Testimonies of Pain and Protest: Marginalisation and Rebellion in Meena Kandasamy's Poetry

This paper, titled Testimonies of Pain and Protest: Marginalisation and Rebellion in Meena Kandasamy’s Poetry, analyses the intricate link between marginalisation and resistance via an examination of Meena Kandasamy’s literary depictions of Dalit women. The study emphasises their resistance to oppressive patriarchal and caste systems, their experiences of alienation within these structures, it examines how Kandasamy’s poems challenge systemic violence, reclaim marginalised identities, and celebrate resilience through her poetry collections : Touch and Ms Militancy. The paper indicates that marginalisation is a prevalent issue in Kandasamy’s works, manifesting as gendered oppression, caste-based discrimination, and exclusion from mainstream feminist discourse. Simultaneously, it underscores how her representation employs this marginalisation as a catalyst for resistance: cultivating intersectional identities, reinterpreting mythological narratives, and rebelling to assert agency, rendering her literature a powerful critique of social hierarchies through the amplification of these themes via bold, unfiltered language and poetic devices such as vivid imagery and intertextual references. Her efforts primarily focus on enriching the lives of persons who have been denied essential rights and advantages due to caste discrimination. Filled with fury, she depicts the true plight of those oppressed by the high class. This research situates her works within the broader context of feminist theory and Dalit literature, emphasising her role as an activist writer who appropriates language as a tool for social justice. Kandasamy's works challenge taboos related to gender discrimination and caste, offering a new perspective for inclusive campaigning and literature.