Dalit Literature: An Abrogation of Normative Aesthetics
Challenging Literary Norms: The Need for an Alternative Aesthetics in Dalit Literature
by Dr. Pradeep Singh*,
- Published in Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education, E-ISSN: 2230-7540
Volume 15, Issue No. 12, Dec 2018, Pages 566 - 568 (3)
Published by: Ignited Minds Journals
ABSTRACT
“You can’t dismantle the master’s house with the master’s tool.” Dalit literature is a post-colonial upsurge against the hegemony of oppression. It depicts the bitter truth of the caste based social fabric of Independent India and the unconquerable challenges faced by the dalits. Its main objective is to raise the voice of protest and make the oppressors heard the new voice of justice and equality. But when the oppressed tried to give vent to their long muted anguish and pain through literature, it was not paid heed to. Their articulation was not considered worthy to be read as literature because it doesn’t fit to their normative aesthetics. Audre Lorde rightly said “you can’t dismantle the master’s house with the master’s tool.” Dalit writers argue that literary standards change with change of culture. Also counter the theory that someone’s writing will be called literature only when ‘our’ literary standards approve, it is a sign of literary dictatorship. Further, dalit critics propose to include and recognize ‘revolt’ as tenth, ‘cry’ should be accepted as the eleventh ‘rasa’, to complete the ‘rasa’ theory. Because, Dalit literature is not about beauty or pleasure, it is about the sufferings and revolts of the Dalits. So, its aesthetics can’t be based on the principles of a normative aesthetics of literature where privileged derive pleasure from beauty. So, it is imperative to develop the separate aesthetic to assess the dalit literature. This paper is an attempt to throw light on why abrogation of normative aesthetics is necessary and why there is a dire need to have alternate narrative to appraise dalit literature.
KEYWORD
Dalit literature, normative aesthetics, oppression, protest, justice, equality, literary standards, cultural change, revolt, rasa theory
Bharti, C. B. (1999). The Aesthetics of Dalit Literature. Trans. Darshana Trivedi. Hyati. Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths and Helen Tiffin (2009). Post-Colonial Studies: The Key Concepts, Routledge: London. Cesaire, Aime (1993). A Tempest. Trans. Richard Miller. Ubu Repertory Publication. Dasan, M. (2009) ―Introductory‖. Ed. B. Krishnaiah. Dalit Movement and Literature in the Post-Ambedkar Era: Emerging Issues and Challenges. Prestige. http://www.the-criterion.com/V2/n1/Siva.pdf Ilaiah, Kancha (1996). ―Introduction‖. Why I Am Not a Hindu: A shudra Critique of Hindutva, Culture and Political Economy. Samya. Kulkarni, V. L. [1978] 1998. ‗Maharastratil Aaj-Udyacha Sanskritik Sangharsh ani Wangmayin Samasya‘. D iscussion, Milind College, Aurangabad, 16-24 November 1967. Asmita. First Issue. Aurangabad, 1967. Reprinted in Arjun Dangle, ed., Dalit Sahitya: Ek Abhyas. Pune: Sugawa Prakashan. Limbale, Sharankumar (2005). The Outcaste: Akkarmashi. Trans. Santosh Bhoomkar. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. ---. Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature: History, Controversies and Consideration. Trans. Alok Mukherjee. Orient BlackSwan. 2010. Lorde, Audre (1984). ―The Master‘s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master‘s House‖. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches. Ed. Berkeley, CA: Crossing Press. pp. 110-114. 2007. Print Pawar, Daya (1987). Baluta Ek Vadal. Bombay: Rohan Prakashan.
Corresponding Author Dr. Pradeep Singh*
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities (English), Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science & Technology, Murthal, Sonepat, Haryana
drkadian@gmail.com