Writer and political activist, K.K. Kochu is one of the foremost Dalit thinkers in Kerala. Born into the Pulaya community of landless labourers in a flood prone region of Kottayam district, the fortunes of his family were tied to that of the Namboodiri landlords. Though they barely had enough to eat, his family believed in education and Kochu and his siblings were all sent to the local school and encouraged to dress like the rest of the students.
Kochu was a promising student with a prodigious appetite for knowledge, but though he consciously stayed away from joining any political party, he got entangled in the Naxalite movement and had to drop out of college before completing his degree. The rest of his life was spent working in clerical jobs while continuing to read, reflect, write, and participate in political agitations.
Kochu published his autobiography, Dalithan, in Malayalam in 2019 not only to document the oral history and life of people from his Palya community and to chronicle the social justice movements in post-independence Kerala, but to provide an impetus for people from marginalised communities to come together and demand the betterment of their community.
“Years back, …. interviewed me…. Their final question was: What is your greatest desire?’ The image that immediately appeared in my memory was of Ayyankali. So I said, ‘Ten intellectuals should take birth in my community.’
“Why?”‘Only intellectuals will be able to lead the Dalit community— to whom wealth, power, status and culture have been distant dreams and who have forever been soaked in the endless rain of misery —towards hope. When such a responsibility is shouldered, while they work towards their own salvation, they will make it possible for others too. That is because no human is an island.”
Kochu was initially drawn to the Communist ideology, but he realised very early that even when political parties spoke about equality, fraternity and justice, since the intellectual leaders all came from more privileged backgrounds, their objectives were primarily to further the interest of their own communities. Though Dalit students joined the communist movement in large numbers, they rarely progressed beyond sticking posters on walls and mobilizing people for events (many of them even ended up dead).
Though he often found himself siding with particular political parties on specific issues, Kochu never joined any of them. His extensive reading, and his ability to challenge his own deep set beliefs ensured that he often abandoned old ideas and embraced new ones. Since he was not associated with any party, and because his extended family survived on the brink of poverty, he often had to undergo personal privatisations, and even borrow money to meet his own personal needs. His courage of conviction shines through in every page of the book, and when you read his political thoughts you realise that they are not empty words but ideals that he has sacrificed for.
The book also serves as a brief summary of post-independence Kerala politics. While to most people outside Kerala, the Left Front is a homogeneous entity, through this book you realise the different ideologies each of the parties embrace. We think of Communism as being “pro poor”, but Kochu shows how being “pro poor” is not enough. Given the social, economic and political oppression that Dalits have faced for generations, strong affirmative action is required before Dalits acquire the social and economic mobility that people of other castes enjoy.
In the book, Kochu also tackles the misconception that Dalit Christians do not need affirmative action. Though examples, he shows how despite the religion not recognising a caste hierarchy, the caste system continues to be perpetrated by the Christian church. How can there be social justice till social and economic discrimination is ended?
The author also provides a commentary on several works of literature that came out of Kerala in the post independence period, and draws lessons from translated literature that could be relevant to the life of Dalits in Kerala. This shows the evolution of Kochu’s own political ideology and his firm belief that the salvation of the larger Dalit community can only be achieved by the various factions coming together and demanding their rights.
The translation by Radhika Menon captures not just the ideals but the emotions of the original, and at no stage do you feel that the author is not directly speaking to you in his own voice.
This is an important work of Dalit literature, more so because it comes from a state which doesn’t have a long tradition of works by Dalit authors. One has to commend Speaking Tiger for publishing this book, which is an important work for anyone seeking to understand the situation of Dalits in Kerala.
I received an advance review copy of the book, and the views are my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment