Examining Subalterneity in Hansda Sowvendra Sekhar’s “The Adivasi Will Not Dance”

Abstract

The Adivasis of India have been subjected to systematic oppression for centuries and postcolonial India continues with the same processes by different means. Hansda Sowvendra Sekhar's short story, "The Adivasi Will Not Dance" explores the subalternization of such communities as well as the evolution of subaltern consciousness, as manifested by the protagonist of the text, Mangal Murmu, whose monologue constitutes the narrative. The paper will not only explore Sekhar's representation of such subaltern consciousness, situated within the context of contemporary conflicts, but also intervene in vexed debates about representing the subaltern, especially in the context of Indian Writing in English where subalternized characters, especially Adivasis, either remain scarce or persist as stereotypes bereft of agency.