• ISBN13: 9780199491438
• Binding: Paperback
• Subject: English Literature
• Publisher: Oxford UP
• Publisher Imprint: Oxford UP
• Publication Date: May 13, 2019
• Pages: 212
• Original Price: INR 595.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 200 grams

The idea of a home is at the heart of pulayathara, which is not only the first Dalit novel on record (1963) but also one of the founding texts of the Dalit Christian movement in Kerala. It opens with a near vision of thevan pulayan’s intense attachment to land; it then leads on to his displacement after decades of devoted service to his upper-caste landlord who, overnight, deprived him of both home and livelihood. Beginning with pulayathara, the Theme that runs through all of chirakkarode’s works is casteism in Christianity: the role of the church in the continued enslavement of the pulayar and the psychological effect it has on a people who abandon their ancestral gods to embrace the new faith. Without a doubt, the Dalit converts for physical and emotional security as well as survival. However, inevitably, disenchantment follows and the search for ‘home’ continues. Is the Dalit Christian any better off than he was before conversion.

Paul Chirakkarode was a Malayalam author, educator and human rights activist, known for his pioneering work in the Dalit literary movement in India. The novel has been translated by Catherine Thankamma translates short stories and novels from Malayalam to English. The editor is Mini Krishnan who edits books from many Indian languages.