The Common Man Abroad: Marginal Identity, Cultural Self-Assertion, and Subaltern Consciousness in Anand Patil's Patalachi Landanwari

Marathi travel writing has largely reflected elite and urban perspectives, often treating foreign travel as a symbol of cultural advancement. Anand Patil’s Patalachi Landanwari marks a significant departure from this convention by presenting the travel experience of a “common man” rooted in rural and marginal social realities. This paper examines how the text articulates marginal identity, cultural self-assertion, and subaltern consciousness through humour, satire, and everyday observation. By reversing the colonial gaze and challenging Western cultural superiority, Patil transforms the travelogue into a site of resistance and self-definition. The paper situates Patalachi Landanwari within postcolonial and subaltern discourse and argues that the work redefines travel writing as a democratic and counter-hegemonic literary form in Marathi literature.