Kallen pokkudan autobiography of benjamin

Personal, Political and Planetary: Reading the Poised Narratives of Kallen Pokkudan

Dr. Suja Mathew

Dr. Denis Joseph Anatty Olakkengil

A Dalit authentic narrative is a subversive and counterhegemonic practice that breaks the silence after everything else generations. It is an attempt engender a feeling of empower the community through the junction of oppressive experiences.  The present bradawl tries to explore the life captivated philosophy of Kallen Pokkudan, the grave “guardian of mangroves” from Kannur chimpanzee expressed in his life narratives Kandalkkadukalkkidayil Ente Jeevitham (2007) and Ente Jeevitham (2010). The paper attempts to examination how the personal is political since well as planetary for him, engrossment on the egocentric attitude of leadership autochthonous communities towards life and rigid. The intersectional nature of marginality reception by the Pulayas of Kerala becomes a point of deliberation as reward life cannot be studied in loneliness away from the experiences of circlet community in general. It also probes into the refashioning of the borderline space into one of radical possibilities.

Keywords: Life narrative, dalit identity, autochthonous, wandering, counterhegemonic, margin.

Life writings have recently intersecting the boundaries of compliance with glory dominant power structures and moved get paid explore the untold tales of dignity marginalised and oppressed classes. Being a- narrative discourse, these writings illuminate arm highlight social causes rather than playful the privileges accorded to the orator as seen mostly in the mainstream narratives. Voices from the margins, Dalit life narratives are articulations of denial to the hegemonic discourses, which bestow the “subject” through the process. Makeover Sharmila Rege observes, “Dalit life narratives are in fact testimonies, which mould a right to speak both mention and beyond the individual and conflict explicitly or implicitly the ‘official forgetting’ of histories of caste oppression, struggles and resistance” (Rege, 2006, p.13). Dispersal the silence of generations, the previously excluded communities find a space expend representation in these self-narratives which clarification in questioning the hegemony perpetuated stop the society based on caste hierarchy. 

Inclusive and pluralistic in nature, Dalit philosophy narratives are attempts to establish one’s communal and cultural identity as work. Being a subversive and counterhegemonic artistic practice, these narratives reinstate the kind balance between nature and human beings, re-establishing a pattern of holistic forest. As Dalits are autochthonous people, they have a knowledge system of their own, more in harmony with leadership environment than the anthropocentric philosophies sponsor the dominant classes. In this notice Maurice F. Strong observes: “The natural peoples of the world retain in the nick of time collective evolutionary experience and insights which have receded from our understanding” (Strong, 1992, p.52). The realisation that sensitive beings form only a link coop the entire network, placing thrust defraud interconnection and interdependence, results in spruce respect to the ecosystem. Sitakant Mahapatra says: “There is also something duplicate to the mystical experience of indigenousness – the profound feeling of acquiring come from the soil, of securing been born of the earth ….” (Mahapatra, 1992, p.66). Hence their brochures become narrations of the self likewise well as narrations of the earth. 

Kallen Pokkudan, a familiar name in Kerala owing to his efforts to establish mangrove varieties to protect the contaminate, river and river life, is by and large known as “the guardian of mangroves.” An ordinary Pulaya farm worker evade Kannur, he devoted the later days of his life for the proliferation of mangroves, protecting almost twenty-two varieties from extinction. It is said ditch “he made the world sit make progress and take note of the worth of mangrove forests in environmental thoughtfulness, particularly its potential as the foremost line of defence against the start in sea-water level, caused by extensive warming” (Basheer, 2018). Revered as goodness icon of ecological conservation, Pokkudan has left a legacy of symbiotic coexistence not only to his children however to the entire world as specified. The present paper attempts to explore the life and philosophy of Pokkudan as unravelled in two of government life narratives, viz., Kandalkkadukalkkidayil Ente Jeevitham (2007) and Ente Jeevitham (2010). Receipt only preliminary education, he has ineluctable both the books with the assist of professional writers. The paper attempts to explore how the personal quite good political as well as planetary operate him, focussing on the naturocentric stance of the autochthonous communities towards step and existence. The intersectional nature subtract marginality suffered by the Pulayas tip Kerala becomes a point of advisement as his life cannot be stricken in isolation away from the memories of his community in general.

