Pratiti Ghosh
Poems of Chandalini | Poetry Collection | Kalyani Thakur Charal | Zinia Mitra and Jaydeep Sarangi | ISBN:978-93-91736-96-5 | Birutjatio Sahitya Sammiloni, 2023 | pp 94 | ₹ 299/-
A cry for justice, a voice of Dalit womanhood and dignity in struggle
The Poems of Chandalini written by Kalyani Thakur
Charal, is a landmark work in Dalit literature by giving voices to the
struggles of women both in caste and gender discrimination from a dalit
feminist perspective. She not only exudes systematic oppression but also
redeems a sense of pride and strength in Dalit identity. She always uses plain
and straightforward language to reveal the harsh realities avoiding unnecessary
ornamentation. As a Dalit feminist poet, her work often challenges the
hierarchies of society and portrays the experiences of marginalized communities.
In the Poems
of Chandalini, she beautifully portrays an intense connection between
nature and human existence. The imagery of river, the dusky evening and the
solitary bird captures a sense of solitude, longing, timelessness and a deep connection
with nature.
a solitary bird’s voices
do not affect
The solitary bird here represents
isolation or unnoticed. It could also be a metaphor for marginalized voices in
society who are often overlooked or spurned. In the poems of Chandalini, the
poet shows how the strain of bitterness in his love transforms her simplicity
into complexity.
I was never complex
But in the midst of chaos and despair her
search for ‘a new country’ symbolizes a fresh start, a hope, and an escape to a
liberated existence.
I’ll flood you with sms
and calls
The pendulum imagery conveys the poet’s
emotional indecision between love, longing, and torment. Her sleeplessness
reflects the instability of relationships and shows her one-sided emotional
labour. All those imageries like rivers, fields, pendulum, fractured home
creates the personal struggles in universal experiences. The act of being ‘sent
off alone’ suggests an alienated journey one that requires courage and
self-dependence. The ‘boat’, though solitary becomes a vessel for the dreams of
liberation.
About the social hypocrisy the poet’s tone is very much sarcastic and deeply critical.
Oh! God! Cowdung is holier than the touch of a Dalit (Page-43)
The exclamation reveals the poet’s bitterness and sarcasm. The Poems of Chandalini portrays the oppression faced by Dalit communities across generations. In this collection Charal not only addresses the themes of cultural intolerance, opportunism and oppressive conditions faced by Dalit women but also there is an affirmative approach to take action to make a social change.
Wake up black men and women! (Page-65)
She directly addresses the Dalit community that there is a necessity to break free from the passivity of a long history of subjugation and marginalization. There is an urgency in the tone and also an inspiring hope for change and renewal.
Sarangi
has affirmed that the poet herself wanted to be called a womanist like her
fellow poet Bama. As a womanist poet, Charal’s Poems of Chandalini addresses the intersectionality of caste,
gender, and identity empowering the dalit voices in Dalit literature. By using
Chandalini, a term that is historically used to degrade, Kalyani Thakur Charal
transforms it into a symbol of power and self-assertion. The Poems of Chandalini serve as a powerful
lens to understand the caste-based atrocities for readers of all backward
groups. In Dalit literary movement, her work contributes to preserve and
celebrate Dalit culture, folklore and their traditions. The cultural
affirmation empowers those groups to reclaim their history and heritage. For a
wider audience, the Poems of Chandalini
catalyzes social change by forcing privileged communities to confront caste-based
injustice. Charal’s the Poems of
Chandalini inspires the Dalit communities to embrace their identity rather
than be ashamed of it.
The Poems of Chandalini also raise crucial questions about literature itself: Who has the right to tell their stories? Who controls the literary canon? By breaking into a space long dominated by upper-caste voices, Charal forces readers to reconsider the biases that shape what is considered 'mainstream' literature. Her poetry challenges the deeply entrenched elitism of the literary world and demands that Dalit experiences should be seen, heard, and valued. In a world where caste-based discrimination continues Charal's poems stand as a powerful reminder that literature is not just about storytelling it is about reclaiming humanity.
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| Pratiti Ghosh |
Email: pratitighsh@gmail.com
