Social Trajectory and Social Change Depicted in My Father Baliah by Y. B.
Satyanarayana's My Father Baliah
Mr Pragnesh I. Solanki
Assistant Professor of English, College of Agriculture, Waghai, Di-Dangs, Gujarat, India
Abstract:
Historically, Dalits were subjugated and forced to inferiority by the Vedas and their status
was further stationed to marginality by Manusmriti. Based on the restrictions enforced on
them, they were condemned to lowliness in their social image and status, and were restricted to basic amenities like education to uplift them. There were social blockages that prohibited social cohesiveness. These social limitations and injustices were challenged and rebelled by many reformative movements led by social icons of Dalits like Jyotirao Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Periyar etc. to bring out social transformation and justice to the marginalized Dalits. They intend to change the socio-economic and political scenario to ameliorate the plight of the downtrodden that was viciously dehumanized by the elite caste people. In the Pre-Colonial era it was the Britishers who opened the gate for education to the Dalits and later on the social reformist contributed to social cause of catering education to the Dalits endeavoured to eradicate the hindrance to establish formidable and empowered social identity of Dalits. The influence of Ambedkarite thoughts were on the Dalits who recognized education as significant factor bringing change in social-economic condition of the deprived community. It has been regarded as tool for social change and upward mobility. The present paper penetrates into the biography My Father Baliah by Y. B. Satyanarayana as a text depicting the influence of education on the Dalits represented through Narsiah and his family. It draws a pen picture of the Narsiah’s family who despite having hardships and discrimination paves way forward as an educated family and sets an example in the whole community. The study also stresses the change in the social outlook of the Narsiah’s family due to education illustrated through girl child’s education and inter-caste marriage presented in the biography. The study further traces the Ambedkarite ideology reflected in the text to ‘educate, agitate, and unite’. The family as presented in the biography signifies unity and strength and implicate the saying ‘united we stand’. The study also highlights the struggle and determination of the family which truly makes it an inspirational text to the Dalits as well as non-Dalit readers. The paper further explores the trajectory of the social living that they had experienced and their evolvement in the social status through their merit. It therefore is interpreted as text that fits to the Dalit consciousness which sensitizes the reader to be endeavouring and persistent to be more assertive and inspirational to the rest of the world.
Key words: Social transformation, education, upward mobility, empowerment