Autobiography of om prakash valmiki
जूठन: पहला खंड [Joothan]
Written by: Om Prakash Valmiki
Genre: Non-fiction, Autobiography.
Publishers: Radha-Krishna Paperbacks.
Language: Hindi.
“To those who say that these things do not happen here…I say that only those who have suffered this anguish know its sting" writes Om Prakash Valmiki in the preface of his much acclaimed biography Joothan.
Joothan, written by Dalit activist and writer, lacks the playful nostalgia and a bitter- sweet remembrance that is traditionally associated with autobiographies. On the contrary, Valmiki’s account of his life (even childhood) are far from hunky dory. Autobiography as a medium thus becomes in Valmiki’s hands a medium not to relive his memories, but to revisit trauma and overcome it. The title, which points towards the tradition wherein the leftovers or joothan of the upper-caste members of the society were consumed by the Dalit families, becomes a wider metaphor to encapsulate the leftover and outcaste status of the Dalit community under the savarna hegemony. Valmiki, thus, is not only chronicling his story, but of all those whose legs have been ensnared by the caste system.
The youngest child of his family, Valmiki is encouraged by his father and brothers to receive an education. But his school experience proves to be a nightmare as he is mocked by his classmates for wearing ragged clothes and is castigated by his teachers if he attempts to look clean. Worse, his new casteist and sadistic principal, unable to bear the idea of a Dalit child studying, makes him clean the entire school- making it a demonic everyday ritual. But this is where Joothan differs from other Dalit texts, written by non-Dalit writers. Rather than making it a testimony of suffering, Valmiki makes it a testimony of protest. As he is cleaning the school one day, Valmiki, weeping and crying, is spotted by his father who lashes out at the principal for making his child work despite continual
« ... Valmiki nous offre ainsi un livre politique, son livre cri, pleure, tremble. S’il cite autant de noms, c’est pour leur rendre hommage ou pour régler ses comptes. ... »
Indian literature: "Untouchable" and proud of it
"... While anecdotes of discrimination and violence abound, Valmiki's autobiography is by no means Manichean. For example, he recounts with wonder how in his native village, when he was the first student from the Dalit district to obtain his graduation diploma, a high caste man came to congratulate him ... "
Omprakash Valmiki, Dalit writer
"... The autobiography is poignant and it is difficult to let go of the story ..."
Joothan, autobiographie d'un intouchable
"... To read this author today is to support injustice, to counter the plight of thousands of Indians who suffer from this discrimination, but it is also not to give up or forget all those who in the world suffer such suffering ... "
What is the name of Omprakash Valmiki's autobiography in which he narrates a story of caste discrimination.
The correct answer is Joothan.
Joothan: A Dait's Life is the book name of Omprakash Valmiki's autobiography in which he narrates a story of caste discrimination.
Important Points
Omprakash Valmiki was an Indian writer and poet. Well known for his autobiography, Joothan, considered a milestone in Dalit literature.
- One such Dalit autobiography is ‘Joothan’, written by Omprakash Valmiki.
- He was born at the village of Barla in the Muzzafarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
- The autobiography was written in Hindi, later its translation in English by Arun Prabha Mukherjee.
- Joothan is a collection of memoirs.
Additional Information Achhut - Baluta, a book written by famous Dalit Maharashtran poet and writer Daya Pawar.
- one of the first Dalit autobiographies in India.
- Written in Marathi in the year 1978 the book casts light not only on the act of untouchability and atrocities committed on the Mahar community in Maharashtra
- Also brings out the pride that the Dalit community holds for itself.
Tirskaar - This book was written by Kailash Nath, is an Indian Dalit writer and dramatist.
Om Prakash Valmiki
Indian writer (1950-2013)
Omprakash Valmiki (30 June 1950 – 17 November 2013) was an Indian writer and poet. Well known for his autobiography, Jootan, considered a milestone in Dalit literature. He was born at the village of Barla in the Muzzafarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. After retirement from Government Ordnance Factory he lived in Dehradun where he died of complications arising out of stomach cancer on 17 November 2013.
Besides Jootan(his biography) (1997) Valmiki published three collections of poetry: Sadiyon Ka Santaap (1989), Bas! Bahut Ho Chuka (1997), and Ab Aur Nahin (2009). He also wrote two collections of short stories, Salaam (2000), and Ghuspethiye (2004). In addition, he wrote Dalit Sahitya Ka Saundaryshaastra (2001) and a history of the Valmiki community, Safai Devata (2009), Do Chera' (a play). His 15 short stories have been translated into English by Naresh K. Jain for the collection Amma and Other Stories in 2008.