CH 08-Memories of Childhood - We Too Are Human Beings...

CH -08 VISTAS
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD
PART II -
WE TOO ARE HUMAN BEINGS
BY
BAMA
PREPARED BY JINU HARIKESH PAVITHRAN. PGT ENG,KV DRDO ,B’LURU
• look at the early life of the author and her works.
• explore the autobiographical elements of the story
• Develop an awareness about the social context of
the story .
• reflect on the theme of caste based oppression
• Think about viable solutions to eradicating
discrimination.
• reflect, assess and draw conclusions based on
understanding of the text and theme.
BAMA FAUSTINA SOOSAIRAJ
• Born : 1958
• Full name : Faustina Mary Fatima Rani
• Pen name : Bama
• Religion : Roman Catholic
• Mother Tongue : Tamil
• Rise to fame : Her autobiographical novel Karukku (1992)
• She is a feminist, teacher and writer.
• Her other works: 2 Novels, Sangati (1994) and Vanmam (2002)
along with two collections of short
stories: Kusumbukkaran (1996) and Oru Tattvum
Erumaiyum (2003).
• Bama's novels focus on caste and gender discrimination. She
propagates Dalit feminism through her writings.
Excerpt from an interview - National herald [30 Jan 2018 ]
Written in 1992, Karukku is the first autobiography written by a Dalit woman in
Tamil.
Talking about her experience and her journey she said , “after seven years of living
in the convent, on November 8, 1992, I left behind my life of renunciation and
came out into the world. After that, I wrote the book, Karukku. That book was
written as a means of healing my inward wounds; I had no other motive. Yes, it
had unexpected results. It influenced people in many different ways. Karukku
made me realise how potent a book can be. My parents read it. They understood
me a little more. My friends read it. They praised it because it was a new kind of
writing. People from my village read it. Although they were hostile at first, they
realised that it was necessary. They rejoiced and encouraged me. Many Dalits
read it and said it gave them strength. Literary critics read it and analysed it,
asking each other how to categorise it. They decided, finally, that it was a new
genre in Tamil literature. Many praised it, many scorned it. After all of this, the
noise has died down…”
• Source :
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/first-person/karukku-was-my-healing-bam
BAMA FAUSTINA SOOSAIRAJ - KARUKKU
• ‘We too are human beings’ is an excerpt taken from ‘Karukku’.
‘Karukku’ means ‘Palmyra’ leaves, which with their serrated
edges on both sides, are like double-edged swords. By a
felicitous pun, the Tamil word ‘Karukku’, containing the word
‘karu’, embryo or seed, also means freshness, newness.
• The book deals with the caste and gender based oppression
that she faced. Bama, even after her conversion to Christianity,
found same kind of discrimination inside the Church also. She
wrote this autobiography to recover from the betrayal of the
institution she’d expected support from, and as a form of self-
reflection.
• Caste and religion has been presented as a double-edged
sword that keeps people enslaved. In Bama’s opinion education
is the only key that can lay any door open for a dalit.
THEME – CASTE BASED DISCRIMINATION &
EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL
CHANGE
• India’s caste system is deep rooted and very difficult to
abolish with law. Bama realised the stigma of the caste she
was born into at a very young age and she boldly retaliated
through the power of her writing. Through her strong will
power she demonstrated great deal of resistance against
age-old discrimination and exploitation.
• Despite constitutional provisions discrimination based on
caste ,religion, race, gender prevails in society because
ignorance, taboo, tradition and other societal
factors .Education helps in creating awareness and breaking
these age old customs and traditions that have
marginalized certain sections of society in the name of
caste, colour, race and religion. Education helps people
voice their opinion and stand up against injustice and
oppression and this message was taught to her by her
brother in the extract.
We too are human beings…chapter overview
• The writer takes us on a sensory journey of her village with her vivid
description of the sights, sound and activities that she observes
while returning back from school. Bama has portrayed the small
pleasures in a child’s life at watching a performing monkey or the
cyclist who had not stepped off the bike for three days ,the temple
rituals and the shops selling snacks, dry fish , seasonal fruits and
vegetables. The description not only gives us an insight into the
rural economy and life in general in her village but also highlights
the fact that she and members of her community were no different
from any other human being.
Types of imagery: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory,

tactile, kinesthetic and organic. These deal with
the five senses, which all work together to help us
create mental images of whatever we are reading.
We too are human beings…chapter overview
• Bama’s first exposure to caste discrimination was when she
sees an elderly person from her community holding out a
packet of eatables by its string, without touching it. She found
the incident amusing but when her brother explained the
reason for the old man’s mannerism she felt provoked and
angry at the callousness of the rich landlord and the
discriminatory caste system .
• As she grew older she started observing the caste based social
isolation. The landlord’s man asking her brother for their
father’s name or the street they lived in to know their caste
strengthened her resolve to fight the oppression.
• Early on in life she understood that education was the only way
to fight oppression and discrimination and live a life of dignity
and respect.
Both Bama and Zitkala Sa belonged to marginalized communities and
faced racial, caste and gender based discrimination. Like Bama’s
brother said education was the only to way to make progress and
throw away the indignity of a repressive caste system. Both Zitkala
and Bama realized the power of education in fighting oppression and
securing rights for their communities. Their pen was their weapon for
social reform.
Listen to the television interview -
Writing & Feminism | Bama in
conversation with Githa Hariharan by
following the link to get a first hand
account of her struggle, her struggle ,life
after Karukku was first published and
her journey thereafter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnqfyazZLsY&t=25s
Q1. Education is a human right, a public good and a
public responsibility. On the occasion of the
National Education Day [ 11 November ] your
school is holding a seminar on the topic
“Education for Social Change .” Draft a poster to
create awareness about the cause and the event
in about 50 words. Invent all necessary details.
A good poster must include the ‘Topic’ ,the issuing

authority , at least 1 slogan to convey the message .
Use only short phrases , illustrations are optional but at
least 3 points to answer the questions – why? /How?,
When? & Where? [in case of events]
Q2. In slide 12 you will see four quotes by four different
people on Equality .
a) “If you hate difference, you’ll be bored to death.” – TOBA BETA
b) “Race, gender, religion, sexuality, we are all people and that’s it.” – CONNOR FRANTA
c) “Everybody is a book of blood, wherever we’re opened we’re red.” – CLIVE BARKER
d) “We are equal in the fact that we’re all different .”- C JOYBELL
Ponder over the quotes, and choose one quote that best describes
your views on EQUALITY . Write a speech on your chosen topic in
about 150-200 words ,to be delivered in the morning assembly.
https://www.write-out-loud.com/howtowritespeech.html
Follow the above link for tips on how to write a good speech
Q3. Compare the life stories of Zitkala-Sa and Bama.
How did each woman work to legitimize her culture
and resist xenophobic [ chauvinistic] policies and belief
systems? [150 words]
Q4. Memories of childhood throws light on the issues of

caste based and racial discrimination. List out the
different kinds of discrimination that you have
experienced or have read or seen . 70 years of
independence and constitutional provisions have
failed to secure the marginalized segments of society.
Highlight the role of youth as agents of social change
and suggest at least two possible solutions to weed
out this evil plaguing humanity.
Source & useful links
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bama_(writer)
• https://brightdrops.com/equality-quotes
• https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/news/a-new-bill-against-dis
crimination-lists-common-forms-check-out-if-you-know-of-citizens
-subjected-to-discrimination
• https://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/discrimination/di
scrimination/types-of-discrimination

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CH -08 VISTAS

Types of imagery: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory,

A good poster must include the ‘Topic’ ,the issuing

Q4. Memories of childhood throws light on the issues of

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