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Abstract
Literature gives a concrete shape to each and every aspect of society, be it positive or negative and its relation with human beings. With the change of time and rapid advancement of education, science and technology, the progress of society can be easily perceived but still there are some disadvantages present in society that hold it back from the path of progress. Having a responsibility to educate the masses, literature brings light to such social disadvantages and their impact on human life and creates a ground for fair judgement. Marginality is one such predominant issue in society that becomes a major hindrance in the path of progress and development of community, society and the whole nation. Marginal literature has gained much prominence worldwide. In Indian literature of marginality, Dalit literature comes to the forefront. Dalit literature emerges as a new genre to portray how Dalits have always been subjected to suppression, oppression, discrimination and marginalization at the hands of the so-called upper caste since ages. The Dalit writers through their narratives and life stories always try to portray how it feels to be a Dalit in a social set-up where they constantly struggle to live a free and dignified life in society. Bama’s Karukku is the first Dalit autobiography by a woman. The paper attempts to study the kind of atrocities and prejudice Bama and her community face due to their Dalit identity and how Bama struggles to become free from the clutches of such caste oppression. Bama’s voice is the collective voice of the whole Dalit community against the subjugation and marginalisation they face in society.