Dreams turned into Ashes: An Analysis of the Dreadful event of Kilvenmani through the Lens of Meena Kandasamy’s novel “The Gypsy Goddess”.

1Jenitha Blessy, Dr.V. Bhuvaneswari

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Abstract:

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to analyse the socio-political scenario behind the massacre of Dalits in India. The non- fictional work of Meena Kandasamy, “The Gypsy Goddess” has documented the massacre of forty-four Dalit labours in the village of Kilvenmani on 1968 in Tamil Nadu, India. This novel illustrates the act of cruelty and misogyny of the upper caste landlords who brutally suppress the low caste agricultural labours by the act of communal violence and victim-blaming. This notion of colonisation is briefly discussed by the author in the novel. The study seeks to dismantle the idea of colonial thinking and behaving and focus on generating discussion on the aspects of de-coloniality. Methodology: The study uses a qualitative approach tothe case study. The study also focuses on the judicial handlings along with the historiography of Kilvenmani massacre and many similar massacres that took place in India Main Findings: The main objective of the study is to analyse the trauma behind the massacre of Kilvenmani and compare and contrast with other similar massacres in the name of caste that took place in the notion attaining dominance. Application of the study: The study aims to bring out the ethnic concern by retelling the trauma behind the massacre of Kilvenmani and other similar massacres. It also interrogates the humanitarian crisis faced by the Dalits in India are often threatened byinternal political conflicts.

Keywords:

Discrimination, Decoloniality, Communal violence, Kilvenmani massacre, The Gypsy Goddess

Paper Details
Month2
Year2020
Volume24
IssueSpecial Issue 1
Pages318-330