Dallit Woman Character Analysis

The representation of the Dalit woman character is a problematic issue. Things become even more challenging when it is the male writer who is supposed to do justice with the character. U R Anantha Murthy tried to portray the character of Chandri somehow different from the stereotypical representation of a Dalit Woman. While one read Samskara the idea of same sex exploitation can be seen easily. Samskara has various female characters but character worth reading with the perspective of this paper is of Chandri. She is not a radical revolutionary. She never adopted weapons to transform the wicked world around her, yet managed to bring a change in her front. She was not of the “decent moral Brahmin women” but a prostitute by her birth and caste. She was not ignorant of her caste but well aware of the fate and plight of the women of her class “ever auspicious, daily-wedded, the one without widowhood” (36).She never directly opposed the social norms prescribed to her.

The novel seems like a conflict, conflict between the Samskara (morals) of upper caste and lower caste. In which upper caste constantly sidelined, ignored, suppressed and humiliated lower to prove their superiority. Brahmins seem patriarchal and dominating whereas lower caste mainly depicts the true ideals of being good.

Narappa’s representation is anti-brahminical. He never really followed the long list of norms prescribed for being a Brahmin. He left his wife, was an alcoholic, lived with a lower caste woman