The Book
This is the first Indian edition of this remarkable book which created a great impact in France and was subsequently translated into English and Italian. This edition carries a fresh Afterword by Jean-Luc and Josiane Racine. Viramma an untouchable woman by birth, and listed as one of the authors, narrated the story of her life over a period of ten years to Josiane Racine, a Tamil-born ethnomusicologist educated in France. This book is the result of that conversation
The Author(s)
Viramma was an untouchable woman, an agricultural labourer, grandmother, and until recently lived in Karani in Tamil Nadu. She died in November 2000.
Josiane Racine researches popular culture in South India.
Jean-Luc Racine is Senior Fellow, Centre for Indian Studies, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris.