The Untouchable Mogul: Narrating Colonialism through the Eyes of a Dalit

This paper problematizes the project of writing the history of colonial encounter and uses the lens of caste and untouchability to present a critical understanding of colonialism. By using one of the earliest English biographies of an untouchable named Nagaiah published in 1908, this paper presents an untouchable's perspective on colonialism and its impacts. Using this very unique text, the paper studies the early period of colonial encounter, especially the 1857 revolt in which the protagonist took active part. More interestingly, following the vicissitudes of his life, in particular, his meteoric rise as an adventurous entrepreneur and his unfortunate downfall, the text captures both ironies and inevitabilities of caste politics. The paper also focuses on the narrative mode and brings out the importance of studying marginal life narratives in enhancing the understanding of colonialism.