004 that extended nature of Indian society. Dalit writers
used protest as a tool of manifestations of their humanitarian perspectives and
strongly opposed patriarchy and strongly opposed patriarchy, Brahminism,
injustice, gender discrimin ation, problems of education, criticism of male
domination, struggle for survival, poverty, and man -woman relationship.
Dalit classics like Daya Pawar’s ‘Baluta’, Laxman Mane’s ‘Upara’, Laxman
Gaikwad’s ‘Uchalya’, Sharankumar Limbale’s ‘Outcaste’, Baby Kam ble’s
‘Prison We Broke’, and Mallika Amar Shaikh’s ‘I Want to Destroy Myself’ are
remarkable ones in the exposition of protest.
Namdev Dhasal’s ‘Golpitha’ is considered as Dalit’s classic that manifested the
troublesome world of Dalits (men and women).
Dilip Chitre has translated work of Namdev Dhasal, poet of underworld in 2007.
Protest of Dalit writing put forth the condition of Dalit men and women in
Maharashtra due to the handling of day to day subjects. Now a day Dalit
literature has become a curriculu m of many departments of colleges and
universities.
Protest can be considered as one of the weapons of Marathi Dalit writers that
gave similar identity to them as that of African -Americans.
1.3 TAMIL LITERATURE
Tamil Protest Literature is vibrant like Mara thi Dalit literature. Historically,
protest literature in Tamil Nadu began from dalit movement from Maharashtra.
Tamil Nadu writing evaluated the subjects of Tamil Nadu related to marginalised
groups in its vibrant, multifaceted, innovative literary field. Tamil Dalit
Literature followed the path of Maharashtra Dalit Literature. This is why readers
mostly find out strong resemblance between Tamil and Marathi Dalit writing.
Tamil Dalit Literature expressed the aesthetic tradition of dalit writing. It mainly
focuses on the denial of human rights to Dalits. Tamil Dalit writing flourished
after 1990s out of the hesitations of political movements of 1960s to 1980s.
Basically, it took inspiration from anti -Brahmanist movement found in 1925 by
E.V. Ramasami in Tami l Nadu. The aim of this movement is to offer rights to
backward class and stop discrimination against them. Dalit writing in Tamil
Nadu was strongly affected by political parties and various social movements.
Writers in Tamil Nadu identified social inequal ity, economic disparity, caste
discrimination and so on. Dalit writers expected to free the backward class
people from all kinds of domination.
In 1970s and 1980s protest writing in Tamil Nadu was largely influenced by
Marxism, Ambedkarism that gave birth to eminent intellectuals, who with the
help of their narratives exposed problems of working class, oppression and
inequality. In addition to that, the writers also exposed the capitalist nature of
society that mainly exploits backward class strata of the s ociety. Protest writing
deals with this kind of exploitation and social hierarchy. Protest writers use their
tongue for the literary expression. During 1960s and 1970s, Dalit writers use only
their tongue who exposed social issues and sociopolitical condit ion that
influenced Tamil Dalit people. Tamil Dalit Literature mainly centred on focusing
discrimination of dalits socially, politically, economically which is done by upper
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Literature of Protest -II
4 Tamil dalit writing flourished in novels, short stories and autobi ographies. This
type of literature described social evils as it was influenced by Ambedkarite
philosophy, which is a mainly exposed Dalit issues. A dalit writer Sivakami
wrote first Dalit novel ‘Pazhayani Kazhidalum’ (The Grip of Change) in 1988
that discu sses the issues of Dalit leadership. In addition to that, it has also pointed
out corruption, manipulation, and power politics especially by upper class
politicians. ‘The Grip of Change’ is the best example of protest writing which
gives the message of uni ty towards improvement of Dalits. She has also
highlighted the issues of Dalit patriarchy, exploitation of women at home by
Dalit man -father, brother, husband, son, father -in-law. Her second novel
‘Anandhayi’, focuses on violent exploitation of female’s b ody and points out that
how family is embedded in patriarchy as an oppressive system that makes
women an object of sexuality. Sivakami is one of the earliest dalit writers who
exposed double exploitation of dalit women on account of gender and caste by
the hands of upper class men or dalit man.
In 1992, Bama was a powerful dalit women writer. Significant dalit work was
published and written like ‘Karukku’ which has highlighted oppression of dalits
at the hands of state police, panchayat council, upper class and at the church.
Bama shows multiple subjects related to dalits life (women). She also highlights
various forms of oppressions of dalits.
Tamil Dalit writing was influenced by Periyar who works very hard in the
reformation of dalits conditions. He is al so known as the father of ‘Dravidian
Movement’. He shows his criticism of Brahminism and the orthodox foundation
of Hinduism in Tamil Nadu. Bama is considered as one of the most popular
writer famous for social protest. Her second novel ‘Sangati’ also comm ents on
Dalits life. Bama’s novel renders writing as an act of sociopolitical exercise.
Dalit writing in Tamil Nadu based on the caste and gender forms important
issues were put forth by poets, playwrights, short story writers and novelists.
Primarily, the y had expressed their protest against caste discrimination, injustice,
exploitation, gender discrimination, poverty, etc. In contemporary protest
writing, Dalit women’s contribution is remarkable, that is considered as lively,
vibrant, witty, full of aesth etics of protest. In short, Tamil protest writing stands
for rebellion spirit. Almost all Dalit writers show their protest against the
established social order.
1.4 GUJARATI LITERATURE
Gujarati Dalit literature emerged in 1970s and flourished after 1980s. It has its
roots in Dalit Marathi literature and Dalit movement i.e. the Panther Movement.
Some writers and activist in Gujarat also started similar organization, the
founding chairman of the organization, Dr. Ramchandra Parmar started a Dalit
magazine ca lled ‘Panther in 1975’. It was the first Gujarati magazine, exclusively
for Dalits. Before that in 1956, many poems had been written as a tribute to Dr.
B. R. Ambedkar by the little educated Dalit mill workers.
Ramchandra Parmar published ‘Anjali’ (tribute ) was considered as a powerful
work of protest writing in Gujarat.
Dalit Gujarati voices did not imitate the tradition of mainstream literature and
was distinct in Dalit consciousness. Poems in Gujarati literature received warm
response from the readers du e to their protest. The first ever Gujarati Dalit novel
‘Angaliyat’ (The Step Child) by Joseph Macwan appeared in 1986, while it
exposed brutality of untouchability and the stigma of it. The first anthology of munotes.in

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Protest i n Contemporary
Regional Writings - I
5 Dalit short stories was published by Mohan Par mar and Harish Mangalam in
1987.
Some social movements in Gujarat also made Dalit writers more conscious about
their identity and existence. The anti -reservation agitation in the year 1981 and
1985 by the upper caste awakened the spread of Dalitism among t he scattered
Dalits. The writer became rebellious and started expressing protest against upper
class in Gujarat. Many magazines were dedicated to Dalit writing - ‘Aakrosh’
(1978), ‘Kala Suraj’ (Black Sun), ‘Toddfodd’ magazine, the first anthology of
Gujarat i Dalit poems, Dalit Kavita was edited by Ganpat Parmar and Mansi Jani
appeared in 1981 and then Gujarati Dalit poetry has flourished and gave large
number of poems like’ Chingari’ (1982) by Kalidas Pandey, ‘Asmita’ (1984)
By Chandu Maheriya, ‘Eklavya - No Angutha’ (1987) edited by Nilesh Kathad
and many more. Joseph Macwan’s ‘The Step Child’ is considered as one of the
milestones in the journey of protest writing in Gujarat. It has depicted the pain
and sufferings of dalit and raised its voice against Gujar ati upper class people.
Gujarati short story collection ‘Varta’ (1987) edited by Mohan Parmar and
Harish Mangalam. Short stories in Gujrat literature also contributed in raising the
voice of dalits against the exploitative system.
Guajarati Dalit writing imitated literary forms and techniques of Marathi Dalit
writers. Mohan Parmar and Harish Mangalam explored their protest in their short
story collection. Like Marathi literature, Gujrati Dalit literature, too flourished in
plays biographies, autobiographi es, essays and folk literature. In case of English
translation, Joseph Macwan’s ‘Step Child’ is prominent in the delineation of
Dalit literature. Protest, in dalit literature played an instrumental role to empower
dalits during 1980s to 1990s.
Gujrati Dal it writers started expressing Dalit’s miserable condition, exploitation
on different grounds. In the preface of ‘Asmita’, Macwan says, “The last ten
years of the history of dalit literature is, essentially the history of the expression
of the agony experie nced by the exploited.”
Gujrati protest literature stands for true expression and experience of
marginalized society that differs from mainstream literature, in case of use of
language and subject matters. It intended to reach to the last man of the socie ty,
along with that it has employed simplicity of expression, common man’s
language, it has also beautified limitless subjects in Gujrati literature - poverty,
casteism, male domination, problems of survival, gender discrimination, struggle
for survival, pr oblems of education, human relationships, exploitations, man -
woman relationship, inequality, racism, liberation of dalits. Gujrati mainstream
literature, protest writers think that it is rootless because it has initiated western
trends and movements like e xistentialism, symbolism and Marxism. During
1960s to 1970s, protest writer’s role became instrumental in bridging the gap
between writers and its public. Protest literature in Gujrat established a bond with
Gujrati Dalits and sensitized about Ambedkarite philosophy. In contemporary
scenario (20th century), the practice of translation boosted Gujrat literature.
Macwan’s ‘Step Child’ is considered as ground breaking translation by Rita
Kothari in the year 2004. Protest is one of the important apparent elemen ts in
Gujrati Dalit writing that has extended the aim of Dalit writing in India.

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Literature of Protest -II
6 1.5 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Write notes on the following:
1. Marathi Literature
2. Tamil Literature
3. Gujrati Literature
4. Protest in Dalit literature
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7 2
PROTEST IN CONTEMPORARY
REGIONAL WRITINGS - II
Unit Structure
2.0 Objectives
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Kannad Literature
2.3 Hindi Literature
2.4 Bengali Literature
2.5 Check Your Progress
2.6 Bibliography
2.0 OBJECTIVES
This Unit aims at making the students familiar with various aspects of Dalit
literature that are found in Marathi, Tamil and Gujrati literature.
2.1 INTRODUCTION
Dalit literature has been an established branch of literature that has been
practiced by several writers all over India. A s India is a multilingual country,
people belonging to different states speak different languages and express their
thoughts and ideas in their own languages giving birth to regional literature.
Owing to this multilingual character of the country, Dalit li terature is also written
in multiple languages. So there is Dalit literature in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil,
Gujarati and so on.
2.2 KANNADA LITERATURE
The origin of protest literature of the dalits is believed to be started in 11th
century with Kannada poet Ch innaiah, a cobbler saint poet who composed some
couplets in the early writings of Kannada literature. In Kannada literature, it is
believed that he is the father of Kannada Dalit writing mainly focused on dalit
problems and their animal like position. Anot her Kannada poet of 12th century is
Kalavve followed the tradition of protest. He also challenged the upper class in
the following lines:
‘’ Those who eat goats
Foul and tiny fish
Such, they call caste people
Those who eat the sacred cow
That showers froth ing milk for Shiva
Such, they call out -castes.’’ munotes.in

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Literature of Protest -II
8 Dalit literature in Karnataka emerged from dalit movement in 1970s, but it is
being affected by dalit panther movement of Maharashtra. There are many social
movements’ which records the protest of social reformers in Kannada history. It
was the first time Basavappa, a social reformer raised his voice against caste
discrimination in Karnataka, that gave rise to new social movement (protest
writing in Kannada literature). ‘Vachana Sahitya’ was considered as early type of
protest writing that aims to uplift the socio economic condition of Non -Brahmin
caste that gave birth to Anti -Brahmin movement in Karnataka in 1917.
Dalit movement in Karnataka aimed to bring social change with the help of
speeches and litera ry writing. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was the main guiding force in
their writing that developed Kannada protest writing. Many dalit intellectuals
obtained degrees from universities and throughout that education could be
considered as a path of progress. The sour ce of dalit writers in Karnataka was
undoubtedly a literature produced by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Shudra writers also
contributed for the growth of Kannada dalit literature which is highlighting social
hierarchy but all they had targeted caste system, Brahmani sm and religious
beliefs. Kannada writers exposed Brahmanism which Brahmins thought that a
kind of mental status which accepts superiority over another man and it attaches
inferiority to the fellow writers strongly believed in humanity and demanded
justice and criticized slavery against dalits.
Kannada contemporary literature was dominated by ‘Siddalingaiah’, a professor
of Kannada in Bangalore University raised voice against injustice, caste
discrimination and exploitation through his poems. He mainly focuses on Dalits
problems that have given new direction to Kannada literature.
Birth, rebirth, hunger, sexual exploitation, gender discrimination were the key
themes of Kannada protest writing. Kannada autobiographies are equally popular
in the definitio n of dalit issues. Siddalingaiah’s ‘OoruKeri’ is a Kannada
autobiography that expose the auto -biographical account of their writer that also
shows the conflict between upper and lower caste based on various issues. It also
manifests the poor condition of d alits and downtrodden people of Karnataka
‘Ooru’ (village). Kannada dalit writing brilliantly exposed the pain and anger of
dalits. The exposition of protest is quite identical in the writings of Kannada
classics e.g. poetry, autobiography, short stories c oncentrated on various aspects
of dalits through which they had uncovered ignorance, lack of awareness,
superstitions. Above all, Kannada dalit writers sensitized about importance of
education. Thus, Kannada contemporary writing is devoted for social chang e.
2.3 HINDI LITERATURE
Hindi Dalit Literature took inspiration from Maharashtra, which has undergone
many social changes and exposed multiple subjects related to marginalized
community. Hindi Dalit writing, too, followed the philosophical path of Shahu,
Phule and Ambedkar, that has given strong support in development of Hindi
Dalit writing in India.
Panther Movement of Namdev Dhasal, Raja Dhale and Arjun Dangle gave
inspiration to the development of Hindi writing. Hindi Dalit intellectuals rebelled
agains t inhuman treatment of Brahminism which did not consider Dalit as a
human being.
Hindi dalit writing was a part of socio -political movement in India. It stands for
protest against untouchability of institutionalized systems of caste hierarchy.
Hindu Dalit writing also emerged out of the agitation of Dalits in India. They munotes.in

