This volume of Tamil Dalit writing edited by Ravikumar and R. Azhagarasan evokes a hoary, venomous past that has left a seething anger, demands an exclusive space that resists and asserts the agency of Dalit articulation. Featuring 42 poems of 16 poets, 10 short stories, two excepts from novels, two plays, six excerpts from biographies/ auto-biographies, four archival sources, four public speeches and seven articles, the volume spans almost a century. While claiming a space for its version of Dalit writing within the national gamut, the volume frames itself on the basis of difference. To choose from a vibrant set of writings that have been a part of the Tamil literary milieu for the past three decades is no easy task and the editors have done their best to give us a glimpse of various genres and trends. The volume is also to be credited for including the archival sources, speeches and prose writings, thereby asserting a new epistemology and history within which the writings are to be placed.
The landscape and the everyday living unravelled by these writings are rich in its tapestry. Demanding a different point of view of language that appears sympathetic in drawing our attention to lives on the banks of the Cooum river, in exposing the inhumanness of caste practices, the perennial patriarchal domination that's rampant within Dalit households as well and the assertion of one's own bodily integrity and self-respect the poems reveal a plethora of emotions.
Best part
The short stories in this volume are the most engaging. Azhagiya Periyavan's “Eardrum” jostles us with a new insight that's mellow but determined. Though only two excerpts from Dalit novels are included, the introduction to the section gives one an idea of the many novels that are available in Tamil. The two plays emphasise the activist-aesthetic nexus. The introduction to that section also mentions how parai music and dance has been incorporated into the theatre world of Tamil Nadu. This phenomenon in itself is a very interesting trajectory.
The archival and articles sections address the conceptual and theoretical questions related to Dalit ideology and mobilisation. The autobiography/ biography section is the point which the editors bring up as a difference in Tamil Dalit writing. Unlike in Marathi, these genres did not become major forms of articulation in Tamil. As the editors put it, the voices representing five generations have some common themes regarding the issue of caste being the result of Hinduisation of the secular Buddhist culture, the critique of the national and Dravidian politics and the regional understanding of Ambedkar's contribution. In order to highlight these common themes, the editors have chosen a section from the narrativised biography of Viramma which brings out her differences with Periyar regarding Muthukulathur riots and the issue of playing parai drum.
While acknowledging the difficulty of including every author in a volume like this, the omission of Adhavan Theetchanya, Unjai Rasan, Aranga Mallika are quite glaring. Added to this is the passing reference made to Poomani's writings and his refusal to be branded a ‘Dalit' writer. As anyone working in the field of writings that are marginalized would know, these labels often lead to be ghettoisation and hence disavowed. A more comprehensive introduction to Poomani's works would have been helpful in tracing the aesthetic trajectory of Dalit writing in Tamil.
Another major argument in the introduction also needs further enunciation. The origins of Dalit literature in Tamil could be historically traced to ancient Buddhist or medieval anti-caste movements. This has been proven by Iyothee Thass's writings that were resurrected in the late 1990s. Recent studies based on inscriptions and archaeological sources have also been helpful in establishing this connection. What the introduction does not flesh out is the fact that while the Sangam corpus did not have a separate word for caste and the word kudi (clan) did not suggest exclusion, hegemonic practices were not totally absent. Raj Gauthaman's recent studies contain a more nuanced understanding of this aspect. This recourse to Sangam may de-stigmatise the untouchability factor; but it does not rule out the hegemonic structure.
One must also remember that “Manimekalai”, the Buddhist epic in Tamil clearly mentions the four varnas. Also, Thirunavukkarasar, dated to 6/ 7th century mentions with utmost condescension “pulaiyar who eat beef”. The caste structure was fairly rooted in Tamil culture and it did not take till 12th century to consolidate itself, as claimed by the editors.
Fissures
Iyothee Thass, a pioneering Dalit ideologue of the late 19th century, has also configured a distinction between thazntha and thaazhththappatta (lower and oppressed — one in active and the other in passive voice) communities among the Dalits. He even panics that paraiyar, sambars and valangaiyar might get included as part of the panchamas (sakkili, thotti, kuravar etc). The editors who have built their argument based on his writings should have also mentioned his antagonism towards some of the Dalit groups considered lower than the parayars/ pallars.
A much more glaring aspect is the utter silencing of Periyar. He is mentioned in footnotes. Ravikumar has already written extensively in Tamil about his discord with Periyar. In the light of the value the volume has in the academia, especially to young people who may not have access to writings in the original Tamil, the polemical introduction will remain one-sided.
But, considering that the Penguin volume of Malayalam and Tamil writing edited by K. Satyanarayana and Susie Tharu framed Dalit writing as post-mandal harvest, this volume will help us read Dalit writing as having its own history, aesthetics and political legacy.
The Oxford Anthology of Tamil Dalit Writing,edited by Ravikumar and R. Azhagarasan, OUP, 2012, Rs. 595.
The writer is a translator, theatre activist and teacher of English.
