Plain Speaking : A Sudra's Story

BOOKS: New book - "Plain Speaking: A Sudra's Story"
Uttara Natarajan, a senior lecturer at Goldsmiths College, University of London has edited a new book that sheds light on the struggles for equality among the lower castes in southern India. The book, "Plain Speaking: A Sudra’s Story - Memoirs and Lectures of A.N. Sattanathan (1905-1990)," is described thus:
Sattanathan’s autobiographical fragment is a unique record of non-Brahmin low-caste life in rural South India, where the presence of poverty and caste prejudice is the more powerful for being understated. As the experience – sparsely and beautifully rendered – of the low-caste but not stereotypically ‘untouchable’ villager, it is, quite simply, revelatory, and will make an impact as such on the English-educated reader, to whom that experience has been so far unavailable.
See below for the publicist's contact for review copy and interview info. Tell 'em SAJA sent you. Post your reax in the comments section.
[Press release]PR contact: Kartik S. Natarajan, 860-561-2971, kartik.natarajan@gmail.com.
Plain Speaking: A Sudra’s Story Memoirs and Lectures of A.N. Sattanathan (1905-1990)edited by Uttara NatarajanDelhi, Permanent Black, 2007, x, 238 p., ISBN 81-7824-181-1.
The book
The memoirs and lectures of A.N. Sattanathan (1905-1990), presented here in a fully annotated edition, with a critical introduction, constitute a key literary-historical document of the caste struggle. Sattanathan’s autobiographical fragment is a unique record of non-Brahmin low-caste life in rural South India, where the presence of poverty and caste prejudice is the more powerful for being understated. As the experience – sparsely and beautifully rendered – of the low-caste but not stereotypically ‘untouchable’ villager, it is, quite simply, revelatory, and will make an impact as such on the English-educated reader, to whom that experience has been so far unavailable. In a complementary narrative, Sattanathan's lectures – on ‘The Rise and Spread of the Non-Brahmin Movement’ as ‘the most outstanding event in South Indian History in the twentieth century’ – offer a lucid summary of the cultural and historical conditions that find more personal and immediate expression in the memoirs.
The receptionPlain Speaking was launched at the British Council in Chennai on 5 January 2007. The launch was attended by the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Dr. M. Karunanidhi, and the Union Minister, Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar. In the Deccan Chronicle (29-12-06), Dr. Karunanidhi commented, ‘Of all the books I read this year, what touched my heart the most was A.N. Sattanathan’s Plain Speaking: A Sudra's Story […]The author has vividly brought out all the pains and realities of being born a Sudra in a caste-dominated rural Tamil Nadu. The book moved me very much.’ Other responses have been equally laudatory: ‘Plain Speaking is the powerful, moving account of one man’s struggle for a better life and a more equal society’ (Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta in The Indian Express, 14-1=07); ‘This is one of the most moving and riveting books I have read in recent times’ (Sushila Ravindranath in New Indian Express on Sunday, 21-1-07); ‘its spartan prose […] is free of rancour […] his “aham” (interior/mindscape) and his “puram” (exterior/political space) constantly exchange places to bring out the living conditions of the majority of the people during the larger part of the last millennium’ (A.S. Paneerselvan in The Hindu, 6-2-07).
The authorA.N. Sattanathan had a distinguished career in the all-India services. He was Collector of Customs and Central Excise, Calcutta, and in later life wrote and published widely on politics and economics in India. In 1969 he was appointed Chairman of the first Tamilnadu Backward Classes Commission and made a lasting impact on the state's policy of affirmative action towards lower castes
The editorUttara Natarajan is Senior Lecturer in English at Goldsmiths College, University of London, where she teaches and researches in nineteenth-century English literature. Her publications include Hazlitt and the Reach of Sense (Oxford University Press, 1998) and The Romantic Poets: A Guide to Criticism (Blackwell, 2007). Uttara expects to visit the United States in the summer of 2007. She can be contacted at u.natarajan@gold.ac.uk.
Availability; PRPR contact: Kartik S. Natarajan, 860-561-2971, kartik.natarajan@gmail.com.
The book is available in all of the leading bookshops in India, and can also be ordered from a number of online booksellers, including http://www.vedamsbooks.com/, http://www.bagchee.com/ http://www.aggarwaloverseas.com/, http://www.bibliaimpex.com/.
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Comments