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Protest in Con temporary
Regional Writings - II
9 were strongly influenced by the figure Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and raised protest
against their exploitation. Writers contributed to fictions, poems, autobiographies
through which they had critic ized the very foundation of Hinduism. Dalit writers
like Marathi writers exposed the tyranny of upper caste Hindus over Dalits.
Hindu Dalit writing developed after 1980s for as a part of protest movement.
Kaushalya Baisantri, a prominent Dalit writer wrote a famous autobiography in
Hindi - ‘Dohra Abhishap’, ‘The Double Curse’ which has exposed traumatized
conditions of dalit women in male dominated society. She has discussed gender
based discrimination and injustice against women. She also criticized the pra ctice
of patriarchy in India especially related to Dalit women. In addition to that, she
has strongly believed in Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s philosophical path as a means of
emancipation and empowerment of women.
The role of English in contemporary India, gave s trong support to translation
studies. English language played a key role in popularized Hindi text. It serves as
a link to the language both in India and Abroad. In case of Hindi Dalit writing,
English language played a crucial role in popularizing Hindi c lassics.
In Hindi Dalit writing, Omprakash Valmiki is known as a famous Dalit figure,
who wrote his famous autobiography ‘Joothan’. It has been considered as a kind
of master stroke to the mainstream writing (Hindi). ‘Joothan’ explored many
issues related to dalits. Besides ‘Joothan’, he had published a collection of poems
entitled ‘Bas Bahot Ho Chuka’ (1997), ‘Ab Aur Nahi’ (2009). Apart from that,
he wrote two short story collections.
Valmiki, a renowned dalit writer exposed the practice and traditional mi ndset of
the people. His autobiography, Joothan’ protested against upper class
community. In addition to that, he also shows violence against dalits due to caste
stigma. ‘Joothan’ is an account of dalits in new India that brings new experiences
to dalits’ community. This autobiography was originally written in Hindi
language. Later it was translated in English by Arun Mukherjee in 2003.
Like Marathi dalit writing, Hindi writers too, went against the mainstream
writing. ‘Apne Apne Pinjre’ is a well -known aut obiography written by Mohandas
Nimishray which exposed the author’s protest against established order along
with that it reveals pain and sufferings of dalits due to caste discrimination. Hindi
contemporary protest writing, gave new dimensions to Indian li terature as a
rebellious literature that throws away inhuman practices against dalits.
Protest is one of the weapons by which writers try to heal the dragon of caste
system and exploitation.
2.4 BENGALI LITERATURE
When it comes to Dalit literature in Beng al, the name of Manohar Mouli Biswas
comes at the forefront as he has been very active in Dalit literary movement. He
is influenced by the writers like Daya Pawar and Arun Kamble whom he met at a
Dalit literary conference held in Hyderabad in 1987. This me eting encouraged
Biswas to undertake the movement of uniting Dalit writers of Bengal that
resulted in the establishment of Bengali Dalit Sahitya Sanstha. This Sanstha
provided active support to Dalit writers to get their works published. However, it
doesn’ t mean that there was no Dalit literature as such in Bangla language. In
fact, its roots can be traced in 19th century itself, particularly in Matua sect as its
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Literature of Protest -II
10 hierarchical Hindu socia l structure. Few other Dalit writers also expressed their
displeasure against such unjust treatment rendered to their community but it
remained invisible due to the deliberate neglect by the mainstream critics and
also due to the partition that divided Dal its into two countries. It was because of
this historical fact that Bangla Dalit voice remained unheard when Dalit writers
in other states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Karnataka, etc. had started to attract the attention of the wor ld towards the plight
of Dalits in India by voicing the unjust conditions of their lives through their
literature.
Towards the end of the twentieth century, however, Bangla Dalit writers came
together and started to write about Dalit experiences in their w orks. Under the
leadership of Manohar Mouli Biswas, Bengali Dalit Sahitya Sanstha started a
literary journal named, Chaturtha Duniya, that provided the much needed
platform to new Dalit voices to get their works published. Besides the Sanstha
also initiate d an annual lecture series that helped Dalit intelligentsia to come
together and exchange their views on common issues related to Dalits in West
Bengal.
All these efforts led to create conducive atmosphere for the development of
Bangla Dalit literature. Sl owly the movement spread all over the state and began
to get recognized at national and international level. The writers like Manoranjan
Byapari, Raju Das, Namita Das, Samar Ray, Anil Sarkar, Kalyani Thakur, Manju
Bala and others have emerged as strong voi ces in Dalit literature.
2.5 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Write short notes on the following:
1. Kannad Dalit Literature
2. Hindi Dalit Literature
3. Bangla Dalit Literature
2.6 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Dangle, Arjun (1992) Ed. Poisoned Bread: Translations from Modern
Marathi Dalit Literature. Hyderabad: Orient Longman.
 Dangle, Arjun (ed) “Dalit Literature: Past, Present and Future” in Poisoned
Bread , New Delhi: Orient Longman, 1994.
 Dasan, M. Pratibha, V. Chandrika, C.S. and Pradeepan Pampirikunnu (2012)
Eds. The Oxfor d India Anthology of Malayalam Dalit Writing, OUP India
 Dutta, Angana and Sarangi, Jaydeep (2015) Trans. Eds. Surviving in My
world: Growing up Dalit in Bengal. Kolkata: Stree -Samya.
 Franco, Fernando, Macwan, Jyotsna & Ramanathan, Suguna (2004) Journeys
to Freedom: Dalit Narratives. Bombay: Popular Prakashan.
 Limbale, Sharankumar. (2004) Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature
Orient Longman. munotes.in

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Regional Writings - II
11  Manohar, D. Murali (2013) Ed. Critical Essays on Dalit Literature. New
Delhi: Atlantic.
 Prasad, Amar Nath and Gai jan, M.B. (2007) Dalit Literature: A Critical
Exploration. ISBN 81 -7625 -817-2.
 Ravikumar and Azhagarasan, R (2012) Eds. The Oxford Anthology of Tamil
Dalit Writing. New Delhi: OUP India.
 Ravikumar (2009) Venomous Touch: Notes on Caste, Culture and Politics .
Calcutta: Samaya
 Satyanarayana, K and Tharu, Susie (2013). The Exercise of Freedom: An
Introduction to Dalit Writing. New Delhi: Navayana.
 Shalin Maria Lawrence (2019) Vadachennaikkaari: Urban Dalit Literature. a
mixed genre essays: Chennai.
 Joshi, Prak ash Bal (2019 -03-09). "'Dalit Literatures in India' review: Voice
of protest". The Hindu.
 Patterns of Dalit Literature: Dr. N. Singh, Publisher: Vani Prakashan, New
Delhi -110002, Edition: 2012
 Akshaya Kumar (14 March 2014). Poetry, Politics and Culture: E ssays on
Indian Texts and Contexts. Routledge.
 "TAMIL: Dalit literature". The Hindu. February 26, 2008.
 Satyanarayana and Tharu (2013). The Exercise of Freedom: An Introduction
to Dalit Writing. New Delhi: Navayana. p. 21. ISBN 9788189059613.
 R. S. Morkhan dikar. “Dilemmas of Dalit Movement in Maharashtra: Unity
Moves and After.” Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 25, no. 12, 1990, pp.
586–590. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4396063 [1]. Accessed 21 July 2020.
 "Remembering Annabhau Sathe, The Dalit Writer Who Dealt a Blow to
Class and Caste Slavery". HuffPost India. 2019 -08-01. Retrieved 2019 - 08-
02.
 "Annabhau Sathe – Remembering The Founder of 'Dalit Literature'".
Velivada. Retrieved 2 August 2019.

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12 3
HARRIET BEECHER STOWE’S UNCLE
TOM’S CABIN - I
Unit Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Slavery as a Social Institution
3.2 Introduction to Harriet Beecher Stowe
3.3 Introduction to Uncle Tom’s Cabin
3.4 Uncle Tom’s Cabin : Brief Summary
3.5 Check Your Progress
3.6 Bibliography
3.0 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this unit are to:
• Know the life and works of Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Understand Harriet Beecher Stowe’s approach towards Abolitionism
• Get acquainted with various literary aspects of Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• Get familiar with the characters from Uncle Tom’s Cabin
3.1 SLAVERY AS A SOCIAL INSTITUTION
3.1.1 Slavery as a Social Evil: Slavery is considered a social evil because it is a
system that deprives individuals of their basic human rights and dignity . It is a
form of exploitation that treats people as property, denying them the freedom to
make choices, to work for their own benefit, or to live their lives in accordance
with their own beliefs and desires. Slavery has been practiced in various forms
and in different parts of the world throughout history. In America, slavery was
particularly brutal and inhumane, with enslaved African Americans being treated
as less than human and subjected to harsh conditions and brutal treatment by
their owners.
Slavery is an evil because it violates the principles of equality, justice, and
respect for human dignity. It treats people as mere objects, without regard for
their humanity or their rights. It creates a system of oppression that perpetuates
inequality and perpet uates social and economic disparities. The abolition of
slavery in the United States was a critical step in the country's history, but it did
not eliminate the lingering effects of slavery on American society. Racism,
discrimination, and systemic inequalit y continue to be major issues in America
today, and the legacy of slavery is still felt by many communities. munotes.in

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13 Recognizing slavery as a social evil helps to raise awareness of the ongoing
struggles for equality and justice, and highlights the importance of addressing the
root causes of oppression and inequality. It serves as a reminder of the
importance of valuing and respecting the inherent worth and dignity of all human
beings.
3.1.2 Slavery in America: Slavery in America refers to the system of enslaving
African people and using them as forced labor in the United States from the early
17th century until the end of the Civil War in 1865. It was a brutal and inhumane
system that had a profound impact on American history, culture, and society.
African people were first brought to America as slaves in 1619, when a Dutch
ship carrying 20 Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. Over the next several
centuries, millions more were brought to America as slaves, primarily from West
and Central Africa. They were forc ed to work on plantations, farms, and in urban
areas, and were treated as property rather than as human beings.
Slavery was legal in the United States until the passage of the 13th Amendment
to the Constitution in 1865, which abolished it. During this time , slavery was the
foundation of the Southern economy, and many slave owners fiercely defended
their right to own slaves. Slaves endured brutal living and working conditions,
including long hours of hard labor, harsh punishments, and separation from their
families. They were not considered citizens, and had no rights or protections
under the law.
Resistance to slavery took many forms, including slave revolts, underground
railroads, and individual acts of rebellion and escape. The abolitionist movement,
led b y people like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Beecher
Stowe, played a critical role in ending slavery and promoting equal rights for
African Americans. The legacy of slavery in America is still felt today, and the
country continues to grapp le with the systemic racism and inequality that resulted
from centuries of enslavement and discrimination .\
3.1.3 Anti -Slavery movement: The anti -slavery movement in America was a
social and political movement that sought to end the system of slavery and
promote the rights and freedoms of African Americans. The movement emerged
in the late 18th century and gained momentum in the early 19th century, fueled
by religious, moral, and political arguments against slavery.
The movement included various groups and individuals who advocated for the
abolition of slavery through different means. Some groups, such as the American
Anti-Slavery Society, used direct action and protests to raise awareness and push
for legislative change. Others, such as the Underground Rail road, focused on
helping enslaved people escape to freedom. Key figures in the anti -slavery
movement included Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd
Garrison, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, among many others. They used their
writing, speaking, and a ctivism to draw attention to the cruelty and inhumanity of
slavery, and to push for its abolition.
The movement gained significant political traction in the mid -19th century, with
the formation of the Republican Party and the election of Abraham Lincoln as
President. The Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, ultimately led to the end of
slavery with the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865.
Although slavery was formally abolished, the fight for racial equality continued,
as many African Americans continued to face discrimination and violence in the
years that followed. The legacy of the anti -slavery movement can be seen in the
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14 3.2 INTRODUCTION TO HA RRIET BEECHER STOWE
3.2.1 Harriet Beecher Stowe : Harriet Beecher Stowe (born June 14, 1811 died
July 1, 1896) was an Ame rican writer and philanthropist, was an American
author, abolitionist, and social activist. She is best known for her novel "Uncle
Tom's Cabin," which was p ublished in 1852 and became a bestseller. The novel
depicted the harsh realities of slavery and was instrumental in bringing the issue
to the forefront of the national conversation in the United States.
Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, into a fam ily of prominent religious
leaders and educators. Her father was a Calvinist preacher and her siblings
included several noted writers and educators. She began her writing career by
publishing stories and articles in magazines, and later wrote several novel s and
nonfiction works.
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" was inspired by Stowe's own experiences and her
interactions with people who had been enslaved. The novel tells the story of a
slave named Tom who is sold from one owner to another, and depicts the cruelty
and br utality of slavery. The book was an immediate success and was widely
read in the United States and Europe.
Stowe's work had a significant impact on the abolitionist movement, and she
became an influential figure in the fight against slavery. She also wrote and
spoke out against other social injustices, including the mistreatment of Native
Americans and the inequalities faced by women.
Stowe continued to write and publish throughout her life, and her works include
several novels, collections of essays and ar ticles, and a memoir. She died in
Hartford, Connecticut, in 1896, and is remembered as one of the most important
writers and activists of the 19th century .
3.2.2 Harriet Beecher Stowe as a Writer : Harriet Beecher Stowe was a prolific
and influential writer who is best known for her novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
Published in 1852, the book is widely credited with helping to galvanize the anti -
slavery movement in the United States, and is considered one of the most
important works of American literature.
Stowe' s writing was widely praised for its emotional power and moral clarity,
and she became one of the most famous and influential writers of her time. She
continued to write throughout her life, publishing more than 30 books and
countless articles and essays o n a wide range of topics. Harriet Beecher Stowe's
writing explored a wide range of themes, but several common themes can be
identified across her works. These themes reflect her deep commitment to social
justice, moral reform, and the promotion of Christia n values. Some of the most
prominent themes in her writing include:
 Abolition and Anti -Slavery: Stowe's most famous work, "Uncle Tom's
Cabin," was a powerful critique of the institution of slavery in the United
States. She used her writing to raise awarene ss of the brutality and
inhumanity of slavery and to call for its abolition.
 Christian Faith and Morality: Stowe's writing often explored the relationship
between Christian faith and moral values. She believed that Christianity
should inspire people to act with compassion and justice towards others, and
many of her works reflect this belief. munotes.in

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15  Women's Rights: Stowe was a strong advocate for women's rights, and her
writing often addressed issues related to women's education, suffrage, and
social and political equality.
 Temperance: Stowe was a committed advocate for temperance, and many of
her works addressed the negative effects of alcohol on individuals and
society.
 Family and Community: Stowe's writing often focused on the importance of
family and community i n promoting social and moral values. She believed
that strong families and communities were essential to building a just and
equitable society.
 Overall, Stowe's writing was characterized by a deep commitment to social
justice, moral reform, and the promoti on of Christian values. Her works
continue to be widely read and admired for their emotional power, moral
clarity, and social relevance.
In addition to her writing, Stowe was also a prominent social and political
activist, and worked tirelessly for the causes she believed in, including abolition,
women's rights, and temperance. She is remembered today as a groundbreaking
writer and a powerful voice for social justice and equality.
3.3 INTRODUCTION TO UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
Harriet Beecher Stowe grew up in the Northeast but lived for a time in
Cincinnati, which enabled her to see both sides of the slavery debate without
losing her abolitionist’s perspective. Cincinnati was evenly split for and against
abolition, and Stowe wro te satirical pieces on the subject for several local
papers there. She often wrote pieces under pseudonyms and with contrasting
styles. Though Stowe absorbed a great deal of information about slavery during
her Cincinnati years, she conducted extensive res earch before writing Uncle
Tom’s Cabin . She wrote to Frederick Douglass and others for help in creating a
realistic picture of slavery in the Deep South. Her black cook and household
servants also helped by telling her stories of their slave days.
Stow e’s main goal with Uncle Tom’s Cabin was to convince her large Northern
American readership of the necessity of ending slavery. Most immediately, the
novel served as a response to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 ,
which made it illegal to give aid or assistance to a runaway slave. Under this
legislation, Southern slaves who escaped to the North had to flee to Canada in
order to find real freedom. With her book, Stowe created a sort of exposé that
revealed the horrors of Southern slavery to peop le in the North. Her radical
position on race relations, though, was informed by a deep religiosity. Stowe
continually emphasizes the importance of Christian love in eradicating
oppression. She also works in her feminist beliefs, showing women as equals to
men in intelligence, bravery, and spiritual strength. Indeed, women dominate
the book’s moral code, proving vital advisors to their husbands, who often need
help in seeing through convention and popular opinion.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in episodes in the National Era in 1851 and
1852, then published in its entirety on March 20, 1852. It sold 10,000 copies in
its first week and 300,000 by the end of the year, huge numbers for the mid -
nineteenth century. Today, analysis of both the book’s conception and reception
proves helpful in the readers understanding of the Civil War era. Within the text munotes.in

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16 itself, the reader finds insights into the mind of a Christian, feminist
abolitionist.
"Uncle Tom's Cabin is a powerful and emotional story about the horrors o f
slavery in the United States. The novel follows the lives of several enslaved
African Americans, including the main character, Tom, who is a devout and
kind-hearted man.
The story begins with Tom being sold away from his family and taken to a
plantation in Louisiana. There, he meets other slaves who have also been torn
from their families and forced to work under brutal conditions. The novel
depicts the inhumane treatment of slaves, including beatings, whippings, and
separation from loved ones.
As the sto ry unfolds, readers are introduced to several other characters,
including the evil slave owner Simon Legree, who represents the worst aspects
of slavery, and Eliza, a slave who escapes with her child across the frozen Ohio
River to freedom.
"Uncle Tom's Ca bin" became an instant bestseller and is widely credited with
helping to bring about the end of slavery in the United States. The novel's vivid
depiction of the realities of slavery and its effect on individuals and families
touched the hearts and minds of readers, and it played an important role in
shaping public opinion on the issue of slavery in the mid -19th century.
3.4 UNCLE TOM’S CABIN : BRIEF SUMMARY/PLOT
OVERVIEW
Having run up large debts, a Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby faces the
prospect of l osing everything he owns. Though he and his wife, Emily Shelby,
have a kindhearted and affectionate relationship with their slaves, Shelby decides
to raise money by selling two of his slaves to Mr. Haley, a coarse slave trader.
The slaves in question are U ncle Tom, a middle -aged man with a wife and
children on the farm, and Harry, the young son of Mrs. Shelby’s maid Eliza.
When Shelby tells his wife about his agreement with Haley, she is appalled
because she has promised Eliza that Shelby would not sell her son.
However, Eliza overhears the conversation between Shelby and his wife and,
after warning Uncle Tom and his wife, Aunt Chloe, she takes Harry and flees to
the North, hoping to find freedom with her husband George in Canada. Haley
pursues her, but two other Shelby slaves alert Eliza to the danger. She
miraculously evades capture by crossing the half -frozen Ohio River, the
boundary separating Kentucky from the North. Haley hires a slave hunter
named Loker and his gang to bring Eliza and Harry back to Ken tucky. Eliza and
Harry make their way to a Quaker settlement, where the Quakers agree to help
transport them to safety. They are joined at the settlement by George, who
reunites joyously with his family for the trip to Canada.
Meanwhile, Uncle Tom sadly le aves his family and Mas’r George, Shelby’s
young son and Tom’s friend, as Haley takes him to a boat on the Mississippi to
be transported to a slave market. On the boat, Tom meets an angelic little white
girl named Eva, who quickly befriends him. When Eva f alls into the river, Tom
dives in to save her, and her father, Augustine St. Clare, gratefully agrees to buy
Tom from Haley. Tom travels with the St. Clares to their home in New Orleans, munotes.in

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17 where he grows increasingly invaluable to the St. Clare household and
increasingly close to Eva, with whom he shares a devout Christianity.
Up North, George and Eliza remain in flight from Loker and his men. When
Loker attempts to capture them, George shoots him in the side, and the other
slave hunters retreat. Eliza convin ces George and the Quakers to bring Loker to
the next settlement, where he can be healed. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, St.
Clare discusses slavery with his cousin Ophelia, who opposes slavery as an
institution but harbors deep prejudices against blacks. St. Clare, by contrast,
feels no hostility against blacks but tolerates slavery because he feels powerless
to change it. To help Ophelia overcome her bigotry, he buys Topsy, a young
black girl who was abused by her past master and arranges for Ophelia to begin
educating her.
After Tom has lived with the St. Clares for two years, Eva grows very ill. She
slowly weakens, then dies, with a vision of heaven before her. Her death has a
profound effect on everyone who knew her: Ophelia resolves to love the slaves,
Topsy learns to trust and feel attached to others, and St. Clare decides to set
Tom free. However, before he can act on his decision, St. Clare is stabbed to
death while trying to settle a brawl. As he dies, he at last finds God and goes to
be reunited with h is mother in heaven.
St. Clare’s cruel wife, Marie, sells Tom to a vicious plantation owner named
Simon Legree. Tom is taken to rural Louisiana with a group of new slaves,
including Emmeline, whom the demonic Legree has purchased to use as a sex
slave, rep lacing his previous sex slave Cassy. Legree takes a strong dislike to
Tom when Tom refuses to whip a fellow slave as ordered. Tom receives a
severe beating, and Legree resolves to crush his faith in God. Tom meets Cassy,
and hears her story. Separated from her daughter by slavery, she became
pregnant again but killed the child because she could not stand to have another
child taken from her.
Around this time, with the help of Tom Loker —now a changed man after being
healed by the Quakers — George, Eliza, and Harry at last cross over into Canada
from Lake Erie and obtain their freedom. In Louisiana, Tom’s faith is sorely
tested by his hardships, and he nearly ceases to believe. He has two visions,
however —one of Christ and one of Eva —which renew his spiritual strength and
give him the courage to withstand Legree’s torments. He encourages Cassy to
escape. She does so, taking Emmeline with her, afte r she devises a ruse in
which she and Emmeline pretend to be ghosts. When Tom refuses to tell Legree
where Cassy and Emmeline have gone, Legree orders his overseers to beat him.
When Tom is near death, he forgives Legree and the overseers. George Shelby
arrives with money in hand to buy Tom’s freedom, but he is too late. He can
only watch as Tom dies a martyr’s death.
Taking a boat toward freedom, Cassy and Emmeline meet George Harris’s
sister and travel with her to Canada, where Cassy realizes that Eliza i s her long -
lost daughter. The newly reunited family travels to France and decides to move
to Liberia, the African nation created for former American slaves. George
Shelby returns to the Kentucky farm, where, after his father’s death, he sets all
the slaves free in honor of Tom’s memory. He urges them to think on Tom’s
sacrifice every time they look at his cabin and to lead a pious Christian life, just
as Tom did.
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18 3.5 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Write a note on slavery as a social institution.
2. Discuss the spr ead of slavery in America.
3. Explain the anti -slavery movement in America.
4. Draw a bio -literary sketch of Harriet Beecher Stowe
5. What are the common themes in the writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe?
3.5 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Adams, Bluford (December 18, 2014). ""A Word or Two on the Other
Side": Harriet Beecher Stowe in the Debate Over Women's
Health". ESQ: A Journal of the American Renaissance. 60 (4): 593 –
633.
2. DiMaggio, Kenneth (2014). "Uncle Tom's Cabin: Global Best Seller,
Anti-slave Narrative, Imperialist Agenda". The Global Studies
Journal. 7 (1): 15 –23.
3. Hedrick, Joan D. (1994). Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life. Oxford
University Press.
4. Kellow, Margaret M.R. (November 2013). "Women and Abolitionism
in the United States: Recent Historiography" (PDF). History
Compass. 11 (11): 1008 –20.
5. Klein, Rachel N. (October 1, 2001). "Harriet Beecher Stowe and the
Domestication of Free Labor Ideology". Legacy. 18 (2): 135 –52.
6. Koester, Nancy. Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Spiritual Life (Eerdmans,
2014). pp. xi, 371.
7. Nichols, Ann e (2016). "Harriet Beecher Stowe's Woman In Sacred
History: Biblical Criticism, Evolution, and the Maternal
Ethic". Religion & Literature. 47 (3). Retrieved September 20, 2018.
8. Pelletier, Kevin (2013). "David Walker, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and
the Logic of Sentimental Terror". African American Review. 46 (2):
255–69.
9. Blackburn, Robin, The Making of New World Slavery: From the
Baroque to the Modern, 1492 -1800 (London: Verso, 1997)
10. Davis, David Brion, Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery
in the New W orld (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press,
2006)
11. Davis, David Brion, The Problem of Slavery in Western
Culture (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1966) munotes.in

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19 12. Eltis, David, The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas (Cambridge,
Cambridge University Press, 1999)
13. Kolchin, Peter, American Slavery: 1619 -1877 (London and New York:
Penguin, 1995)
14. Walvin, James, Black Ivory: A History of British Slavery (London:
HarperCollins, 1992) |
15. Walvin, James, A Short History of Slavery (London: Penguin, 2007)

❖❖❖❖

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20 4
HARRIET BEECHER STOWE’S UNCLE
TOM’S CABIN - II
Unit Structure
4.0 Objective s
4.1 Uncle Tom’s Cabin : Character Sketches
4.2 Uncle Tom’s Cabin : Major themes
4.3 Conclusion
4.4 Check Your Progress
4.5 Bibliography
4.0 OBJECTIVE S
The objectives of this Unit are to make the learners familiar with:
● Major characters of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and
● Major themes Uncle Tom’s Cabin
4.1UNCLE TOM’S CABIN : CHARACTER SKETCHES
4.1.1. Uncle Tom
A good and pious man, Uncle Tom is the protagonist of Uncle Tom’s Cabin .
Tom is initially shown as a noble, long -suffering Christian slave. Stowe
intended Tom to be a "noble hero", and praiseworthy person. Throughout the
book, far from allowing himself to be exploited, tom stands up for his beliefs
and is grudgingly admired even by hi s enemies. Even under the worst
conditions, Uncle Tom always prays to God and finds a way to keep his faith.
As the novel progresses, the cruel treatment that Tom suffers at the hands of
Simon Legree threatens his belief in God, but Tom withstands his doub ts and
dies the death of a Christian martyr.
Tom is described, early in the book, as a physically powerful man, very dark -
skinned, with African features. When the book opens, he is somewhere in his
middle 40s — still in the prime of life. Tom, although app arently born in the
United States, is said to be "truly African". Tom is "childlike" and "simple"; but
it does not mean that he is intellectually slow, but that he is entirely focused,
unburdened by complexities of motive or doubt, confident of the goodnes s of
God. It is important to recognize that Tom's passivity is not a character flaw, not
a failure to act when he ought to act, but really a kind of action and a species of
resistance. With each of his masters, from Shelby to Legree, Tom is pitted
against materialism, which is the basis of slavery. Even in its most benign form,
as manifested in St. Clare, this materialism denies the spiritual, denies human
love, turns every human connection or virtue into something to be used for profit
— the "making" of mo ney. Tom’s passivity owes not to stupidity or to munotes.in

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21 contentment with his position, but to his deep religious values, which impel him
to love everyone and selflessly endure his trials. Indeed, Tom’s central
characteristic in the novel is this religiosity, his strength of faith. Everywhere
Tom goes in the novel, he manages to spread some of the love and goodwill of
his religious beliefs, helping to alleviate the pain of slavery and enhance the hope
of salvation. And while this religiosity translates into a selfl ess passivity on
Tom’s part, it also translates into a policy of warm encouragement of others’
attempts at freedom. Thus, he supports Eliza, Cassy and Emmeline’s escape from
the Legree plantation. Moreover, while Tom may not actively seek his own
freedom, he practices a kind of resistance in his passivity. When Legree orders
him to beat the slave girl in Chapter XXXIII, he refuses, standing firm in his
values. He will submit to being beaten for his beliefs, but he will not capitulate or
run away.
Stowe's or iginal subtitle for Uncle Tom's Cabin was "The Man Who was a
Thing"; she meant it ironically, of course, because Tom refuses to be made a
"thing." His inaction is this refusal; his passivity is love —Love that is the
recognition of the human spirit in one human being by another human being; it is
the antithesis of materialism and of slavery. Tom's courage, his strength, and his
heroism are all based in the Christian love — the good — that he freely chooses
throughout the book.
4.1.2. Eva
Eva's real name is Evangeline St. Clare. She is the daughter of Augustine St.
Clare. Eva enters the narrative when Uncle Tom is traveling via steamship to
New Orleans to be sold, and he rescues this 5 or 6 years old girl from drowning.
Eva begs her father to buy Tom, and he becomes the head coachman at the St.
Clare plantation. He spends most of his time with the angelic Eva. Eva constantly
talks about love and forgiveness, even convincing the slave girl Topsy that she
deserves love. She even touches the heart of her sour aun t Ophelia. Eventually
Eva falls terminally ill. Before dying, she gives a lock of her hair to each of the
slaves, telling them that they must become Christians so that they may see each
other in Heaven. On her deathbed, she convinces her father to free Tom , but
because of circumstances the promise never materializes.
4.1.3. Eliza
Eliza is the central figure in one of the two major plots, which she sets in motion
by running away. She is the first example of a mother whose young child is sold,
and she turns out — ironically — to be the only example of a child returned
almost miraculously to a mother. She has what is probably the most famous
scene in American literature when she leaps across the breaking ice on the river
Ohio. Eliza is conventionally good and her character is drawn from life.
Remembering Eliza’s childhood, Cassy tells Tom that Eliza was a timid,
obedient child. Traumatized early by being sold away from her mother as a slave,
then taken to Kentucky and given to young Mrs. Shelby, Eliza no doubt
transferred her affection as much as possible to her new mistress and did what
she could to please this very conventional and kind but passionless woman,
becoming as much like Mrs. Shelby as possible.
4.1.4. Simon Legree
If Tom is the book's Christ -figure , Simon Legree is without a doubt its anti -
Christ, its arch -villain, or — as Cassy describes him — its vampire. In several munotes.in

