34 Dalit Aesthetics

Dr. Mrinmoy Pramanick

Introduction

Let me begin talking about the dalit literature and aesthetics by quoting Homi Bhabha (1990:6): “The margins of the nation displace the center; the peoples of the periphery return to rewrite the history and fiction of the metropolis.”

Let us delve into the meaning of ‘dalit’. The word ‘dalit’ according to National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR)1 “comes from the Sanskrit root dal- and means ‘broken, ground-down, downtrodden, or oppressed.’”

Dalits are the people who fall outside the traditional four-fold caste system. This four-fold caste system consists of Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra classes. Throughout the history, dalits have been considered impure and polluting and are therefore physically and socially excluded and isolated from the rest of society.

Dalit literary critics cover not only Harijans and neo-Buddhists in their literary circle but also all the untouchable communities living outside the boundary of the village, as well as Adivasis, landless farm labours, workers, the suffering masses, and nomadic and criminal tribes. In explaining the word, it will not do to refer only to the untouchable castes. People who are lagging behind economically will also need to be included.

Dalit Literature

Manusmriti, a book of social norms gives the following instructions to the shudras:

1. A Shudra is unfit to receive education. The upper varnas should not impart education or give advice to a Shudra.
2. If a Shudra arrogantly presumes to preach religion to Brahmins, the king shall have poured burning oil in his mouth and ears.

Dalit literature rejects canonical literature and literary tradition. Here, by canonical literature we mean regional literature of Indian subcontinent. Dalit aesthetics and literature also rejects the various theories of literary criticism which are prevalent in India. As we know, Indian aesthetic tradition has always focused on the given criteria:

1. Satyam (truth)
2. Shivam (goodness)
3. Sundaram (beauty)

But according to many dalit literary critics, these criteria are not realistic and dalit literature does not try to fulfill them. Since we know that Indian aesthetic theory is heavily influenced by western literary concepts therefore, dalit writers and critics also reject the western popular theories of structuralism, deconstruction, and psychoanalysis. Not only this, they also simultaneously reject the Indian concepts like rasa, dhvani etc. Dalit literature aims to violate the established system of literary tradition which has been set by the people belonging to privileged castes and classes. Dalit aesthetics is based on the reality of human beings and the society in which they live.

For instance, we cannot talk about the beauty of a dalit woman who is oppressed by imagining the beauty of Sita or Radha. This comparison will not give us any understanding of Dalit literature. It is very difficult for a dalit reader to imagine Ram as their hero when they worship Ravana.

Dr. C.B. Bharti claims:

“The aim of Dalit Literature is to protest against the established system which is based on injustice and to expose the evil and hypocrisy of the higher castes. There is an urgent need to create a separate aesthetics for Dalit literature, an aesthetics based on the real experiences of life.” (The Aesthetics of Dalit Literature)

Dalit Aesthetics

One can claim that dalit aesthetic theory has some similarities with the theories of subaltern literature. Dalit Aesthetic Theory is indigenous and is strongly based in the history, politics and culture of Dalits. Indian literature has always used the theme of untouchability in its literary pieces. But the description was mostly from the point of view of a writer who is a savarna, or an upper caste writer. But dalit literature cannot afford such point of view. The life and sufferings of a dalit can only be aptly penned down by a writer who himself has faced such problems in his/her life. This is the purpose of dalit literature. Caste consciousness was prevalent among earlier enthusiasts like Kabirdas, Ravidas, Jyotiba Phule, Ambedkar and many more. Writers who existed before Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, were mild towards the Indian poetics tradition. They accepted the tenets of Hindu religion in their works. But at the same time they lamented over their condition due to oppression from the other higher castes.

The twentieth century dalit literature has been revolutionized by the writings of Dr B. R. Ambedkar. It openly challenged the traditions and dogmas of Hindu religion.