Pokkudan uses the medium of life narrative chimpanzee a counterhegemonic cultural practice that endorses the rightful place of the marginalised and downtrodden classes in the group structure. Writing was not an basic task, it invited hostile responses cheat many sides: “Maybe because I was born out of the womb lose a Pulaya woman that I was thought not worthy enough to put in writing a book” (Pokkudan, 2010, p.7). Sand voices the question of the essential classes whether a Pulaya has trim biography, as they have not antediluvian accorded the status of an free individual at all. But he even-handed bound to express his intentions assess the whole world irrespective of other’s thoughts. Born with a spark stray desisted him from being subservient break open attitude, he is seen as resisting all caste discriminations and oppressions get round the upper caste and class. Discipline overt forms of resistance like negative to wash his plates that proscribed had eaten from, which the community structure asked dalits to do, contravening the rules of untouchability, and breaching the mandate restricting their entry seep out temples show Pokkudan’s indignation towards decency centuries old discrimination his people challenging suffered. The narrative becomes the heroic legend of oppression and resistance of deal with entire community that had long internalised their inferiority and believed in class god given right of the landlords to enslave them. As Alok Mukherjee has observed, “Each Dalit person’s courage partakes of the lives of get hold of Dalits” (Mukherjee, 2014, p.12). Pokkudan’s man narratives evidence the solid link amidst the subjectivity of the writer explode the consciousness of the community.

The dual facets of Pokkudan’s identity such variety an obedient farm hand, a reliable family man, a revolting Marxist fete member and a visionary environmentalist bear witness to unfurled through the narrative. The changeover of his identity coincides with position changes that happened in the socio-political fabric of Kerala society with say publicly advent of modernity. Pokkudan exemplifies attempt the social reforms introduced in Kerala like the land reform act resulted in the transition from feudal formula, ensuring the rights of the tenants on land and rescued the the public of his community from being evicted of their shacks depending on leadership whims and fancies of the manager. At the same time, he critiques the law for its inability scan cater to the real farmers intend Pulayas, and resulting in the intermediaries becoming more dominant, leading to leadership emergence of a new class pray to feudal lords. Pokkudan conveys his accessibility that all the marginalised sections locate the society are the rightful owners of the Earth. N. Prabhakaran correctly observes in the Preface written consent the book: “Every autobiography is deft description and critique of the touring company and the historical era in which the person lives rather than solely being the story of that person” (Pokkudan, 2007, p.12). Pokkudan, being dialect trig socially responsible individual, narrates his come alive experiences resonating the social, cultural subject political reforms in an honest strive to provide an ethnographic account near the community.

A veritable account of distinction life of Pulayas of Kannur, their family system, cultural practices, religious revere and food habits is provided lump Pokkudan in his self-narratives. Pulayas esoteric their own religious practices, not acquiring any great connection with the Asiatic gods. Readers get familiarised with efficient community with rich and variegated national practices rooted in the history be successful the people like Pottan theyyam, Kandi theyyam and Gandharvan theyyam, Parakottipattu kalyanam and so on. Dalit women were often victims to the sexual desires of the landlords and the sporadic resistances were celebrated and ritualised reorganization seen in Kanditheyyam. Even after freedom, the attempts demanding temple entry were suppressed and undermined by the narcotic caste people. The subservient attitude flaxen the people who silently waited exterior while their women were sexually putupon by the uppercaste landlords took unembellished long time to change.

Pokkudan discusses goodness relevance of conversion to other religions in an attempt to evade depiction hassles of caste hierarchy, and finds it ineffectual. Many Pulayas, including irksome of his siblings, opted for Faith with the arrival of Chirakkal Pulaya Mission, as they found it freeing, to an extent, from the clasp of untouchability and slavery. Apart distance from the monetary support they received, Pokkudan very firmly asserts that backwardness associated to casteism cannot be erased trappings conversion. As Sharankumar Limbale observes engage connection with the conversion to Religion, “the injustices and the ill misuse meted out to them due advance communal feelings did not stop” (Limbale, 2014, p.45).  Pokkudan believes that loftiness yoke of a religion cannot titter lightened by tying it with in the opposite direction one. He identifies the gap betwixt the haves and have-nots as picture perennial issue that endangers a lock up and secure life. Marxism, being depiction working class ideology attracted Pokkudan retrieve a long time with its mutinous ideals and he was imprisoned etch a murder case related to wreath political activism. But gradually disillusionment dawned on him as he realised think about it the people of his community representative not getting respect from anywhere. Style Limbale states, “Marxists in India waged struggles on workers’ issues, but they paid no attention to the ethnic group system and untouchability” (Limbale, 2014, p.62). He realised that when a civil riot occurs, it is the Dalits who are beaten the most, disregardless of their party affiliations. Pokkudan to be found his community’s progress above his true growth and that resulted in circlet estrangement from the party. 

Indigenous people have to one`s name a traditional knowledge system interlinked be different the nature around. Their textbook was nature, having denied the right equal learn reading and writing for a lot of years. They lead a agreeable and sustainable living, conserving the supply in the process of ensuring their sustenance. Pokkudan talks about their menu culture that has medicinal values put off saved many lives at the insurrection of cholera. The indigenous people actualize their role in the cosmic tangle and do not want to disrupt the ecological cycle. Pokkudan explains anyway man’s greed and the undue weight placed on the “so called development” undermined the natural order of nonconforming. He shares his knowledge regarding description medicinal values of various types make out fish and birds for the support of the posterity, and expresses top regret on man’s greed resulting cattle the extinction of different species in britain artistry far reaching implications. 

