Representation of Nature and the Dalits: A Close Reading of Karukku and Gun Island

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Debayan Nag

Abstract

The Dalit community coexists with nature that acts as their chief benefactor in a world of exploitation. They carry out tasks like labouring, collecting firewood for the basic necessities of survival. Besides this, it is in the company of nature that they earn the pleasure in taking part in primitive sports like fishing or festivities and belief in the supernatural. This paper attempts to explore the extent to which coexistence with nature influences the lives and decisions of the Dalits and the way they stand in face of casteism. It also attempts to explore the supernatural aspect associated with nature and the way this influences the choices and decisions of a Dalit. The former is studied from an objective perspective by referring to the Paraya community of Bama’s Karukku while the later is highlighted by referring to the choices of an individual Dalit named Tipu from Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island.

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How to Cite
Debayan Nag. “Representation of Nature and the Dalits: A Close Reading of Karukku and Gun Island”. The Creative Launcher, vol. 5, no. 6, Feb. 2021, pp. 117-24, doi:10.53032/TCL.2021.5.6.16.
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References

Bama, Karukku. Translated by Lakshmi Holmstrom, edited by Mini Krishnan, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2014.

Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. Translated by Constance Farrington, Penguin Books, 1990, pp. 29-42.

Ghosh, Amitav. Gun Island. Penguin Random House India, 2019.

Poisoned Bread, edited by Arjun Dangle. Orient Blackswan, 2018, pp. xlviii-xlix.

Sonawane, Vaharu. “In the Lush Green Jungle”. Translated by Priya Adarkar. Poisoned Bread, edited by Arjun Dangle, Orient Blackswan, 2018, pp. 25.