Pāmā

In 1992 when a Dalit woman left the convent and wrote her autobiography, the Tamil publishing industry found her language unacceptable. So Bama Faustina published her milestone work Karukku privately in 1992-a passionate and important mix of history, sociology, and the strength to remember.Karukku broke barriers of tradition in more ways than one. The first autobiography by a Dalit woman writer and a classic of subaltern writing, it is a bold and poignant tale of life outside mainstream Indian thought and function. Revolving around the main theme of caste oppression within theCatholic Church, it portrays the tension between the self and the community, and presents Bama's life as a process of self-reflection and recovery from social and institutional betrayal.The English translation, first published in 2000 and recognized as a new alphabet of experience, pushed Dalit writing into high relief. This second edition includes a Postscript in which Bama relives the dramatic movement of her leave-taking from her chosen vocation and a special note "Ten YearsLater".

Karukku

Novel based on the history of injustice against dalits in Catholic Churches of Tamil Nadu, India.

Lakshmi Holmstrom

This translation of the Tamil novel Sangati, is a fine example of Dalit writing, and flouts any received notions of what a novel should be. It has no plot in the normal sense, nor any main characters. In terms of structure, it seeks to create a Dalit-feminist perspective and explores theimpact of a number of discriminations--compounded above all, by poverty--suffered by Dalit women. There is one set of stories in the book, of women who have worked hard all their lives, from the moment they are able to help with the care of younger siblings, or with chores about the house, oroutside. Economic precariousness leads to a culture of violence of women by fathers, husbands, and brothers. Women fight back. Set against these are other stories, which tell of rites of passage, a coming of age ceremony, a betrothal, a group wedding, also of possession and exorcism. Sangati is abook about a community's identity, and ends on a personal note: that Paraiya women are always the most vulnerable, even when educated, independent, and living alone, like Bama herself.

Events

Malini Seshadri

This is the English translation of Bama's third novel Vanmam, originally published in Tamil. Focusing on the nature and function of caste in Tamil society; the novel talks about the silenced topics of relationships between inter- and intra-Dalit communities. It moves away from accounts of victimhood and deals with the animosity between two Dalit castes. The novel shares the discourse of Dalit modernity, which addresses issues concerning contemporary society and its contradictions. The current edition includes an insightful introduction by R. Azhargarasan and an interview with the author. Vanmam would be an important addition to the corpus of Dalit literature, and will appeal to readers interested in Indian writing in translation as well as students of political and social history.

Pāmā

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