A STUDY ON THE DALIT WOMAN IN BAMA’S 'KARUKKU' (Pages 142-151) by Dr. K. Mathuramani* and Mr. A. Arockia Darwin** in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

The novel narrates the tale of a woman’s life through various stages of being a daughter, wife and mother. It depicts the oppression of women in a patriarchal society. This is a novel which traces the inner working of the protagonist in her alienation and depression through the conscious and unconscious corridors of her tormented mind. It teases out the way patriarchy works with Dalit women. Bama portrays the physical violence that the Dalit women face. She also talks about the violent treatment of women by fathers, husbands and brothers. Dalits should live outside the village; they should take inauspicious names; they should not accumulate property; they should possess only donkeys or dogs; and they should wear clothes which is not fair. They were forced to live in an inauspicious, uncultured and untouchable life. If they do not live accordingly, severe punishments are given. Why this happens? Are they not human beings? They are also creations of God and have the right to live in this world. Then why is it that they are boycotted by the society? Dalits especially Dalit women are brutally tortured and raped by the upper castes. Upper castes do not even consider them as living beings. Keywords: Dalits, Upper Castes, Untouchables, Violence etc.