Dalit Literature

 

"Dalit boy beaten to death for plucking flowers"; "Dalit tortured by cops for three days"; "Dalit 'witch' paraded naked in Bihar"; "Dalit killed in lock-up at Kurnool"; "7 Dalits burnt alive in caste clash"; "5 Dalits lynched in Haryana"; "Dalit woman gang-raped, paraded naked"; "Police egged on mob to lynch Dalits".

In an era when issues regarding human rights occupy the central stage, literary portrayals of marginalized communities are of utmost importance. Dalit literature is an attempt to bring to the fore the discrimination, brutality, and ostracization faced by the Dalit community in India. The members of the Dalit community have been pushed to the margins and their lived experiences have been disregarded by the majority. Their stories have been deemed unworthy to be written about.

                 The advent of Dalit literature, comprising poems, novels, memoirs, and the like, is rectifying this situation slowly by depicting the nuances of the Dalit culture. Dalit literature is one of the most important literary phenomena in post-independence India that is trying to restore dignity to a community that has been wronged for ages. Their struggles relating to their stigmatized identity as “untouchables” are finally being acknowledged. Dalit literature has become synonymous with the Dalit consciousness, on both individual and communal levels. The writings of B.R. Ambedkar and Periyar constitute the foundation of Dalit sociopolitical movements and literary productions.