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22 ways, as a character, Legree is indeed Tom's antithesis. After he had spent some
years at sea living a dissolute life, he was "almost persuaded" by his mother's
prayers to reform but instead chose sin.
Whereas everyone whose life Tom touches is lifted and helped, Legree affects
everyone near him for the worse. Like all of Tom's owners and like the book's
other profiteers from the busin ess of slavery, Legree is a materialist who sees
human beings as nothing but material that can be used for profit. Legree not only
sees clearly what he is and what he does to others but also revels in it. He may
tell the men in the riverboat bar that he us es slaves up and buys new ones for
economic reasons, and he may pretend that he is concerned to keep Tom more or
less healthy, or at least alive, in order to realize Tom's cost to him. But in truth,
what he really wants is to exercise the absolute power of life and death — and
more, the power of moral destruction — over these people. What Legree wants,
finally, is worship and fear; he has gone beyond capitalism and the profit motive
and come out the other side.
4.1.5. Augustine St. Clare
Augustine St. Clare , Tom's third owner and the father of the novel's saintly child,
is an odd and interesting character, a combination of qualities that we finally find
coherent and human. He is a thoughtful spokesman against slavery, and a
reluctant materialist.
St. Clare's character contains a huge contradiction, in that he is a slave owner
who supports his life by the system of Slavery he rejects morally and
philosophically. This is understood to be a result of a traumatic experience in St.
Clare's past: His heart was brok en. If he had married his true love, it is implied,
he would have lived in the North and opposed slavery more truly and effectively
for he grew up with the system and hated it personally. But, alas, St. Clare was
cheated and betrayed; he foolishly married Marie, who could probably not
breathe without the help of slaves. Thus, he has become cynical; knowing what is
right but careless of the state of his own soul. His obligation to Eva keeps him
from becoming entirely degenerated, and his moral despair allows him to live
with the guilt of enjoying a comfortable life that is supported by owning slaves.
4.1.6. Topsy:
Topsy is a "ragamuffin" young girl in Uncle Tom's Cabin. When asked if she
knows who made her, she professes ignorance of both God and a mother. She is
transformed by Little Eva's love.
Like Chloe, she is a real person whom Stowe sketched expertly in a very few
lines, whom we c are about. Topsy is someone who has been severely battered by
slavery. Topsy enters the book filthy, bruised, and scarred, dressed in a gunny
sack, eight or so years old, and saved from a life as a tavern scullion by St. Clare.
She is what our age would ca ll a "survivor" — a little girl who will manage, with
any luck at all, to land on her feet at all times.
Topsy is also an example of what happens when human beings are treated as
commodities. Her parents were breeding stock, no more or less, and she was
raised on a farm like a herd animal, not knowing who her mother was. Her only
use is as physical labor. The physical abuse Topsy has endured is awful; the
mental abuse — an absolute lack of expectation for her development — is worse;
and worst of all is the spiritual abuse. Only Eva and Ophelia see Topsy as a child
of God, and only Eva (at first) sees her as lovable. Topsy herself knows nothing munotes.in

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23 of love. She has never been loved, she has never loved, she does not love herself.
This is the real crime committed against Topsy, and it is the crime that slavery
commits upon humanity — not only slaves but all of those who participate in or
support it: the subordination of love to profit.
4.1.7. Miss Ophelia:
Miss Ophelia is the cousin of Augustine St. Clare. She com es from Vermont. She
is pious and hard - working woman. She comes to help St. Clare manage the
household. Ophelia opposes slavery in the abstract. However, she finds actual
slaves somewhat distasteful and harbors considerable prejudice against them.
After E va’s death, and through her relationship with Topsy, Ophelia realizes her
failings and learns to see slaves as human beings. Stowe hoped that much of her
Northern audience might recognize themselves in Ophelia and reconsider their
views on slavery.
4.1.8. Aunt Chloe :
She is Uncle Tom’s wife and the Shelbys’ cook. Chloe often acts like a jovial
simpleton around the Shelbys to mask her more complex feelings.
4.1.9. Arthur Shelby:
He is the owner of Uncle Tom in Kentucky. Shelby sells Tom to the cruel Mr.
Hale y to pay off his debts. An educated, kind, and basically good -hearted man,
Shelby nonetheless tolerates and perpetuates slavery. Stowe uses him to illustrate
that the immorality inherent in slavery makes villains of all its practitioners — not
just the crue lest masters.
4.1.10. Emily Shelby:
Mr. Shelby’s wife, Emily Shelby is a loving, Christian woman who does not
believe in slavery. She uses her influence with her husband to try to help the
Shelbys’ slaves and is one of the novel’s many morally virtuous and insightful
female characters.
4.1.11. George Shelby:
Called “Mas’r George” by Uncle Tom, George is the Shelbys’ good -hearted son.
He loves Tom and promises to rescue him from the cruelty into which his father
sold him. After Tom dies, he resolves to free all the slaves on the family farm in
Kentucky. More morally committed than his father, George not only possesses a
kind heart but acts on his principles .
4.1.12. George Harris:
Eliza’s husband and an intellectually curious and talented mulatto, George love s
his family deeply and willingly fights for his freedom. He confronts the slave
hunter Tom Loker and does not hesitate to shoot him when he imperils the
family.
4.2 UNCLE TOM’S CABIN : MAJOR THEMES
4.2.1. The Evil of Slavery
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of
1850, which made it illegal for anyone in the United States to offer aid or munotes.in

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24 assistance to a runaway slave. The novel seeks to attack this law and the
institution it protected, ceaselessly advocating the immediate e mancipation of
the slaves and freedom for all people. Each of Stowe’s scenes, while serving to
further character and plot, also serves to persuade the reader —especially the
Northern reader of Stowe’s time —that slavery is evil, un -Christian, and
intolerable in a civil society. For most of the novel, Stowe explores the question
of slavery in a fairly mild setting, in which slaves and masters have seemingly
positive relationships. At the Shelbys’ house, and again at the St. Clares’, the
slaves have kindly mast ers who do not abuse or mistreat them. Stowe does not
offer these settings in order to show slavery’s evil as conditional. She seeks to
expose the vices of slavery even in its best -case scenario. Though Shelby and
St. Clare possess kindness and intelligenc e, their ability to tolerate slavery
renders them hypocritical and morally weak. Even under kind masters, slaves
suffer, as we see when a financially struggling Shelby guiltily destroys Tom’s
family by selling Tom. A common contemporary defense of slavery claimed
that the institution benefited the slaves because most masters acted in their
slaves’ best interest. Stowe refutes this argument with her biting portrayals,
insisting that the slave’s best interest can lie only in obtaining freedom.
In the final th ird of the book, Stowe leaves behind the pleasant surface of life at
the Shelby and St. Clare houses and takes her reader into the Legree plantation,
where the evil of slavery appears in its most naked and hideous form. This harsh
and barbaric setting, in which slaves suffer beatings, sexual abuse, and even
murder, introduces the power of shock into Stowe’s argument. If slavery is
wrong in the best of cases, in the worst of cases it is nightmarish and inhuman.
4.2.2. The Incompatibility of Slavery & Christ ian Values
Writing for a predominantly religious, Protestant audience, Stowe takes great
pains to illustrate the fact that the system of slavery and the moral code of
Christianity oppose each other. No Christian, she insists, should be able to
tolerate slavery. Throughout the novel, the more religious a character is, the
more he or she objects to slavery. Eva, the most morally perfect white character
in the novel, fails to understand why anyone would see a difference between
blacks and whites. In contras t, the morally revolting, non -religious Legree
practices slavery almost as a policy of deliberate blasphemy and evil.
Christianity, in Stowe’s novel, rests on a principle of universal love. Stowe
insists that if all people were to put this principle into p ractice, it would be
impossible for one segment of humanity to oppress and enslave another. Thus,
not only are Christianity and slavery incompatible, but Christianity can actually
be used to fight slavery.
4.2.3. Race
It’s hard to imagine a more complex to pic than the theme of race in Uncle
Tom’s Cabin . Stowe wrote this novel in order to demonstrate the moral
necessity of abolition. The novel shows that slavery is utterly immoral and the
domination of one group of people by another based on race is unaccept able.
Blacks are depicted as having the same kind of souls and the same claims on
God’s love that whites have. The hero, Uncle Tom - a black slave, is nobler
than any of the whites he meets.
What was revolutionary about this novel in 1852 is that it sugge sts Black people
have substantive contributions to make to society and an equal stake in a
Christian afterlife. But what’s very dated is its 19th century vision of racial munotes.in

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25 identity. This novel is an interesting and important milestone in the history of
race relations in America.
4.4 CONCLUSION
Thus, the central lesson Harriet Beecher Stowe wanted readers to learn after
reading Uncle Tom's Cabin was that slavery was an unjust and un -Christian
institution. By emphasizing the brutality of slaveholders, in parti cular Simon
Legree, who has Tom beaten to death and regularly rapes Cassy, Stowe
showcased that slavery both victimizes the enslaved and corrupts the morality of
the slave owner.
Uncle Tom's Cabin also offers another lesson for readers. It is an example of the
power of literature and art to shape public opinion. Published in 1852, the book
both played on Northern discontent with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1852 and
intensified this public perception of the incident. Harriet Beecher Stowe is
considered by many to have written this most influential American novel in
history. When she met President Lincoln in 1862, he reportedly called her "the
little lady who started this big war." Indeed, Uncle Tom's Cabin was the first
social protest novel published in the Uni ted States.
4.5 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Discuss Uncle Tom as the protagonist of Uncle Tom's Cabin
2. Describe Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe as an anti -slavery
novel.
3. Discuss the theme of the evil and immorality of slavery as reflected in Un cle
Tom's Cabin.
4. Discuss how Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a significant novel underscoring the issue
racial discrimination.
5. Do you agree that Simon Legree is indeed Tom's antithesis? Elaborate.
4.6 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Ammons, Elizabeth (1986). "Stowe's Dream of the Mother -Savior: Uncle
Tom's Cabin and American Women Writers Before the 1920s". In Sundquist,
Eric J. (ed.). New Essays on Uncle Tom's Cabin. Cambridge University
Press. ISBN 978 -0521302036.
 Frick, John W. (2016). Uncle Tom's Cabin on the American Stage an d
Screen. Macmillan US. ISBN 978 -0230114074.
 Griffiths, Katie (2016). Harriet Beecher Stowe: Author and Abolitionist.
Cavendish Square Publishing. ISBN 978 -1502619303.
 "H. B. Stowe's Cabin in D. W. Griffith's Movie". Uncle Tom's Cabin and
American Culture, a Multi -Media Archive. Department of English,
University of Virginia. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
 Jordan -Lake, Joy (2005). Whitewashing Uncle Tom's Cabin: Nineteenth -
Century Women Novelists Respond to Stowe. Vanderbilt University Press.
ISBN 978 -08265147 69. munotes.in

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26  Lott, Eric (2013). Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American
Working Class,
 "People & Events: Uncle Tom's Cabin Takes the Nation by Storm". Stephen
Foster – The
 Robbins, Hollis. "Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Matter of Influence". Gilder
Lehr man Institute of American History. Archived from the original on
November 10, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
 Rothstein, Edward (October 23, 2006). "Digging Through the Literary
Anthropology of Stowe's Uncle Tom". The New York Times. Retrieved
March 10, 2022.
 "Slave narratives and Uncle Tom's Cabin". Africans in America. PBS.
Retrieved February 16, 2007.
 Smith, Gail K. (2001). "The Sentimental Novel: The Example of Harriet
Beecher Stowe". In Bauer, Dale M.; Gould, Philip (eds.). The Cambridge
Companion t o Nineteenth -Century American Women's Writing. Cambridge
University Press. ISBN 978 -0521669757.
 "Stand still and see the salvation". Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture,
a Multi -Media Archive. Department of English, University of Virginia.
Retrieved Feb ruary 20, 2022.
 Stowe, Charles Edward (1911). Harriet Beecher Stowe: The Story of Her
Life. Houghton Mifflin Co.
 Stowe, Harriet Beecher (1854). A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin. John P. Jewett.
 Stowe, Harriet Beecher (1991). Uncle Tom's Cabin (Modern Library ed. ).
Vintage Books. p. 150. ISBN 978 -0679602002.
 "The Classic Text: Harriett Beecher Stowe". University of Wisconsin -
Milwaukee Library. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved
March 10, 2022.
 Tompkins, Jane (1985). "Sentimental Power: Uncle Tom 's Cabin and the
Politics of Literary History". Sensational Designs: The Cultural Work of
American Fiction, 1790 –1860. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978 -
0195035650.
 "Uncle Tom's Cabin: A 19th -Century Bestseller". The University of
Alabama. Retrieved
 Weinstein, Cindy (2004). The Cambridge Companion to Harriet Beecher
Stowe. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978 -0521825924.
 Williams, Linda (2001). Playing the Race Card: Melodramas of Black and
White from Uncle Tom to O. J. Simpson. Princeton University P ress. ISBN
978-0691058009.