According to Dr Ambedkar the main cause of social and cultural exploitation of the Dalit people is mainly due to the unfair and partial laws which are dictated by Hindu religious scriptures. Contemporary dalit literature portrays the harrowing experiences and the humiliation suffered by the dalits. Dalit literature shows reality in the sense that it exposes the inequality, sorrow, and misery of the oppressed class which they receive from the savarnas. Therefore, pertaining such a history it is necessary that dalit literature should be revolutionary, didactic, and doctrinaire.

There are many caste divisions among the dalits too. But one particular caste among the dalits cannot portray itself to be the champion of dalit literature. It cannot belong to one particular caste. It refers to all the people who have suffered oppression, exploitation and humiliation at the hand of the savarnas. Dalits “had no land to till nor could they follow any profession. They did menial work, were treated like animals, lived apart from the village and had to accept leftovers from the higher caste people, in return for their endless toil. Their physical contact was said to pollute the upper caste – even their shadow was said to have the same effect.”

Famous dalit writer Arjun Dangle, in his essay entitled “Dalit Literature: Past, Present and Future,” brings out “general points regarding the role of Dalit literature and its literary value.” In this connection he remarks that “Dalit literature is not separatist” and that “Dalit literature is not restricted only to the followers of Buddhism.

The concept of dalit aesthetics might make us perplexed. This is so because, the notion of aesthetics has always sought be the right of the people belonging to powerful castes and classes.People were and are of the idea that a dalits being uncivilized can never truly understand the sense of aesthetics.

Dalit literature has always had two types of writers: first are the ones who have sympathised with the dalits and penned down their oppression but these writers belonged to the upper castes and second are the writers who are dalits and have a firsthand experience of all the sufferings and trauma that they have undergone.

Before dalit literature emerged in the northern belt of India, it was already a prevalent phenomenon in Maharashtra. It will not be wrong to say the dalit literature received its momentum in Marathi language first. Hindi language has a wider audience which gave greater weight to the dalit discourse in the North India. But one should acknowledge the contribution of the Dalit Panther Movement which gave new heights to the dalit literature.

Many literary critics (here I exclude dalit critics), believe that dalit literature should be considered as any other regional or social cause based piece of literature. It should be analysed using the same universal theories which which the other texts are analysed. But eminent dalit writer and critic challenge this idea. In his opinion, such literary theories and ideas can never do any justice to dalit literature as they will fail to connect with the literature of the oppressed and discriminated section of the society.

Many Savarna critics like Kavi Anil and Vidhyadhar Pundalik are of the opinion that dalit literature is nothing special and can be penned down by anyone who has a power of imagination and fit himself/herself in the shoes of a dalit. Any writer with such qualities can envision the sufferings of a dalit. Limbale has panned such critics and opined that “The aesthetics of Dalit literature rest on three things: first, the artist’s social commitment; second, the life-affirming values present in the artistic creation; and third, the ability to raise the readers’ consciousness of fundamental values of life like equality, freedom, justice, and fraternity.” (Towards An Aesthetics of Dalit Literature)

There is another major debate which encircles dalit aesthetics. Many critics are of the opinion that dalit literature is a literature after all and the literary theories or the aesthetics employed for other pieces of literature should be used for dalit literature as well. According to critics like Rege and Kawthekar, it is unfair on the part of dalit writers to ask for separate aesthetic theories to cater its services. But there has been another school of thought which says that every genre of literature is unique in its own sense. A piece of literature is not a car which has approximately same body parts and hence be analysed by a single mechanic. Since Dalit Literature is unique in its insistence of social upliftment of the downtrodden therefore theorists should develop different artistic standards to analyse and critique upon a literary piece belonging to dalit literature. That yardstick should be sensitive to the portrayal of dalit men, women and children who have suffered and are suffering due to some dogmatic traditions. It should be able to voice the dalit rebellion which questions the previously mentioned dogmas. It cannot simply focus on the portrayal of beauty or sense of pleasure which is prevalent in the literary criticism of other literature. But the harsh reality is that such criteria are not met. Moreover when the dalit writers and critics question such oppressive sense of aesthetics then they are termed as whiny, rebellious and of constant complaining nature. But the real fault lies faulty criticism of Savarna critics.

