K.K. Kochu's life and work, as both a writer and social activist, challengesdominant narratives-of the Congress as well as the Communists-thatexclude the Dalit experience. Among his most significant works, hisautobiography is not merely a gritty story of the life of an individual, but ahistory of modern Kerala written from a subaltern perspective.Growing up in a village called Madhuraveli in a flood-prone region ofKottayam district, fishing in the clear waters of nearby canals and eatingwild fruit, Kochu was also a promising student, reading everything hecould lay his hands on. The boy, troubled by the unquestioning submissionto their Namboodiri landowners, distinguished himself by his curiosity, keenly observing the present and preserving in his young mind precious oralhistories of Pulaya life. His thirst for knowledge would sustain him throughthe endless years of tragedy for the family and periods of unemployment, butalso lead him to study-and work towards ending-the marginalization ofthe lower-castes and the erasure of their contributions to society. Starting outas a Naxalite in college, he would go on to form a Communist Youth Front, sympathetic though not affiliated to them. Working with leading figures in thecultural and political space, as well as many that rarely find mention in writtenhistories, he would move from a Maoist to a self-consciously Ambedkaritepath of anti-caste struggle, a perspective that would guide him in subsequentefforts to build unity among Dalits, Adivasis and minority groups.By combining a view from below of raw life with an account of thebroader socio-cultural, economic and intellectual trajectories in Kerala, Dalithan stands out as a unique contribution to Dalit life-writing inMalayalam, available for the first time to an English readership in a brilliantand faithful translation.
