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The White Dalit
The White Dalit is a blazing satire of the caste system in Tamil Nadu. It describes the riotous adventures of 16-year-old Paraiyar boy named Pandurangan in a small village in the Cuddalore district. The book portrays multiple aspects of human life — innocence, horror, humour and simple humanity in an evil world of rural casteist society. It boasts of being one of the handful English novels to be set in Cuddalore. The White Dalit serves as the best example that desperate times throw up the most unlikely of heroes.
- GenresFiction
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 27, 2020
White dalit is a debut novel by S.S.Arjun, a journalist by profession. According to the back cover, the English literature student has done has masters in journalism and has worked in various prominent news and media organisations which has naturally enriched his understanding and creativity.
S.S.Arjun is to be saluted for two important things. One is for writing his first novel in English and also for taking an important subject. So far nobody in Tamil nadu has tried a dalit novel in English, I think, ofcourse to the best of my knowledge. Leave alone writing, even well educated English knowing middle and upper middle class people are very hesitant to read English books. The other is that he is not afraid to call a spade a spade. While writing about caste oppression, even very progressive writers of the left idealogy safely call the oppressing caste people as dominating forces – Athikka sakthigal in Tamil – and don't dare to write their caste names. But, this young author in his very first novel very clearly and boldly calls the oppressors as Vanniyar and Padyachi.
The novel deals with the adventures of a teenage parayar boy from a small village near Cuddalore and naturally the novel depicts the real situations of the dalits of Tamil nadu in general and particularly in the northern districts of Tamil nadu. Researchers say that most of the Indians suffer from two inferiority comlexes. One is about his or her beauty, especially about colour and other about the lack of good fortune – adhirshtam – though he or she is very intelligent and talented. The former is more predominant among dalits and the hero is very much sad that he is dark complexioned and often tries to change his colour by applying face powder. The whirlpool of events give him a lot of experiences and he realises only education and not facepowder will make him a white dalit. The novel ends with his realisation.
How he attains this realisation is narrated in a simple language. As it is an English novel so many ordinary words of Tamil have to be explained in English and the author has done this well, but sometimes these explanations are boring to a Tamil reader like me. But I understand the position of the author who has to explain the things to the non Tamil readers.
Though it is about a Dalit youth, it turns to be a slight thriller with illicit arrack deaths, false cases on dalits and so on. As a dalit novel about a teen, my expectation was it will deal with more pressing dalit issues such as reservation in higher education, neet, love and honour killing and so on. But, I was quite disappointed when the novel took a turn towards thriller.
The day to day life of dalits, dalit women, boys, their houses, their eating habits and so on are very realistically described. Even though it is an English novel the reader can feel the nativity as if it has been written in Tamil itself. But I feel all these aspects would have given a still more good effect if the central theme of novel revolved round a more important dalit issue..
But the novel ending makes me forget this drawback. The innocent dalit boy realises the need of education and decides to study law. And it is a new begining to his life. Or, may be it is a new begining to the second novel of S.S.Arjun where he can deal the problems of a rural dalit boy pursuing higher education in a new environment. Hope the author’s next work will be a still more deep analysis of the dalit situation.
S.S.Arjun is to be saluted for two important things. One is for writing his first novel in English and also for taking an important subject. So far nobody in Tamil nadu has tried a dalit novel in English, I think, ofcourse to the best of my knowledge. Leave alone writing, even well educated English knowing middle and upper middle class people are very hesitant to read English books. The other is that he is not afraid to call a spade a spade. While writing about caste oppression, even very progressive writers of the left idealogy safely call the oppressing caste people as dominating forces – Athikka sakthigal in Tamil – and don't dare to write their caste names. But, this young author in his very first novel very clearly and boldly calls the oppressors as Vanniyar and Padyachi.
The novel deals with the adventures of a teenage parayar boy from a small village near Cuddalore and naturally the novel depicts the real situations of the dalits of Tamil nadu in general and particularly in the northern districts of Tamil nadu. Researchers say that most of the Indians suffer from two inferiority comlexes. One is about his or her beauty, especially about colour and other about the lack of good fortune – adhirshtam – though he or she is very intelligent and talented. The former is more predominant among dalits and the hero is very much sad that he is dark complexioned and often tries to change his colour by applying face powder. The whirlpool of events give him a lot of experiences and he realises only education and not facepowder will make him a white dalit. The novel ends with his realisation.