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27 5
Y.B. SATYANARAYANA’S MY FATHER
BALIAH - I
Unit Structure
5.0 Objective s
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Y.B. Satyanarayana’s My Father Baliah
5.3 Conclusion
5.4 Important questions
5.0 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this Unit are to enable the students to understand:
 The life of Y.B. Satyanarayana
 My Father Baliah
5.1 INTRODUCTION
Y.B. Satyanarayana is a writer of a very famous autobiographical work,
named My Father Baliah . He was a teacher by profession holding a Ph.D.
degree in Chemistry. He has a vast experience in the field of teaching and
administration as he worked as a principal in Hyderabad. Besides his love
for teaching, Dr. Satyanarayana was also actively engaged in social
activism that led to the establishment of the Centre for Dalit Studies in
Hyderabad.
Y.B. Satyanarayana’s My Father Baliah is a story of hardships of a Dalit
family caught in the middle of the conservative structured society. It deals
with the life experiences of three generations of Baliah whose life is
changed due to the forced migration of his father, Narsiah, who had lost
his land to a local feudal lord.“A book written with the desire to make
known the inhumanity of untouchability and the acquiescence and
internalization of this condition by the Dalits themselves, Y.B.
Satyanarayana chro nicles the relentless struggle of three generations of his
family in this biography of his father. A narrative that derives its strength
from the simplicity with which it is told, My Father Baliah is a story of
great hardship and greater resilience.”
5.2 Y.B. SATYANARAYANA’S MY FATHER BALIAH
Y.B. Satyanarayana’s book My Father Baliah is a family biography of
four generations. The author’s grandfather left his ancestral village steeped
in casteism and feudalism and took employment in the railways. This
cruci al event paved the way of education and prosperity in the family. The
book is replete with the history of discrimination that the author’s father,
grandfather and his great -grandfather as well as the Dalits are subjected to.
It is about the earnest effort on the part of the author and his brothers to munotes.in

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28 lead a life of dignity and self -respect with the help of their father. The
book is a tribute to author’s father Baliah and it is written in his memory.
At the same time, it describes the plight of the Madiga ca ste. It also
staunchly critiques the acquiescence and internalization of the degrading
caste oppression and untouchability by the Dalits themselves.
Y. B. Satyanarayana’s My Father Baliah narrates the story of four
generations beginning with Narsiah, his son junior Narsiah, junior
Narsiah’s son Ramaswamy alias Baliah and one of Baliah’s sons Y.B.
Satyanarayana. The author, Dr. Y.B. Satyanarayana who hails from a poor
Dalit family began teaching first at the Government Junior College and
then at a private c ollege. At the age of thirty -three, he became the
principal of Dharmavant College of Science and Commerce, Hyderabad.
He is currently the president of the Centre for Dalit Studies. But the book
is not all about his hardship and achievements. It is about th e history of the
family members who overcame the oppressive caste system and feudalism
by dint of their hard work and education. The word ‘memoir’ (from
French mémoire: memoria meaning memory or reminiscence) is a
collection of memories.
In My Father Bali ah, Prof. Satyanarayana records the events in which he
gets involved and ‘leads the reader into the historical period.’ American
literary scholar and memoirist Nancy K. Miller regards that the
etymological root of the word ‘memoir’ consists of the double a ct of
recalling and recording: “To record means literally to call to mind, to call
up from the heart. At the same time, record means to set down in writing,
to make official. What resides in the province of the heart is also what is
exhibited in the public space of the world”.
Here Y. B. Satyanarayana has closely observed significant historical
events and interpreted those events in the lives of his family members in
particular and his community in general. An ardent follower of Dr.
Ambedkar’s teachings, h e began to take an avid interest in Dalit literature
and history in the early 1990s, and started studying the progress of Dalits
in various fields. My Father Baliah is an odyssey of four generations of a
dalit family in Andhra Pradesh from despair to succe ss, from suffering to
prosperity, from “illiteracy to the highest levels of education that the
modern system of education offers; from a hand -to-mouth existence to a
life that allows for deep reflection and self -development.” The book is a
detailed insight into the world of untouchables and their ways of living
and most importantly how they are marginalized from the society.
Through this story, the author documents the inhuman cruelty and
nonchalant attitude of the other caste towards the untouchables, espe cially
towards the Madiga caste, the brutality and inhumanity of the caste system
on the repressed and the poorer section and also the internalization of this
condition among the untouchables themselves.
During the late nineteenth century the author’s grea t-grandfather, the
senior Narsiah, a Madiga, received a huge tract of land gifted by the
Nizam of the Deccan. A chamar by caste, he was gifted fifty acres of
agricultural land for making a pair of shoes made from the hide of a young
calf for the Nizam. How ever, he could not retain the land owing to the munotes.in

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Y.B. Satyanarayana’s My
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29 insurmountable pressure from the landowners. The local Dora only
permitted Narsiah to occupy two acres. However, Narsiah is happy with
his lot as he succeeded to evade the wrath of the landlord. This situatio n is
not uncommon in lives of Dalits.
Narsiah’s main concern was for his son Ramaswamy who lost his mother
at such a tender age. Narsiah’s migration from Vangapalli, in the
Karimnagar district of Tel angana, his native village proved to be a
watershed momen t for the Yelukati family. This incident gave rise to a life
of dignity with education and self -respect instead of a life of utmost
suffering, humiliation and bonded labour. With the help of his maternal
uncles, junior Narsiah got a job in the railways. He re the author gave a
detailed picture of the world of gangman and pointsman and the heavy,
arduous menial jobs that they have to execute to earn their living. He
married for the second time on the insistence of his maternal uncles.
Ramaswamy’s plight becam e worse. He had to bear brunt of his
stepmother’s anger though he was very close to his brother and sister,
Yelliah and Pentamma. He was also pained to see his father’s helplessness
and was determined to find a job. Ramaswamy was appointed as a ‘box
man’ a t the Bellampalli railway station. Soon he got married to
Narsamma. In a few days he was promoted to the post of pointsman.
Narsiah was very proud of his son Ramaswamy who devoted his leisure
time in reading. However, Ramaswamy was implicated in a case of theft
in Secunderabad. One of his friends was caught red -handed while stealing
a bottle of liquor from a carton in a wagon. As Ramaswamy was standing
by his side, he too was interrogated and was dismissed from service.
Seeing his distress, Narsiah implored the higher officials to reinstate his
son into the service. Narsiah who had a good reputation in the railway
office was able to secure the job for his son with one condition. The
assistant personal officer Mr. Franklin proposed that the name
Ramaswamy sho uld be changed in order to suppress the incident.
Ramaswamy took a new name Baliah Ankus. Thus Ramaswamy came to
be known as Baliah and got a new lease of life. He was resolved to do his
duty with dedication and not to cause any trouble to his father anymo re.
5.3 CONCLUSION
It can be seen that Y.B. Satyanarayana has attempted to realistically
present a Dalit family of Baliah, who goes on to suffer in Indian
hierarchical social structure. The sufferings of the family are the result
initially of the family’s loss of land in its ancestral village and then due to
the forced migration to a new land.
5.4 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Discuss Y.B. Satyanarayana as a Dalit writer.
2. What do you understand about the life of Baliah?
3. Discuss Satyanarayana’s skill of stor y-telling.

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30 6
Y.B. SATYANARAYANA’S MY FATHER
BALIAH - II
Unit Structure
6.0 Objective
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Baliah: A Changed Man
6.3 The Indian Railways
6.4 Conclusion
6.5 Check Your Progress
6.6 Bibliography
6.0 OBJECTIVE
The objective of this Unit is to lead the learners towards the remaining
part of the book, My Father Baliah, wherein the writer has emphasized the
importance of education in one’s life.
6.1 INTRODUCTION
As Ramaswamy was renamed as Baliah after that unfortunate incident, he
decided to lead a mo re controlled and disciplined life.
6.2 BALIAH: A CHANGED MAN
Baliah had realised the importance of education and insisted that his
children should be educated in order to get job in the railways to put an
end to all suffering. Baliah’s world revolved rou nd railways. He had the
dream of making his children not collectors or bureaucrats but railway
officers and stationmasters. Baliah left no stone unturned to get his
children educated. He inculcated the same passion in his children and most
of his children too imbibed the urge of their father to be educated. They all
had a secured childhood though the living condition was appalling. They
had to live in a small railway quarter. The ambience was not conducive to
education or to acquire knowledge through any me dia. For ages the Dalits
have been deprived of education which is the main reason behind their
never -ending agony and plight. Although Baliah learned to read and write
a little, his sons are the real first-generation learners in his family. Baliah
was dete rmined to help his sons to pursue higher studies at any cost.
Along with Baliah his elder son Balraj ensured that the children get quality
education. The author Y.B. Satyanarayana, his elder brother Abbasayulu,
Narsimlu and Anjiah realized and fulfilled th e dreams of their father and munotes.in

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31 their brother Balraj. Despite several odds and adversities, the author Y.B.
Satyanarayana pursued higher studies and became a professor, obtained a
Ph.D. and became the Principal of a college, a post he held until his
retiremen t. As he knew the pain of discrimination against the Dalits, he
founded a voluntary organisation to lend a helping hand to Dalits.
6.3 THE INDIAN RAILWAYS
My Father Baliah inspires one to achieve the desired goal overcoming
difficulties of all sorts. Acco rding to Encyclopedia of Post -Colonial
Literatures in English, “[Memoir] usually relates to a certain period in a
life, which often coincides with an interesting time in history, a time often
of general change” (1009). Here the memoirist Prof. Satyanarayan a
provided the description of one of the most important events in Indian
history –inauguration of Railways. Railways were laid on a large scale
during the late nineteenth century. When the first railway train opened to
the public, it was a red -letter day i n Indian history: on 16 April 1853 at
3.30 p.m., a train with fourteen carriages carrying 400 passengers steamed
out of Bombay station to a twenty -one-gun salute and reached Thane
station at 4.30 p.m., covering a stretch of twenty -one miles.
This was the beginning of the era of the railways. The Great Indian
Peninsula Railway Company, as it was then called, has now turned into
the Indian Railways, the world’s largest railway network. The British had
three excellent reasons for establishing a large railway network: to develop
trade and commerce, to establish a quick and efficient administrative
network, and to quickly and efficiently quell any threat to their colony
from their European neighbours and co -colonizers. (19) Y.B.
Satyanarayana has chronicled the hardships and struggle of his family - the
Yelukatis. He introduced the world of gangmen and pointsmen, hitherto
unknown to us. The gangsman and the pointsman are mostly from Dalit
community as they had to do arduous and odd jobs considered unsuitable
for the upper caste people. “Much manual labour was required to lay the
railway tracks through the length and breadth of the country, through thick
forests and high mountains, and over surging rivers” (20). Untouchables
were recruited in such hazardous jobs bec ause “barring a few sudras, no
other ‘touchable’ was ready to undertake them” (20).
These workers were called gangmen. Untouchable workers were forced to
carry heavy rails on their shoulders through different terrain. Sometimes
they became prey to wild an imals or poisonous snakes. Fatal accidents
were common. When a train hit a cow, the act of distribution of its meat
by skinning the dead animal usually fell upon a madiga pointsman.
Nevertheless, this system enabled the untouchables to gain access to
railw ay jobs which in turn gave them entry into the railway quarters. They
started living alongside the sudras in the same areas, sometimes even the
same buildings. The Sudras still tried to maintain untouchability, though.
As the author pointed out, “It was a strange situation: untouchables, who
were outcasts and segregated in every village, were suddenly living in the
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32 The environment had changed tremendously. The untouchables were
given the opportunity to be educated and they le arned many new things.
The author has described that railways, in its nascent stage required people
in large number to operate the ‘shunting’ process - “the formation of trains
by coupling coaches to the engines when required, and detaching them
when no lon ger n ecessary” (20). A person working this risky and
hazardous job is called a ‘pointsman.’ As Prof. Satyanarayana has put in,
“He [a pointsman] had to run between the rails, lift the heavy metal chain
(weighing more than 100 kilograms) of a stationary bog ie, and couple it
with the hook of a bogie approaching slowly from the opposite
direction” (21).
This uphill task often proved dangerous and caused accidents if the
pointsman slipped while running on the tracks or happened to come under
the wheels of the moving bogies. In fact, Baliah met with one such
accident in Secunderabad. The author described other important
happenings associated with railways which gave us valuable information
of that age. In 1957 the railways stopped issuing ratio ns and also the
supply of subsidized groceries to railway staff. The enormous expansion
of the railways and the growth in the number of employees led to this
decision on the part of the railways. As a result, that the employees
suffered a sudden, heavy blo w, and the effect was felt in Baliah’s family
too (115). In spite of all these downsides, working in the railways
provided the family with the opportunity to come out of the clutches of
casteism. As K. Srilata has pointed out, the family is one of many dal it
beneficiaries of the British railway system. The railways represent a
relatively caste -free space, a space which holds out the possibility of
growth. In the railway colony, caste is markedly less -pronounced even
though it does not entirely disappear. Fo r one thing, the employees live
side by side - the sudras beside the untouchables -something that would be
unthinkable in the village. The colony also has schools for the children of
the employees. In fact, Dr. Satyanarayana has stated in the preface, “Three
generations of my family have worked in the railways and lived in railway
quarters. I often wonder where my family would have been had my
grandfather not migrated from his village since, among Dalits, progress is
visible mostly in the families of those wh ose forefathers had secured jobs
under British India”. (xx) American writer and literary critic, William
Zinsser pointed out that memoir focuses “on a time in the writer’s life that
was unusually vivid, such as childhood or adolescence, or that was framed
by war or travel or public service or some other special circumstances.”
(15) Here the writer reconstitutes himself in recalling, remembering and
reminiscing about the cities and towns he had lived in childhood and
adolescent period. Their life was beset w ith many mishaps and tragedies
like the death of Shama, the infant girl of the family and the suspicious
disappearance of Yadagiri, one of the author’s brothers (160). The family
was saddened by the demise of the author’s grandfather: Life had come to
an end for the untouchable from Vangapalli who had not turned back after
burying his wife in the village had now bid his final farewell. Had he not
joined the railways, the history of their family would have been different.
His demise was painful to us. (160) The author, Y.B. Satyanarayana, his munotes.in

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33 father Baliah time and again reiterated the unprecedented decision on the
part of junior Narsiah, the author’s grandfather. After his retirement Baliah
had gone to Vangapalli to reclaim the inherited land which his fathe r had
left behind. He wanted to take up agriculture with the purpose of earning
some money. He filed a litigation case against those who had occupied the
land. Nonetheless all his attempts were thwarted and this devastated him.
However, the book is not all about sufferings and struggle. It also upholds
the bright side of the world of the railway employees. Had my father not
felt the importance of education, had he not been in the railways, we
would probably not have seen the days and good fortune that we di d. His
determination was responsible for us getting an education despite our
poverty and social maladies like segregation and untouchability that were
quite prevalent in that era. (xxi) The presence of caste oppression in towns
was subdued to a certain ext ent. Education and employment helped them
to get liberty from the clutches of feudalism and caste discrimination. The
family had moments of joy and celebration at the success of children. The
day the three brothers, Satyanarayana, Narsimlu and Anjiah becam e
graduates was a memorable day for the family. Baliah, author’s father
took minute care to the overall wellbeing of the family members. He used
to take the family to pilgrimages during the vacations to relieve them from
the drudgeries of life. Once he too k them to Rishikesh, a pilgrim town in
north India. The beautiful memories of the trip - the silly argument among
the children to sit by the window in the train, the munching of snacks and
meals during train journey, first encounter with the dark tunnel,
sightseeing in Delhi by Tonga, visiting temples in Rishikesh left an
indelible impression in the author’s mind. Again, Baliah took his sons to
Bombay once where Abbasayulu worked and also to Rameshwaram, a
pilgrim centre in the southernmost part of the count ry.
My Father Baliah was published in 2011. In the book release function, the
chief guest and retired IAS officer K.R. Venugopal pointed out, “I look
upon it as a source book for the implementation of Right to Education.”2
He called this book an ‘epic stor y of a Dalit family.’ In Rajnikant’s movie
Kabali, he is seen going through this highly inspirational book. Baliah and
his children retained their self -esteem through all their lives. They did not
budge an inch from their stand when it comes to their self -respect. All
along his service period Baliah was known for his strength of character,
integrity and sincerity and also for his intolerance of officials who ill -
treated the subordinate staff (77). He vehemently objected to officials who
addressed their subo rdinates with contempt and with derogatory terms. For
this reason, he was transferred many a time. But Baliah was determined to
preserve his self -respect. Baliah also instilled in his children the
importance to lead a life of self -respect. To meet the ever increasing
expenses of his school -going children, Baliah even worked as a coolie and
his wife, the author’s mother, Narsamma also worked in the fields to help
raise the money. Their mother, in fact, played an important role in
educating her children “toil ing her life away working as an agricultural
labourer in the fields” (163). The author earnestly desired to give his
parents a comfortable life and his wish came true by dint of his education
and employment. Nothing could deter Satyanarayana and his brothe rs munotes.in

