My two favorite modern authors who have written about India are Rushdie and Vassanji, but neither of them have gone where Sheila James novel Outcaste takes us, focusing on the lowest in India’s caste hierarchy – Dalits. An absolutely gripping narrative and a page turner, I enjoyed it from beginning to end.
James beautifully unravels the multi-generational plot, one secret after another pointing to the stifling reality of Indian caste system.
Outcaste Malika and blind Vijay’s love story intertwined with protagonist Irwin Rayappa’s tragedy reminds one of Thomas Hardy’s larger than life protagonists. But more than that it is the post-Partition history of the oppressed, this time about Dalits of Andhra Pradesh in South India. A gem of a novel.
Balwant Bhaneja is author, Troubled Pilgrimage: A Passage to Pakistan
Balwant Bhaneja was born in Lahore and left India in 1965 for Canada. The author of five books, he has written widely on politics, science and arts. His recent works include a collaboration with Indian playwright Vijay Tendulkar, entitled Two Plays: The Cyclist and His Fifth Woman (2006) published by Oxford University Press (India), and Quest for Gandhi: A Nonkilling Journey(2011) published by the Center of Global Nonkilling, Honolulu, Hawaii. Bhaneja’s short fiction has appeared in South Asian periodicals and his plays have been produced by the BBC World Service and Toronto’s Maya Theatre at Harbourfront. He lives in Ottawa.