How he attains this realisation is narrated in a simple language. As it is an English novel so many ordinary words of Tamil have to be explained in English and the author has done this well, but sometimes these explanations are boring to a Tamil reader like me. But I understand the position of the author who has to explain the things to the non Tamil readers.
Though it is about a Dalit youth, it turns to be a slight thriller with illicit arrack deaths, false cases on dalits and so on. As a dalit novel about a teen, my expectation was it will deal with more pressing dalit issues such as reservation in higher education, neet, love and honour killing and so on. But, I was quite disappointed when the novel took a turn towards thriller.
The day to day life of dalits, dalit women, boys, their houses, their eating habits and so on are very realistically described. Even though it is an English novel the reader can feel the nativity as if it has been written in Tamil itself. But I feel all these aspects would have given a still more good effect if the central theme of novel revolved round a more important dalit issue..
But the novel ending makes me forget this drawback. The innocent dalit boy realises the need of education and decides to study law. And it is a new begining to his life. Or, may be it is a new begining to the second novel of S.S.Arjun where he can deal the problems of a rural dalit boy pursuing higher education in a new environment. Hope the author’s next work will be a still more deep analysis of the dalit situation.
October 16, 2020
The White Dalit - A disturbing novel
This disturbing novel is about a teenage boy in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. Through, vivid scenes, it clearly links persistent poverty, financial conditions, social issues among Paraiyar community (Dalits) in the Tamil Nadu to the unparalleled degree of deliberate segregation they experience in rural sectors for several hundred years.
The White Dalit shows how the social and financial hurdles were created by dominant communities in order to isolate growing dalit populations. It goes on to show that, despite the several laws in Indian Society, social segregation through the caste system is widely followed through an interlocking set of individual actions, rural economic system, institutional practices, underarm tactics and even governmental policies. It is a very good work of fiction that, as sad heart wrenching as it was to read and visualise the events which are described. It greatly helps form a view of the bitter reality in India and our rural communities.
November 15, 2020
I received the book from my friend in Chennai.
The White Dalit is absolutely tragic in its reflection of the Indian society. As good citizens, we might angry when we read it and annoyed at a world that could cause such a situation to a poor fellow. This may be fiction narrated by a person, but it’s full of truth. The novel is a story of Pandurangan, a Dalit teenager who lives in Cuddalore near Tamil Nadu. He is severely upset when his best friend Mani and his classmates, are accidently killed after drinking poisoned arrack. Although he is not involved in the arrack, dominant Vanniyar caste seek revenge on him.
This is not a happy ending book. It contains the hard truths about South Indian Society and underground casteist roots. Truths that might make you question your own existence because the caste forces and dominant society just so cynical in their viewpoint and will deploy all sorts of trick to maintain their position. What a trip the author takes the reader through the pages. You should go read the novel.
The White Dalit is absolutely tragic in its reflection of the Indian society. As good citizens, we might angry when we read it and annoyed at a world that could cause such a situation to a poor fellow. This may be fiction narrated by a person, but it’s full of truth. The novel is a story of Pandurangan, a Dalit teenager who lives in Cuddalore near Tamil Nadu. He is severely upset when his best friend Mani and his classmates, are accidently killed after drinking poisoned arrack. Although he is not involved in the arrack, dominant Vanniyar caste seek revenge on him.
This is not a happy ending book. It contains the hard truths about South Indian Society and underground casteist roots. Truths that might make you question your own existence because the caste forces and dominant society just so cynical in their viewpoint and will deploy all sorts of trick to maintain their position. What a trip the author takes the reader through the pages. You should go read the novel.
December 13, 2020
The White Dalit is the debut novel of the author S.S.Arjun alias M.P.Savaravanan!! Once you start reading the novel you find the level of information provided is so minute and clear which makes you feel the author is no novice in writing. The emotional trauma that the protagonist Pandurangan experiences makes you feel sorry for him and to their community on the whole. India, even after these many years of Independence still has these kind of discriminations and the Author has given the tip of the iceberg in the form of White Dalit. I felt that at the end of the book, the detailing on how the character feels after the court verdict seems to be missing but it could be argued that the author wants the Reader to remember the Pain that is endured than the happiness. Overall it’s a really good novel about Tamil Dalits and a must read for everyone, especially for those who turn a blind eye towards these kind of problems.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews