International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR)

E-ISSN: 2582-2160 ● Website: www.ijfmr.com ● Email: [email protected]

A Study of Dalit Literature: Giving Voice to the

Unvoiced
Dr. P. Hathiram1, Dr. Prasanna Laxmi. K2
1
Assistant Professor of English, Sridevi Women’s Engineering College, Hyderabad.
2
Lecturer in English, at Tribal Welfare Degree College for Women, Devarakonda,Nalgonda.

Abstract:
The word "Dalit" connotes people who are impoverished, oppressed, abused, and in need. The origin of
the Indian caste system is not a widely accepted theory. There are several forms of inequality that give rise
to social prejudice in every civilised community. Additionally, it is dressed in "Casteism" in India. The
subaltern literary voices of the tribals, Dalits, and other minority groups were absent from discourses
tailored to the tastes of the nobility. The dalits are denied their basic rights to equality, property ownership,
and education. Dalit literature thus arises as a voice for all those marginalised, oppressed, and exploited
populations who have long suffered from societal injustice and exploitation. The liberation of Dalits from
this never-ending slavery is the central theme of Dalit literature. Dalits, who feel that the social order is to
blame for their downfall, utilise their works as a weapon to express their rage. They have finally awakened
from their extended sleep and are aware of their identities as humans. The Dalit awareness of their identity
and self-realization has been a major theme in a variety of colourful and diverse creative writings. It is
also highly praised in the works of many other authors, including Mahasweta Devi, Bama, Arjun Dangle,
D. Gopi, and many more. The suffering that the Dalit writers depict is not unique to them; rather, it is the
suffering of the entire marginalised community. The main goal of this article is to demonstrate, how Dalit
writers break the taboo around the unreported exploitation of Dalits in our nation through their literary
works. And how these silenced voices are now being unleashed through Dalit literature. This paper
attempts to understand the vision and voice of the Dalits and their transformation from silent, helpless
objects of history to active, self-aware subjects. The reasons behind the growth of Dalit literature, its
effects on contemporary society, the socioeconomic status of Dalits in India, and how they create their
own history will all be examined in this paper.

Keywords: Subaltern, Self-realization, Identity, and Exploitation.

Introduction:
The oppressed people who identify as "Dalits" are one group in our culture that has drawn the interest of
numerous academics and activists over the past ten years. The Sanskrit term "Dalit" means "suppressed,"
"crushed," "ground," or "broken to pieces." The term Harijans, which means "Children of God," was
coined by Gandhiji to honourably name the untouchables. The official names used by Indian government
documents to refer to the untouchables and tribes are "Scheduled Castes" and "Scheduled Tribes."
Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, a well-known Marathi social reformer, previously referred to untouchables and
outcasts as the downtrodden and crushed victims of the caste system in India, when he used the name
"Dalit." It is also thought that Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was the one who initially came up with this usage.

IJFMR230611309 Volume 5, Issue 6, November-December 2023 1

 International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR)
E-ISSN: 2582-2160 ● Website: www.ijfmr.com ● Email: [email protected]

However, the phrase gained popularity in the 1970s when the Dalit Panther Movement's followers in
Maharashtra used it as a constant reminder of their long history of oppression, signifying both their social
deprivation and the people who are exploited. However, in the modern era, the name "Dalit" refers to
individuals, who have been viewed as "outcasts," meaning they do not merit recognition within the four
categories of the class system. The Manu Smriti, a holy text, describes the "Varna system" of society. It is
a four-tiered Varna system that includes four social classes that were created from the body of Lord
Brahma.

This legend states that Shudra was born from the feet, Vaishya from the abdomen, Kshatriya from the
arms, and Brahmin from the head. Shudra was the main focus because he was born without feet and was
forced to live in servitude. They were typically prohibited from religious events because they were thought
to pollute society. They were forced to work in menial jobs like slaughtering, leather work, or picking up
trash, animal corpses, and waste. They were poor people who lived on the fringes of the community and
subsisted on the leftovers, or "Jhoothan," of the wealthy. These people did not have access to public
facilities such as rivers, wells, marketplaces, or schools during the beginning of the 20th century.