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34 from achieving the desired goal as they had the patience, perseverance,
dedication and determination to come out of the destructive influence of
caste, untouchability and poverty. The author mentions that there was a
tremendous change in their lifestyle owing to education. They in every
respect looked similar to people from the upper castes because of their
attire and the way they spoke. All these changes were due to education
among the Dalit families (186). However, the Dalits cannot evade the
caste que stion altogether. Ramaswamy alias Baliah, unlike his Sudra
colleagues, was not allowed to enter the houses of the upper -caste guards.
He had to endure the arbitrary behaviour of the wives of railway officials
(40). The presence of caste can be felt sometim es when the landlords
became aware of the caste of the tenants and compelled them to vacate the
house as soon as possible. This created a tremendous problem for the
author’s family too. As S.R. Sankaran had stated, “the caste system and its
attendant socia l stigma followed a Dalit everywhere -even into the city,
necessitating concealment of caste while studying, renting out a house, or
even engaged in the office” (xvi). Dalit writer and literary critic
Omprakash Valmiki rightly asserts in his book Joothan, “ When caste is the
basis of respect and merit, important for social superiority, this battle can’t
be won in a day. We need an ongoing struggle, a consciousness that brings
revolutionary change both in the outside world and in our hearts, a
consciousness th at leads the process of social change.” (Valmiki 132) The
book is also a tribute to Dr. Y.B. Abbasayulu, the author’s brother. In the
mid1970s, Abbasayulu who was the first doctorate and the first professor
in their family went to Australia to present a pa per at an international
seminar, and their family was ecstatic. Abbasayulu came to the aid of his
brothers whenever they were in trouble. The sacrifice of Balraj is also
worth remembering. Though he took job in the railways at the age of
eighteen, he took utmost care in the education of his brothers. The author
expresses his heartfelt gratitude to the family members, thus paying tribute
to his grandfather Narsiah, his father Ramaswamy alias Baliah, his mother
Narsamma, and his brothers Balraj and Abbasayulu , his elder sister
Bachamma who at one point of time started working in the paddy field
along with her mother Narsamma to support her family. She took care of
the household chores and even supervised the education of her brothers. In
the front cover of My Father Baliah Gita Ramaswamy said, “Quietly
brave, immensely enlightening -the colours of Satyanarayana’s memories
break the boundaries of Dalit narrative.” The author wrote this memoir
about his father and his family in particular and about the Dalits in g eneral
to protect the history of the marginalized people of our country and their
inimitable sacrifice. He has also an agenda to disseminate this history
among the future generations “who should know about our past in order to
create a better future” (xxii ). As the author himself said in the Preface, “At
another level, this is the story of a community. It has been my lasting
desire to show the present Dalit generation - and more so the future
generations - how Dalits struggled” (xx). As William Zinsser has po inted
out, “Memoir is how we try to make sense of who we are, who we once
were, and what values and heritage shaped us. If a writer seriously
embarks on that quest, readers will be nourished by the journey, bringing munotes.in

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Y.B. Satyanarayana’s My
Father Baliah - II

35 along many associations with quests of t heir own.” (6) Dr. Y.B.
Satyanarayana’s memoir leads us to venture into the quest of identity.
6.4 CONCLUSION
Thus, Satyanarayana’s autobiographical work, My Father Baliah, throws
ample light on the lives of Dalits and attempts to make the world aware of
the sufferings and unending humiliation of Dalits in hierarchical Indian
society. It makes the readers to think of this social evil on a serious note
and pushes them to change their attitude towards Dalits.
6.5 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Draw the character sket ch of Baliah.
2. Discuss the caste -based exploitation mentioned in My Father Baliah.
3. Bring out the role of education in the life of Dalits with reference to My
Father Baliah.
6.6 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Ambedkar, Bhimrao Ramji. “The Untouchables Who Were They and
Why They Became Untouchables.” Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar:
Writings and Speeches, vol.7. Ed. Vasant Moon. Bombay: Education
Department, Government of Maharashtra, 1990. pp. 233 -382.
 Ambedkar, Bhimrao Ramji. Waiting for a Visa. In Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar: Writin gs and Speeches, Vol. 12. Ed. Vasant Moon.
Bombay: Education Department, Government of Maharashtra, 1993.
pp. 661 -691
 Anand, Mulk Raj and Eleanor Zelliot, eds. An Anthology of Dalit
Literature. New Delhi: Gyan Publishing, 1992.
 Brueck, Laura. “Bending Biog raphy: The Creative Intrusions of ‘Real
Lives’ in Dalit Fiction.” Biography 40.1 (Winter 2017): 77 -92.
 Charsely, Simon R. Caste, Cultural Resources and Social Mobility. In
Challenging Untouchability. Dalit initiative and experience from
Karnataka, ed. Simo n R. Charsley & G.K. Karanth. New Delhi: Sage,
1998.
 Chinna Rao, Y. Dalit Movement in Andhra Pradesh: A Historical
Outline of a Hundred Years. Indian Historical Review 42.1 (2015):
113–139.
 Couser, G. Thomas. “Signifying Selves: Disability and Life Writing .”
Academia.edu. n.d.
www.academia.edu/9137321/Signifying_Selves_Disability_Life_Writi
ng. Accessed 10 May 2017. munotes.in

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36  Dangle, Arjun, ed. Poisoned Bread: Translations from Modern Marathi
Dalit Literature. Hyderabad. Orient Longman, 1992.
 Gidla, Sujatha. Ants Amo ng Elephants: An Untouchable Family and
the Making of Modern India. New Yo rk: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
2017.
 Jadhav, Narendra. Outcaste: A Memoir. New Delhi: Penguin, 2003.
 Jangam, Chinnaiah. Dalits and the Making of Modern India. New
Delhi: Oxford Unive rsity Press. 2017.
 Limbale, Sharankumar. Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature:
History, Controversies and Considerations. Trans. by Alok Mukherjee.
New Delhi: Orient Longman, 2004.
 Nambissan, Geetha B. Equity in Education? Schooling of Dalit
Children i n India. Economic and Political Weekly 31.16/17 (1996)
 Omvedt, Gail. Dalits and Democratic Revolution: Dr. Ambedkar and
the Dalit Movement in Colonial India. New Delhi: Sage, 1994.
 Satyanarayana, Y.B. My Father Baliah. Harper Collins, 2011.
 Satyanarayana, K and Susie Tharu, eds. No Alphabet in Sight: New
Dalit Writing from South India. Dossier I: Tamil and Malayalam. New
Delhi: Penguin, 2011.
 Satyanarayana, K. “Dalit Configuration of Caste: Representation,
Identity and Caste.” Critical Quarterly 56.3 (2014 )
 Shah, Ghanshyam, ed. Dalit Identity and Politics: Cultural
Subordination and the Dalit Challenge. Volume 2. New Delhi: Sage,
2001
 Smith, Sidonie, and Julia Watson. Reading Autobiography: A Guide
for Interpreting Life Narratives. 2nd ed., U of Minnesota P , 2010.
 Valmiki, Omprakash. Joothan: A Dalit’s Life. Trans. Arun Prabha
Mukherjee. Samya, 2003.
 Venkat Swamy, P. R. Our Struggle for Emancipation: The Dalit
Movement in Hyderabad State, 1906 -1953. Hyderabad: Ambedkar
People Trust, 1953.
 Zinsser, William, editor. Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of
Memoir. Mariner Books, 1998.

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37 7
POETRY - I
Unit Structure
7.0 Objective s
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Introduction to Kamala Das
7.3 The Looking Glass
7.4 Forest Fire
7.5 Conclusion
7.6 Check Your Progress
7.7 Bibliography
7.0 OBJECTIVE
The objective of this Unit is to make the student s familiar with:
 Kamala Das as a Poetess
 Kamala Das’s ‘The Looking Glass’
 Kamala Das’s‘Forest Fire’
7.1 INTRODUCTION
The poetess Kamala Das is known to her readers as one of the most out -
spoken persons in literary world in India. She has influenced on many
people minds who are interested in literary expression. Kamala Das’s
poetry is more often the expression of her personal feelings and ideas
about which she feels strongly.
7.2 INTRODUCTION TO KAMALA DAS
In the history of Indian literature, the name and frame of Kamla Das is
almost like that of Sylvia Plath in world literature. Kamala Das, born on
March 31st 1934 in Kerala, is considered as one of the most powerful
poets of confessional writing who has inspired women to struggle against
the domestic and s exual exploitation and related matters before and after
marriage in Indian society. In that Das follows the path of American
poetry but discusses Indian subjects related to women.
Kamla Suraiya, popularly known by her one time pen name, Madhavi
Kutti and n owadays by her married name, Kamla Das. She had established munotes.in

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38 herself as a popular Malayalam and English writer from Kerala. In India
she is mostly famous for her poems which shows women's issues child
care and Indian politics. 10 in her short stories poetri es and essays wrote
genius subjects of women in a male dominated society.
Kamla Das first book of poet’s summer in Kolkata had attracted Indian
readers and initiated confessional mode in Indian context at the age of 42
has published during autobiography my story which was originally written
in Malayalam. Letter on sea herself translated it into English.
As far as poems are considered an introduction hot moon in Malabar are
considered remarkable 1. Das is known for herbal and Frank expressions
with the help of her poems she is covering drivers range of subjects related
to women's existence. Das road in English that give her international
recognition like American confectional poets emotional and sexual
problems which are arriving from her unsatisfied relation ships only shows
the problem of Indian women who had been trapped into Indian customs
and traditions.
7.3 THE LOOKING GLASS: THE POEM
Getting a man to love you is easy
Only be honest about your wants as
Woman. Stand nude before the glass with him
So that h e sees himself the stronger one
And believes it so, and you so much more
Softer, younger, lovelier. Admit your
Admiration. Notice the perfection
Of his limbs, his eyes reddening under
The shower, the shy walk across the bathroom floor,
Dropping towels, and the jerky way he
Urinates. All the fond details that make
Him male and your only man. Gift him all,
Gift him what makes you woman, the scent of
Long hair, the musk of sweat between the breasts,
The warm shock of menstrual blood, and all your
Endless femal e hungers. Oh yes, getting
A man to love is easy, but living munotes.in

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39 Without him afterwards may have to be
Faced. A living without life when you move
Around, meeting strangers, with your eyes that
Gave up their search, with ears that hear only
His last voice calli ng out your name and your
Body which once under his touch had gleamed
Like burnished brass, now drab and destitute.
7.3 ANALYSIS OF ‘THE LOOKING GLASS’
In the poem, ‘The Looking Glass’, Kamla Das is aims at making the world
aware of the naked reality of male dominated society. With the help of this
poem, she brings out the contrast between men’s and women's body.
Hereshe says that it is quite easy for woman together man but the woman
must be honest about her womanly needs.
Kamla Das gives suggestions to women about how to get the maximum
possible pleasure out of her sexual experience. A woman should make no
secret of hersexual requirements when she is going to have sexual
intercourse with the man. A woman should not feel shy about admiring a
man’s body. She sh ould stand nude in front of the mirror and ask her
partner also to stand naked by her side so that they can enjoy his feelings
of physical superiority over her by virtue of his bodily strength.This will
make the man to feel stronger while on the other hand the woman will be
softer, younger and lovelier.
These lines are nickel in nature with the help of that she suggests petrol
car mentality of man in judging women's physical qualities. The soft,
young and lovely body of the women is what makes the man beli eve that
he is strong. It suggests that women should enjoy a feeling of her own
superiority on him because her body is softer and lovelier than her partner.
She also suggests that to know the perfection of man's limbs, his eyes
which are rebelling when the water enters his eyes, she should not the
Simon in which she walks upon the bathroom floor dropping of towels,
the jerky way in which he urinates. All these details about the man's body
and his movements should actually please woman and make her think tha t
this particular man is the only one who can satisfy her fully and in every
way when they lie together in the bed.
Then the poet again continues to suggest woman that they need to accept a
man's admiration and praise of her body. They should give her love r
everything that she is capable of giving to a lover in bed. She should make
it possible for the man to smell her long hair, the sweat between her
breasts, the warm shock of her menstrual blood. She should also make him
conscious of her womanly hungers. T here is nothing difficult in doing all
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40 to do all these things if she does her sinus and immediately and behaves
only in the matter reflects a kind of dependency of women in order to
satisfy her body hungers.
At the end, Kamala Das also says that the women should gift her womanly
qualities to the man.With the help of these lines Kamla Das considers that
sexual exploitation of women takes place at home. The poet points out that
real difficulty for man lies in the submission of our body to her lover with
whom she had a most pleasurable experience of sexual act.
However, she also feels loneliness when she loses her lover and never
comes back she feels that her life is meaningless and then her eyes would
keep search for her defaulter lover that leads to the emotional and
psychological loss of her.
Living without him afterwards may have to be face here she also says that
dependency of women leads to the misery the women becomes a walking
Cops that her body which is used to get pleasure has to ultimately suffe r.
The looking glass is one of the remarkable confessional poems that boldly
discusses man -woman relationship, love and lust and patriarchy. With the
help of the poem, she gives an ironic suggestion about the needs of men’s
ego. She has to allow him to fee l he is superior. The woman is quite
cervical that exposes brilliantly the sexual relationships.
Thus, the poem ‘The Looking Glass’ can be read as a poem that makes the
readers aware of the idea of gender and female sexuality. Kamala Das has
commented on t he patriarchal mindsets of the society that doesn’t allow
women to express their sexual desires by advising women to come ahead
and speak openly about their bodily needs which are often suppressed. So
if women want to have gender equality and challenge pat riarchy, they
have to voice their emotions and thoughts freely.
7.4 ‘FOREST FIRE’: THE POEM
Forest fire
Of late I have begun to feel a hunger
To take in with greed, like a forest fire that
Consumes and with each killing gains a wilder,
Brighter charm, all that comes my way. Bald child in
Open pram, you think I only look, and you
Too, slim lovers behind the tree and you, old
Man with paper in your hand and sunlight in
Your hair... My eyes lick at you like flames, my nerves
Consume; and, when I finish with yo u, in the munotes.in

