Abstract
In the Hindi belt, Dalit literature has taken full shape in the post-Ambedkarite and post-Mandal Commission moments, making this literature layered with the understanding of caste, caste politics and its subtleties, with the central question revolving around the issue of realism. The genre of Dalit fiction transcends the societal and literary boundaries that are guided by hegemonic forces and lifts the cloak of invisibility from the ‘other’. It has the potential to disrupt the dichotomy between the centre and the periphery. By undertaking a critical study of Omprakash Valmiki’s anthology Amma and Other Stories, published in 2008, this article is an attempt to locate the creative and liberating power of Dalit fiction that is seamlessly interwoven with reality. Primarily placed in the rural and urban areas of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Valmiki’s writing situates the Dalit reality directly in front of the readers, all the while challenging the representation and prominent discourse of the Hindi literary tradition. It is in the context of realism that this article focuses on the new kind of realism brought in by Dalit fiction and the revolutionary inversion undertaken by it, which subverts and dismantles the hegemonic traditions of society and literature.
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