Post Colonial literature- Assignment

MADNESS - C. Ayyappan

Author - C. Ayyappan
C. Ayyappan (1949-2011) was a Dalit short story writer who did not get the recognition he deserved
during his lifetime. Although he has only two anthologies to his credit - Uchchayurakkathile Swapnangal and
Njandukal - the distinctly different narrative style each story is cast in, and the unique perspective each
exhibits speak volumes for Ayyappan's views about life and serious commitment to literature. Realism was
not a style he favoured because it was not equipped to convey the distinctive vision he wanted to project.
Ghost-speak, madman's ramblings and mutterings, bizarre dreams and Dalit lingo enter his stories because
only these media, in Ayyappan's reckoning, had the power to convey a subaltern's point of view that is
diametrically opposed to the worldview of mainstream society.

The short story "Madness" is a satirical and sarcastic remark on the discrimination that exists within
the Dalit community. It depicts the dichotomy between the fair and the coloured, the rich and the poor
despite the blood relationship that ties them. The protagonist Krishnan is so caught up in the high tide of
richness and colour consciousness that he forgets his filial bond in his attempt to maintain the status he has
achieved as an urbanite.He becomes a representative of the modern man who ignores his folks owing to
their unglamorous looks and plebian ways of living. He becomes a representative of the modem man who
ignores his folks owing to their unglamorous looks and plebian ways of living. The short story, which takes the
shape of Krishnan defending his unfair treatment of his family, raises satirical questions about racial
discrimination, poverty, and other injustices experienced hy marginalized groups in society. Krishnan is the
central character of the story. His justification of a mistake made by him is scattered all through the story.
When they are combined together, we get a complete picture. The story is a monologue because Krishnan
alone speaks as if he's speaking to someone.

Summary

Here Krishnan speaks as if the man, his childhood friend, neighbour and member of the Panchayat is
listening to him. The incident took place two days ago, Krishnan's childhood friend and neighbour and others
dropped in at his staff quarters.It was for his help to get his sister admitted to the nearest mental asylum. But
Krishnakutty said that the people who ran from pillar to post, pooling money and turning up there, car and all
had gone mad. When his friend pointed to his sister in the car, screaming for her chains to be unshackled,
Krishnan says he does not see a thing. Even though it was sheer savagery, but after thinking for a while he felt
like congratualing himself. Because If he had gone with them, the residents would have known it. If not
anyone else, the writer, the one who always lifts whole chunks from award-winning works into his own
stories is sure to sniff it out. But when the news gets around, several of the quarters residents would gather
at the hospital. They are sure to notice the sharp difference between him and his family and friends. Forget
the mad woman; the problem is with who tend to it. (after seeing bad dress). They would say, "Krishnan may
have become a teacher by chance, but the kith and kin are still low-caste. If he puts up with it, there is
another problem. If his sister is admitted in the hospital, his wife ought to visit her. But she hates his
relatives. Her predicament is natural since her appearance does not suggest she is a low-caste. Still he can
manage to take her to the hospital somehow,

But there is another problem with no escape. Krishnan's daughter is a peculiar character and she is a perfect
miniature of her mother. Long ago Krishnan's mother came to see her with a small parcel of pappadavadas
when she was six years old. But she refused to go near her grandmother and fled to a friend's quarters
slamming the door shut. She came back after her grandmother had left. Krishnan's mother was also partly to
blame. She could Have worn a cleaner, whiter mundu-blouse. Krishnan's daughter is not familiar with Black
colour and all her friends are white.

Krishnan's wife's understanding of the world is poor as she born of well-employed, fairly well-off parent and
so as his daughter.The only dark-skinned and shabbily clad people she has seen are Tamil coolies and beggars.
It is krishnan's bad luck that his people happen to share the colour of their skin .If the friend cannot
understand his helplessness, his is a hardened heart. If Krishnan takes charge of his sister, his wife and
daughter will quarrel .Even if he puts up with it, it is of no avail. How will he escape the jeers of his associates
who always see him through scorn-tinted lenses (parihasan). To be recognized in public as the brother of the
one who was admitted to the mental hospital by the many kindnesses of the townfolk was more than his
inferiority complex could bear

So there is nothing wrong in what he has done. But there is one more question.Is it not his duty to see his ill
sister? Visiting a patient by dear ones is a good thingBut he does not do it because he is hard-hearted. His
sister cannot recognize him. So, there is no point in meeting her. This shows he has some brain. He said this
because his friends asked him as he looked at his screaming sister in the car and claimed he did not see a
thing: "Krishnakutty, have you gone mad as well?" After Krishnan explained all these, the friend could have
understood that he was not mad.

Analysis

Despite his lower-caste, Krishnan having fair skin and a good job, was a rich man living among the upper
middle class people. He slams the door shut when his friends bring his sister to admit in the mental hospital.
He despises his relatives, neighbours and friends after becoming an employee, a rich man and urtsanite. Even
he shows the same attitude towards his mother. His wife and daughter are no different. They cannot accept
black colour and dirty clothes. Yet he may have a regret lurking within him. (ennalum ayalde akathe oru
kutta bhodham oliche kidakkunnandayerikum.) May be That is the reason why he finds a justification as if he
is talking to the friend who brought his sister.We can see in this story how money and social status change a
person. Here you can raise a question about dalit and postcolonial. Dalit literature in the colonial and
post-colonial period came to prominence in 1873 with the publication of Jyotirao Phule's Gulamgiri, which
depicted the plight of the Untouchables in India. Dalit literature and postcolonial literature share common
themes and concerns.Dalit literature is often considered a subset or a part of postcolonial literature due to its
thematic and historical connections with the broader postcolonial discourse.

Dalit literature in India, particularly in the context of the caste system, emerged as a response to centuries of
social and economic oppression. The caste system can be seen as a form of internal colonization, where
certain communities were subjugated by others.Also the struggle against caste-based discrimination and the
assertion of Dalit identity occurred in the postcolonial period, following India's independence from British
rule in 1947. The historical context of postcolonialism is crucial in understanding the genesis of Dalit
literature. Both postcolonial literature and Dalit literature explore themes of oppression, discrimination, and
resistance. While postcolonial literature addresses the impact of colonial rule on colonized societies, Dalit
literature focuses on the struggles of Dalits against the caste system and social hierarchies.Also Dalit
literature, like postcolonial literature, often engages with intersectionality - examining how various forms of
oppression (caste, class, gender) intersect and shape individuals experiences.While translating the story of C.
Ayyapan, one may not come across linguistic barriers as we normally expect of Dalit literature in Malayalam.
No difference in the language use could be seen in the works of C. Ayyapan especially in Braanthu, taken
from his collection, Njandukal. His Njandukal and Uchamayakkathile Swapnangal were turning points in the
Malayalam Dalit Writings. Dalit literature was enriched with sentences, usages and styles exclusive to that
particular class. However hese are disappearing in Malayalam dalit literature as we note in the stories of C.
Ayyappan. Compared to the earlier Dalit writings, the contemporary writings are devoid of images and slangs
of dalit language. In all dalit works we can perceive experiences rather than illusion. As in the story, the
protagonist experiences agony, despair and helplessness. The story can be considered as a psychological
journey through the mind of the protagonist who is symbolic of a victim of identity crisis.

Themes

●​ About the predicament of Dalit community