Revisiting Caste and Nature: An Ecocritical Study of Select Dalit Narratives

Abstract

This thesis seeks to expatiate less familiar or defamiliarised voices from the periphery of the Hindu fourfold social order. It problematises the caste system and its cultural and socio ecological downgrading repercussions borne by Dalits. Through the agency of casteism, Dalits have been segregated into different tropic zones as untouchable, unseeable, impure, and outcaste. Any sort of socio-cultural relations with Dalits are strictly prohibited in the theory of Hindu social codes formulated by the likes of Manu. Although the research acquaints with numerous instances where the caste Hindus violate the rules and laws inscribed in their ‘sacred books’. As a result, Dalits find themselves in a conundrum and face not only social segregation and economic deprivation but also environmental precariousness and vulnerability in their inside and outside lives. Therefore, this research explores the concepts of purity, pollution, ‘naturalisation of caste’, ‘casteisation of nature and natural resources’, landscapes, places and spaces, and denaturalisation of the human body and sexuality et cetera. The thesis navigates into the different aspects of Dalit ecological thoughts and experiences through six Dalit narratives namely Karukku (1992) by Bama, Joothan (2003) by Omprakash Valmiki, The Outcaste (2008) by Sharankumar Limbale, The Prisons We Broke (2008) by Babytai Kamble, The Weave of My Life (2008) by Urmila Pawar, and Bheda (2017) by Akhila Naik.