Problematising ‘Human Waste’: A Scatological Reading of O.V. Vijayan’s The Saga of Dharmapuri

Abstract

The Saga of Dharmapuri by O.V. Vijayan is a dystopian fantasy set in the imaginary country of Dharmapuri, which could be a depiction of India or any other newly independent country in the post-colonial era.  Dharmapuri (The country of Righteousness) is ruled by a President who is portrayed as eating, defecating or fornicating. The country is in a ‘State of Crisis’ which is suggestive of the State of Emergency that was declared during Indira Gandhi’s regime (1975-1977). The president is aided by the ‘White Confederacy’ and ‘Red Tartar Republic’ which stands for the western imperialist forces.