Dalit Subjectivity in the Post-Independent Dystopian Indian Society: A Study of Selected Dalit Writings in English Translation

Abstract

The commonly encountered dystopian societies of science fiction and political fiction are vastly different from the dystopian lives led by the Dalits and the social realism that surrounds them. This paper looks into the dystopian space of a Dalit settlement known by different names like maharwada, chandalsahi or a pariah street. This spatial arrangement is marked by curbing the aspirational lives of the Dalits. But these spaces are not imaginary spaces as seen in science fiction. They are exclusive spaces meant for people who carry out ‘polluting’ activities. As modernity begins to reinstate the spatial configuration of Indian society, carving out new and secularized public spaces in urban areas, the Dalit ghettoes and all the lines of caste-ness that define it undergo a peculiar transformation. The transition from rural to urban settlements also alters the role played by women, a prime stakeholder in this dystopian society. This paper also explores the crucial role played by women as individual entities to revise the societal dystopian structures. This process, in turn, subverts the ascribed identity of women as mother, wife or daughter. By focusing on a few selected stories by Urmila Pawar and Baburao Bagul, this paper further analyzes how far inclusivity has been achieved in the society or if it is still a distant reality to be countered by Dalit subjectivity through education, aspiration and critical consciousness. Finally, this paper interrogates who/what challenges this brahminical Hinduism that has resulted in this dystopia. What would be a society without caste? Will it be a utopic society, a begumpura as envisioned by Ravidas or brahminical hegemony will continue to strive towards achieving a ramrajya?