Bound with Two Wounds: A Dalit Woman’s Fight Against Caste and Church in Postcolonial India

This paper examines Bama's Karukku, which is a foundational text in Dalit literature, with a focus on the reciprocation of caste oppression and Christian colonialism in postcolonial India. It analyzes Bama's personal story to investigate how the caste system, supported by colonial structures, continues to marginalize Dalits even in the post independent India. It explores the simultaneity of oppression for Dalits who often are, especially Dalit women, subject to oppression in both society and the church. Additionally, this paper examines Bama's act of resistance through education and story telling, demonstrating how her choice to leave the convent and subsequently to speak is about taking back identity and fighting against systemic injustice. This combination of postcolonial analysis around caste and religion, contributes to new ways of thinking about how colonial legacies continue to persist in contemporary India and shines light on personal storytelling as an act of social change.