Dalit Literature and Feminism – By Riddhima Sen
Dalit literature is a genre which is marginalized. The representation of the literature was not quite prominent till the late nineteenth century. Since the advent of the late nineteenth century, the emergence of the Maratha Pantheons led to the women and men authors of Maharashtra who talked about Dalit experiences to a great extent, coming to the central stage. Feminism refers to the idea of representation of women in literature and society as well. In Dalit Literature, women characters are depicted in quite a strong and positive light.
In Urmila Pawar’s “Mother”, the use of mother wit is quite prominent. Mother wit refers to the wit of a woman who is docile enough and timid. The mother is a very docile woman, who is apparently weak and vulnerable, as apprehended by the uncle. However, her wit at the end of the story proves her intelligence and wit.
Other than this, Mahashweta Devi’s short story “Draupadi “, depicts the tale of a woman who is abused by the military forces and her ultimate resistance against the act. The courage of the woman who belonged to a lower class is greater than anything , and her fight against the hegemony proves that the power of gender politics and Dalit Literature are directly linked .
