Kakka is heroic at the end because he successfully plants his newborn’s placenta in an anthill. Kakka’s persistence stems from the fact that his ancestors’ placentas are buried in this land. It is when Kalemma wishes to sell her share of the Madiga well that Agamaiah harasses her. Land is very much the foundation, or stage, of the novel. The symbolism is evocative– only excessive effort can help Kakka contend with his situation. He becomes larger than life by taking on the persona of Mahisasura, a character he has enacted in a play. At the same time, he has to fend off wolves who have come to the scene sniffing the placenta.
Two symbolic events occur almost at once-Kakka sees a snake about to prey upon baby birds, and attempts to be their savior. The plot reaches another crescendo when Lasmakka delivers a baby in a cart on the way to town. Kalemma has played her role in shaping and strengthening Kakka, and the story moves on. In the first, Kakka’s mother Kalemma is ex-communicated based on false allegations and just when her plight is just about to break the reader’s heart, the story turns-she is remarried and never shows up again in the novel. I see two climactic scenes in the book-Kalemma’s trial, and Kakka fending off wolves. Even a typical character like Patel evolves. But – and therein this book succeeds – there is no group singled out as villain.Ĭaste groups act against each other, but they also work together-a Dakkali person picks auspicious names for the Madigas, a Muslim suggests how a Madiga can become the village chief. In this hierarchy of caste and sub-caste, suffering is most intense at the bottom. Yes, of course, Kakka draws a picture of Madiga life under the oppressive thumb of history and continuing human exploitation. I contrast this with Arundhathi Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, a book so packed with authorial commentary that it is a struggle to read. Throughout the book, the author’s hand is light, and pathos emerges from plot development. In this note, I focus on the skill of the author. Kakka contains an informative Afterword by the translators, where they note that Kakka, which was first published in Telugu in 2000, is the first novel by a Dalit author from Telangana to be translated into English. If that is not accessible, Sai Priya Kodidala’s article in First Post is available online. Purushotam’s essay “ Evolution of Telugu Dalit Literature” published in Economic and Political Weekly, and which is available on JStor. If readers wish to gain a perspective on Telugu Dalit literature, they may read K. They are not meant to be comprehensive, nor like a review (with a summary, explanation of the significance of the book, and a critique).