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41 Pram, near the tree and, on the park bench, I spit
Out small heaps of ash, nothing else. But in me
The sights and smells and sounds shall thrive and go on
And on and on. In me shall sleep the baby
That sat in prams and sleep and wake and smile it s
Toothless smile. In me shall walk the lovers hand
In hand and in me, where else, the old shall sit
And feel the touch of sun. In me, the street -lamps
Shall glimmer, the cabaret girls cavort, the
Wedding drums resound, the eunuchs swirl coloured
Skirts an d sing sad songs of love, the wounded moan,
And in me the dying mother with hopeful
Eyes shall gaze around, seeking her child, now grown
And gone away to other towns, other arms.”
7.5 ANALYSIS OF ‘FOREST FIRE’
The poem, ‘Forest Fire’, speaks about the poet 's appetite for sensory input
and for taking in, soaking up, all of the experiences and images around
her. With wild abandon she 'eats' them and consumes them until they
become a part of her. Her hunger and desire to write, create a longing like
a fire ins ide of her. Later, she will take all of these experiences and write
something and 'give birth' to it, but the child will be in other arms in many
other towns. So, the symbolism is the creative 'fire' as the poet's
inspiration and desire to create, and the created work as a child.
Kamla Das has achieved phenomenal status for her poetic contribution in
the history of Indian poetry dance with the help of it establishes herself as
voice of protest women against the patriotic the present poem forest fire
invents conventional forces on the process of poetic creation and the cell
in addition to that insert it also project on universal appeal of Kamla Das
that shows her criticism of patriarchy does in her most of the poems shows
the theme of love and lust hunger
But the present poem for a fire is complex in nature which describe this
human conscious which she regards originates from a poetic self. Does
shows Harsh criticism of man woman relationship in Indian context
whereby she criticizes principles of patriarchy in the poem forest fire is
used as a symbol that kanjoos whatever comes that stands for politic cell
that also consumes whatever comes before as a result she achieves
brighter like forest fire point swallows that happens around her. munotes.in

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42 Offset I have begin to fe el a hunger to take in with greed like a forest fire
that consumes.
There is a suggestion that Kamla Das wants to give to the women that they
must not give the fear of death in their day to day life for a fire throws
away all the restrictions which were im posed by patriarchy with the help
of her own experience that covers exploitative nature of male dominated
society that gives injustice women and various platforms. Rahman rightly
says that the prime target of Kamla Das is to project human consciousness.
In the poem that says that she can John's like a forest fire solo all human
experience out of them poetic creation happens. Kamla Das regardsit as an
inspiration for her poems.
Forest fire fine poem of Kamla Das included in the political election
summer in K olkata in this particular poem Das did not use confessional
mode.
Devendra Kohli almost supports to Kamla Das and he says
Kamla Das’ involvement is politically more appealing as well as more
convincing when she is liberating herself from her own sufferings .
Celebrates herself by involving herself into the process of poetic creation
in the forest fire does demonstrates her versatility as a poet and holds that
her experience is around her are responsible in the creation of poetry in
Indian context women find herself trapped in the materials and life and
almost allows mail to dominate. Das through the poem find a way to enjoy
the life rather than sufferings that has no fear now offer challenges which
makes waste of the women sub miss you and subservient seconda ry.
The element of protest is quite identical explicit in the present poem that
gives her an identity a protest poet does dedicated whole life to protest
against this humiliating relationships the present poem is full of use of
images and symbols that ads into the regionals of the poem that forest fire
is an autobiography does not exactly to be categorised as confessional
poem nowhere in the poem she makes reference to her private self
represents women cell that display her protest against male domination o r
patriarchy.
Summary:
The poetess says that in the recent times she has started to experience an
extreme hunger and wants to take in everything that she sees greedily. She
compares her hunger to the forest fire and draws a similarity between her
hunger an d the forest fire throughout the poem. She says the forest fire
consumes everything on the way and as it consumes, it becomes brighter
and burns with more charm. The fire after consuming so many things on
the way is not satisfied and does not stop; it cont inues to grow more wildly
and with more force. The forest fire creates a sense of fear, awe and
fascination in anyone who sees it. In the same way, the poetess’ hunger to
take in everything on the way she sees does not stop after she has seen and munotes.in

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43 observed things to her fill. Her eagerness to see more things, observe them
and take inside her mind’s eye keeps growing and increasing in its
intensity. She is not satisfied with just looking at things on her way. She
wants to observe them minutely, take in each a nd every feature and retain
it both alive and fresh in her memory. As a poetess and creative writer, all
her senses are open to experience the world around and she is not satisfied
with the experiences she gets and wants more and more of it. As a woman
in a male dominated society, she does not often get chances to go out of
the confines of her house and experience the outside world. As a result,
whenever she finds an opportunity, she tries to observe as many and as
much things around her and tries her keep them in her memory. Those
memories become her companions during her loneliness in the confines of
her house and also become the inspiration for her poetry.
The poetess is in a park and she is eager to see as many people and as
many things as possible and k eep them in her memory. The baby in the
pram with its bald head and toothless smile, the lovers who hold hands and
hide behind the trees to talk in secrecy and the old man with sunlight
falling on his head sitting in the bark bench and reading a newspaper
attract her attention. She looks at all three of the simultaneously and tries
to etch them deep into her memory. She says she does not just look at
them but trying to lick them up with her eyes and take them inside her
mind. She compares her intense gaze o n them to the flames of the forest
fire that licks and consumes things on the way. Just like the forest fire
leaves out the useless and waste ashes as it passes by, the poetess too
leaves behind very few things as waste or unnecessary in the course of her
intense observation. She goes on to say that she has taken in not only the
sights she has seen but has also retained the sounds and smells related to
the sights. The baby continues to laugh, smile and sleep inside her mind.
In the same way, the lovers and old man continue to carry on with their
work and all exist with their own individuality within the mind of the
poetess. As the poet feels happy that she is able to recall and retain
everything in mind, she also recallsand visualize whatever she has seen
long back.
In the park, she has observed the life during day time. and in recalling, she
recalls the life she has seen during night times. She could see the lights
glimmering and not burning brightly; the sounds of the wedding drums
and songs can be heard. T he cabaret girls are dancing in an enticing
manner showing of their sexuality and the eunuchs too dance with their
colourful skirts swirling around them. There seems to be so much fun and
happiness around but as the poetess recalls the songs and the moans made
by these cabaret girls and eunuchs, she could feel that there is so much
pain and suffering hidden in them.
When the poetess relives the memories of the unsaid pain and suffering of
the cabaret girls and eunuchs she had listened to, she remembers her own
pain. As a woman, she was not allowed to voice out her opinions,
thoughts, pains and sufferings. Even if she tries to do it, she is not allowed
and is highly criticized by the people around her if she disobeys them. By
this, the poetess refers to the w ay her works were denounced and criticized munotes.in

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Literature of Protest -II
44 in her own country whereas they have been given the due credit and
appreciation in the world outside. She compares herself to a dying mother
who longs to see her child appreciated and able to do so but atleast fee ling
happy that the child is appreciated and well cared for in the distant land.
Here, the poetess compares the creative writer and her work of creation to
the mother and her child. The poetess also brings in the idea that the
process of creating a piece o f work is equal to the process of nourishing a
child inside the womb and giving birth to it in a safe manner
7.6 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Write a note of K amala Das .
2. Critcally appreciate Kamala Das’s poem ‘ The Looking Glass ’
3. Comment on the central idea of Kamal a das’ poem ‘ Forest Fire ’.
7.7 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Manohar, D. Murali. Kamala Das: Treatment of Love in Her
Poetry.indear Kumar Gulbarga: JIWE, 1999.
2. "Cheated and Exploited: Women in Kamala Das's Short Stories", In
Mohan G Ramanan and P. Sailaja (eds.). English a nd the Indian Short
Story. New Delhi: Orient Longman (2000).117 –123
3. "Man -Woman Relationship with Respect to the Treatment of Love in
Kamala Das' Poetry". Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol. 191. Ed.
Tom Burns and Jeffrey W. Hunter. Detroit: Thomson -Gale, 2004. 44 –
60.
4. "Individuality in Kamala Das and in Her Poetry". English Poetry in
India: A Secular Viewpoint . Eds. PCK Prem and D.C.Chambial.
Jaipur: Aavishkar, 2011. 65 –73.
5. "Meet the Writer: Kamala Das", POETCRIT XVI: 1 (January 2003):
83–98.

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45 8
POETRY - II
Unit Structure
8.0 Objective s
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Meena Kandasamy and her Poems
8.3 Jyoti Lanjewar and her Poems
8.4 Conclusion
8.5 Check Your Progress
8.6 Bibliography
8.0 OBJECTIVES
The objective of this Unit is to introduce the lea rners to:
 Meena Kandasamy and her poems
 Jyoti Lanjewar and her poems
8.1 INTRODUCTION
Meena Kandasamy and Jyoti Lanjewar are the post -modernist poets
writing on the common issues that are closely related with them and their
lives. Both of them write about Dalits and dalit experiences with Dalit
consciousness that has enabled them to stand apart from their
contemporary poets and created a place in the history of Indian literature.
8.2 MEENA KANDASAMY AND HER POEMS
Meena Kandasamy is one of the famous Indian poets, fiction writer,
translator, an activist from Tamil Nadu.
She was born in 1984. Meena is known as one of the young poets from
Tamil Nadu. Her work mostly centres on feminism and anti -caste
movement in Indian context. As a poet, Kandasamy has publish ed two
collections of poetry namely ‘Touch and Militancy’. Kandasamy because
of her collections received great attention and approved from readers. In
2002 she has edited a magazine ‘Dalit’.
She had associated herself with International Institutes like Uni versity of
Kent. She also takes interest in public speeches related to controversy
political issues namely caste, corruption, violence and women’s rights. munotes.in

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46 She is known for her writing that has affected social medias like Facebook
and Twitter.
She was born to Tamil parents. By profession they were University
Professors. She has completed her schooling from Chennai itself. In the
later part of her life she has completed her Ph.D in socio -linguistics from
Anna University, Chennai. She also engages herself in t ranslating the
books of Dalit writers. As a writer, primarily she has focused on caste,
issues of feminism and individual identity. She was greatly influenced by
the Indian identity. She was greatly influenced by the Indian poetic
tradition of Dalit writin g. her two poetic collections are available in
different languages.
Her poetry is most of the time considered for the projection of female self
and struggle.
“’ My poetry is in tears. My poetry screams in anger... My poetry smells
of blood. My poetry salut es sacrifice. My poetry speaks like my people.”
Meena Kandasamy’s works have been published in various anthologies
like the Anthology of Contemporary Indian Poetry,’ The Little Magazine”.
She has been invited as a great speaker in India and in foreign univ ersities.
Kandasamy with the help of her literary exercises brought a revolutionary
change in the arena of dalit writing.
8.2.1 ADWAITA: THE ULTIMATE QUESTION
Non Dualism
Atman Self
Brahman God
Are Equal
And Same.
So I
Untouchable Outcast
Am God.
Will You
Ever Agree?
No Matter
What You
Preach Answer
Me. Through
Your Saints.
One More
Final Question
Can My
Untouchable Atman
And Your
Brahmin Atman
Ever Be
One
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47 8.2.1.1 Analysis of ‘ ADWAITA: THE ULTIMATE QUESTION’
Meena Kandasamy in the present poem uncovers so cial structure that even
divides Gods and beliefs. Being a social activist, she shows her protest
against the basic foundations of religion. She uncovers the basic
foundation of Hinduism that separates the Indians from unity or harmony.
The poet is having an ultimate question about the existence of God. As a
human being she asks questions to Hindu scriptures (Ramayana,
Mahabharata, and Vedas). Meena Kandasamy being a marginalised poet
asking questions to Hindus who strongly believe in Hinduism and its very
foundation of it. She believes in humanity, one soil and evil practices in
India)
“Non dualism
Brahman God
Are equal and same
So I ---“
Here she expects that there must be one soul and why there is separation
has been made on the basis of religious practic es. In the present poem her
purpose is very clear to show her protest against religious foundations that
Denise the existence of dalits or marginalized.
THEMES
Adwaita: The Ultimate Question" is a poem written by Meena Kandasamy
that speaks to the themes o f spirituality, mortality, and the search for
transcendence. The poem is named after Adwaita, the giant tortoise that
was believed to have lived for more than 250 years in the Alipore Zoo in
Kolkata, India.
The poem uses Adwaita as a symbol of the human qu est for immortality
and spiritual transcendence. The speaker reflects on the tortoise's long life
and wonders whether it has found a way to transcend the limitations of
mortality.
The poem then moves on to explore questions of spirituality and the
search f or transcendence. The speaker asks whether it is possible to find
meaning and purpose in life beyond the physical realm, and whether there
is a way to transcend the limitations of the human condition.
Throughout the poem, the speaker is searching for answe rs to the ultimate
questions of existence, mortality, and transcendence. They are exploring
the limits of human knowledge and questioning whether it is possible to
find a sense of purpose and meaning beyond the constraints of the physical
world.
Overall, " Adwaita: The Ultimate Question" is a powerful and thought -
provoking poem that speaks to the universal human experience of
searching for meaning and purpose in life. It challenges us to question the munotes.in

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48 nature of our own existence and to consider the possibilit y of finding a
way to transcend the limitations of mortality and achieve spiritual
transcendence.
8.2.2 THE GODS WAKE UP
Another worst things with the Gods is that
They sleep most of the time —
(they don't even dream).
If you happen to go near heaven:
It is a very noisy boring place.
And all that you get to hear there are —
Thirty three million synchronized godly snores.
(The Goddesses snore too).

The Gods sleep right through the prayers
Performed by the Brahmins —
(maybe they find it boring).
Births, Marriag es, innumerable yagnas,
Brahmins take the center -stage, all the
Gods skip. Also, "Om" is now obsolete —
a kind of recurring mosquito buzz.
(Besides, Om is ©opyrighted).

