‘Construction’ of a Voice ‘of’: Alternative Foundational Narratives and Joothan

Abstract

Abstract

Narrative is a long used word, beaten almost out of shape by different definitions and categorizations. One thing, however, that has sustained about narrative is its centrality to any text. It has been allotted the pivotal space owing to its strength as the guide and governor of the story towards its destination. For literature, narrative is the ‘act’ or the process that makes possible the verisimilitude of life in literature, the art in a text. However, the rise of Marginal Literature countered the mainstream notions of the narrative by adopting, adapting and abrogating them. One such text is Joothan: A Dalit’s Life, written by Omprakash Valmiki in 1997 and translated into English in 2003. The paper delves into the narrative techniques and strategies adopted by Valmiki in the construction of ‘his’ life, seen through ‘his’ eyes, in retrospect. How has Joothan used (adopted, adapted and abrogated) the technicalities of narrative to create a text ‘on’ and ‘of’ the Dalits is analysed in the paper. Finally attempt has also been made to see what kind of a narrative is generated in its wake.