Baluta (autobiography)

Baluta (Marathi बलुतं) is an autobiography by the Indian writer Daya Pawar, written in the Marathi language. According to Kalita, Baluta "introduced autobiographical writing" to Dalit literature.Baluta is seen by the Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature as an attempt by the writer to be personal yet "objective and representative", the title generalising the status of rural untouchables. It records the writer's struggle for peace, a struggle with no chance of retaliation in "word or deed".

Reactions

Rao considers that Baluta, as a representative of Dalit literature, wasn't just a faithful narration of the Dalit experience but also an "ethical challenge" to the "caste Hindu" whom it "implicated". Rege quotes Urmila Pawar, who mentions the criticism of Dalit scholars that Baluta was shameful; Urmila rejects this criticism as based on lack of understanding. According to The Encyclopaedia..., it created the first anti-hero in Marathi literature.Link mentions that Baluta "created a sensation in the Marathi world for its frank and unique description of a life that the author lived in the ghettos of prostitutes, criminals, pimps and uprooted Dalit people, within and around the red light areas of the city of Bombay."

Balut Island

Balut Island, also known as Malulong, is a volcanic island south of the tip of Davao Occidental province in the Mindanao region, Southern Philippines. Located in the center of the island is the Balut Volcano, a fumarolic volcano with no historical eruptions.

The island of Balut is located about 13 km (8.1 mi) from mainland Mindanao, separated by the Sarangani Strait. Balut, Sarangani and Olanivan Islands make up the island group known as the Sarangani Islands. The group comprises the Municipality of Sarangani of Davao Occidental. Mabila on Balut Island is the town's center for commerce and the local government.

Balut is subdivided into 8 barangays:

Topography

Balut Island, the westernmost of the Sarangani Islands, is the larger, higher, and better cultivated than Sarangani Island. In the center of the island is Balut Volcano, which is fumarolic on occasion. Balut Island rises to about 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) from the seabed with the highest elevation at 862 metres (2,828 ft) above mean sea level. Base diameter of the island is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi).