The lives of the underprivileged people found in Tamil literature

Abstract

It is an undetermined rule that all beings that have arisen in this world must be respected equally. There is no one who has adhered to such a canon. Inequality between every living being that can live in this world is a fundamental matter of nature. The beginning of inequality is the definition that he should and should not do even the most common activities in the world. We can identify such a preliminary difference in the Tolkappiyam itself. People like errand runner and Panar, who works for the life of others more than their own needs, can be considered grassroots people. The focus of this article is on examining the atrocities faced by these underprivileged people from time to time, the obstacles they faced in their daily way of life, and the rights denied by birth through the literature that has emerged from time to time. Even in the Sangam literature, which can be portrayed as the golden age of the Tamils, there are records of the fact that the people of the lower strata were untouchables and should not be seen. Similarly, moral literature also highlights the sufferings of downtrodden people. Whoever sees inequality in the world, God does not see it. But even in devotional literature, there are caste-based devotees. From Minor Literature to Modern Literature, the life of the downtrodden is seen as a place of suffering and misery. Thus, this article proves that the lives of the lower classes are the same in the literature that reflects the society from the Sangam period to the present day.