-Meena Kandasamy- Voice of Resistance in 'Eklavyam' and 'One-Eyed'-.pdf

Meena Kandasamy- Voice of Resistance in 'Eklavyam' and 'One-Eyed'

1. Department of English MKBU
Virtual Teacher’s Day
Celebration
Topic:- "Meena Kandasamy:
Voice of Resistance in
'Eklavyam' and 'One-Eyed'"
Presented By:- Hardii Vhora

2. "Meena Kandasamy:
Voice of Resistance in
'Eklavyam' and
'One-Eyed'"
Prepared by:- Hardii Vhora

3. # TABLE OF CONTENTS:-
●Introduction of Meena Kandasamy
●Contextual Background
●Analysis of Eklavya (Eklavian)
●Analysis of One-Eyed
●Comparative Insights
●Conclusion

4. # Introduction of Meena Kandasamy:-


●Born in 1984 in Chennai, Meena Kandasamy is a
renowned Indian poet, novelist, translator, and activist.
●Her parents' anti-caste marriage in 1981 significantly
influenced her engagement with Dalit movements.
●As a teenager, she edited ‘The Dalit’, a platform for
documenting caste-based atrocities.
●Her acclaimed novels, ‘The Gypsy Goddess’ (2014) and
‘When I Hit You’ (2017), address caste violence and
domestic abuse, winning multiple awards.
●In 2018, she co-taught a feminist writing course at
NYU and received a PEN Translates award.
●In 2022, she was honored with the PEN Hermann
Kesten Prize for her advocacy of democracy and
human rights.
●Her work has been translated into eighteen languages
and featured in major international publications.

5. # Contextual Background Of Meena Kandasamyʼs 2 Poems:-
1.Eklavya (Eklavian):-
“Examines caste
oppression and the
appropriation of
marginalized voices,
reflecting the Dalit
experience in
contemporary India.”

6. 2. One- Eyed:-
“Explores the
compounded impact
of caste and gender
discrimination,
shedding light on the
struggles of Dalit
women within a
patriarchal and
casteist society.”

7. # Analysis Of the poem “Eklavya”:-
●In the poem Ekalaivan she relates the myth of Eklavya to the modern
society.

●Eklavya here becomes a symbolic representation of the victims of Dalit
community. She consoles Eklavya that he could do so many things with his
left hand and moreover he could not need the right thumb to pull a trigger
or hurl a bomb.

●She presents new ways of reactions which are very powerful than old
armours. Here the left hand also shows her support to communism which
advocates equality and an organization worked for the upliftment of
peripherals.

●She says that the new innovations of the world will help the Dalit to forget
the old threats. In a short poem she presents a powerful idea. She recalls
Eklavya who vanished silently in the history and tried to give a new life to
him. Moreover, she assumes the Dalit are modern counterparts of Eklavya.
Here Dronacharya is a symbolic representation of fascism in the modern
society.

8. # Analysis of the poem “One-Eyed”:-
●In her poem, “One-Eyed”, she delineates the continued existence
of oppressive structures of caste, class, race and gender domination
within the Indian society.

●The poem talks about Dhanam, a little girl who feels very thirsty,
touches the pot and drank a glass of water from the pot to quench her
thirst with her “clumsy hand”. The learned teacher in the school
slapped on the little girl’s cheek especially for breaking the rules. The
concept of untouchability is practised mainly against the lower caste
as well as the lower section people. They are the worst sufferers. As
they do not have the political and economic power to fight against the
upper class people’s supremacy, they mutely accept subjugation. They
do not have the voice to express their conditions and portray
themselves before the world. Even the inanimate objects
surrounding her feel the pitied condition of the girl.

9. ●Meena Kandasamy reveals that the weight of social pressure
operates to confirm in each case their extreme subordination
despite whatever personal effort may be applied towards upward
mobility on the part of the untouchables or towards autonomy on
the part of the woman. In an interview with Sampsonia Way
Magazine, Meena Kandasamy remarks, “My poetry is naked, my
poetry is in tears, my poetry screams in anger, my poetry writhes in
pain. My poetry smells of blood, my poetry salutes sacrifice. My
poetry speaks like my people; my poetry speaks for my people.”

●Meena Kandasamy condemns casteism and the brutal treatment of
untouchables, highlighting the hypocrisy of Hindu tradition that
deems them the lowest in social hierarchy. She recounts the inhuman
treatment of a young Dalit girl and critiques institutions like schools,
hospitals, and the press for perpetuating this systemic oppression.

10. Aspect "Eklavya" "One-Eyed"
Theme Injustice and caste oppression. Resistance and survival against all
odds.
Symbolism Eklavya's severed thumb as a symbol of
sacrifice and subjugation.
The one-eyed woman as a symbol of
resilience and defiance.
Draws on the Mahabharata's tale of
Eklavya.
Likely refers to the Tamil folk tradition
of one-eyed deities.
Tone Reflective, with a strong sense of
historical wrong.
Defiant and rebellious.
Imagery Vivid depiction of Eklavya's mutilation
and its implications.
Strong visual imagery of the one-eyed
woman's gaze.
Voice Collective voice of the oppressed,
emphasizing collective trauma.
Individualistic, focusing on personal
struggle and resistance.
Cultural
Context
Highlights caste-based discrimination in
Indian society.
Focuses on marginalized identities,
possibly feminist in nature.
Message Critiques systemic injustice and the cost
of obedience.
Celebrates the strength in
overcoming adversity.
Historical
Reference

11. # Conclusion:-
●Meena Kandasamy's poetry, particularly in "Eklavya" and
"One-Eyed," stands as a powerful voice of resistance against
systemic oppression and marginalization. Through "Eklavya,"
Kandasamy revisits the ancient tale of Eklavya, transforming it into
a searing critique of caste-based injustice and the silencing of the
oppressed. The poem not only exposes the brutality of historical
wrongs but also underscores the enduring legacy of caste violence in
contemporary society.

●In "One-Eyed," Kandasamy shifts the focus to individual resilience,
portraying the one-eyed woman as a symbol of defiance against
patriarchal and societal constraints. Here, resistance takes on a
personal dimension, emphasizing the strength and agency of those
who refuse to be subdued by their circumstances.

●Together, these poems highlight Kandasamy's commitment to
amplifying the voices of the marginalized and challenging the
structures of power that seek to silence them. Her work embodies the
spirit of resistance, encouraging readers to confront the deep-seated
inequalities that persist in society.

12. # References:-





“ABOUT | meenakandasamy.” Meena Kandasamy, https://www.kandasamy.co.uk/about.
Accessed 4 September 2024.
Murukesh, Soumya. ATTACKING THE ICONS OF INDIAN CULTURE WITH THE AESTHETICS OF
RESISTANCE: A READING OF MEENA KANDASWAMY’S SELECTED POEMS , vol. 08, no. 2
February 2020, p. 4. www.ijcrt.org, https://www.ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2002003.pdf.
Rathi, V. P. “Savage Treatment of Untouchables in Meena Kandasamy's "One-Eyed."” no.
September 2019, June 2020, p. 4. Research Gate,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342466334_Savage_Treatment_of_Untouchables
_in_Meena_Kandasamy's_One-Eyed.