Subversion of Marginality: A Study of Selected poems of Meena Kandasamy

Abstract

Dalit literature which emerged as the dissent of marginalised group against the atrocities caused by the oppressive Indian caste system has played an instrumental role in arising in Dalits the revolutionary spirit necessary to uproot this suppressing system. The sole aim of Dalit Literature is to protest against the established system sanctioning based on discrimination and injustice and to expose the hypocrisy of the higher castes. Dalit literature which stems from the real experiences of the social outcastes has an edge over the other literatures. As the veteran Dalit writer Anna Bhau Sathe says in his iconic speech in Mumbai, ‘Dalit literature is not for entertainment but for emancipation.’ The sheer power of language and literature is one of the most effective weapons used by the Dalit activists fighting for the equal rights and against the suppression and marginalisation faced even in the most modern and urban Indian setting. Many social reforms and policies have resulted in a new generation of Urban Dalit writers who use this literary weapon at its best for social transformation and protection of human rights. Meena Kandasamy is one such young, urban Dalit poet. Talking of marginalization, women, traditionally, are the most marginalized in Indian society. Dalit women face the double marginalization – gender oppression and class subjugation. Taking a radical stance on the issues of the Dalit women, Meena Kandasamy is a prominent figure emerging in the contemporary Indian English poetry milieu. Her writings are enormously powerful and have successfully managed to stir controversy both in the social and literary scenario. She is vocal about various contemporary political issues relating to caste, corruption, violence, and women's rights especially. The present paper, applying post-colonial theoretical framework and the powerful insights of the article ‘Dalit Women Talk Differently’ by Gopal Guru, aims to analyse her select poems to emphasise her aggressive angst and revolt against the double marginalization of the Dalit women.