Revisiting Criminalised Identities: Testimony, Education, and Resistance in Laxman Gaikwad's The Branded

The Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 represents one of the most coercive instruments of Britishcolonial governance in India, institutionalising the criminalisation of several nomadic and tribalcommunities by branding them as “criminals by birth.” Although the Act was repealed after Independence,its ideological and social legacy continues to shape institutional practices and social attitudes towarddenotified tribes in postcolonial India (Radhakrishna, 2001; Nigam, 1990). This paper critically revisits thesilenced voices of such communities through a close reading of Laxman Gaikwad’s autobiographicalnarrative The Branded, which foregrounds the lived experiences of the Uchalya community.Drawing on Subaltern Studies, life-writing theory, and feminist perspectives, the study examines howcriminalisation operates as an imposed identity that restricts access to education, employment, housing,and dignity. Emphasis is placed on education as a site of resistance and self-transformation, enabling theprotagonist to challenge inherited stigma and reclaim human agency (Freire, 1970). The paper alsohighlights the gendered dimensions of marginalisation, demonstrating how women within denotifiedcommunities experience intersecting forms of caste-based, patriarchal, and state violence (Crenshaw,1989; Rege, 2006). By situating The Branded within broader socio-historical and theoretical contexts, thispaper argues that life narratives from the margins function as counter-discourses that interrogatedominant historiographies and demand social justice. Revisiting such testimonies is crucial forreimagining a more inclusive, humane, and egalitarian society.