Analysis Of Bama's Karukku

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Bama, the Tamil Dalit woman writer, she wrote Karukku her autobiographical novel published in 1992, presents the text as a double-edged sword before the reader. Hailed as the first Dalit woman writer in India Bama’s Karukku is the first autobiography of its kind in Tamil Dalit Literature. Karukku is the first ever autobiography of a Tamil Christian Dalit woman. It is an eye-opener for those who are unaware of the discriminations that Dalits face, the oppression of religious institutions, and Bama’s painful journey to arrive at solutions for problems that plague her community.
Karukku means sharp edge Palmyra leaves. This is the first Tamil autobiography of a Dalit woman writer, Bama, who goes through a personal crisis which makes her reflect on her life. She tells the story of not just herself but also of thousands of Dalit children who face abuse, discrimination, and neglect because of their caste. After being a part of the Catholic Church order, she starts to realize the oppression within that community. As …show more content…

Karukku can be considered as the childhood memoir which voices the joys and sorrows of her people, oppressed by the higher castes in India. The book reflects the various events happened in her life. She was born into a poor Dalit family. Her grandmother and mother toiled in the fields and the homes of the Naicker landlords. Despite the misery, she had a carefree childhood. Her brother, Raj Gauthaman, also a writer, introduced her to the world of books and inspired her to write. In college, she used to write poetry. Later she turned into writing fiction. After education, she became a teacher. Bama portrays the oppression she faced as a student and a teacher. However, she managed to escape from the violent oppression to a certain extent as she was bright. Thus with Karukku, Bama shot into immediate fame and was discussed in higher literary

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