© 2018 IJRAR January 2019, Volume 6, Issue 1 www.ijrar.

org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

The Articulation Of Dalit Dilemma In The Short

Stories By C.Ayyappan
Parvathy Unnikrishnan
Asst.Professor
Department of English,
Al Ameen College, Edathala, Ernakulum, India

Abstract: In the early 1970s Dalit writings occupied a very negligible presence in the mainstream Malayalam literature. Dalits or the
untouchables in Kerala were always exploited and subjected to marginalization. It was only during the 19th and 20th century that the
society of Kerala underwent a social transformation. Dalit literature also underwent great changes during the late 70s. Among the
modern Dalit writers, C Ayyappan had created a language of his own which echoes the dalit dilemma and his narrative techniques are
the fictional articulation of modern dalit sensibility. This paper analyses C Ayyappan’s short stories focusing on the themes of dalit
dilemma and how it is portrayed through the metaphor of madness and hauntedness.The focus is on two of C Ayyappan’s most
famous short stories Prethabhashanam and Bhraanth translated to English as Ghost speech and Madness respectively.

Index Terms -Dalit, Caste segregation, Untouchability, Dalit dilemma, Downtrodden, Marginalization, Dalit sensibility.

INTRODUCTION
The term dalit is originated from Sanskrit, which means "divided, split, broken, and scattered". This word was remodeled in
the 19th century to mean a person not belonging to one of the four Brahminic castes. It was first used in this sense by Pune-based
social reformer Jyotirao Phule, to represent the oppression faced by the so called "untouchable" communities . And economist,
politician and social reformer, B R Ambedkar popularised this word. Later in the 1970s the activists of the Dalit Panther’s Movement
gave an unprecedented publicity to the term. It began to be used in Kerala only in the late 1970s. Dalit writings were not visible in the
mainstream literature for a long time in Kerala. Poikayil Kumaragurudevan and Potheri Kunjambu were the pioneers of early dalit
literature in Kerala. Poikayil Kumaragurudevan, popularly known as Poikayil Appachan, one of the early Dalit reformers had stated
thus in his poem “No Alphabet in Sight”;
“About my race
I see no alphabet
about my race
I see histories of many races
The world’s histories-
Think each one
as two races
I see no alphabet about my race.”
(Translated by Catherine Thankamma)

C Ayyappan with his intricate narrative style stands apart among the modern dalit writers in Kerala. He was born in
Keezhillam, a village in Kerala (1949 – 2011). His short story collections “Njandukal” (DC Books, 2003), and “Uchamayakkathile
swpnangal” (Sahitya Prasadhaka Cooperative Society, 1986), were considered as the turning points in the history of Malayalam dalit
writings. According to C Ayyappan, “A Dalit is the one who lives the life of a dalit, and Dalit literature is the rationalization of one’s
own dalit identity”.(C Ayyappante Kadhakal p . 234) Most of C. Ayyappan’s works are the fictional articulation of the plight of
Dalits in Kerala. He uses the themes of hauntedness and madness in most of his works to voice the dalit dilemma. There is a presence
of ghosts in most of his short stories and these ghosts belong to the marginalized and downtrodden sections of the society. The dire
conditions of dalit women are another prominent theme in C Ayyappan’s stories. Dalit women were the worst victims of caste
discrimination and untouchability. They were subjected to the triple burden of caste, class and gender.

Ayyappan's short story "Prethabhashanam" was published in the collection of short stories “Uchayurakkathile swapnangal”in
1986. It is translated as “Ghost speech” by Udaya Kumar for the book No Alphabet in Sight: New Dalit Writing from South India,
Penguin Books India (20II).C Ayyappan draws our attention to the problem of victimization of a dalit woman in a patriarchal society.
The story is in the form of a monologue by a ghost who has possessed a Syrian Christian girl’s body. The ghost is of a Pulaya girl,
abused and murdered by “Kunjakkov”, who belongs to an upper caste Christian family. She possesses Rosykutty, Kunjakkov’s sister,
and explains the reasons for her actions and her death. The Dalit girl loved Kunjakkov without realizing that his only motive is
physical pleasure. Once she asks him if he can marry her, then Kunjakkov ridicules her by a counter question;
“How can I marry you?”
Even though Kunjakkov is an educated man, he still finds it impossible to love and marry a Dalit girl. In another instance
he spits at her when she expressed her desire to have his baby. And finally, unable to bear the trauma she commits suicide. Later, it is
revealed that this girl is the sister of Kunjakkov .Her mother was a victim of sexual exploitation by Kunjakkov’s father. The Pulaya

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girl is the illegitimate daughter of Kunjakkov’s father. The spirit of the Pulaya girl then reveals that this incestuous relationship is
disclosed by the God himself. The spirit condemns God by asking,
“How can an upper caste Christian can have a Dalit girl as his sister”?
This question leaves the God speechless “as if he had swallowed a whole plantain! His eyes bulged, and bowed his head”
C Ayyappan ridicules the attitude of the church towards the plight of the Dalit community. This reveals the irony that even
if the dalits are Christianized they will still be the untouchables. The story ends when the ghost asks Rosykutty to call a dalit, Kannan
Parayan to put some mustard seeds in her grave to avoid the ghost coming out of the grave. The character of the ghost in this story is
a clear reflection of the discrimination and exploitation against the dalit women in terms of an authoritarian structure in a patriarchal
society.
Braanth is another short story by Ayyappan which is translated as Madness by Abhirami Girija Sriram for The Oxford
India Anthology of Malayalam Dalit Writing (OUP, 2012). It is a monologue by Krishnankutty, dalit teacher who enjoys the
privileges of the upper middle class. But his family still belongs to the marginalized and downtrodden sections of the society. So the
protagonist faces an identity crisis throughout the story or he pretends so. He refuses to accompany his sister to the mental hospital.
He even pretends not to see his sister when she was being taken to the asylum by the neighbours. The below monologue of
Krishnankutty reveals his inner trauma;
“Then you pointed your finger at my sister seated in the car parked alongside the road, screaming and tearing at the chains
that bound her. And I said: I don’t see anything. Though at the time I turned a bit pale at your question, filled with surprise and pain, I
somehow got away, shutting the door on your face quite dramatically” ….
When his friend shows Krishnankutty his insane sister, he turns his deaf ears towards her plight. This negligence
symbolises the negligence by the society towards the dalits. The chains that bound her indicate the caste system. Krishnankutty,
during the course of his monologue explains why he neglected his sister. If he accompanies her to the mental hospital, the neighbours
would come to know that his sister is mad and he belongs to the lower caste. And his fair skinned wife and daughter sees his mother
and relatives with contempt. The racial disparity in the society forces Krishnankutty to disown his sister and relatives. The story ends
with a poignant question from Krishnankutty’s friend. He asks Krishnankutty, “Krishnankutty, you too are mad?” Krishnankutty is a
victim of Dalit identity crisis and his character portrayal shows how dalits are crushed and defeated by humiliation, exploitation,
neglect and racial politics.

Conclusion

C Ayyappan voices the atrocities that Dalits have experienced and how the upper castes in Kerala come together to make a
Dalit victim. He uses the metaphors of madness and hauntednes in most of his stories to articulate the dalit dilemma. His stories cover
a wide spectrum of significant dalit issues. They depict the inhumanness that surrounds the dalits. Most of the characters are shaped
by the concepts of caste and class prejudices prevalent in the Kerala society. C Ayyappan, being born as a Dalit in Kerala society had
experienced the pain, agony and sufferings which persuaded him to voice out his experiences through his writings. His use of spirits
and monologues in his stories is distinct from the traditional method of portraying spirits in literature.

REFERENCES

[1] C Ayyappante Kadhakal, Sampoornam (2018) Amibooks, Calicut,

[2] M R Renukumar (2017) Don’t want caste, Malayalam stories by dalit writers. (ed.)Navayana publishers
[3] No Alphabet in sight (2011) New Dalit writing from South India, Penguin books
[4]Pradeepan Pampirikkunnu (2007) Dalit studies: Identity, Culture, Literature

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