Indeed , this book review comes as an eye opener to many of us goans who
have been resident overseas sometimes through a succesion of three
generations. Many of us who are great, or greater grandchildren of the
diaspora and have lost touch with the original India (which was in many
cases was a collection of kingdoms united later by outside invaders
like the Moghuls or even the forces of Alexander of Macedonia........} now
look on India, Pakistan and Nepal as single entities until recently viewed
as " third world " states. We overlook the fact that systemic
discrimination due to ancient tribal,caste and social class biases still
exist today in and around the subcontin ent.
The fact that a large Maoist type conflict between the poorer tribals
and villagers and the existing government stems from struggle between
capitalistic economies and the peasants who are being dispossesed of their
traditional agricultural lands.
I shall definitely make an effort to get hold of the book thru` my
contacts in Goa.
----- Original Message -----
From: "dale luis menezes" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 1:39 AM
Subject: [Goanet] Book Review
Sir,
Kindly publish my book review which appeared on GT today.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF STIGMATIZAGTION AND DISCRIMINATION
By
DALE LUIS MENEZES
India is a diverse country of varied heritage where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs
and Christians live in peace and harmony; this is an oft heard refrain.
But did it ever occur to us that in this country there are other
identities that are not Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians? Tribal
groups, low castes and host of other subalterns do not fit the broad
categorization mentioned above. They are so isolated from us socially and
politically that one never has any idea about their existence and their
miserable plight. Crushed by grinding poverty and the caste system, their
voice barely reaches our cities – big and small – where all the power is
concentrated.
The Branded: Uchalya is the eye-opening autobiography of Laxman Gaikwad,
translated from the original Marathi by P A Kolharkar. Gaikwad belongs to
the community of Uchalya/Pathruts, a tribe notified by the British Raj as
criminal under the Criminal Tribes’ Act, first passed in 1871 (but now
denotified). They generally engage in odd jobs that are seasonally
available. Due to crushing poverty and the stigma of belonging to a
‘criminal’ community, the tribesmen of Laxman Gaikwad has no choice but to
resort to stealing or theft. Gaikwad tells the story of his early life
along with the people and the significant others who surrounded and shaped
him. Gaikwad prefers his book to be read from a sociological perspective
rather than a literary one.
Gaikwad’s community involved themselves in pick-pocketing because the
caste-ridden hierarchy had rejected this group and consigned them to live
as animals. Every novitiate ‘thief’ is initiated into the art of stealing.
Since a gang member should not reveal his accomplices to the police, a
novice is deliberately subjected to severe beatings that make them ‘immune’
to police torture. Gaikwad gives a terrifying picture of such an
initiation. The Bharat blade used to cut the pockets is always worshipped
like a deity before a thieving expedition because it provided them their
livelihood.
Gaikwad gives a crude and at times graphic description of the pitiable
condition that he and his extended family had to endure, the difficulties
his family faced to get proper meals and how they were beaten, harassed
and hounded and their women molested (generally on false pretense) by the
police. Such a description in coarse and crude language of the atrocities
caused by the system in which these groups are forced to live would not go
down well with people who are used to the luxury of shiny cars and
air-conditioned buildings or who are just born in an upper caste family.
The Pathruts never usually school their wards. So when Gaikwad finds
himself in a school because his father believes strongly in education,
they both have to face adverse reaction from the family and their
community. One thing that struck me about Gaikwad’s schooling experience
is that the ‘ideal’ is far removed from (his) ‘reality’. Consider this,
“When I used to open the text-book for Marathi, on the first page, I used
to see: ‘India is my country…proud of its rich and varied heritage.’ I
used to wonder why if all this were true, we were beaten with false
allegation of theft…I often wonder why if Bharat is our country, we are
discriminated against, why our race is branded and treated as a thieves’
community.”
While in school, Gaikwad is attracted to bhajans and kirtans and excels in
performing them. Participating in these religious functions, the effects
of Sanskritization start affecting his mind. “I began to say that eating
crabs, fish, pigs every day was a sin. I began to observe Fridays and
Saturdays in Shravan month as fasting days,” he says.
In due course of time, Gaikwad moves to the nearby city of Latur for
employment in a textile mill. The urban organization of society, to a
certain extent, does not support the rigid patterns of discrimination of
the rural areas. Gaikwad says that he, “…remembered the days when I was
spurned and even shouted at: ‘Lakshya! Pathruta!’ But here in Latur I was
addressed as Laxman Gaikwad and that too by Maratha [upper caste]
boys…What was I once, I thought, look at the respect I am getting now!”
In the textile mill, Gaikwad starts speaking on behalf of his colleagues
for better working conditions and wages. As he was used to public speaking
right from his school days, he stands up and publicly denounces the
mistreatment by the factory management. He gets ‘noticed’ and becomes
politically active. All this while, his family is living a hand-to-mouth
existence. Money is always short but his idealism to work for the
betterment of the oppressed never wavers. Their financial and housing
situation is so bad even in Latur that when his father dies he writes,
“…his eyes are covered with ants. I brushed away the ants with my hand and
closed his eyes.”
Due to his protests against the factory management (or capitalists)
Gaikwad loses his job and has to do many odd jobs wherever he can find
them. But when any news reaches his ears about any tribal being harassed
(as by now he is an established leader who helps people), he immediately
pays a visit and tries to bring about justice and remedy the situation.
Towards the end of his story, Gaikwad is approached by the Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) to contest the Lok Sabha seat. BSP promises him funds and
other necessities for campaigning. But the money never pours in. Still,
with his loyal supporters Gaikwad hits the campaign trail but there is no
food for his campaigners and money to pay the pending bills. Eventually,
he decides to lend his support to the Congress candidate. Dejected, he
says, “I had learnt my lesson. In this country it is not enough to possess
good workers and volunteers to win elections; you must also possess
wealth, social prestige and the quality of having been born in one of the
higher castes.”
The overall translation of the book lives up to a fairly good standard.
But on some occasions it falls prey to literal translation. The numerous
typos in the book could have been corrected considering that this is the
third reprint that I read.
After reading the last line of this engrossing book, I could not help but
ask this question: Who stole what? A hapless tribal a pocket or a dominant
class/caste the right from a human being to live in dignity?
Comments/feedback @ www.daleluismenezes.blogspot.com
A version of this article appeared on Gomantak Times, dt: June 14, 2011)
END OF ARTICLE
Find my writings @ www.daleluismenezes.blogspot.com