Movement Requirement:
Previously, the Dalits were not acknowledged as a separate group and no efforts were made to improve
their social standing. They lacked any property or productive resources from an economic standpoint.
They held no positions of political authority in the government. Any form of social discrimination results
in deprivations for the discriminated party, which makes them resentful of their rights, self-respect, esteem,
and even money gain that they are denied. And that is the case of the untouchables in India, who have
endured centuries of social prejudice and disadvantage. It's not that the Dalits can't adapt to the changes;
rather, it's the wealthy segment of society and their social standing that stand in Dalits' way. And the only
thing left to do for the Dalits is to launch a social movement against the existing social structure in order
to demand equal social status and their inherent rights to a decent education, a job, and even their identity
as human beings. Several reform movements got their beginnings in our nation's various states.

History of the Movement:

Lord Gautama Buddha preached the abolition of untouchability and is credited as being the first Dalit
reformer. During the 1800s, Brahma Samaj, Arya Samaj, and the Ramakrishna Mission played a
significant role in the Dalit liberation movement. Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, and U. R.
Shinde spearheaded a number of Dalit reform campaigns in Maharashtra. Chaitanya Prabhu started the
"Namo Shudras Movement" in West Bengal, which altered public perception of the untouchable people.
The objective of each of these revolutions was to free the Dalits from the systems of oppression that exist
within Indian society. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar had a significant impact on the Dalit movements that originated
in the Indian subcontinent. The three basic tenets of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's philosophy are equal status for
these untouchables, the abolition of exploitation, and the caste system. Dalit writers were so impacted by
these movements that they started to recognise who they were. They were formerly anonymous individuals
who didn't give a damn about how they were portrayed in books. They were destined from birth to work
as bound labourers and serve as a target for feudal landlords who might take advantage of their wives and
daughters. These overly embarrassed and crushed creatures have no right to speak. They contend that there

IJFMR230611309 Volume 5, Issue 6, November-December 2023 2

 International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR)
E-ISSN: 2582-2160 ● Website: www.ijfmr.com ● Email: [email protected]

is no point in looking back at history if they themselves have no place in it. These are the people that wish
to record their own past.

They express their strong feelings against the upper-class individuals that push them to the peripheral or
fringes due to societal ill-treatment and exploitation. According to Sathiana than Clark, "the subordination
and subjection that characterise Dalits' lives in India give them the shape of a particularly contextual
assembly of subalternity."(Clark.6) The definition of subaltern in the dictionary is an officer of lower rank.
It appears that the field of subaltern studies, which focuses on the oppressed and disadvantaged people on
the planet, is relatively new. This group includes the landless peasants, lower castes, and downtrodden
classes. The phrase is typically meant in opposition to a privileged class of elites. While their lower caste
brethren had no official representation in history, the upper caste, bureaucrats, and feudal landlords were
given plenty of space. Following India's independence, the framers of the constitution deliberated and
incorporated clauses specifically addressing the socio-economic advancement of Dalits and other
underprivileged groups. Therefore, the Dalits' current socioeconomic and political status should be
attributed to their consistent combined efforts and the numerous actions the government took following
the nation's independence.

Dalit Writings:
The untouchables were long denied access to formal education, which would have energised and inspired
them to launch a legitimate literary movement in opposition to the established literature's monopoly. Some
educated "Untouchables" came into contact with contemporary education during the post-Independence
era, and they saw they needed to adopt a new way of thinking. The birthplace of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the
champion of the oppressed, is where this literary movement got its start. Thus, in the early 1970s, "Dalit
Literature" gained popularity and quickly expanded to surrounding states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu, and many more. In Dalit literature, the Dalits themselves convey their rage and bitterness towards
those who they hold accountable for their current situation. It calls into question the standing and
circumstances surrounding the Dalits. Hira Dom's poem is regarded as the earliest work of Dalit literature,
and Swami Achyutanand's writings and social activity exposed an oppressive societal framework. Dalit
reality is portrayed in Dalit literature. With this portrayal, the untouchables subvert the upper class's
purported purity and speak out loudly throughout the caste-ridden society.

