Tamilmanam International Research Journal of Tamil Studies

     In the landscape of Tamil literature, the post-1990s period witnessed a revolutionary shift in the thematic content of women poets' writings. In particular, a new trend emerged during this time that declared the female body and mind—which had been silenced for ages by dominant social structures—as domains of self-sovereignty and rights. Standing at the forefront of such literary endeavors, the poems of Sukirtharani fiercely address the internal struggles faced by Dalit women at the intersection of caste oppression and gender discrimination.

This paper comprehensively examines the internal crises related to love, the body, the mind, and sexual desires expressed in Sukirtharani’s poetry through the lens of Dalit feminist theories. Furthermore, it analyzes how Dalit aesthetics are constructed in her poetic language and how they dismantle traditional dominant aesthetics.