I have not read "Plain Speaking," but from the synopsis given above, I think Deepa Mehta may want to turn this book into another heartrending movie. Stories of struggles of a mass group of people should not be forgotten, especially since the caste system still prevails in India. When we expose the weaknesses of a society, we are ready to have discussions on the subject until we finally come up with answers to solve deep societal problems. Sometimes we forget, rich or poor, in God's eyes we are all equal.
For example, I have appealed to the Sindhis (my community) worldwide to eliminate the medieval "dowry system" because it brings with it a lot of evils, and have also suggested that they lift the status of women and ensure they are well educated.
That does not mean these social issues will be resolved overnight, but at least we will have brought more awareness to them, and not have swept them under the rug.
Jaya Kamlani
Posted by: Jaya Kamlani February 12, 2007 at 01:20 PM
Reflecting on my last comment, I wanted to accurately quote what I had learned/recall from my convent school days in Bombay: “Rich or poor, great or small, in the eyes of the Lord we are all equal.”
In other words, the Sudras should be treated with as much respect and human dignity as we afford the upper caste. That can never happen you may say. Yet, what we desperately need in India are human rights and social reforms. If not, in time we will see social chaos. I believe India is going through its "Great Gatsby" days now: the rich are making all the hay, while the poor and the low-caste are forgotten. I feel strongly about this issue, more so today, since I recently visited the Carter Center in Atlanta. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter have spent tireless years in promoting human rights all over the world.
Jaya Kamlani
Posted by: Jaya Kamlani February 12, 2007 at 02:16 PM
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Plain Speaking : A Sudra's Story/A.N. Sattanathan. Edited by Uttara Natarajan. Delhi, Permanent Black, 2007, x, 238 p., $22. ISBN 81-7824-181-1.
Contents: Acknowledgements. Introduction. I. An exercise in biography (1958): 1. A house of women. 2. My father. 3. Experiments with schools. 4. A school escapade. 5. Three years in English school. 6. Change of name and school. 7. A year without school. 8. Two years in high school. 9. I feel my way. 10. I graduate. 11. Searching for employment: Madura. 12. Some more job-hunting: history repeats itself in Trichy. II. The Dravidian Movement in Tamil Nadu and its legacy (1981) : Three lectures delivered at the University of Madras: Preface. Lectures: i. The Dravidian Movement in Tamil Nadu and its emergence as a political force. ii. The Varying political phases of the Dravidian Movement. 3. Castes as pressure groups. Explanatory notes.
"The memoirs and lectures of A.N. Sattanathan (1905-1991), presented here in a fully annotated edition, with a critical introduction, constitute a key literary-historical document of the caste struggle. Sattanathan's autobiographical fragment is a unique record of non-Brahmin low-caste life in rural South India, where the presence of poverty and caste prejudice is the more powerful for being understated.
As the experience--sparsely and beautifully rendered--of the low-caste but not stereotypically 'untouchable' villager, it is, quite simply, revelatory, and will make an impact as such on the English-educated reader, to whom that experience has been so far unavailable.
In a complementary narrative, Sattnathan's lectures--on 'The Rise and Spread of the Non-Brahmin Movement' as 'The most outstanding event in South Indian History in the twentieth century'--offer a lucid summary of the cultural and historical conditions that find more personal and immediate expression in the memoirs." (jacket)
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Death Ends Fun
I'm not leftist, I'm not rightist, I'm a typist
January 04, 2007

Plain Speaking
And here I am, back again where I was born: Chennai where sari-clad ladies look down fetchingly from billboards, for the formal release of Plain Speaking: A Sudra's Story (Permanent Black, 2007). The book is by my grandfather, A.N. Sattanathan, and was edited and annotated by my cousin, Uttara Natarajan. The release (scroll down to second item) is at the British Council in Chennai, 6pm on Friday January 5. Maybe you'll be there too.
11:53 PM permalink
Comments:
On January 05, 2007 12:36 AM, Rahul wrote: Doubt I can make it, but I'll certainly look out for the book, or order it online. Next time you're in town we should meet, or maybe I'll show up in Mumbai before that...