Caste, Gender, Labour and Ecological Interdependence in Imayam’s Beasts of Burden

Abstract

This article offers a critical reading of Imayam’s Koveru Kazhuthaigal translated into
English by Lakshmi Holmstrom as Beasts of Burden. Tamil is one of the richest literary languages
and Imayam has made significant contributions to Tamil Literature through this novel Koveru
Kazhuthaigal. He has received many literary awards especially his novel Sellatha Panam received
Sahitya Academy Award. This paper explores the struggles of the washer folk community whose
lives are exploited by the caste discrimination, economic exploitation and social marginalization.
The title Beasts of Burden signifies a metaphor to understand the relationship between human
labour and animal burden. Animals like donkeys or mules are employed to carry loads for human
beings. Similarly, the washer folk are forced to carry the physical, economic and social burdens
thrust upon them by dominant communities. By connecting human exploitation with the use of
animals, this paper advocates an understanding of ecological justice which recognizes the dignity
of all living beings.