Description
Oxford UP Pulayathara by Chirakkarode Paul; MiniKrishnan (Ed.);ThankammaCatherine(Tr.)
Written in 1962, Pulayathara is among the earliest novels that records the complexity of Dalit experience. It focuses on the untouchable Pulaya community of Kerala, documenting the experiences of two kinds of Dalits, those who choose to remain within the subordinating Hindu social order, and those, who convert to Christianity in the hope of receiving assured food, shelter, and education. Chirakkarode sharply critiques the hollowness of religious conversion
in a cast-ridden society. The converted Dalits are promptly labelled 'New Christians' as against the Syrian Christians who claim superior ancestry and upper caste status due to their ownership of land and other privileges. Ownership of land and the house built upon it become markers of exclusion and
separation. Thevan Pulayan collects clay from the backwaters to create a landmass to build his hut. He pays the landlord for the materials. But the thrill of ownership is shattered when the landlord orders another labourer to occupy Thevan's home.