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. The paper delves into the narrative techniques and strategies adopted by Valmiki in the construction of ‘his’ life, seen through ‘his’ eyes, in retrospect. One such text is Joothan: A Dalit’s Life, written by Omprakash Valmiki in 1997 and translated into English in 2003.
However, the rise of Marginal Literature countered the mainstream notions of the narrative by adopting, adapting and abrogating them. For literature, narrative is the ‘act’ or the process that makes possible the verisimilitude of life in literature, the art in a text. It has been allotted the pivotal space owing to its strength as the guide and governor of the story towards its destination. One thing, however, that has sustained about narrative is its centrality to any text. Narrative is a long used word, beaten almost out of shape by different definitions and categorizations. Undeniably his writing is not a stuff of potboiler but proves to be a better medium to create consciousness in the society. Omprakash Valmiki takes the smugness to bring out the marginalized issues into the world where the mainstream writers seldom mentioned the kind of turmoil in their works dealing with caste. Dalit Studies are a rare glimpse that very few talk about it and dare enough to write. This is due to an "intimidate syndrome" a natural outcome that a Dalit is always surrounded by. In general, a Dalit tries not to divulge his identity as Dalit in the midst of "others", but expresses his anger in clandestine space.
His autobiography emphasizes the significance of literature by endowing the platform in spreading the knowledge about Dalit lives and their individual experience in this civil society. Being human one must have autonomy, deference and sanctuary but for Valmiki, it stood as a threat in the midst of the dominant elements of society. Today his voice has been well recognized, and it stands as a robust right for his society He describes "his" experience as a Dalit, and the twinge that he underwent throughout his lifetime. He took Dalit literature in his hand as a gizmo to carry out his anguish as a communal trauma of his community. "Joothan: A Dalit's Life" is respectively chosen for the research as it brings out the malicious veracity of Dalit's life in an authentic way. The major focus of this piece of writing is to bring to the light the voice of an empowered writer Omprakash Valmiki.
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