Voice of the Marginals in the Novels of Anna Bhau Sathes Fakira and Bamas Karukku

Name of Author : Dr. Chandramani, G Bala Krushna Reddy

Abstract: Today, the world witnesses the existence of two sections of people according to socio-economic status: people tagged with caste and people tagged with class. Out of these two sections of people, the former section is still in a deplorable state. No doubt, the world scenario has drastically changed for better but some speculations of caste and class are yet to be addressed. The novels of Anna Bhau Sathe and Bama are examples of the oppression and marginality of the marginal section (especially the Dalits) of the Indian society. The writers remarkable works namely Fakira (1959) and Karukku (1992) are truly milestones which pursue ways for the welfare of the Dalits. Sathe has become an icon to Dalits, and especially the Mang caste, whereas, Bama tries to be the voice of the Dalit Catholics. The main aim of the paper is to highlight the marginality and oppression of the Dalits through some character sketches of both Fakira and Karukku. These Dalit writers attempt to show how the Dalits in spite of all the hardships keep advancing in their life. Sathe and Bama try to share a deep sense of sympathies and affiliation for the marginalized section of their contemporary societies. Dalits are from a culture which is life-giving and life-affirming, and they celebrate everything in their life, even birth and death. The paper also attempts to show how Indian Dalit narratives deals the question of identity, equality, and self-discovery. So, Sathe and Bama works consist questions of social reform and a list of contemporary issues of their respective ages that need to be resolved.

Keywords : Oppression, Marginality, Caste, Dalits, Identity, Self-Discovery

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