‘Literature gives voice to oppressed, marginalised’
Amritsar, August 26
Laying emphasis on documenting and archiving oral histories, especially the stories of the marginalised through literature, editor, author and educationist, Dr Ishmeet Kaur Chaudhary, Professor, Central University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat urged young aspiring historian, researchers and writers to use their pen to give voices to the struggles of those who were forgotten.
Delivering a special lecture on the subject of Literature of the Margins, Dr Chaudhary, who is the editor of Black November – Writings on Anti-Sikh Massacres of 1984 and Aftermath and Co-editor Violence, Subversion and Recovery: Women Writers from The Subcontinent and Around, said representing the existential concerns of marginalised sections is the main concern of literature.
“The issue of identity is very important in the marginalized classes, whether they are on the basis of caste/class, gender, community or religion, and their mental pain of these marginalized classes has been expressed through literature. Like the concept of touching marginalized sections of the society through a short film or a book or an oral history document. This concept of marginalisation is so complex that it turns into a social cycle, where one marginalised class further outcasts or discriminates another section and this goes on,” she said. She said that it is through literary works that we can begin to understand these concepts with subtle intelligence and sensitivity.
Another speaker at the session was Punjabi novelist, Dr Manmohan Singh (IPS), who has recently been awarded Professor of Eminence, at Guru Nanak Dev University. In his words, caste discrimination in its various forms has been continuously active in our society, despite the progress made over the time. “In the present day, it is getting complex and subtle, disguised in various gestures or acts, “he said.
The Sahitya Akademi Award winning novelist also spoke about how it is important for literature to archive the history of oppression faced by the marginalised.
