Ashok Vatkar’s autobiographical novel 72 Miles (originally Bahattar Mail in Marathi) offers a powerful and haunting portrayal of a young boy’s grueling journey through caste discrimination, poverty, and survival in post-independence Maharashtra. The novel, translated into Hindi by Sulabha Kore and published by Rajkamal Prakashan, has garnered acclaim for its unflinching depiction of hardship and human resilience.
The story centers on Assukya, a twelve-year-old boy from the marginalized Dhor community, and Radhaakka, a Mahar woman (Dalit caste) whose maternal love and sacrifice form the emotional heart of the narrative. Over the course of seventy-two miles—spanning three harrowing days from Satara to Kolhapur—Assukya flees an abusive boarding school to escape humiliation and hardship, facing relentless challenges alongside Radhaakka and her six impoverished children.
Vatkar’s narrative pulls readers into the cruel realities of caste-based oppression and poverty, vividly illustrating the physical and emotional toll of the journey. Three of Radhaakka’s children die tragically along the way: an infant succumbs to illness, her eldest son dies from a snakebite, and another son is crushed under cattle hooves. These losses underscore the brutal vulnerability of Dalit families, who, lacking financial resources, must walk long distances on foot, exposed to dangers that many cannot imagine.
The novel opens with Vatkar’s candid recollections of his own father’s neglect and the fractured family life that set the stage for Assukya’s ordeal. His father’s absence and ambition, coupled with his mother’s humiliation and hardship, frame a childhood marked by instability. Enrolled unwillingly in a distant boarding school, Assukya’s desperate flight becomes a poignant metaphor for survival amid systemic injustice.
Throughout the journey, Radhaakka emerges as a figure of fierce protectiveness and sacrifice. Despite no blood relation, she offers Assukya maternal love he never received from his own parents, even risking her dignity to secure food for the starving children. Her harsh words and tough love reflect both the crushing realities of their world and the strength required to endure it.
Vatkar’s prose conveys the emotional urgency of the story, blending moments of suspense with raw depictions of grief and compassion. The narrative exposes the indifference of society towards the struggles of Dalits and the toll of caste discrimination on the most vulnerable.
72 Miles is more than a personal memoir; it is a searing social document that reveals the stark inequalities that defined India’s marginalized communities during a pivotal era. The novel has also been adapted into a Marathi film, bringing Vatkar’s story to a wider audience.
Born on October 20, 1947, in Vadgaon, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Ashok Namdev Vatkar continues to be recognized for his literary contributions. His other notable work, Melelam Paani, received the Maharashtra Government’s Best Novel Writing Award, further establishing his prominence as a chronicler of Dalit experience.
