Author: Vasant Moon
Publisher: Sage Publications
Year: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 224
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8178291568
Description
This is the first Dalit autobiography to be published in English. For the first time, a personal and emotional account of Ambedkar's popularity as a leader is also presented, including the history of the rise of Buddhism under his leadership.
Vasant Moon's 'Growing Up Untouchable in India' is the first Dalit autobiography to be published in English. Moon's story is about his 'vasti', or neighborhood, and a community of people considered to be at the bottom of the caste hierarchy. It reveals a complex yet rich slum culture where Dalits are not seem merely as victims but as a community with strong bonds, striving and struggling to shed their sense of inferiority. Although a story of Moon's life, this book is a rich narrative about the social and political history of the time. The story of an individual and a community has been woven into the larger realm of Indian politics, providing the readers a rare view of the events that led up to Independence.
For the first time, a personal and emotional account of Ambedkar's popularity as a leader is also presented, including the history of the rise of Buddhism under his leadership.
A narrative about poverty and deprivation, but also of the final triumph of hope, self-respect and optimism, this volume will interest sociologists, historians and anthropologists, and those interested in Dalit studies, development studies and social work. Most importantly, the book will be of interest to the general reader.
Contents
Introduction by Eleanor Zelliot
The Neighborhood
Fearless
Callousness and Clouds
Heat and Rain
Dev Master's Curse Fails
Religious Hymns
Shooting Star
Chickpeas and Parched Rise
The Unconquered
Parade of Lion and Tigers
Foreshadowing
Holy Victory
Robust and Rollicking
Sports and Study
Politics andn Pigeons
Climax
Wrath
Cultural Transformation
An Unspoiled Picture
The Welfare of the World
For What? For Books!
I Begin to Write
The End of Omar Khayyam
Rising Moon
The Vows of Religion
Falling Star
Tying the Knot
The Spinning Top
Summing Up
Chronology
Bibliography
Index