Feminism In Bama's Dalit Women

Bama does not write simply to give went to her own experiences and suffering as a Dalit woman or merely to express the anguish and pain of thousands of other Dalit women, but her act of writing is a political act as besides establishing her identity as Tamil Dalit woman writer in a sphere dominated by the privileged upper class men, it also attempts to negotiate a political and social space for herself as well as the women of her community. Her writing seeks to provide ways and means by which the Dalit community, particularly the Paraiyar women (and by extension all Dalit women in general) could be emancipated or empowered. She uses her ‘subaltern’ voice to rouse her people, particularly the Dalit women, and to convey their protest. She

With this novel she knocks down two social conventions−that the Dalits were incapable of writing or that the sphere of creative literature was sacrosanct to the privileged classes and that the woman could not speak and be recognized and acknowledged in a (literary) world dominated by men (both upper class and Dalit men). Karukku which is an autobiography, describes Bama’s rejection of religious and socio-cultural institutions like marriage and thus, becomes an expression of Bama’s resolve towards independence for which she had to take charge of her life’s decisions and choices. Her choices are based upon her intense need to defy, rebel and respond against all types oppressive regimes. The novel becomes in many ways the means of Bama’s emancipation and its appreciation shows how the novel enlightens the masses to review their age old practices and constructs and makes numerous other Dalit women to take charge of their lives and fight against all forms of oppression. Bama becomes a role model for the women of her community. She through the novel not only enlightens the masses about the sufferings of the Dalit women but also in a way reiterates and reminds the Dalit women about the bias and unfairness that they experienced in every sphere of their lives from being denied education, to being married at a tender age and then often being physically or sexually abused, being saddled with domestic chores or facing unequal distribution of wages when they performed the same amount of work as men. She also reminds them about the casteism inherent within Christianity by sharing her own experiences at the Convent. Through Karukku reminds them of the marginalization and oppression that they experience at every stage in their lives and coaxes them to take action and be in charge of their lives. She through her