The Reminiscence of Untouchability: Shaping the Identity

Abstract

 Untouchability is a concept that still persists in our society, having a fear of being polluted by mere touch of a person. It is an inherent part of the caste system continuing for thousands of years. This concept took a different meaning, people look down at working people, the ones who do their cleaning jobs, the noble deed  that should be respected, is considered inferior, the people who should have been approbated, are not even considered as human anymore, they are given a tag- untouchable. The question arises how a person comes to know he/she is an untouchable, what happens to him/her when the realization occurs? What happens when such people protest? The object of this paper is to analyze the psychology of an untouchable, the treatment given to him/her by society, the abuse, the exploitation, the marginalization and the oppression also leads to the protestation; and one of the most effective way of protesting is writing, literature. The paper is based on Dr. B. R. Ambedkars article- Reminiscences of Untouchability, the memories of untouchability from his own experiences, relating it to the consciousness of the protagonists in the famous dalit novels- Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand and The Stepchild (Angaliyat) by Joseph Macwan.