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KISUMBUKKARAM
Bama
Translated by N. Ravi Shanker
Information awaited
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From
the author of the highly acclaimed novels Karukku
and Sangati,
a jewel-like collection of short stories, in a translation
that retains the freshness and inventiveness of
the original.
Kisumbukkaram,
Bama’s first collection of short stories,
was first published in 1996. The 10 stories in this
collection could aptly be termed ‘subaltern
literature’. Set among the Dalits of Tamil
Nadu, these stories display the full potential of
the ‘weapons of the weak the dominant Brahmanical
order is not openly challenged, but the bawdy comments
undermine the authority of the powerful. Rustic
humour takes in its stride the indignity and suffering
of lower-caste life, and bristles with the raw energy
and vitality that comes from living too close to
nature.
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BAMA
was born Faustina Mary Fatima Rani
in 1958. Her ancestors were landless labourers
in Puthupatti village in Tamil Nadu. To escape
the stigma attached with being Dalit, her
grandfather converted to Christianity. At
26, Bama had taken vows to enter the convent
in her zeal to serve her people. Less than
10 years later she left the convent to seek
an independent life. Struggling to find her
feet, she was encouraged to write her memoirs
by a friend. In 2001, the English translation
of her childhood memoirs won the Crossword
Prize, establishing her as a distinct voice.
She now teaches in a primary school in Uthramerur,
near Chennai. |
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