Kerala’s literary space has historically been dominated by writers from the oppressor castes or high castes, marginalizing voices from oppressed or lower caste communities. One of the few early Dalit writers to emerge from this context was Potheri Kunhambu, whose novel Saraswatheevijayam (1892) remains a landmark text in Malayalam literature. The novel follows the transformation of a Dalit protagonist from enslavement to empowerment, facilitated by colonial education, offering a poignant critique of the rigid caste hierarchies of 19th-century Kerala. Though the text is often celebrated for its radical socio-political critique of caste, this study foregrounds an overlooked dimension: the soundscape of slavery within the novel. Sound and slavery have historically been intertwined, with sound functioning as a key medium for the assertion of power and control. In Saraswatheevijayam, the dynamics of master-slave relationships are deeply mediated by auditory experiences or the strategic absence of sound. This paper critically examines how sound operates within the novel to articulate the mechanisms of caste oppression and to signal moments of resistance and transgression. By analyzing the sonic dimensions of slavery—commands, silences, the ambient noise of labor, and the sounds of resistance—this study explores how auditory practices reinforce or subvert caste hierarchies. Through a sound studies perspective, this paper seeks to enrich the understanding of Saraswatheevijayam by situating it within the broader framework of sensory politics and power dynamics. It argues that the novel’s soundscape is not merely a background detail but a crucial narrative element that reimagines the possibilities of caste emancipation in Kerala.

Authors:
Binsu Susan John, The English and Foreign Languages University, India

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Binsu Susan John is a Junior Research Fellow at the Department of Cultural Studies, EFL University, India. Currently she works on the sonic history of slavery of Dalit Christians in Kerala . She is interested in sonic ethnography&Dalit studies.

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