THE PRISONS WE BROKE BY BABY KAMBLE

THE PRISONS WE BROKE BY BABY KAMBLE

The prison we broke, first written in Marathi by Baby Kamble in 1985. The text which

has been translated by professor Maya Pandit this novel dealing with the lives of Mahar men and women in veergaon. This text reveals a realistic picture of the oppressive caste and patriarchal beliefs of the Indian society. In this work baby Kamble highlights the condition of Dalit women, she expose the reality of the society. she is tried to depict the life of her community and people showing that how brahminical domination had turned the Mahar into slaves. The most dangerous thing about Dalit women is that they don’t have security in their own homes. The  paper also makes an attempt to reveal the fact that Dalit women here have to face both Brahmanic as well as Dalit patriarchy. However, this novel’s narrator shows agency in the lives of Dalit women.

 

In this Novel, Kamble highlights the harsh reality of struggle, suppression and suffering of Dalit women as they face every day of their miserable lives. Dalit women in India experience domestic violence, gender discrimination and oppression not only from the outside society but also within their own community. The situation of the women in Dalit communities is adverse as they are doubly exploited, first as women and then as Dalit. In most of the families women are not educated neither exposed to intellectual experiences as in the case of women born in noble families. They even face gender discrimination and male domination in the society as well as within their own family. The autobiographies of Baby Kamble and Urmila Pawar are considered for the critical analysis of Dalit women as doubly oppressed individuals.

Baby Kamble, was an Indian activist and writer. She was born into an untouchable caste, Mahar, one of the largest untouchable communities in Maharashtra. She was a well known Dalit activist and writer who was inspired by B. R. AMBEDKAR L. Kamble and her family converted to Buddhism and remained lifelong practicing Buddhists. In her community, she came to be admired as a writer and was fondly called as Tai (meaning sister). She is widely remembered and loved by the Dalit community for her contributions of powerful literary and activist work. She is one of the earliest women writers from the untouchable communities. Baby Kemble’s autobiography Jina Amucha was first published in the year 1986 in Marathi.  Later it was translated to English by the social activist and professor Maya Pandit and published  as The Prisons We Broke in 2008. It is considered as the first Dalit woman’s autobiography in Marathi. The Prisons We Broke is an expression of protest against the inhuman conditions of existence to which the Hindu caste system has subjected the Dalit for thousands of years.

Dalit literature becomes a distinguished part of Indian literature. One of the first dalit writers was Madera Chennaiah, an 11th-century cobbler-saint who lived in the reign of Western Chalukyas and who is regarded by some scholars as the "father of Vachana poetry".

Another  early Dalit poet is Dohara Kakkaiah, six of whose confessional poems survive. Notable modern  authors include Mahatma Phule and Dr. Ambedkar who focused on the issues of dalits through  their works and writings. They became harbingers in dalit literature. Inspired by them many dalits came to light offering their experiences and expressions in Marathi, Hindi, Telugu,Tamil  and Punjabi. Dalit autobiographies address various issues related to subaltern section. Some of the influential autobiographies translated to English are Sharan Kumar Limbale‟s  Akkarmashi (The OutCaste), Omprakash Valmiki‟s Joothan( A Dalit’s Life) and Balbir 

Madhopuri‟s ChangiyaRukh (Against The Night). Daya Pawar, Arjun Dangle, Baburao

Bagul,  Rabi Singh, Namdeo Dhasal, Dutta Bhagat, Lakshman Mane, Neerave Patel, Palamalai,  Sudhakar, D. Gopi, T.K.C. Vaduthala (T.K.C. Vaduthalayude Kathakal) and Narayan (Kocharayathi) are the other prominent dalit writers. Like male writers, dalit women also have  raised their voice through the autobiographies expressing their angst of deprivation, social  exclusion and humiliation.

Kamble emphasises on the caste discrimination that was faced by the Mahar

community in Maharashtra. They were treated as untouchable servants „yeskars.‟ They were not even allowed to walk on the road that is used by the high caste people. The situation of women in a    dalit family as an important theme is explored in Kamble‟s autobiography. They have to experience insecurity, domestic violence and male dominance in the patriarchal family system in India. Male children were given importance and many privileges were offered to them as against the daughters of the same family. About this discrimination Kamble write :-

       “The eldest son was the pride of the house. He would be offered to the deity as

vaghya or potraja. Fathers had a lion‟s share in preparing their sons for this role. To

offer the son as vaghya or potraja was considered a great honour and prestige for the family. The father very diligently saw to it that his son was properly trained” (18-19).

In this work, she also exposed the condition of Dalit girl child.  She even touches upon the aspect of child marriage among the dalit families. In this context, the author says, “Thus girl wouldu embark upon a new life that was harsh and arduous. She was a young girl, a child really, still immature. Yet, the poor child had to break all ties of love and go to her in-laws‟ house to lead a married life, without even knowing what a husband meant, or what it was to be given away” (93).

