Stepping out of the ‘Difference’: Discerning the Dalit Female Standpoint in Bama’s Sangati

Abstract

The term Dalit carries, within itself, a structural negativity since its inception in every sphere of life be it political, social or economic. It encapsulates the trials and tribulations of a crushed and suppressed community, which is known as the ‘Dalit community’. Dalit literature is a manifestation of the life of Dalit community, which is nothing but a painful saga of an endless suffering. Initially, it was viewed as an all-male affair, but in recent times we have seen the emergence of very powerful narratives by Dalit females. Thus, paving the way for Dalit feminist literature with a new perspective and new ideology which can be termed as ‘Dalit female standpoint’. It unravels some hidden territories of Dalit females’ lives and talks about their situation, location and experiences. Sangati, a very powerful novel written by Bama, a Dalit female writer, stands testimony to the things mentioned above as it presents the agency and audacity of the Dalit women who question their subjugation and raise a step against the biased society. Their knowledge towards the outer world gives them a new outlook and fresh perspective on life as they re-examine gender relations as fundamental to the broader ideologies of caste. The present article seeks to explore the life conditions of Dalit females as they are caught in the vortex of caste, gender and class and their grit and resolve to survive despite all odds by harping on their oppositional consciousness.

Beyond Enrolment and Appropriation Politics in Dalit Girls’ Education: Caste and Patriarchy Among Scavenging Communities of Urban Haryana, India

“…The changes in access rates of Dalits are not able to eliminate the discriminatory practices against Dalit students belonging to households associated with ‘Unclean’ occupations; rather, it has reshaped these stigmatizing practices resulting in new and modern dynamics of discriminatory experiences against them (e.g., stigma due to scholarships). In addition, the educational experiences of Dalit girls from households associated with ‘Unclean’ occupations further lack a sociocultural ‘space of utterance’ (Kumar, 2020) that often makes their educational experiences even more arduous. Soham from Panipat shared: Soham left school because he got into a brawl with a Punjabi boy and was thrown out of school.…”