At times, the sleeping celestials do stir.
Gods always get excited over funerals —
(they are kind of necrophilic).
The loud drums lead the dead to eternal sleep,
Ancient noises herald the escaping life.
This deeper music shakes the skies.
That's when the Gods wake up.
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49 8.2.2 ANALYSIS OF ‘THE GODS WAKE UP’
Matthew Ar nold says poetry is a criticism of life. According to him poetry
is the most beautiful impressive and widely effective mode of saying
things which is quite applicable to Meena Kandasamy. Har poetry is
popular for her expression and boldness. She considers that poetry is like a
democracy of the people by the people and for the people. SD college has
also said that
I wish as our clever young poets would remember hardly definitions of
prose and poetry that is prose is words in the best order and poetry is best
words in best order".
Which suits to Meena Kandasamy as a poet the present poem cruise her as
a conventional poet who breaks all the aesthetics of mainstream writing.
Kandasamy handmade significant contribution by articulating the
emotions and cultural co nsciousness of being a female poet she highlights
the issues of untouchability and the oppressions of women. The present
poem challenges Hinduism and its social customs and its religious
stereotypes (Gods).
The present poem shows wake up call for gods. Sib lings to the notice that
how Gods snore. She makes her purpose very clear that this peaceful place
have been disturbed by the god's (existence) snore. They enjoy English
deep with the help of meaningful hymns of brahmins. Who are used to
perform prayers at the time of ceremonies like birth marriages and Yagnas
innumerable. This poem is anti conventional which satellite Hindu
orthodox and representations of Hindu rituals. Mina Kandasamy the
constructs the very concept of God in Hindu religion. In addition to that
she also challenges social foundations of Hindu religion. The Gods wake
up throws upon her discussed about the religious constraints of the upper
class. She thinks that th e depiction of images of gods pai nted on public
walls covered with layers of sm iley urine.
The present poem records despair humiliation, insults of dalits. The Gods
wake up is an highly experimental poem which challenges the dominant
mode of representation of Gods in Hindu religion.
8.2.3 ‘THE NAMELESS ONES’ (ANAMIKAS)
Begging won't get anything here
not sympathy, not love
A suit in court wins injustice,
Tears are of no value,
Getting water is a struggle,
Wrapping yourself in smoke from a dead fire won't work
You have to plant the cinder of revolt in your own body.
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50 counterfeit –
But at those times give it outside air to see if it glows.
"The revolution will come through poetry"
Once I accepted that.
But poetry does not live by making revolution.
The same faithless faces of yesterd ay
extend the hand of friendship
while wounding with a sword…….. and
in their struggle with the enemy were
made impotent.
They burned houses down with words
But after the house burned, the words died.
For the sake of the poetry of humanity
one must be so v ery human,
But they change with the wind…….
And these green parrots of the dry desert turn out to be
a mirage.
They turn their eyes where they wish, according to their
own convenience.
When there is no strength
in their own wings
They find the convenient w ords
to cut the wings of others.
They make palaces of words!
But I have seen them crumble.
"Kala Ram" and "Chawdar Tank" –
the history of pain
is carved on each of our hearts
But even if they could carve words on water
The Indrayani will not save them.
(Translated by Eleanor Zelliot)
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51 8.2.4 Analysis Of ‘The Nameless Ones’
Zelliot has translated Jyoti Lanjewar ’s poem A namikas in English. In the
present poem Lanjevar shows the journey of Ambedkar at moment and
condition of Dalits.
The present poem the name les s once by Jyothi Lanjewar shows drama
against dalits and their denial of rights. Lanjewar with the help of her
poems wants to bring a revolution that is very difficult in a country like
India she gives suggestions to dalits.
Begging won't get anything here
Not sympathy not love
Suit in court Sins, injustice
Tears are of no value
Getting water is a struggle".
After m ahaparinirvana of Dr BR Ambedkar dalit s are facing countless
problems regarding their existence. What is suggesting them to be
rebellious agains t injustices.
You have to plan the cinder
of revolt in your own a body"".
The line refers to the philosophy of Dr BR Ambedkar who is wrongly
believed in protest against you in human systems. Lanja vs strong follower
of Ambedkar tells the leads to race voi ce against their exploitation.
Lanjewar like Hira Bansod makes a revolution with her poems. As a poet
she thinks that we must follow the philosophical path of Ambedkaraite
moment.
The revolution will come through poetry"".
Lanjewar gives the message to the poet to be faithful with Ambedkaraite
movement and there won't be friendship with the poets who are
misleading it. She strongly criticizes even poets for going away from the
philosophical base of Ambedkarism for the sake of their own gains.
Lanjewar belie ves that
"" For the sake of the poetry of humanity
One must be so very human".
She also believe that poet should carry forward the message given by Dr
BR Ambedkar and also show those poets who find convenient words, cut
the wings of others, make places of words, but they crumble, Lanjewar
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52 Lanjewar has given the reference of Kalaram and Chawadar Tank which
are most significant events in the life of the leaves which are witnessed by
poets like Baliram Jadhav and others. She thinks that danger can happe n
from the leaders who are involved in Ambedkarite movement, but she
strongly believes that revolution is possible through poems.
THEMES
"The Nameless Ones" is a poem written by Meena Kandasamy that speaks
to the themes of oppression, marginalization, and resistance. The poem is
written from the perspective of those who have been silenced and
forgotten by society, the "nameless ones" who are denied a voice and
forced to live in the shadows.
The poem begins with a description of the nameless ones as being
"faceless" and "voiceless", existing on the margins of society and
struggling to survive. The speaker describes the way in which these
individuals are denied a voice and forced to live in a state of perpetual
invisibility.
The poem then moves on to explore t he theme of resistance, with the
speaker calling on the nameless ones to "rise up" and demand their rights.
The speaker describes the power of collective action and the way in which
the oppressed can come together to challenge the status quo and demand
change.
Throughout the poem, the speaker is advocating for the importance of
solidarity and the need for the oppressed to come together in order to
achieve their goals. They are highlighting the way in which social and
political structures perpetuate inequali ty and oppression, and calling on the
nameless ones to unite and resist these forces.
Overall, "The Nameless Ones" is a powerful and thought -provoking poem
that speaks to the struggles of the marginalized and oppressed. It
challenges us to question the sta tus quo and to consider the ways in which
we can support those who are denied a voice and forced to live in the
shadows.
8.3 JYOTI LANJEWAR AND HER POEMS
8.3.1 JYOTI LANJEWAR
Caesar prolific writer who has written her works in Marathi language and
contribu ted much to poetry and literary criticism Dr. Lanjewar needs no
introduction in Marathi literature she is popularly known as writer critic
and feminist scholar social activist Lanjewar has authored more than 14
books four are poetry collection and 7 books on criticism translated in
almost all Indian and foreign languages including Russian German
Swedish English
Her poetic works are taught at several universities both in India and
abroad her poetry has been received as a great work of Indian dalit writing munotes.in

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53 lokmitra puraskar Padma Shri Daya Pawar puraskar Ahilyadevi Holkar
puraskar Mahatma Phule Gaurav puraskar and Bhimabai Ambedkar
puraskar.
Lanjewar load her poetry about humanity and its endless struggle for
survival and justice. Lanjewar says that
My poetry is a wonderful process of my own
Actually Jyoti Lanjewar things that poetry would be a means of poetic
expression for English anthology is translated in the form of book read
slogans on the green grass with the help of her poems she concentrates and
divers themes as women whole motherhood friendship honest
commitment human values and love.
Lanjewar says that
My poetry is about humanity and its seemingly and less struggle for
change justice and sometimes humanity happens to be operated
marginalised its wonde rful process of all these voices coming out of me.
Lanjewar was born in Nagpur Maharashtra on 25th November 1950 Sri
give up in a family that had dedicated itself to the social issues Shivaji
educated at Nagpur where she did her masters and PHD she has acc epted a
permanent position as head of Marathi at SB City College Nagpur.
Lanjewar’s poetry dismantles the gender roles women experience is class
conflicts within it. Her poetry punches the domination of upper class
community and shows countless fashion wis dom and rare intensity that
subverts the exploitative word in the Indian context Lanjewar has received
and a claimed position in the arena of literature mainly she has received
inspiration from early Delhi poets and their protest in Delhi literature dalit
poetry writers in the information of the lips expose protest remains and
anger against the upper class in addition to that they had a social injustice
that and the existence of dalits. Vimal Thorat says that
The most original voice of Marathi Delhi's liter ature found its best
expressions in poetry.
The protest of dalits against the established the main find seat best
expression in Dalit poetry. Dalit poetry shows dalit issues like dignity
Pride justice and equality challenges the existing literary tradition critical
theory and literary statics it is distinct because it is completely different
from mainstream literature as far as poets attempt to use images as well as
words which come from their own experience. The use of stylistic poetic
styles use of symbol s imaginary is for different from that of mainstream
poetry.
Dalit writers realises that it is the poetry only that was deep in the heart of
reader and makes them to think and to react.
Dalit poetry is mainly inspired by humanistic philosophy of Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar who taught the west to words Liberty from the clutches of munotes.in

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54 Brahminism and slavery poet shows the conflict between dalits and non -
dalits but they are expecting both in making healthy society with the help
of social harmony spread the message of human ity and values of it has
raised her voice again operation revolt and expected to reorder a new
society which is complete different from the previous one. Lanjewar
represented marginalised section that indicates her anger against Nana
dalit community her po etry has given new test to the reader and also
brought dramatic changes in Marathi literature that lands her in the
category of greatest poets of dalit poetry in the worlds of Arjun dangle.
Dalit poetry is a confession night voice of 3rd generation of the Ambedkar
at moment it can be seen as a protest against subjugation humiliation and
atrocities poets like Namdev Dhasal, Arjun Dangle, Hira Bansode, Jyoti
Lanjewar, Daya Pawar, Keshav Meshram, Narayan Surve, and Meena
Gajbhiye are prominent dalit poets who stand at the prime position in dalit
literature.
Dalit women's poetry has exposed issues related to gender and self -
representation it is the fact that subject to exploitation there are more
marginalised society.
8.3.2 ‘Caves’ (Anamikas)
Their inhuman atroc ities have carved caves
In the rock of my heart
I must tread this forest with wary steps
Eyes fixed on the changing times
The tables have turned now
Protests spark
Now here
Now there.
I have been silent all these days
Listening to the voice of right and wr ong
But now I will fan the flames
For human rights.
How did we ever get to this place
This land which was never mother to us?
Which never gave us even
The life of cats and dogs?
I hold their unpardonable sins as witness
And turn, here and now,
A rebel.
(Translated by Shanta Gokhale) munotes.in

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55 8.3.4. Analysis of Jyoti Lanjewar’s Poems
Lanjewar shows the theme of rejection and revolt throughout the poem she
follows the vision and ideology of Dr. BR Ambedkar to show the
exploitation of the leaf and path of emancipation she will use in the future
generation of the lips realise the dreams and visions of Dr. BR Ambedkar.
Lanjewar finds the spark in society and hopes that the spark will turn into
the revolution which will dismantle everything that is responsible for the
degradation of the dalits for centuries. She wants to build humanity out of
her Rebel or revolt.
I have been silent all these days listening to the voice of right and wrong
but now I will send the frames for human rights how did we ever get to
this place this land which was never mother to us?
Lanjewar with the help of the poem shows inequalities of the dominant
society over Dalits she expresses that she has been silent all these days
now the poet has realised her consensus but she knows very well her
challeng es. Lanjewar questions to the culture religion history which are
responsible for the low position of backward classes. Being minute
observer offer community fix the truth and comes to the conclusion that
this land was align never a mother to dalits it is w rong to judge Lanjewar
poem on the basis of caste. But it is wrongly rages the life of revolution
against domination in equality exploitation the present poem reveals that
the evils of caste system lead to the social discrimination in which Dalits
have no status in the society she shows the struggle for equal status and
individual dignity in the society.
Arjun dangle famous Dalit writer rightly remarks a code suitable for
Lanjewar’s poem:
Dalit literature is not simply a literature it is associated with the movement
to bring about a change it represents the hopes and ambitions of new
society and new people.
In caves Lanjewar shows protest as a statement of power against in human
atrocities against dalits moreover security sizes this land which has
exploited its people on the basis of caste and gender. Lanjewar protest is
more for the cast atrocities then the general discrimination or more. It is in
human system that lands Dalits in poverty and hunger on the contrary the
culture has offered vulnerable life to animals cats and dogs Lanjewar was
ashamed to call this land as her own rather no delete consider that this land
belongs to them for centuries they have been treated like slaves and
received many atrocities or experience many atrocities the present poem
shows her mood of revolt and rebellion which is Central to all dalit poems
the present poem is typically nature that shows the agony and anger of the
dalits. This kind of life has been affected by social discriminations and
exploitations Lanjewar being a mo dern dalit poet broke all the ideal norms
of traditional Marathi poetry that establishes her as a protest poet in India
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56 8.4 CONCLUSION
It is observed that Meena Kandasamy and Jyoti Lanjewar belong to the
under -privileged sections of Indian society having f irst-hand experiences
of the hierarchical social structure. Their experiences helped them to voice
the sufferings and concerns of the people belonging to their communities.
Their poems can be considered as the voices of the millions of voiceless
people in India.
8.5 CHECK YOUR P ROGRESS
1. Write critical appreciation of Meena Kandasamy’s poem, ‘Adwaita:
The Ultimate Question’.
2. Discuss the central idea of the poem, ‘The Gods wake Up’ by Meena
Kandasamy.
3. What issues do the selected poems of Jyoti Lanjewa r deal with?
8.6 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Anand, Mulk Raj and Eleanor Zelliot. Ed. An Anthology of Dalit
Literature. New Delhi: Gyan P, 2018.
 Arya, Sunaina and Akash Singh Rathore. Ed. Dalit Feminist Theory: A
Reader. New York: Routledge, 2020.
 Dangle, Arjun. Ed. Pois oned Bread. New Delhi: Orient Black Swan,
2009.
 Guru, Gopal. “Dalit Women Talk differently” EPW Oct 14 -21, 1995.
 Kandasamy, Meena, Ms. Militancy, New Delhi, Navayanya
publishing, (2010).
 Kandasamy, Meena, Touch Mumbai: peacock, (2006)
 Limbale, Sharankumar . Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature.
Trans. Alok Mukherjee . Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan, 2014. [Rpt]
 Pandit, Maya. “How three generations of Dalit women writers saw
their identities and struggles?
 Rao, Anupama. Ed. Gender and Caste. New Delhi: Kali for Women
and Women Unlimited , 2003.
 Rege, Sharmila. Writing Caste/ Writing Gender: Dalit Women’s
Testimonies. New Delhi : Zubaan, 2006.

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