LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 13 : 1 January 2013
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Questioning the Motherhood of a Mother:
Dalit Identity against the Emotions of a Dalit Woman

Vaishali Shivkumar, M.A., M.Phil., M.Ed.

Abstract

The Constitution and laws in India prohibit untouchability. But Dalits still have no better alternative than to perform the traditional occupations, considered to be menial and lowly, in many places. Migration and the obscurity of urban environment have in some cases resulted in upward occupational mobility among Dalits. Dalits are still marginalized and despite many movements and ongoing struggles, their position in overall society has not changed much

The present paper tries to depict this reality portrayed by Baburao Bagul, a pioneer of Marathi Dalit Literature, in his short story Mother. Particularly, the writer of this article wishes to focus on the character of the Dalit women who are ill-treated not by the society at large but also by their own family.

Horrifying Treatment Meted Out to the Dalits

I was born in a Brahmin family and I was raised as a Brahmin. I always had a question in mind why my mother used to keep separate glasses for the people who were coming to our apartment to clean the area and remove the rubbish, which was definitely scattered and thrown around by the people living in the apartment itself. The lady, who used to come to my place during those hot summer days would ask for drinking water. She was a lady of my mother’s age and my mother used to respect her as she believed from the very beginning that ‘these’ people are actually worth respect and value. But as a child, I could never imagine the social discrimination those people were subjected to at that time. I am talking about Gujarat, a state well-known for its hospitality and frank nature. As I grew up, I slowly began to notice this horrible situation. The problem of the treatment of the Dalits would continue to agitate the minds of every person with ethical and moral values. Moreover, the problem of Dalit women is more horrifying as they are form the worst marginalized among the marginalized persons.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Vaishali Narbheram Punjani, M.A., M.Phil. B.Ed.
Lecturer in English and Coordinator
English Language Laboratory
ZF Wadia Women’s College and NK Jhota College of Commerce
Athwa Lines
Surat – 395 001
Gujarat
India
vaishali_jigs@yahoo.co.in
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