"The Art of Rebellion: Meena Kandasamy's Dalit Voice in Literature"
1. "The Art of Rebellion: Meena
Kandasamy's Dalit Voice in
Literature"
Prepared by
Anjali Rathod
2. Name : Anjali Rathod
Sem : 3
Roll No : 2
Enrollment No : 4069206420220024
Paper : 202
Subject : "The Art of Rebellion: Meena Kandasamy's
Dalit Voice in Literature"
Contact Info : rathodanjali20022002ui@gmail.com
Submitted to : S. B. Gardi Department of English , MK
Bhavnagar University
4. Introduction
❖ Ilavenil Meena Kandasamy born in 1984 to Tamil parents, both
university professors, is based in Chennai. Her first book ‘Touch’
was published in 2006.
❖ Two of her poems have won prizes in all India poetry competitions;
her poetry has been published in various journals, including the
little magazine, Kavya Bharati, Indian Horizons, Muse India and
the Quarterly Literary Review, Singapore.
❖ Meena wrote a biography of Ayyankali, Kerala’s foremost Dalit
revolutionary in collaboration with M. Nisar. Her second volume of
poetry was published in 2010. MS Militancy. Her novels ‘The Gypsy
Goddess’ (2014), ‘When I Hit You’ (2017), ‘Exquisite Cadavers’
(2019). (Naik#)
5. Dalit Literature: A Historical Context
❏ The worlds revealed by these writers from marginalized and despised groups are often
shocking. Zelliot recently heard a reading by a young man from a "pickpocket" caste which
described the inevitable life of crime of that group in touching and frightening vignettes.
❏ Many of the writers have received criticism from within their castes or tribes for revealing less
than respectable facets of group life.
❏ The new writers from these groups tend to write autobiography rather than poetry, and little
has been translated into English. It is clear however, that the genre of autobiography reveals
political and social awareness. An individual's story becomes significant in the exploration of
group identity.
❏ The other new directions of Dalit literature are best illustrated with poetry and comments on
the current activities of the older writers.
❏ This essay, however, we will use poems by four of the Dalit women writers to illustrate what we
think are the contributions women have made to the field of Dalit literature.
❏ First, the identification of Dalit woman with all women, best exemplified by Hira Bansode's
poem "Slave". As Christian Novetzke's article indicated, there is a divide between caste Hadu
women and Dalit women that cannot be bridged by organizations. (Deo#)
6. Meena Kandasamy: The Angry Dalit Voice
❏ Dalit literature is based on Dalit consciousness and it represents the harsh lived
experiences of marginalized Dalit people. There is always one or the other real
character behind a fictional name and the depiction of solid reality behind the thin
veil of fictionalized incidents in almost all the genres of Dalit literature.
❏ Dalit literature is basically a literature of resistance. As in the mainstream literary
canon, it is necessary to be a woman to represent the experiences of women; it is also
necessary to have women writers in other marginalized classes.
❏ Dalit male writers are facing accusations of not providing Dalit women writers their
due place. Dalit male writers do not take serious note of the literary output of dalit
women and tend to be dismissive of it. ( Lone#)
7. Continue…
❏ Meena Kandasamy acknowledges in one of her interviews that she chose poetry consciously,
because it deals with language and language is the site of subjugation and oppression. It is
poetry which has the power to challenge the oppression of language and its inequalities.
❏ Kandasamy offers her resistance through language. She is conscious of her being a Dalit and
a feminist. Kandasamy think that writing in English has a power to reach the corridors of
power and gain a wider audience. She dreams of an english which is free of white man's sway
and from the control of elite society.
❏ Dalits in India have been much inspired by the Black-American movements. the example may
be given that of the Dalit Panther Movement which was launched in Maharashtra under the
direct influence of the American Black Panthers Movement. Both the communities
were of course marginalized and to some extent equally victimized. Kandasamy tries
to show the temperamental differences between the two.( Lone#)
8. Dalit Identity and Resistance
❏ The word Dalit in Marathi means, crushed, broken down and reduced to pieces. The
postcolonial term ‘subaltern’ suits the Dalits of India because they remain subordinate to the
privileged sections of the society since times immemorial.
❏ The subaltern voice is heard today in spite of its interior status in every walk of life. The Black
Panthers of America paved the way for the ‘depressed classes’ of India to begin the Dalit
Panther Movement to Challenge the Caste hierarchy in our country Dalit consciousness now
speaks out it’s emotions and anguish.
❏ It expresses it’s dissent on the existing social injustice and discrimination on the basis of
caste, creed, colour and community.
❏ Dalit literature portrays the stark reality of the plight of the oppressed India class under the
Indian Caste System.
❏ Dalit Literature forms a distinct part of Indian literature. The voice of the Dalit is heard
prominently after 1960 in the form of poems, short stories and autobiographies in almost all
important languages. (Naik#)
9. An Articulation of the voice of the Marginalized
❏ Kandasamy expresses her anger against caste based discrimination which has
crippled the dalits/marginalized to dehumanized state as they are subjected to
humiliation and oppression. In other words, her works focus on poverty, oppression,
injustice, caste annihilation, linguistic identity and pangs and predicaments of
women.(Mahto#)
❏ Casteism is an old social evil which is used to subjugate the lower stratum of the
hierarchical social structure of Indian society and to uphold discrimination as well as
gain unfair advantage over the ‘others’, marginalized. The marginalized groups of
India such as dalits or untouchables, Adivasis, and nomadic tribes were made to lead
dehumanized and degraded lives.(Mahto#)
❏ An individual’s identity is determined by caste and not by karma. The marginalized
groups of India such as dalits or untouchables, Adivasis, and nomadic tribes were
made to lead dehumanized and degraded lives. (Mahto#)
10. Conclusion
➢ Meena Kandasamy champions the cause of the marginalized and
pleads for their liberty, equality, fraternity and justice so that they can
live with honour and dignity.(Mahto#)
➢ Meena Kandasamy’s works shares the discourse of modernity, which
addresses issues concerning contemporary society and it’s conditions
dalits realized that education, combined with experience can create
wonders in the lives of people by making people realize that
empowerment comes only where there is enlightenment and unity. (Naik#)
11. Reference
● Deo, Veena, and Eleanor Zelliot. “DALIT LITERATURE - TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF PROTEST? OF PROGRESS?” Journal
of South Asian Literature, vol. 29, no. 2, 1994, pp. 41–67. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25797513 .
Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.
● Lone, Javaid Ahmad. “Meena Kandasamy: The Angry Dalit Voice.” 2010,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260285097_Meena_Kandasamy_The_Angry_Dalit_Voice .
Accessed 16 October 2023.
● Mahto, Mohan Lal. “Meena Kandasamy's Touch: An Articulation of the Voice of the Marginalized.” vol. 03,
January,2015,
https://arsartium.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/3.-Meena-Kandasamys-Touch-An-Articulation-of-the-
Voice-of-the-Marginalized-by-Mohan-Lal-Mahto.pdf . Accessed 16 October 2023.
● Naik, Chaitra Pandurang. “Dalit Consciousness and Search for Identity in Meena Kandasamy’s Works.” vol. 11,
no. 04, April,2022, https://www.ijsr.net/archive/v11i4/MR22326135234.pdf . Accessed 16 October 2023.
12. Thank You…
Do you have any questions?
rathodanjali20022002ui@gmail.com