Since the 1970s, a large number of poets and writers from Dalit communities have been producing poems,
short stories, novels, and autobiographies brimming with themes of caste oppression, identity issues,
poverty, untouchability, and revolution. Now, these subaltern communities are using the traditionally
denied weapon of literacy on their own, and they are exposing the conditions under which they have
survived as well as directly flouting the sub-human status imposed upon them by the Hindu social order.
The central goal of Dalit literature is the liberation of Dalits. This anger and resentment of Dalits against
social inequality comes out in the form of Dalit literature. Dalit writing questions and challenges the
hegemony of mainstream literature, which they refer to as "Hindu literature." Hindu literature is the
recognised literature of India, according to Bahurao Bagul. However, Dalit literature possesses the
revolutionary ability to embrace contemporary science and technology and effect a complete
metamorphosis. "Dalit" is the name of a complete revolution, a revolution brought to life. Bagul, 289 The
main goal of Dalit literature is to transform society through a "total revolution." Dalit literature rightfully

IJFMR230611309 Volume 5, Issue 6, November-December 2023 3

 International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR)
E-ISSN: 2582-2160 ● Website: www.ijfmr.com ● Email: [email protected]

challenges Hinduism's ages-old conceptions of the Vedas and Granthas, which uphold the Varna system.
This Hindu worldview is refuted in Dalit literature, which maintains that society is comprised entirely of
people. In the philosophy of Dalit literature, man is the centrifugal force, as Dalit writer Tarachand
Khandekar puts it. The human race is superior. Above all gods, holy texts, and science. This man has the
ability to create and destroy anything. Dalit Literature holds that nothing endures forever. Everything is
prone to deterioration. Every deterioration gives rise to a new creation. As a result, it rejects the dictum
"Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram." Conversely, it asserts that nothing is true that does not apply to man's
supreme freedom, nothing is good that does not advance man's well-being, and nothing is beautiful that
does not advance human beauty. (Khandekar, 6) The narrative of the centuries-long complex struggle that
led to these so-called "Untouchables" renouncing their identity and choosing to identify as Dalits. A broad
variety of literary styles are covered by Dalit literature. Dalit poetry is widely available and has a strong
sense of protest. However, the protest is directed towards society as a whole rather than any specific person
or organisation. According to a Dalit poet from Orissa:

They are rage now [sic]

They are awakened
Awakened from this mass slumber
They will burn down the establishment
For their bread and butter
They have already given a call
And are ready to shed their blood
With red tears (Nayak.20)

The current era saw the emergence of a new generation of Dalit poets who rebelled against the oppressive
conventional restraints. Among the well-known poets of the early Dalit literature was Narayan Survey.
His "Vidhyapith" poem is well-known. The other poets, such as Namedeo Dhasal's "Golpitha" (The Red
Light Zone), Daya Pawar's "Kandwads" (a suffocating enclosure), Keshav Meshram's "Utkhanan"
(Excavation), and so on. A significant amount of Dalit literature is composed of autobiographical writings.
Every genre, including poems, short stories, novels, and critical prose works, has a "Confessional
Characteristic" that the author has created.

These writers, in general, do not express their disapproval of any one group; rather, they see themselves
as cut off from both the government and the social structure, which they believe keeps them impoverished
and debased. Stated differently, the pursuit of identity is fundamental to Dalit culture. Because of this,
Dalit writers have responded in a number of ways to issues relating to poverty, hypocrisy, injustice, social
discrimination, and other social practices. These answers are kinds of protest meant to bring about a
revolution in order to bring about social change. The primary distinction between Dalit and mainstream
literature is that the former rejects the long-standing Indian customs of caste, class, and religion while the
latter maintains that customs cannot be completely disregarded. According to the Dalit writers, a particular
class has been using the word "tradition" as a "safeguard" for their own purposes. Regarding this, Dangle
states:

IJFMR230611309 Volume 5, Issue 6, November-December 2023 4

 International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR)
E-ISSN: 2582-2160 ● Website: www.ijfmr.com ● Email: [email protected]

A tradition is created and nurtured by ideas and ideals, and it is these ideas and principles that give rise to
and maintain a tradition. A tradition's foundation is determined by the overall set of circumstances as well
as the social structure in place at the time. The privileged elite is constantly looking to create a useful
custom that protects its interests. The weaker segments of society are sick of this custom. In actuality, a
small number of people have forced all of our traditions—religious, social, literary, and cultural—on the
majority. (Dangle, 261).

