Ravidas, a 15th-century poet-saint, dreamed of a city called Begumpura where there is “no pain, taxes or worries”. “He envisions a casteless society,” says Delhi-based writer Rahee Punyashloka. This work of the saint, he points out, is proof that “the first work of speculative fiction to come out of South Asia is against the caste system.” Speculative fiction, a genre with futuristic, fantastic and supernatural elements, can provide the perfect basis for stories against the caste system.
The question of alterity and speculation is closely linked to anti-caste language, claims Punyashloka. “Speculative fiction coming out of this country has to grapple with caste and the question of an anti-caste future.” One of his short stories, a metaliterary commentary on an anthology of anti-caste speculative fiction, has found its way into an anthology with exactly the same setting: The blast book of anti-caste SF.
The anthology is due to be published later this year by Blaft, a Chennai-based publisher known for translations of Tamil pulp, weird fiction and folklore, in addition to graphic novels. It is co-edited by R. Talitha Samuel, an assistant editor at the publisher. “In India, almost all speculative fiction, at least in English, has been published by people from upper castes; there is very little representation of Dalit or Adivasi writers,” says Rakesh Khanna, director and editor-in-chief of Blaft. Delhi-based Samuel, a Dalit and Ambedkarite, came up with the idea for the anthology, for which Blaft sent out a call for submissions in June. Last month, they also launched an online crowdfunding campaign and managed to surpass their goal in just four days.
R. Talitha Samuel of Blaft, who conceived the anti-caste SF anthology. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Samuel, who used to do a podcast on Ambedkar, says they’re a big fan of speculative fiction. “There’s a definition of speculative fiction that I really like: ‘It confuses the familiar, makes the strange familiar,'” they say, adding that this “huge umbrella genre is perfect for something like this.”
Questioning the prevailing policies
Samuel explains that there are different approaches to speculative fiction, citing films like the one starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt Brahmastra (2022) and books like The Secret of the Nagas (2011) by Amish Tripathi, which evoke Hindu imagery. “In a way, they are apolitical and conform to the status quo,” the 24-year-old emphasizes, adding: “The images are futuristic, but they follow the rules. On the other hand, if you look at Afro-futurism or indigenous futurism, they question the dominant culture and politics.”
Samuel adds that if speculative fiction is to be taken seriously as a genre, it has to be anti-caste in nature. “The point of speculative fiction is to ask questions and not assume that mainstream or dominant narratives can go unchallenged.” While curating stories for the anthology, Samuel says they were not surprised to find several that fit their requirements, some of which were published decades ago and are now out of print. “We have stories by writers like Bama, Gogu Shyamala and Rahee Punyashloka, apart from first-time authors.” The anthology will include translations from Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Hindi and Marathi, as well as comics.
Author: Rahee Punyashloka
Some of the stories include “Parivrajak” by Gautamiputra Kamble (a Buddhist fantasy translated from Marathi), “Robot No. SC5” by Neerav Patel (science fiction translated from Gujarati), “The Miraculous Ladder” by Shyamala (caste allegory translated from Telugu), “File No. 786 (The Night Journey)” by Hameedha Khan (supernatural) and “Pruning Neurons” by Esther Larisa David (demonic entities).
Translator Divya Kalavala
Bengaluru-based Divya Kalavala, who translated Shyamala’s Telugu story, says, “Dalit literature has had its own journey; due to the political awareness of Dalits, certain changes have taken place in literature too.” She believes that speculative fiction leads to Dalit futurism. “It allows writers to break out of the box. Watertight boxes and limitations have disappeared and writers can reinvent themselves and find it healing and liberating in the process.”
