Description

Bharatiya Dalit Sahitya is a compilation of scholarly papers presented at a national seminar on Contemporary Dalit Literature organized by Sahitya Akademi, edited by Sharankumar Limbale, eminent Indian writer and critic writing in Marathi.  Dalit literature is predominantly the product of socio-cultural changes gained momentum after the Independence, and has never been just a literary event, but is the outcome of social injustice meted out to the downtrodden classes whose voice was oppressed for ages. The activity of the liberation of the downtrodden, began in the 19th century, took proper shape through the relentless efforts of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in the 20th century and found its expression in the Dalit literature.

Scholarly papers included in the book critically evaluate and discuss in detail almost every dimension of contemporary Dalit literature – its universality, changing patterns and emerging streams, theatre, Dalit consciousness in connection with painting, folk element, writings by women, its aesthetics, translation into other languages and many more. Besides articles on Dalit literature in Marathi, the book also has articles on Dalit literature in Kannada, Gujarati, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Oriya, Punjabi and Bengali languages, and some of the distinguished writer-contributors are Gangadhar Pantavane, Yashwant Manohar, Janardan Waghmare, Datta Bhagat, Shyoraj Singh Bechain, Mohandas Naimisharay, Om Prakash Walmiki, K. Enoch, Chamanlal, A. Achyuthan and others. The book also has some magnificent sketches by B.M. Paraswale, celebrated poet-artist.