Page 5 - MM-CUTTING OF MY LONG HAIR-PDF

 When I heard this, I didn’t want to laugh any more, and I felt terribly sad. How could they
believe that it was disgusting if one of us held that package in his hands, even though
the vadai had been wrapped first in a banana leaf, and then parcelled in paper?
 I felt so provoked and angry that I wanted to touch those wretched vadais myself
straightaway. Why should we have to fetch and carry for these people, I wondered.
 Such an important elder of ours goes meekly to the shops to fetch snacks and hands
them over reverently, bowing and shrinking, to this fellow who just sits there and stuffs
them into his mouth. The thought of it infuriated me.

 When she heard all this from her brother, the writer became very sad.
 She wanted to know how the people of upper caste could have such a belief about their
community.
 She knew that vadais are first packed in banana leaves and then in a parcel so how could
they get polluted with their touch

 BAMA’S ANGER

 She felt so angry at this that she decided to go and touch those vadais herself. She then
questioned herself again as to why we have to go and bring things for these upper caste
people.
 She also felt bad for that elder person who was one of the important people of her tribe.
She said he even had to go to bring things for them.
 He had to hand all that with great respect to such a person who just sits there and pops
the things into his mouth. This very thought filled her with anger.

WE TOO ARE HUMAN BEINGS

 The poet says that what if the upper caste people have some money with them. Does
that mean that they will not treat others nicely?
 She says that we are also human beings and should be treated like a human.
 She also thinks that people from her community should not do such small tasks of
bringing food for them.
 We should work in their fields, take our wages and then leave out. We should never do
any extra work for them.

HER BROTHER’S REVEALATION ABOUT THE CASTE

 Writer’s elder brother had come home for the holidays. He was a student in a University.
 He was on the way to his home from a neighbouring village, where he had gone to
borrow books from the library.
 He was walking along an irrigation pond when he was stopped by one of the men of the
landlord. He was asked his name.
 Annan told his name. He then queried about his street so that he could know his caste.
 Annan told the whole incident to the writer. He also told her that as they were born into
a low caste they will never get any respect from the upper caste.
 They are deprived of all this. But if they study hard and make progress in their life they
can throw away this disrespect.