Subaltern Voices in the Abhang Literature of Sant Chokhamela

Author(s): Dr. Dilip M Bawane

Abstract:

The paper analyses the Abhang literature of Sant Chokhamela as a crucial locus of subaltern expression within the mediaeval Bhakti tradition of Maharashtra. Chokhamela was born into the Mahar community, which is one of the most oppressed castes in the hierarchical varnashrama system. His poetry tells a rare first-person story of caste brutality, humiliation, existential pain, and spiritual strength. His Abhangs contest Brahminical hegemony, reveal the brutality of untouchability, and affirm divine closeness despite social ostracism. Employing Subaltern Studies theory, Ambedkarite hermeneutics, Dalit literary criticism, and Bhakti studies, this dissertation contends that Chokhamela’s work represents one of the first expressions of Dalit consciousness in Indian literature. His Abhangs provide a counter-hegemonic discourse that reasserts agency for marginalized bodies, sanctifies real pain, and reconceptualizes devotion as a form of resistance. So, Chokhamela is not just a saint-poet, but also a strong subaltern historian of caste tyranny.

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Pages: 36-38     |    2 View     |    0 Download