Speak, Memory: Oral Histories of Kodaikanal Dalits

Speak, Memory. Oral Histories of Kodaikanal Dalits is the outcome of a research based on Dalit oral narratives, to record and to understand their interpretation of their own pasts. To reveal the richness and complexity of this through the words and rhythms of Cakkiliyar (a dalits/ex-untouchables community of Tamil Nadu) testimonies is the formative concern for this book. Through the history and the stories of two cakkiliyar settlements (ceri) in South India (Kodaikanal Hills), it seeks to understand, historically, the phenomenon of untouchability as it was experienced, internalised and articulated by Dalits. By shedding light on ceris’ life in the past and opening a window on to the present, this study attempts to enhance our understanding of the dynamics of social change amongst Dalits at the village level. Hence, it aims to provide a biography of these localities. Testimonies and the memories they involve enable us to delve into the perceptions of the past and the different ways of speaking about it, within the same community.