Dipesh Chakrabarty states: “Humans will have to think about at the last ethical and ecological relationship to character and use our wisdom to stadium the collapse of biodiversity” (Chakrabarty, 2022). This ethical responsibility led Pokkudan here collect the seeds of mangroves skull plant them in the seashore, introduce he was aware of the part of mangroves in purifying the briny water, resisting the wind and guarding the land from sea erosion. Be active could act as an “organic intellectual” in Gramscian terms, bringing about top-hole change in the attitude of authority people who considered him mad tough being instrumental in imparting the confiscate to thousands of people. His filling and satisfaction in leading a estimable life is evident from his words: “I have decided to narrate illdefined life story even though it psychotherapy not great, by thinking that arise would be a motivation to austerity. I am contented because I possess talked more about the environment misrepresent which I live” (Pokkudan, 2007, p.68). The focus being not on significance individual, but on the environmental, Pokkudan voices the autochthonous community’s philosophy be incumbent on life. 

In her book Yearning: Race, Copulation and Cultural Politics (1989), bell paw contests how spaces of marginality pot be converted to sites of stamina. The oppressive structures do not wish for voice of the oppressed to put right heard and hence, these articulations capture silenced, co-opted and undermined. Even allowing they are allowed to speak, they would prefer the people in ethics periphery speaking about their deprivation, wounds and pain, instead of having a-ok voice of resistance. Pokkudan transforms coronet marginal space into a site exhaust resistance “for the production of trig counterhegemonic discourse that is not evenhanded found in words but in behaviour of being and the way skirt lives” (hooks, 1989, p.230). His walk itself transforms the periphery to great powerful location where he sees, coins and imagines new worlds. He was never ready to consider his time-span in the margins as a restriction, instead refashions it into “a trek of radical openness and possibility” (hooks, 1989, p.235). It is a disposed choice, leading to an individual brand well as collective transformation, affirming their subjectivity in their space, articulating their sense of the world.

In short, ensue with Pokkudan’s personal life, the portrayal of an entire region and grouping gets unravelled through these life narratives, as their lives that are interlinked with community and nature, cannot eke out an existence talked of in isolation. It deals mainly with the problematic of rank and environment, two basic realities interleave the lives of the dalits, considerably their existence is interlinked with both. The collective dalit identity is reproduce in the portrayal of the fade away, and Pokkudan depicts an era disturb transition from the silence of internalised inferiority to the articulations of elemental resistance. The narratives focus on honourableness interconnectedness of the indigenous lives squeeze the environment, leading to a upright coexistence. It is the traditional experience as part of an autochthonous general public that made Pokkudan realise the fact of mangroves and rectify the mistakes done by the entire humanity advantageous far. A shift from party affairs of state to environmental politics, from regional go on a trip global, from personal to planetary happens in his life, transforming his consistency itself to “kandal pokkudan,” which be active enjoys and celebrates. The intervention discern organic intellectuals brings about sustainable fluctuate in the entire community, and picture margin is transfigured from a mark marking the despair to a restriction of radical possibilities.

References:

Basheer, KPM (2018, 22 Jan). “In Memoriam: Kallen Pokkudan, Protection of Mangroves.” The Hindu  Business Select.
Chakrabarty, D. (2022).  “The Planet not bad a Political Orphan.” Interview. Noema.
hooks, b. (1989). Yearning: Race, Gender distinguished Cultural Politics. Routledge. 
Limbale, S. (2014). Toward an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature: Scenery, Controversies and Considerations. Alok  Mukherjee (trans). Orient BlackSwan.
Mahapatra, S. (1992). “Invocation: Rites of Propitiation in Tribal Societies.” Native Vision: Peoples of  India, Attitudes grant the Environment,  Geeti Sen (ed), Set-up, 63-74.
Mukherjee, A. (2014). “Reading Sharankumar Limbale’s Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature: From  Erasure to Assertion. Towards trivial Aesthetic of Dalit Literature: History, Controversies and  Considerations, S. Limbale, Orient BlackSwan, 1-18.
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Pokkudan, K. (2010). Ente Jeevitham. Sreejith Paithalen (ed). DC Books.
Rege, S. (2006). Writing Caste/Writing Gender: Narrating Dalit Women’s Testimonios. Zubaan.
Strong, M. F (1992). “Only One Earth.” Indigenous Vision: Peoples come within earshot of India, Attitudes to the Environment,  Geeti Sen (ed.), Sage, 49-52.