Dalit women suffer from the triple oppression of caste, class and gender and

hence. .The Indian caste system is devised with so complicacies and diplomacies that

whenever one is born is born with its caste and the creeds attached to the caste. The

Dalits are not and cannot be an exception. Once a Dalit is born, a voluntary worker of

nature is born. So when they born in Dalit family, they know that, they have to struggle in their whole life. They think that their destiny are bad from birth to dead. They should adjust in this community and follow their rule and regulation. Dr. Ambedkar criticized (chapter 19; “Caste in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development” The Essential Writing of B.R.Ambedkar.2011) this formation of Hindu social and caste hierarchies based on “by birth” philosophy. regarding caste and poverty has come out in a famous poem by a Marathi Dalit poet Baburao Bagul. In his poem “You Have Made the Mistake”,

Bagul writes-

… That’s why I say-You have made the mistake of being born in this country…”

                                                                                          (Poisoned Bread: 81)

In this autobiography, Kamble speaks out for the women of her community,

presenting an unflinching portrait of its women, subjugated by both caste and

patriarchy. Especially newlymarried younger women suffer the worst fate. Usually

married off at the age of eight or nine, immature, even without knowing what a husband meant yet the child has to go her in –laws ‘house to lead a married life. However, for the girl marriage meant nothing but calamity.‘ After arrival of the young bride at her in-laws‘ house, she would be asked to make two basket full bhakris. The novel depicts the Mahar Dalit women in a strange condition in which they have to appease both the high caste Hindus and their own Mahar men. The writer narrates the saga of her ‘maharwada’ women who had to sell firewood to the high caste community to make both the ends meet. They were not allowed tread upon the road that was frequented by the high castes. However, their entry into the high caste community was possible because of the firewood that they carried to that prohibited area for sale. On the way, they had to cover themselves if they happened to see the high castes coming down the road. They also had to bow before them in most humble manner and utter the words “The humble Mahar women fall at your feet master” These women wear ragged saris. The clothes were worn as per the caste of a woman. The Mahar women could never muster courage to wear saris like high caste women. These ladies of low birth had to tuck the pleats of the sari in such a way that the borders could remain invisible where as the high caste women were recognised by wearing saris with their borders remaining visible. Mahar chawdi and the new brides cursed for not showing respect to the higher castes. Consequently they had to face the ire of their ‘sasra’, ‘sasu’, who threatened them in the most abusive language. Thus it was a complete surrender to Brahmanic patriarchy and its ideology. They also don’t get proper food for three times, and also they work very hard.

         Kamble covers interesting aspects of the Dalit movement including the ‘Riddles 

controversy’ and the argument between Gandhi and Ambedkar. During her school

education all  mahar girls are neglected by upper caste girls because the fear of polluting. Even if upper caste  girls pass by them they would cover their nose, mutter chee, chee, and run away from there,  they are great danger. One of the upper caste girls says, “you know, I have bath again after I go  home from school. My mother has come to know that mahar girls sit in our class and she doesn‘t allow me to enter the house unless I have a bath.” Very young age, even these upper caste girls do not understand around their surrounding they talks about untouchability. The act of attending school by mahar girls, the higher caste girls got together and comment on them, “that Ambedkar has educated himself, that‘s why these dirty Mahars are showing off! That filthy mahar‘, Ambedkar, eats dead animals but look at the airs he gives himself!” (109)

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, decided to change the people’s mentality, and bring some freedom for Mahar people. That’s way he organized a meeting, in this meeting he talk about discrimination which happened for the Mahar men and women. Ambedkar‘s Speeches make people against religion, custom, tradition and superstition. As he said about worship of god Khandoda in Jejuri, “ the stone steps in front of the god‘s temple have been worn away by hapless people beating their heads against those steps in utter supplication. But has he ever taken mercy on you? What good has this god ever done to you? Your people have served the village, the upper caste communities, for ages. You clean all their dead filth. And what do they do for you? They feed you with their dead animals. Even then this god does not take pity on you. Do you know something? You don‘t worship god; you worship your ignorance! Generations after generations of Mahars have ruined themselves with such superstitions. And what have you got in return from this god?”

 In this kamble’s text, she gives more focused on Ambedkar’s speech. Second time meeting organized by Rani shaheba. In this meeting she invite both Brahmin, Maratha and Mahar women. where all the Brahmins and Maratha women occupied the chairs. Unfortunately  Mahar women stood on one side at the same time when Rani Sahiba and her followers move towards stage; suddenly Thakubai shook shoulder and told her, “Your women are not allowing our women to sit on the chairs. Our Ambedkar has told us to demand our rights. I am going to forcefully remove your women from the hairs and sear my women there.‘ The Rani Sahiba0 was taken a back for a moment. But she immediately arranged chairs in the front for all of us (133).”

Baby Kamble never aimed to write a formal autobiography, she just scribbled her experiences candidly and kept it hidden from her husband and the family for the reason she clarified in an interview given to Maya Pandit, the English translator of her

autobiography. She said, “He was good man but like all the men of his time and

generation, he considered a woman to be an inferior being. He would not have tolerated the idea that I had taken to writing… my husband always called me an

ignorant woman! I was afraid of his response. So I kept everything hidden away from

their eyes for almost twenty years” (Pandit 147).

Poverty and hunger have been an indispensable part of the life of the Mahars, therefore,  this issue surfaces as one of the prominent themes in Dalit writings. The shopkeeper took this opportunity to educate his children, moving around the shop compound, about the principles and practices of untouchability. The women pulled their clothes closer to their bodies and also told their children to keep a distance from the people of the upper castes lest their touch should pollute them.

Conclusions :-

 I would like to conclude that after reading Kamble’s autobiography, it is very

important text because just now about low class people is not enough, but also now

that how Ambedkar and another socialist try to change the society and their mentality. it draws the progress of the Mahar community from pre-Ambedkar days to its rapid transformation through education and mass conversion. I would like to say that, the situation of dalit women in India needs special attention. There should be release the class system and should give equal treatment to all Indian.