LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 21:9 September 2021
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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“The Untouchables” in Bandhu Madhav’s “The Poisoned Bread”:
A Postcolonial Reading

Dr. Babitha B. Nair

Poisoned Bread
Courtesy: https://www.amazon.com/Poisoned-Bread-Translations-Marathi-Literature/dp/B002A9V1U2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Poisoned+Bread&qid=1632431741&s=books&sr=1-1

Abstract

India is a land of many religions, castes, and social divisions. This is a country that envisions the value of unity beyond caste and religion. The education system in our country has enabled us to develop a more efficient attitude. Our society must be free from discriminatory attitudes. But have we improved in our behaviours? Do we treat all Indians in the same way? Do our religions and castes determine our thoughts and actions? There will be many answers to these questions. Untouchability is a social danger that exists in India in the twenty-first century as well. Dalits in our country are victims of prejudices and abuses by the upper castes. Internationalization has really expanded our borders. But it has not changed our views on the social hierarchy. The present study addresses the problem of untouchability depicted in Bandhu Madhav’s short story (included in the book Poisoned Bread edited by Arjun Dangle with the title The Poisoned Bread - Translations from Modern Marathi Dalit Literature 1994, Orient Longman) in the post-modern context.

Keywords: The Poisoned Bread, Bandhu Madhav, Dalit literature, Dalit consciousness, untouchability, Mahar community, psychological wounds, education, Postcolonial.

Introduction

Post-colonial Indo-Anglian literature covers everything related to our society, social classes, tradition, and culture. It tells us about the lives of ordinary people, their lifestyles and customs. The twentieth century also witnessed the emergence of many short story writers. However, Dalit literature originated in the mid-20th century:

The term ‘Dalit’ — meaning ‘oppressed’, ‘broken’, ‘crushed’ and ‘downtrodden’ in meaning — was first used by Phule and was reactivated after India’s independence. The first mention of ‘Dalit literature’ was made at the first Dalit Literature Conference held in Bombay in 1958. It gathered momentum in the 1970s, particularly after a group of young Marathi writers and activists launched an organization called the ‘Dalit Panthers’ in reference to the Black Panthers. It certainly was a significant moment in the history of Dalit literature, since it was followed by various political and literary movements across India. (Abraham and Misrahi-Barak 8)

Dalit literature depicts the trauma and psychological pain suffered by the Dalits or the Scheduled Castes in India. They are also called Harijan. Gandhi was the first to use the term “Harijan”, the children of God. Their aspirations were at the mercy of the upper castes who determined the rhythm of the lives of these oppressed people. To survive, they were destined to work in the fields of their landlords. They had to face the atrocities of the caste system in their own country. The concept of untouchability must be completely uprooted. “Untouchability is a distinct Indian social institution that legitimizes and enforces practices of discrimination against people born into particular castes, and legitimizes practices that arc humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative” (Shah et al. 19). By the middle of the twentieth century, Dalit writers began to depict the lives of their own community and created brave characters. Dalit consciousness reached its heights in the twentieth century:

Dalit Literature is at once the expression of a “Dalit consciousness” about identity (both individual and communal), human rights and human dignity, and the community, as well as the discursive supplement to a ground-level socio-political movement that seeks redress for historically persistent oppression and social justice in the present. (Nayar Dalit Literature)

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

Dr. Babitha B. Nair
Associate Professor
Department of English
JAIN (Deemed-to-be University)
Kochi Campus
Kerala
writetobabitha@gmail.com
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