Outcaste in Vidarbha to scientist in Wisconsin

In The Tiger’s Shadow: The Autobiography Of An Ambedkarite
Namdeo Nimgade
Navayana
288 pages
Rs350

Imagine a boy born in a Dalit family of bonded labourers in the hinterlands of Vidarbha in the 1920s. Imagine him getting into the customary work of grazing cattle at the age of six, accidentally landing up at a distant village school at the late age of 14, taking his lessons sitting outside the class and enduring all conceivable odds due to his ‘untouchable’ caste status, eventually going to the US, and earning a doctoral degree in soil sciences from the university of Wisconsin.

This book is the story of that boy, Namdeo Nimgade, told by himself, in such an earthy and jovial manner that you want to read this book of nearly 300 pages in one go.

As a Dalit autobiography, it naturally transcends the personal narrative of the author’s life story and seamlessly entwines with that of Dalits following their legendary leader Babasaheb Ambedkar, with whom Nimgade had a long acquaintance

Dalit autobiography is essentially a new genre of literature created by the first generation of Dalits in the turbulent times of the late 1960s, when they had begun to come out of universities with a rolled up degree in their hand and a blank wall as their future.

Within a decade of Dr Ambedkar’s demise, their movement appeared to crumble: their leaders deserted it and joined enemy camps, their people faced more and more atrocities, and all the constitutional promises made to them were being made a mockery of.

Inspired by the movements of Blacks in the US, their protest found expression in a body of work that is today read as Dalit literature.

Although writers like Baburao Bagul, Bandhu Madhav, Shankarao Kharat, and Annabhau Sathe were already writing about the lives of Dalits, Dalit literature acquired its unique identity only later, following the formation of Dalit Panthers. Poems, short stories, novels and autobiographies written by Dalit writers projected the perspective that ‘Dalit is dignified’ (rather like ‘Black is beautiful’), rejecting the sub-human status imposed on them by the Hindu social order.

Autobiography, as a matter of fact, came a decade later, after the initial barrage of poems and short stories. Dalit writers, like the black writers from Frederick Douglass to Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver, narrated their life stories focused on the painful histories of Dalit selfhood.

Baluta of Daya Pawar and Athavaniche Pakshi of PE Sonkamble were one of the first autobiographies published in 1978. They created waves and was soon followed by a spate of autobiographies during the 1980s: Lakshman Mane’s Upara (1980), Shankarrao Kharat’s Taral Antaral (1981), and Baby Kamble’s Jine Amuche (1986), just to name a few.

As in the case of Black autobiographies, they immediately caught the fancy of readers because of their bizarre and voyeuristic value.

They were soon picked up for translation into other languages, including the foreign ones. They overtook the market for other forms, bringing corresponding name, fame and even pecuniary benefits to their authors.

Though these autobiographies projected the subjectivity of their writers, they simultaneously portrayed the collective Dalit self as well.

As Stephen Butterfield writes of African-American autobiographies, “the self belongs to the people, and the people find a voice in the self.” Subjectivity in these autobiographies is thus complicated by the deep connection between the individual self and the communal self.

Nimgade’s book is no exception. His narrative, comic at the surface, has a strong undercurrent of anguish and pain inflicted by the caste system. Compared to most Dalit autobiographies written by seemingly successful people that subtly celebrate personal achievements, Nimgade’s narrative never strays from its undertone of humility.

Yet his achievements are not small when compared with that of theirs. After Ambedkar, he is perhaps the first Dalit to have obtained a doctorate from an American university, and that too in physical science. But he humbly puts it all down to inspiration from Dr Ambedkar.

While others inspire awe in common Dalit masses by playing up their accomplishments, Nimgade seeks to assure them that if they persevere, they too can overcome the odds and reach their goals.

This book, therefore, can serve as a real inspiration to millions of aspiring Dalit youth.

Thus, apart from being different from other such autobiographies, Nimgade’s narrative also contains a unique treasure in the form of his reminiscences of Dr Ambedkar. Besides numerous references, one entire section (out of six) of the book is devoted to Dr Ambedkar. It provides valuable insights into the persona of the great man.

Dr Ambedkar makes several appearances in Nimgade’s story, apart from being his mentor, and eventually inspires him to mentor and help poor students all his life.

Like all other Dalit autobiographies, this book was also originally written in the language of the writer, Marathi, and was titled Dhulitun Dhyeyakade (From dust to destiny). Indeed, it was an amazing leap, for Namdeo of Sathgaon to become Dr Nimgade. Unlike other Dalits who have penned their memoirs, Nimgade is not known to be a writer.

But with the support of his close friends and relations, he has done a good job of it. The Marathi book was translated into Hindi by him and his wife on public demand. This English translation, also done by him with editorial help from others, is almost as good as the original in its expression and readability.

It must be read not only by all those who want to understand the Dalit universe but also by those who enjoy a good Indian book in English.

Anand Teltumbde is a writer and a civil rights activist.