Government Brahmana

Government Brahmana is the English translation of the Kannada autobiography iof Aravind Malagati. The autobiographical narrative is in the form of a series of episodes from the author's childhookd and youth. These episodes function as what G.N. Devy calls "epiphanic moments" in a caste society. The author reflects on specific instances from his childhood and student days that illustrate the normative cruelty practised by caste Hindu society on dalits.
About Author :
Aravind Malagatti's Government Brahmana is the first Dalit autobiography published in Kanada. It received the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award. A well-known Kannada writer, Aravind Malagatti has written and published prose, poetry and criticism. He is also a folklore scholar. He has founded Dalit organisations and has been an activist in the Dalit movement. He is now Professor of Kannada, Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies, Mysore University. Dharani Devi Malagati is a writer and critic. She received the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award for her poetry in the year 2004.
Contents :
Acknowledgements Translator's Preface With you reader.. before you read Coins on the corpse and the wedding feast Tomorrow's turn for sweeping: Mala Katti The she-buffalo on heat and the he-buffalo after her The black cat did not turn white Dead sheep and meat heaps The Story of the stolen cotton An Eastman colour movie called Okuli Glory of janivaara and shivadaara Whne Handya's hose was slashed My colony, my study The government brahmanas devotion to Lord Raghavendra The incident of being a fake brahmin My ex-beloved Some girls who flirt with the future My debut at the boozer's table, and revolt, brahminism, etc. Coffee over a cup of tea Marxism and the plate after the meal The Plaintain leaf that keeps pestering me And so I became an expert barber My father's teaching job and the fifteenth of August Before the end... Afterword by Tharakeshwar V.B. Glossary