Joothan: An Untouchable's Life
Newly translated from Hindi, Valmiki's memoirs invite us into the bleak life of one born into India's lowest caste. As Valmiki's unflinching candor makes clear, India's caste system has survived legal abolition as a potent cultural reality, relegating tens of millions ofchandalas(untouchables) to social ostracism, degrading labor, and hopeless poverty. Valmiki details these harsh realities as he has experienced them through living in the squalid shanties of thebasti, scavenging meat and leather from putrid roadside carrion, and enduring ridicule and persecution from social superiors. But Valmiki also shares with his readers the inspiring account of how he and other untouchables--who have renamed themselves Dalits--have forged a strong social and political movement to press for their rights as Indian citizens. Though often frustrated by Hindu elites, the Dalits have advanced their cause with impressive dignity and courage. As an editor and writer, Valmiki has done much to stake out a space for Dalit literary expression, well exemplified by this narrative. Fascinating cultural and personal history.Bryce ChristensenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved