Dalit Literature:

 

Dalit Literature:

Ø  Dalit literature is a genre of Indian writing that focuses on the lives, experiences, and struggles of the Dalit community, who have faced caste-based oppression and discrimination for centuries.

Ø  The term ‘Dalit’ literally means ‘oppressed’

Ø  Dalit literature emerged in the colonial and post-colonial period, with Jyotirao Phule's Gulamgiri, published in 1873, being a seminal work highlighting the plight of the Untouchables in India.

Ø  Numerous authors, such as Sharankumar Limbale, Namdeo Dhasal, and Bama, have contributed to the Dalit literary movement

Ø  Dalit feminism, with the autobiographies and testimonios of Dalit women authors emphasizing the intersection of caste, class, and gender in the context of social exclusion.

Works:

OM PRAKASH VALMIKI

1.     Joothan: A Dalit’s life (1997)-, Joothan eats the scraps of food left on plated intended for garbage/animals. Detailed description of Chuhra community.

BAMA: Tamil Dalit Feminist,

1.     Karukku (1992)

2.     Sangati (1994)

 

Sharankumar Limbale

1.     The Outcaste (Akkarmashi)

2.     Hindu: A Novel

3.     Towards An Aesthetic Of Dalit Literature: History, Controversies And Considerations

 

Mulk Raj Anand

1.     Untouchable

2.     An Anthology Of Dalit Literature

 

Meena Kandasamy

1.     A Dalit History           

2.     Ms Militancy

3.     The Gypsy Goddess

 

Kancha Ialaiah

1.     Why I Am Not a Hindu

 

Gogu Shyamala

1.     Father May Be an Elephant and Mother Only a Small Basket, But...                     

 

B.R. Ambedkar

1.     Annihilation of Caste

2.     Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development

3.     Who were the Shudras?

4.     Buddha or Karl Marx

 

Urmila Pawar

1.     Aidan (Weave)- autobiography - first of its kind account by a dalit woman, won her acclaim and numerous accolades. The book was later translated into English by Maya Pandit and released under the title The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs.

2.     "Kavach" and "A Childhood Tale"- her famous stories

 

Annabhau Sathe

1.     Fakira 

 

Arjun Dangle

1.     Poisoned Bread: Translations from Modern Marathi Dalit Literature       

2.     Homeless in my Land: Translations from Modern Marathi Dalit Short Stories

Namdeo Dhasal

1.     A Current of Blood    

2.     Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underground Poems 1972-2006

Daya Pawar

1.     Baluta - ­autobio­graphy written in the Marathi language. According to Kalita, Baluta "introduced autobiographical writing" to Dalit literature.