Review of ReseaRch

issN: 2249-894X
impact factoR : 5.7631(Uif)
UGc appRoved JoURNal No. 48514
volUme - 8 | issUe - 9 | JUNe - 2019

DALIT AESTHETIC THEORY

Dr. C. K. Gautam
Associate Professor , Research & P G Department of English
Agra College Agra .

ABSTRACT:
This paper discusses the different definitions of Dalit
literature, the message that it gives to the people and several
other aspects of Dalit literature like it’s preference for purpose
than just artistic appeal.

KEYWORDS: Dalit literature , artistic appeal.

INTRODUCTION Drama of ideas. Dalit aesthetic oppressed class, more than that it
Dalit Literature is literature theory is indigenous and firmly also tells us about the cultural
written by Dalit about their rooted in the history, politics and conflict of the socially,
lives. Dalit literature forms an culture of Dalits. In Indian economically and culturally
important and distinct part literature the use of deprived and disadvantaged
of Indian Literature. Dalit untouchability as a theme is not group of the people and hence it
literature emerged in the 1960s new. Caste consciousness is a requires being revolutionary.
in the Marath language, and it motif in the writings of the 14th As for the definition of Dalit
soon appeared in the century Saint-poet Chokhamela, Literature is concerned, we have
Hindi,Kannada and Telgu, Kabir, Ravidas, Jyotiba Phule, at one hand those critics and
Bangla and Tamil languages, Mahatma Gandhi, and Tagore. scholars who believe that Dalit
through narratives such as But it is the portrayal of Literature is not the Literature of
poems, short stories, and agonizing reality and the a particular caste, rather it deals
autobiographies, which stood expression of radical revolt with all those who are Dalit, who
out due to their stark portrayal against the age old, time- toils, and are exploited as well as
of reality and the Dalit political honored defective traditions oppressed. It is important here to
scene. ,conventions and dogmas of note that Dalit literature is
Dalit literature is the most Hindu religion used as a motif, Integrationist.Arjun Dangle in his
powerful emerging trend in the which defines Dalit literature. essay entitled, “Dalit Literature:
contemporary Indian writing. It Contemporary Dalit Literature Past, Present and Future”
hassimilarities with the portrays dreadful and enumerates that Dalit Literature
theoriesof Subaltern literature, humiliating events of Dalit is not separatists and that is not
African-American literature as world. It represents inequality only Dalit who can write it. He
well as with Problem Play and ,sorrow and misery of the says that in Literature,”

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experiences are not only stated but their meaning is also expressed. “Perhaps he wants to convey that
literature is a representation of imaginative reality. It does not state the facts as history does. “What is
Dalit literature? “Sharatchandra Muktibodh writes that it is the literature, “produced by Dalit
Consciousness”. He upholds that an outstanding work of Dalit Literature be born only when Dalit life
would present itself from the Dalit point of view. Eleanor Zelliot differed and said that only Dalits can
write Dalit Literature because it is they who have known the pangs of being born as Dalit.Ambedkar
was integrationst and the above views expressed by Zelliot are incommensurate with his opinions.
Ambedkar had staunch supporters among upper caste Hindus and he gladly welcomed them for the
cause. Though Mahatma Gandhi and BabaSaheb both were champions for the cause of dalits and Gandhi
wrote more on untouchability than on anything, it was the Ambedkarite Literature which was known as
Dalit Literature, because mere denouncing untouchability is not enough for what constitutes Dalit
Literature, rather Dalit Literature is believed to be the criticism of irrational rationality of
Varnsharamdharm which fosters segregation, exploitation and suppression of a community or group of
people. Unlike Mahatma Gandhi, Babashaeb believed that Varnsharmdharma scheme is unnatural and it
is based on inhuman ordering of society. He said, “Mr.Gandhi’s attitude is that let Swaraj perish if the
cost of it is political freedom of the Untouchables.” A Dalit work of art may be one which pleads for
annihilation of caste system and integration of Dalits in the mainstream with equal social, political,
economic, cultural and religious rights and privileges as anyone in the society enjoys.
Dalit literature does not believe in art for art’s sake. It observes that art should not be divorced
from life; moreover it should be instrumental in social awareness and its purpose is to show the ways in
which the society is moving and how to chasten the tradition. It is for this reason that many Dalit plays
are Nukkar plays, which are meant to be staged on the streets, where people are available easily and in
large numbers. Jyotiba Phule, the founder of Satya Shodhak Samaj, used ballads to disseminate the ideas
of social reform. Phule’s followers continued to use ballads and Tamasha (Folk theatre of Maharashtra)
to reach to the masses. As late as 1930s and 1940s, these Tamasha troupes worked to bring before the
people the unorthodoxical ideas of Ambedkar. Dalit theatre has similarities with the Problem Play. In a
Problem play, the playwright deals with the contemporary sociological problems and the focus is on the
defective systems of the society. In a Dalit play the problem lies in the defective and yet age-old, time-
honored laws of Hindu religion and philosophy. The protagonists of Dalit literature reject the age old
morality and develop or adopt a new realistic morality with a view to ameliorating the existing state of
affairs in the society. Dalit literature is against the observance of artistic rules imposed from without. In
a Dalit narrative all the elements of narrative writing-plot character, dialogue are subordinated to the
central thought or idea. Instead of good stories it is the ideas which govern the characters and
situations. It may be argued that any kind of ideological commitment may be inimical to the production
of a good work of art. But the Dalit writers’ emphatic contention is that art is justified by its sufficient
service to life. For them an art which is only beautiful, but not useful, is worthless.
In Dalit literature there is a message that the Indian society has built a trap for the Dalit, which
creates intolerable tensions and frustrations and , therefore, Dalit Literature wishes to transform the
society by awakening the populace. Since it debunks and decries some of the norms of Hindu religion
and philosophy, it smacks of blasphemy .The theory of Chaturvarna is repugnant to the Buddha and also
to the Dalit writers. Dalit writers also reject the theory of sinful origin and that of karma i.e. because of
the karmas or deeds of previous lives one is born a woman and the other a shudra and so on. Dalit
writers cannot accept Rama as their ideal, because Rama killed Shambuka, a shudra, who was practicing
penance and also because Ram deserted Sita. Dalit writers also despise the treatment meted out to
ekalavya and insults heaped on Karan. M.N. Wankhade says: Enable the new to merge easily with the
stream of tradition. Dalit writers will have to find new heroes, their own Ram, Odysseus and Krishna.”

CONCLUSION
There are similarities between Dalit aesthetic theory and Marxist critical theory. Both the
theories require literature to be revolutionary, didactic and doctrinaire. Dalit aesthetic theory diverges
from Marxist critical theory by placing centrality on caste and not on economic class. A study of Dalit
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literature and that of any other Subaltern Literature clearly demonstrate that literary theories have
never predominated over the sociological analysis of Dalit texts or subaltern texts. Since the root cause
of Dalit’s oppression lies in the outmoded dogmas of Hindu religion, a study of Dalit literature is a very
sensitive area. But we may expect to arise from this cultural conflict a harmoniously integrated society
based on friendship and amity and more than that a larger travel towards a unification of the world.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Limbale, S. (2004). Dalit Literature and Aesthetics. In A. Mukherjee (Trans.), Towards an Aesthetic of
Dalit Literature: History, Controversies and Consideration; Brueck, L. R. (2006, February).
Dalit chetna in Dalit literary criticism; Jalote, S. R. (n.d.). Dalit Aesthetic Theory. An International &
Refereed e-Journal in English.

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