ABSTRACT
In the 1990s, when feminism and dalit activism were both resonant in the Tamil context, the writings of Raj Gautaman, literary critic and historian, opened up critical spaces where one could both relish and criticize literature produced under the aegis of caste; and where new normative standards could be advanced to read and discuss the much-vaunted Sangam classics of the Tamil literary canon. For a feminist active during this period, Gautaman’s writings appeared to speak to feminist concerns on the one hand and discourses of caste annihilation on the other. Debating with him made for a fellowship of minds, which, without being intimate in ways that we understand that term, yet was delightful and fraternal. This essay is a tribute to the possibilities of unexpected and curious friendships.
