Dalit Writing Global Contexts

Firstpost Editor's Picks: Kashmir after Article 370, FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Moothon premieres at TIFF 2019; today's must-read stories

Firstpost Editor's Picks: Kashmir after Article 370, India versus Qatar in FIFA World Cup 2020 qualifiers, Moothon premieres at TIFF 2019; today's must-read stories

Dalit writing, global contexts: Neerav Patel's Severed Tongue Speaks Out skewers casteism, with humour

Even as a bilingual writer (English and Gujarati) and despite being possessed of a poetic imagination far more creative than his contemporary Arun Kolatkar (upper caste, and bilingual), Neerav Patel wasn’t exempt from the prejudiced and casteist nature of Indian literary criticism. Savarna critics immortalised Kolatkar and invisiblised Patel.

Firstpost Editor's Picks: Narendra Modi at G7 Summit, RBI's surplus transfer, US Open 2019; today's must-read stories

Firstpost Editor's Picks: Narendra Modi meets Donald Trump at G7 Summit, RBI's surplus transfer to the government, Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Sumit Nagal in the US Open 2019; today's must-read stories

Dalit writing, global contexts: Om Prakash Valmiki's Joothan is the shining pinnacle of Hindi Dalit literature

The English translation of Joothan — a magnum opus of Hindi Dalit literature — is an event in which we have witnessed both, the importance of translation as well as how translation of Dalit literature has many political dimensions that are yet to be unravelled.

Dalit writing, global contexts: Re-examining the legacy of Lal Singh Dil, Punjab's 'Poet of the Revolution'

Lal Singh Dil — affectionately known as Dil to his friends and admirers — was a poet, a lover, a wanderer, a truth-seeker, tea vendor and above all, among the most brilliant minds Punjab produced in the field of literature

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