ETHIRU

"Ethiru" by M.Kunjamman offers a profound academic exploration of the economic injustices meted out to the sub-altern, dalit and adivasis in the society. Written in a scholarly language, his writings unearth the deep seated casteist intrusions of a highly polarised society into the personal development of an individual who belonged to a dalit community. The book begins with an anecdote about a day when kunjamman was served porridge on soil and how the landlord's dog too wrestled with him for the same porridge. Little Kunjamman doesn’t give up. He accepts his struggle as the struggle between two dogs!

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Though written with a personal touch, the book is not just throwing light upon kunjamman's life. It is a deduction of his academic experiences, scholarly research and interaction with his community. He clearly manifests the struggle for land rights and land ownership of the adivasis and the dalits and sarcastically criticizes the left ideologies for their lack of empathy for the downtroddens. He breaks light to the fact that only the rich and the upper caste get seated in the top rungs of the political parties irrespective of whether it is politburo or the planning board and it is their decisions that get manifested into actions. 

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Kunjamman envisions the adivasis and dalits to become a property owning democracy and advocates them to shape their life to par with a capitalist society. Sometimes found as an utopian idea, but his academic expertise as a Professor of Economics and his indepth know-how give way to the thought that only wealth can save man from the clutches of caste or religion. "Ethiru" is indeed the fight of Kunjamman. An intelligent piece of work