Anti-Dalit forces hurdle to translation of book: Sujatha Gidla

US-based writer Sujatha Gidla’s book ‘Ants Among Elephants – An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India is part memoir and part commentary on the state of untouchability and discrimination of Dalits as experienced by the author during her growing up years in Kakinada followed by her graduation years at REC Warangal. The book has received rave reviews in the international press. 

During an exclusive interview, she shares, “I didn’t intend to write a book. When I was in India, I would always wonder about my being Dalit; why is it that I am a Christian, yet I am considered inferior to let’s say, a Syrian Christian or a Goan. Why are they rich and we do we continue to be poor – I would wonder. But I was ashamed to ask these questions; until I went to the US.”

She adds, “In the US I met these people who are anti-racist. I never met anyone here who is anti-casteist. That was very new to me. I became bold enough to ask questions. Then I began asking about the relation between caste and religion and in order to do that I wanted to know how my own family became untouchable. 

When I began enquiring about my origin, at first, I began working like a detective. The victim, suspects and motive…the entire investigation was mapped using my computer. My family started telling me stories - each interesting. I started writing them as episodes and at one point; I decided to write a book.” In her book ‘Ants among Elephants’, Sujatha speaks about the discrimination which is visible even in the progressive Marxist communist circles.

She explains, “The signs of it were always there. But we refused to see. I spoke to my uncle, K G Satyamurthy, who was a political person since he was 13, and learnt about the social struggles and politics of the time. I am also a deeply political person. According to me any kind of discrimination of Dalits is untouchability, which too continues to exist in its original form. From my mother I learnt we are tribals who came in search of work after a famine, and since we were labourers we fell in the category of untouchables. 

I had personally experienced discrimination when I and my father had been to a friend’s family, there was a power cut and when I offered a match box, I was told to put it on the table; yet another instance when I went to my friend’s home in Hyderabad, I was told to sleep outside for the night, which I did. Untouchability continues. 

What I learnt after speaking to people like writer Kalaikuri who married an upper caste girl belonging to a family with the Communist party since three generations; he related how the marriage was opposed and how the family made fun of his habits etc - I knew casteism is more deep-rooted and entrenched in the upper caste dominated communist party too.”

“And it has nothing to do with religion,” she clarifies. “Just like in the US where black Americans are continued to be discriminated vis a vis blacks who come from other parts of the world that are given better opportunities just because their fore-fathers were slaves; in India too Dalits will continue to be treated as inferiors despite adopting Christianity because they come from family of labourers.” 

Sujatha, who created quite a stir during her sessions at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2018 with her forthright views, said she is against reservations as they only tend to polarise people. “Reservations are basically to divide and rule. Ambedkar might have wanted it, but the way it was done is to divide and rule. SC reservations are for untouchability. BC reservations are caste based. 

They are going to further polarise people, and entrench the caste system. Backward Classes in order to protect their own quota will restrict whom their daughters can marry. This means that they are hardening the caste lines, and girls will not have freedom to marry whomever they want which will decrease freedom,” she states.

“There should be free and open education and if the students are not on a par with others, they should be given remedial classes.” “Empowerment of Dalits has to do with economic structure. Parliament is not there to do that. Only revolution can do that and if Parliament is an economic structure it will require landlords to have landless labourers to work for them. Then how can anything change,” She asks.

Does her book subscribe to English readers?, she says, “I went on to explain Dalits and untouchability in detail for the English readers, but apparently many in India too need the explanation.”

And on why the book is yet to see light in the Telugu-speaking States – she says – “I couldn’t publish my Telugu translation as the few people from the party are against my being frank on a certain people and their relationships, which are otherwise considered progressive."  

She blames it on the anti-KG Satyamurthy and Brahminical cliché that according to her still dominates the party. “Many of the publishers and translators in Hyderabad are in their purview. One of them said she is going to organise a huge protest unless FSG, my publisher burnt the 4,000 copies of the book; they contacted FSG and demanded that all the 4,000 books be burnt and trashed. These are the people involved in stopping the Telugu translation.”