Angaliyat, a child whose mother leads him by the hand to his stepfather's house, is metaphorically the social position of the Vankers, a Dalit community. It is the first dalit novel set in rural Gujarat of the 1930s. In 1989, this novel received the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi Award.
Dalit people are victim of not just caste system but class system as well. Dalit, a term which is being used today for the lower castes, came into currency after the rise of Dalit Panthers movement in 1972 in Maharashatra. When Angaliyat was published, Gujarat was passing through this critical phase of its social history. After the two violent anti-reservation agitations, one in 1981 and the second in
1985, the social divide between the savarna (caste Hindus) and avarna (Dalits and tribals) was almost complete. Since Dalits were the main targets during both the agitations, they felt deeply humiliated and victimized.
"Angaliyat" mainly focuses on the Vankar community, but the story also shows how the Patidar community holds all the power. Originally, "Angaliyat" is a term for a stepchild who moves to a new home with their mother after she remarries. The story starts with two hardworking Vankar friends. These friends, who have a strong sense of dignity, stand up to some Patidar youths who harass a Vankar girl from a nearby village.
This leads to a series of conflicts with the powerful Patidars ( Patels ), and eventually, both friends lose their lives. Their deaths affect not just their families but the entire Vankar community, causing a lot of pain and suffering. Among the Vankars, there is a traitor named Ramlo who sides with the oppressive Patidars, complicating the struggle between good and evil. In the end, the Vankars' fight for self-respect comes at a high cost.
Teeha and Methi, along with Valji and Kanku, fiercely oppose two oppressive social structures. One is represented by the powerful, aggressive Patidar and Thakore village leaders, and the other by greedy and manipulative Dalit caste leaders. Both Valji and Teeha are ultimately killed, but they never give up. This transformation is depicted through the creation of two strong couples: Teeha and Methi, who couldn't marry each other in their lifetime, and Valji and Kanku, who have a happy married life, though it is brief.
"The money
was with the Patels, they knew the ropes and the police were in their hands. "
At the end of the novel Teeha dies, the district court
has issued the sales deed of Teeha’s large house in the name of Ramla by Mania’s selling it to
him.
The deep bond between Valji and Teeha is more than friendship; each sacrifices his life and happiness for the other. Macwan introduces other significant Vankar characters, such as the philosophical Bhavaankaka, the tender Kanku, the gentle Dano, and the noble Gokal. Through their integrity and high morals, these so-called untouchables are shown to be far superior to their oppressors.
Teeha's only "crime" was saving his friend Methi from being sexually exploited by upper-caste youths in a Patel village. Teeha sought justice, but he was ultimately killed by upper-caste people for his actions.
Angaliyat is a saga which elaborates two opposite situations: the first one, in which most of the dalit community members are ready to accept the otherness in their own country and the second one, in which they wake up to protest, to challenge this unjustified otherness.
Reference :
No comments:
Post a Comment