{"product_id":"dalithan-k-k-kochu-9789354478093","title":"Dalithan: An Autobiography","description":"\u003cp\u003eK.K. Kochu's life and work, as both a writer and social activist, challenges\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003edominant narratives-of the Congress as well as the Communists-that\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eexclude the Dalit experience. Among his most significant works, his\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eautobiography is not merely a gritty story of the life of an individual, but a\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehistory of modern Kerala written from a subaltern perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrowing up in a village called Madhuraveli in a flood-prone region of\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKottayam district, fishing in the clear waters of nearby canals and eating\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewild fruit, Kochu was also a promising student, reading everything he\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecould lay his hands on. The boy, troubled by the unquestioning submission\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eto their Namboodiri landowners, distinguished himself by his curiosity, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ekeenly observing the present and preserving in his young mind precious oral\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehistories of Pulaya life. His thirst for knowledge would sustain him through\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe endless years of tragedy for the family and periods of unemployment, but\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ealso lead him to study-and work towards ending-the marginalization of\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe lower-castes and the erasure of their contributions to society. Starting out\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eas a Naxalite in college, he would go on to form a Communist Youth Front, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esympathetic though not affiliated to them. Working with leading figures in the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecultural and political space, as well as many that rarely find mention in written\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehistories, he would move from a Maoist to a self-consciously Ambedkarite\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003epath of anti-caste struggle, a perspective that would guide him in subsequent\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eefforts to build unity among Dalits, Adivasis and minority groups.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy combining a view from below of raw life with an account of the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebroader socio-cultural, economic and intellectual trajectories in Kerala, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDalithan stands out as a unique contribution to Dalit life-writing in\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMalayalam, available for the first time to an English readership in a brilliant\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand faithful translation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e K. K. Kochu\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 9354478093\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9789354478093\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Speaking Tiger Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/20\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 344\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.96lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.77d","brand":"K. K. Kochu","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46233196790015,"sku":"9789354478093","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_fa8634e9-9ab2-444f-bb5e-764b87a32782.jpg?v=1728992339","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/dalithan-k-k-kochu-9789354478093","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}