{"product_id":"dalithan-an-autobiography-paperback","title":"Dalithan: An Autobiography - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eK. K. Kochu\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eRadhika P. Menon\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eK.K. Kochu's life and work, as both a writer and social activist, challenges\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003edominant narratives-of the Congress as well as the Communists-that\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eexclude the Dalit experience. Among his most significant works, his\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eautobiography is not merely a gritty story of the life of an individual, but a\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehistory of modern Kerala written from a subaltern perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrowing up in a village called Madhuraveli in a flood-prone region of\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKottayam district, fishing in the clear waters of nearby canals and eating\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewild fruit, Kochu was also a promising student, reading everything he\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecould lay his hands on. The boy, troubled by the unquestioning submission\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eto their Namboodiri landowners, distinguished himself by his curiosity, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ekeenly observing the present and preserving in his young mind precious oral\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehistories of Pulaya life. His thirst for knowledge would sustain him through\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe endless years of tragedy for the family and periods of unemployment, but\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ealso lead him to study-and work towards ending-the marginalization of\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe lower-castes and the erasure of their contributions to society. Starting out\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eas a Naxalite in college, he would go on to form a Communist Youth Front, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esympathetic though not affiliated to them. Working with leading figures in the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecultural and political space, as well as many that rarely find mention in written\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehistories, he would move from a Maoist to a self-consciously Ambedkarite\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003epath of anti-caste struggle, a perspective that would guide him in subsequent\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eefforts to build unity among Dalits, Adivasis and minority groups.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy combining a view from below of raw life with an account of the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebroader socio-cultural, economic and intellectual trajectories in Kerala, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDalithan stands out as a unique contribution to Dalit life-writing in\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalayalam, available for the first time to an English readership in a brilliant\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand faithful translation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 344\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.77 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 20, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42733943160895,"sku":"9789354478093","price":28.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/44739fc9fb7afc2cf2f057ff14866185.webp?v=1765138055","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/dalithan-an-autobiography-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}