Dalit literature is the literature of these oppressed people. It incorporates many qualities which distinguish it from mainstream literature. It has a fiery strength and authenticity, a sense of social mission and expressive vibrancy. It is a literature that calls for a change in the attitude of society towards certain basic issues concerning individual relationship, social organization and caste based discrimination. Its message is clear and resounding. Its quality of literary expression is also of a high order.

The tradition in Hindi literature has been heavily influenced by its aesthetics whose roots lie in the Sanskrit scriptures and vedas. It has not been able to evolve by leaving behind the sense of aesthetics. Most of the poets and writers use the poetic devices like rasa, dhvani, alankaras, and symbolism which is further influenced by the western literary tradition. According to Dr Ajay Navaria4 “Dalit authors strongly reject this development. Content-based authors such as the Dalit movement in Hindi fiction, stand no change in front of critics that use euro-centric and other exogenous frames of reference to evaluate fiction produced by the community of Dalits.”

An eminent Hindi dalit writer Omprakash Valmiki also puts forward his opinion on this clash between mainstream writers and dalit writers. He says that one aesthetic yardstick cannot and must not evaluate both the writings of mainstream literature and dalit literature. The hegemony of mainstream literature is mainly due to its eurocentric views which it has inculcated in its literary tradition. This eurocentric perception is also ingrained with the idea of ruling the oppressed. Earlier, the kingdom of Britain ruled the people of India because they were powerful than the latter. Now in the present scenario, the mainstream hindi writers have hegemonized the space of the dalit writers because the dalits have always remained an exploited and suppressed class. It is due to this perception that the quality of a dalit literary piece holds little or no value in the eyes of a savarna writer or a critic.

As Dr Sohan Lal aptly puts:

“Dalit writers express their experiences in the most realistic way using their native speech, their languages as well images come from their own experiences instead of from their observation of nature. The language of mainstream literature presents romantic view of life, while dalit poetry presents the realistic view of life.”

Conclusion

Dalit writers have always tried to be unique in their language and narrative style. They have rejected upper-class flowery language which has been termed as the standard language; be it in any language. This is so because this language is created and validated by upper-class people. And also they term such a language as a language of oppression and subjugation. Moreover, standard language also misses many unique cultural vocabulary of Dalit lives which is necessary to pen down the lives and conditions of the dalits. They have stopped relying on the aesthetics provided by hindu scriptures and have developed their own symbols and aesthetics which has redefined the dalit literature of India. Dr. Ambedker’s view on literature is also important to be highlighted. He asserts that writers should take inspiration from the experience of common people who have been suppressed throughout the centuries by the savarnas of the country.

Not all the dalit writers are buddhists. Writers from different castes, sub-castes and tribal communities have enriched the ever growing dalit literature. Dalit literature is also inspired by Marxism. Marxism is a humanist thought which envisions a free society which is not subjugated by anyone or anything. Dalit literature also seeks emancipation and equality and also raises its voice against the exploitation of the oppressed. Dalit writings do not only talk about the social problems of the dalits, but they are also concerned with the economic problems, especially the economic inequality among the dalits and savarnas. Economic inequality is also another reason which results into social disparity. Another resemblance between Marxism and Dalit literature is that of the common man. The protagonist often belongs to the lowest strata of the society. Dalit autobiographies are the recollection and reminiscence of dalit experience with a purpose. Dalit literature help in asserting one’s existence.

Reference

1. Bharti, C.B., “The Aesthetics of Dalit literature,” Trans. Darshana Trivedi. Hyati, June 1999.
2. Bhabha, Homi K., editor. Nation and Narration. Routledge, 1990.
3. Dangle, Arjun. (ed.) 1992. “Poisoned Bread: Translation from Modern Marathi Dalit Literature”. Hyderabad, Orient Longman.
4. Doniger, W. (1991). The Laws of Manu. London: Penguin Books Ltd.
5. Limbale Sharankumar 2004. “Towards An Aesthetic of Dalit Literature: History, Controversies and Considerations”, New Delhi, Orient Blackswan.
6. Mishra, Jugal Kishore. “A Critical Study of Dalit Literature.”