Comparably, Bama, a Tamil Dalit fiction writer, has created incredibly valuable works about gender, caste,
and marginalised groups in society. She pens the first autobiography by a Tamil Dalit woman. Her books,
which have been translated into English and several other Indian languages, include Karukku, Sangati,
and Vanman. She reveals the shame of religious conversion and the caste system in Karukku. Her work
effectively highlights the issue of Dalit consciousness. She fiercely opposes the caste-based Indian society
in general and the Roman Catholic Churches in particular for their practice of untouchability.

Conclusion and Discussion:

Generally speaking, Dalit literature is that which creatively depicts the hardships—such as shame,
exploitation, grief and suffering, dehumanisation, mockery, and poverty—that Dalits have endured for a
very long period. The authors are working to reject religious and cultural conventions and to achieve self-
respect and identity. This is a fresh and distinctive vein in Indian literature. Now that Dalit writing has
advanced to this point, it is clear that it is no longer limited to denouncing the "other" and is instead
examining and empowering readers to achieve empowerment. In summary, there has been a surge in Dalit
literature, with numerous writers addressing various topics in their writings. Gender-related concerns,
which were previously disregarded, are now being discussed by many writers. Numerous Dalit women
authors speak about their place in the patriarchal social structures that both exist inside and outside of their
communities. These days, people are expressing themselves in a variety of ways and writing about
oppression that extends beyond caste to include issues of class, gender, and religion. The increasing
number of Dalit texts being translated into English is encouraging. Dalit studies have now been launched
in a number of Indian and international colleges. Even while there have always been instances of resistance
to different forms of injustice, these instances are now more noticeable, and the untouchables and Dalit
community seem to be following them with greater vigour, resolve, political support, and adherence to the
law. It is evident that they now have a distinct identity, but they still have a long way to go before they
fully integrate into democratic society and lose their distinct identity as Dalits or members of the Scheduled
Class in that civil society, which is still developing. Dalit writers today have both political backing and an
ideological basis for their writing. As a result, Dalit literary production is increasing daily. And maybe one
day it will become recognised as a major hub for world literature.

References:
1. Bagul.Baburao. “Dalit Literature Is But Human Literature”Poisoned Bread . Ed. Arjun
Dangle.Bombay: Orient Longman, 1992.
2. Clarke.Sathianathan. Dalits and Christianity: Subaltern Religion and Liberation Thelogy in IndiaNe
w Delhi: OUP, 1998.
3. Dangle. Arjun. “ Dalit Literature: Past, Present and Future”.Poisoned Bread Ed. ArjunDangle.
Bombay: Orient Longman, 1992.

IJFMR230611309 Volume 5, Issue 6, November-December 2023 5

 International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR)
E-ISSN: 2582-2160 ● Website: www.ijfmr.com ● Email: [email protected]

4. Khandekar. Tarachand. “Literature of Revolt and Resurgence”.The first All India Dalit
Writer’sConference: A Commemorative Volume.Ed. Bojja Thakran. Hyderabad: Dr. B.R.Ambedkar
Memorial Trust, 1994.
5. Nayak. Bichitrananda. “Mukti”. Anirbana.Cuttack: Cuttack Students’ Store, 1993
6. Kanshi Ram and the Dalit Movement in Telangana by Anand Teltumbde (2012)
7. The Telangana Dalit Movement: An Overview by K. Srinivasulu (2007)
8. The Dalit Movement in Andhra Pradesh: Origin and Growth by N. Sudhakar Rao (1998)
9. Dalit Politics and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Andhra Pradesh by Imtiaz Ahmad (2005)
10. The Struggle of Dalits in Telangana: An Overview by N. V. Raghuram (2014)
11. Telangana Dalit Movement by Ravi S. (2014)
12. Dalit Movement in Telangana: A Historical Perspective by B. Venkatesham (2014).

IJFMR230611309 Volume 5, Issue 6, November-December 2023 6