Dalit Literature is the impact of Dr Ambedkar’s philosophy with reference to V. T. Rajshekar's 'Caste-A Nation within Nation'
Yadav, Nutan
Associate Professor, Government College for Women Hisar Haryana
Abstract
V. T. Rajshekar’s book ‘Caste – A Nation within the Nation’ (2007), which shifts his fundamental tone from protest to more serious analysis, is a turning point in his creative career. It explains how particular communities become marginalized within the confines of a nation-state. Even though casteism is implemented in all social institutions, caste is still a contentious subject in India, according to Rajshekar, who starts the book with this assertion. He makes the observation that in order to understand how deeply ingrained casteism is in India, one must look at the institution of marriage. He claims that the newspaper matrimonial pages are blatantly casteist and oppose caste integration, which should logically take place in a democracy. Rajshekar makes the point that a knowledge of a country without knowledge of its castes and subcastes is essentially lacking. People, according to him, do not even realize that Indian society is made up of several castes and communities rather than being one cohesive community. Rajshekar claims that the caste system was created as a result of upper caste predominance, which led to rigorous social classification and, ultimately, a structure that may lead to war. He also demonstrates how the constitutional foundation can be used to address the marginalization of some communities within the framework of a nation state. The book is a blatant allegory of the unethical power struggles in 20th-century India. In order to examine the viewpoint on discrimination of the lower strata of society, this research paper attempts to undertake a close study of Dr. Ambedkar’s work and its influence on literature. He also explains the marginalization of certain communities that happens within the framework of a Nation state that can be solved by the constitutional base. The novel is a transparent allegory of the dirty power politics of the twentieth century India. This research paper also tries to make a close-reading of Dr. Ambedkar’s work and its impact on
literature to assess the view on discrimination of the lower strata of society.
Keywords: Downtrodden community, epitomized, relentless struggle, magnum opus, social
ostracism, marginalization.
Impact statement
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedker’s pursuit for an alternative civilization and constitutional system is the influence of Buddha’s teaching on his constitutional approach to the uplift of the people. He asserts that the fundamental factor keeping the castes separate and preventing caste fusion is custom endogamy. Another source of inspiration for the Dalit community was the Dalit Movement, founded by him. His famed motto, “Educate, Agitate, and Organize,” served as an inspiration to millions. He was a scholar and thinker who recognized the Dharma Shastras’ reality and, as a result, questioned the Shastras. Rajshekar’s book ‘Caste – A Nation within the Nation’ (2007), which shifts his fundamental tone from protest to more serious analysis explains how particular communities become marginalized within the confines of a nation-state. Casteism is implemented in all social institutions; caste is still a contentious subject in India, according to Rajshekar, who starts this book with this assertion. The goal of this study is to analyze his writing and its literary influence in order to gauge people’s attitudes about Dalit discrimination.
About The Author
Dr. Nutan Yadav is an eminent personality in the field of higher education. She is an associate Prof. of English in Department of English at Govt. College for Women Hisar. She has the teaching experience of 17 years of PG and UG classes in English. She did her Doctoral (PhD.) from Bharthiar University Coimbtore and PGCTE from English and foreign language university Hyderabad. She is a member of GJUS&T Distance Education Program at PG and UG level. She is also the member of Haryana Board paper evaluation committee. She has presented numerous research papers in national and international conferences. An author of 1 books and editor of 2 books, she has successfully completed UGC minor research project on English language teaching in Haryana. She is a paper setter and evaluator of various universities in Haryana. She is a frequent invitee as a resource person in GJUS&T HRDC in Orientation and Skill Development Programs. She is the author of the study material of GJUS&.T Distance Education Courses of PG and UG English. She is also an evaluator of IGNU programs. She has numerous publication on her credit in national and international reputed journals.
References
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Rajakrishan, V., The Quest and after, Rev, of Gurusagaram. The Book Review 16.4. Jul-Aug, 1992. Sontakke, Y.D., ed. Thoughts of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. New Delhi: Samyak Prakashan, 2004.
Rodrigues, Valerian.The Essential Writings of B.R. Ambedkar.New Delhi: OUP.2002. (All subsequent references will be AW).
Arnold, Matthew. “Doing As One Likes”. Cultural and Anarchy. London: OU.1869.