Dahankal: A Subaltern Speaks Aesthetically

Abstract

This essay explores the theme of the Bengali novel Dahankal and places it in the Dalit literary corpus of Bengal. To do this a historical survey in the field of Dalit literature of Bengal is presented along with an explanation of the phrase ‘Dalit Literature’ which first occurred in the context of Maratha literature. In this essay, the theme of Dahankal is analyzed first from the historical and then from the linguistic perspective. The historical time the novel depicts is the 1960s and early 1970s when erstwhile East Pakistan faced the military onslaught of the Pakistani army. The character of the protagonist is developed through his gradual consciousness of being a Dalit thrust upon him by the cruel society around him. The language invented by the novelist, as any successful Dalit writer, is analyzed from the angle of Dalit psychology. Finally, as for Bengali literature is concerned, Dahankal, or any Dalit writing, is absorbed in the mainstream literary corpus despite Dalit Literature being a class in itself.