The Journey of Dalit Feminist Empowerment in Urmila Pawar’s The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs

Abstract

Dalit communities experience the most extreme form of discrimination known as untouchability due to the severe manifestation of the caste system in Indian society. The ancient Hindu texts, such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Smritis, the Dharma Shastras, especially the Manu Smriti divide people based on their birth, split the society into four varnas, emphasize the supremacy of the Brahmins and consider Dalits as the lowest caste. These religious texts laid a solid foundation for the caste system in Indian society and promoted discrimination among the people by institutionalizing social hierarchy and paving the room for social exclusion and untouchability. Dalit writers, such as B.R. Ambedkar, Omprakash Valmiki, and Urmila Pawar have played a crucial role in eradicating caste-based discrimination and untouchability. Through their writings, especially through their autobiographies, they highlight the harsh realities of caste-based discrimination and untouchability. By sharing their personal struggles, humiliations, and oppression Dalit writers look for social and legal transformation in Indian society thus their narratives are often found in mainstream literature. They critique religious texts, especially the Manusmriti that promote casteism. Through their writings, they mobilize people against caste oppression and emphasize equality, dignity, self-respect and empowerment. This article is an attempt to explore the caste prejudice depicted in Urmila Pawar’s autobiography The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs, and highlights the transformation of her characters from subjugation to empowerment. Through this work, Pawar exposes the harsh realities of untouchability and caste-based discrimination and advocates social reformation through her characters.