Discursive analysis “Sacrifice” and “Tattoo” by Ajay Navaria.
Jacky Song
Navaria’s two stories excavate the brutal reality of the caste system in India. Both stories
examine how caste acts as a hereditary burden and shapes individuals’ identities through
structural violence, forced labor, and the implementation of self-perception. In “Sacrifice,” Kalu
is forced to slaughter the goat, Piloo, whom he had raised. This brutal and mandatory act
demonstrates how generations of Dalits are forced to work in caste-prescribed occupations. In
addition, Ambedkar’s idea resonates with the ritualistic butchery that restricts the Dalits. In
Ambedkar’s work, he also critiques how the caste system marginalizes groups of people such as
the Dalits, enforces substantial social inequality in society, and relegates Dalits to the dirtiest and
tiresome roles. Ambedkar's idea that the caste system works not only through physical violence
but also through mental violence that forces marginalized groups to accept their fate and
dehumanize them is linked to Kalu's story, in which he is forced to do things he doesn't want to
do and ultimately becomes the person that the caste forces him to be.
Furthermore, in “Tattoo,” Kumar’s anxiety about his outlook, his faded shoes, and his
tattoo reflects the mental violence caste implemented on individuals, and it acts as an alarm that
forces individuals to remind themselves who they are. The action of Kumar being highly
sensitive and anxious about his identity when he is in an elite environment connects Du Bois's
idea of double consciousness, where individuals have multiple identities that are implemented on
them, and it is hard for them to find out who they are. Moreover, the gym acts like an urban
microcosm and is highly dominated by upper caste members, and it shows how caste violence
and shame continue to exist through the class hierarchies at different places and continue to
degrade the lower caste members. Kumar’s act of trying to paint his shoes black symbolizes how
lower caste individuals like him want to erase their identity as Dalit and try to fit into this elite
and mainstream environment where he knows that the caste system has prohibited individuals
like him from being in. This process is also related to the struggles of recognizing and admitting
individual identity, which Ambedkar discussed in his Annihilation of caste. However, in the
story, when Valmiki reveals his Dalit and Buddhist identity, it resolves the anxiety and shame
Kumar was experiencing. This shows how solidarity among these individuals is a strong way of
resisting and comforting themselves from the caste oppressions they are facing. It is highly
connected with Slate’s work which talks about the importance of solidarity as key when facing
oppression.
In the end, both stories also heavily emphasize caste’s interconnection with gender. In
“Sacrifice”, the generational jobs and tasks are tied to not only the caste individuals have but also
their gender; the butcher role is heavily tied to Kalu’s male identity, showing the profound
patriarchal caste roles. Under the broader historical context, women are less noticed and
mentioned in resistance against caste oppression than men are, so it reveals that under caste
oppression and social inequality, there is also a gender inequality that hides even more
profoundly and has not come to attention yet. Ultimately, Navaria’s work tries to connect the
struggles of individuals under caste oppression with those under other kinds of oppression, which
connects with Du Bois and Ambedkar’s idea of global solidarity against oppression. Navaria’s
work also delves into specific stories of individuals to give a more sentimental and detailed look
at people under caste oppression. It offers a different view than Du Bois, Ambedkar, and Slate.
Sentences:
1. “To be born weak is a mistake, but to remain weak is a crime”
This sentence is Kaka’s manta, and it justifies the destiny caste places on individuals,
claiming that being born weak or Dalit is just a mistake and not a big deal, while Dalits not
resisting is actually what is terrible. This demonstrates how caste internalizes oppression and
manipulates the victims into continuing to comply by blaming themselves for the systemic
caste violence.
2. “Press the legs down hard, Kalu”
This was Kaka’s command to Kalu when he forced him to slaughter Pillo, the goat. This
symbolizes the caste’s inherited and ritualized brutality. The caste system originated from
promoting purity in the bloodline, but this promotion of purity sharply contrasts with the
bloody violence that was sanctified as tradition.
3. “Different color, sir!”
When the people at the gym remark and tell Kumar that his shoes are a different color, it
symbolizes how people’s identities are marked and reduced to items such as shoes, and who
they are does not matter. This criticism underscores how the modern world has repackaged
caste oppression into class exclusion, hiding the systemic hierarchies from caste oppression
and making them based on class differences, and how caste dehumanizes people's identity
into items and colors.
Vocabs:
Jai Bhim: This is a Dalit Buddhist slogan that honors B.R. Ambedkar. Kumar’s tattoo of this
slogan shows his pride in his identity and how he still challenges caste shame and oppression in
an elite environment.
Thakur: A dominant land-owning caste that is often connected with Rajput heritage. Kalu
contrasts Thakur with Dalits like himself and reveals the deep hypocrisy in the caste system:
upper casters are not “polluted” when doing similar actions Dalits do. This shows how the caste
system is entirely out of logic and promotes strict upper caste power.
Khatik: A Dalit sub-caste that is traditionally connected with animal slaughter and meal-selling.
Kalu’s family belongs to this community, and their hereditary occupation reflects the exploitation
of labor based on caste oppression. This word emphasizes how caste strictly degraded the work
of the marginalized groups and further made their socio-economic status marginalized.
