Savarna critics are of the opinion that Dalit Literature must be evaluated strictly as Litertaure as that is how the reader is going to perceive it. Criticism of Dalit texts must not give room to any extra literary traditions and it should be performed on the basis of universal theories and literary criterias. Limbale is opposed to this view of the Savarna critics as he feels that middle class criticism can never do justice to Dalit Literature which is the literature of the oppressed and the discriminated factions of the society.
A major debate which comes up while discussing Dalit literature is centered around the monopoly of Dalit Writers when it comes to penning Dalit Literature. The Savarna critics such as Kavi Anil and Vidyadhar Pundalik are of the opinion that Dalit Literature can be written be anyone through the power of imagination that can envision the suffering of the Dalits and give it literary expression. Critics such as Nirmalkumar Phadkule and Narhar Kurundkar have gone as far as to say that even a Savarna can create Dalit literature and the writer’s status as an untouchable is not necessary for the production of this stream of writing. However, Limbale opines that it is impossible for a non-Dalit to write Dalit Literature as this Literature is the product of Dalit consciousness that is shaped by the lived experiences of Dalit, peppered by their pain, suffering and feeling of rebellion and anger. A non Dalit cannot possibly imagine all of this and be able to write an authentic account on the Dalits.
Another major debate which surrounds Dalit criticism is about the artistic standards or the aesthetic yardsticks that must be employed to understand this literature. According to critics such as P.S. Rege and Balkrishna Kawthekar, it is wrong of Dalit Literature to demand separate criterion for aesthetic evaluation as they feel that universal values cannot be refuted and if the universal aesthetic principles are not being adhered to, then Dalit Literature will lose a proper framework of evaluation. However, another school of thought advocates that every genre of Literature is different from other hence a mechanistic critical tradition cannot be applied to Literature across the world. Since Dalit Literature is unique in its insistence of social upliftment and the realistic portrayal of Dalit experiences of pain and suffering along with voicing Dalit rebellion; as opposed to emphasis on beauty and pleasure, one must develop different artistic standards for of evaluation for such literature. Artistic craft does not assume an important place in Dalit Literature and the message forwarded by the text is given a higher position, hence artlessness can be considered a virtue of Dalit Literature, thus necessitating the need of separate aesthetic criterion. If this demand of Dalit writers would be fulfilled then faulty criticism by Savarna critics that views Dalit Literature as whiny and aggressive will not exist.
Rohit Banerjee
Limitations of the criticism of Dalit Literature by Savarna Critics
The crux of what is being said here lies in the fact that Dalit literature is not subject to fair and objective criticism. Criticism of any form of literature is necessary and in fact acts as a catalyst for improvement in the future output of that genre. But the criticism of Dalit literature is either adulatory or negative. In the case of being adulatory( falsely positive), the Dalit writers are praised more out of sympathy than actual admiration of their work. In the case of negative criticism, the Dalit writers are critiqued subjective to feelings of animosity and non-appreciation. Neutral criticism of Dalit literature never takes place and is one of the prime reasons behind its impeded critical growth.
Aesthetics of Dalit Literature
The aesthetics of Dalit literature is also discussed by Limbale in the essay wherein it is suggested that Dalit literature being a revolutionary form of literature does not adhere to traditional principles of aesthetics. In the Marathi literature, emphasis is put on the beauty factor of literature due to which pleasure is cited as the foremost aesthetic value. Pleasure is said to be native to Marathi Savarna literature while pain is said to belong to Dalit literature. Due to belonging to the lower caste, Dalit literature is often accused of arousing feelings of pain, suffering and anger in the reader whereas non-revolutionary literature arouses feelings such as happiness and delight. Overall Dalit literature is painted in a negative picture when it comes to aesthetic evaluation as it is accused of portraying only grief and sufferings. It is said to not provide happiness as the literature of the upper and middle class does. However, what needs to be considered is that the feelings of pain and suffering are the primary feelings that a piece of Dalit Literature can evoke as it is a social document of rebellion designed for social upliftment of Dalits and hence pleasure and beauty are not its chief considerations, unlike other literary works. Hence analyzing a Dalit text on these pre-established universal aesthetic principles is a a meaningless futile endeavor.
Karishma Dahal
“It is not possible for literature to be larger than revolution”- P S Rege,
One sees it as a challenging task when it comes to placing the subject of aesthetics in dalit literature. The en route to dalit aesthetics emits a bitter sweet feeling because it does not deliver aesthetics based on pleasure giving beauty. When it comes to dalit literature the idea of beauty needs to be re-examined and re-analysed. Commonly the idea of beauty is associated with spiritualism but dalit aesthetics is derived out of a sense of artistic reality. Hence dalit aesthetics bends more towards materialist rather than spiritualist.
It is a well known fact that writers gain their share of popularity through readers. The relationship between a writer and reader decides the faith of a book. The same can be applied to dalit literature. Most of the Dalit writers derive their inspiration from Dr. B.R Ambedkar. He has become a cult figure in the field of dalit literature but dalit aesthetics can only be uprooted when a Dalit writer succeeds in plunging dalit consciousness among the readers.
The process demands a heightened sense of ambedkarite consciousness from the writer. The ambedkarite consciousness comprises of a firm assertion of dalit identity and calls for justice, freedom and equality. Dalit aesthetics is built upon three major components- the artist, the artistic creation and the reader. The artistic creation binds the artist and the reader. The artist pours out his experience and inspiration in his artistic creation. The reader develops a sense of understanding about the artist’s experience but a dalit reader’s level of relativity will be more intense when compared to a non-dalit reader. Thus the idea of beauty in dalit literature cannot be called as universal because the intensity of consciousness among the readers differs in varying volumes. On the other hand the ambedkarite inspiration in dalit literature possesses a universal value.
Dalit writers do not keep the urbane readers in a pedestal while creating a work of art. Their main intention is to inform and expose the evil practice that shapes Indian society. They write in order to throw a light on the problems of society. Unlike other writers they do not have pre conceived sets of audience or readers to acknowledge their work. It is also important to note that form is something which a dalit writer is not concern about because the context lays the foundation in their writing. Therefore the readers have to set aside their preference for “form over content” while reading works produced by dalit writers.
There are four main standards of dalit literature
1: artists must be motivated by their experience
2: artists must socialize their experience.
3: artist’s experiences must cross provincial boundaries
4: artist’s experience must seem relevant to all time.
When it comes to dalit aesthetics one cannot rely on pleasure giving beauty and taste. Dalit literature calls for liberation and freedom. The fact that it shouts out loud for peace and equality makes it a revolutionary literature. The paradigm of measuring a work of art should not be only based on pleasure giving sensation but arousing a sense of social consciousness can have its own aesthetic value. Revoulutinary writers such as Rosseou, Marx, Phule and ambedkar sealed the deal when they dedicated their writing to being about a social consciousness.
The dalit writers are not very well received by the critics, the savarna Marathi critics have always passed their judgment on dalit literature. Some call it plain flat but some pass their approval to give it the tag of literature. It is commendable that the dalit writers never resorted to traditional form of writing but they build their own platform to deliver their dalit reality and experience.
Jonaki Dodum
Citations:
Limbale, S. (2004). Dalit Literature and Aesthetics. In A. Mukherjee (Trans.), Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature: History, Controversies and Considerations (pp. 103-121). Orient Longman.
Critical Aesthetics, 2015 