Education as Emancipation: A Subaltern Reading of Yendluri Sudhakar’s “An Autobiography”

This paper examines the emancipatory potential of education in dismantling caste-based oppression through a subaltern reading of Yendluri Sudhakar's poem “An Autobiography.” It explores the historical evolution of caste stratification in India and foregrounds the lived realities of Dalit communities whose socio-economic and cultural marginalization has persisted despite constitutional guarantees of equality. While several regressive practices such as sati and child marriage have been legally abolished, caste discrimination continues in both rural and urban spaces, often manifesting in violent practices like honour killings. Through Sudhakar's autobiographical reflections, this paper argues that education becomes a transformative instrument enabling Dalits to reclaim dignity, identity, and intellectual space within mainstream discourse.