Ayyankali: A Dalit Leader Of Organic Protest

by M. Nisar, Meena Kandasamy

Pulayars, one of the many Dalit communities in Kerala, were ordered to keep at a distance of ninty-six steps away from a brahmin, not allowed to cover themselves above the waist or below the knees, denied admission to public roads and subjected to endless oppression.

They were bought and sold as slaves even up to the middle of the nineteenth century.

Ayyankali (1863-1941), one of the foremost Dalit leaders, challenged these brutal caste codes.This book chronicles his organic protest in Travancore and provides a critical analysis of the social reform movements in Kerala under the colonial rule.

Genres: History, Biography

103 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2013

Reviews

[qamar⋆｡°✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5☆ — i honestly thought that this was a biography of ayyankali with a special focus on his mobilisation and resistance efforts, but only the the third and final chapter actually talked about him ! however, to credit the authors they do mention this in the introduction so that is fine + the first two chapters detail the sociopolitical environment which gave rise to dalit resistance movements, which is very important in order to understand the nature of caste brutality within the specific context.

[Novel Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ayyankali / அய்யங்காளி | Biography in Tamil | Novel Review
https://youtu.be/KiB-zg2pQdw

[Aravind NG · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good primer on the topic