Plight of a Dalit Mother in Baburao Bagul’s Short Story “Vidroha”

Abstract

This present paper explores the plight of Dalit women in caste institution. The casteist capitalist agenda imposes the traditional menial works on Dalits and exploits their labour. It does not only exploit their labour but also robs them of their essential human qualities and disqualifies them as human beings. Deprived of their fundamental human rights, the menial workers suffer the triple jeopardy of caste, gender and class. In his famous short story, “Vidroha,” Bagul portrays the plight of Dalit women and exposes the Varna system for entrapping Dalits in the brutal cycle of the casteist exploitation that exists in the capitalist social order of the Brahmin hegemony. This paper attempts to expose the casteist capitalist ideology that is responsible for the degradation and exploitation of the oppressed people in the country.  Through the portrayal of Dalit mother, Bagul voices his serious concerns for the millions of the Dalit women who suffer under the yoke of slavery imposed on them by the caste institution which promotes fascist ideology to maintain the Brahmin hegemony. Being a scavenger, Bhani is looked down upon in Hindu society and even her educated son despises her for the reason, she continues the traditional work. Left with no choice, she continues the traditional work and struggles to survive in oppressive conditions fostered by Manu’s fascist ideology.