Dalit Poetry

Dalit writing, global contexts: In Days Will Come Back, Kamal Dev Pall unmasks an unseen, unspoken of Punjab

What makes Days Will Come Back significant is not only its status as the first Dalit Punjabi poetry collection to be translated in English, but also the literary imagination it offers; indeed it change the very way in which we look at the idea of Punjab.

Dalit writing, global contexts: Loknath Yashwant marries poetry with rationalism in Broken Man

Simplicity is what muscles poet and acclaimed translator Loknath Yashwant’s poetry. His work stands out from Dalit poets of the past and present because he is able to process sentiment rationally. He became a household name because his poems offered wisdom and astonished the reader, allowing them to look and assess their own lives with a renewed vision.

Dalit writing, global contexts: JV Pawar's poetry collection Blockade embodies the spirit of the Dalit Panthers

JV Pawar is an activist – more a Dalit Panther than a writer – and this reflects in his works. The poems in his collection Blockade speak of the Dalit community’s everyday life, their struggles, their agonies, and their hope amidst it all, as the purveyors of Babasaheb’s legacy. Despite his reputation as a historian-writer in Marathi, Blockade remained untouched, unreviewed and outside the discussions of English readers and critics

Ambedkar Jayanti: A selection of Dalit literature, from Maharashtra's shahirs to contemporary songs of resistance

On Ambedkar Jayanti, a selection of Dalit literature ranging from the songs of Maharashtra's shahirs, to the works of radical writers in Maharashtra like Nagraj Manjule and Namdeo Dhasal, and works by contemporary writers

Dalit shahirs of Maharashtra: Adarsh Shinde takes forward third-generation legacy of Bhim Geete

Adarsh Shinde was born into the tradition of Shinde-Shahi which spans three generations in his family. He embodies the change that the world of Ambedkari shahiri has undergone

Dalit shahirs of Maharashtra: Kadubai Kharat sings of Ambedkar in bastis

If we listen carefully, Kadubai’s voice does not make us emotional. It puts to rest the confusions and incertitude within the anti-caste movement.

Dalit shahirs of Maharashtra: Sambhaji Bhagat takes Ambedkar to the world

At a time when technology has enabled the propagation of Brahminical values at a mass scale, Sambhaji Bhagat continues to perform in slums and neglected neighbourhoods across Maharashtra

Dalit shahirs of Maharashtra: In Suresh Bhat's ghazals, a fight against oppression

Suresh Bhat, who had failed his exams and faced humiliation because of a deformed leg, found the strength to fight because of the Ambedkarite literature he read

Dalit shahirs of Maharashtra: Vilas Ghogare sang of Ambedkar with his iktara

Vilas Ghogare portrayed the dreadful life of the workers that he observed up close, since he was a worker himself in Mumbai. He also spoke of his life as a Dalit — a life that he had inherited.

Dalit shahirs of Maharashtra: Arjun Hari Bhalerao's perseverance amid adversity

Despite creating a body of influential work and being one of the Dalit shahirs who took Ambedkar and his ideas to some of the most marginalised people in villages, Arjun Hari Bhalerao's work is still not known to many today