Dalit literature? What’s that, asks Maharashtra government

Even six decades independence, the state that gave birth to Dalit icons like Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, and Dr BR Ambedkar seems to be in the grip of casteist prejudices. Why else would the Maharashtra government’s monthly mouthpiece, Lokrajya, exclude major Dalit litterateurs in its list of great Marathi writers, Dalits across the state want to know.

The June-July 2011 issue of Lokrajya, a literature special, carries a list of the greatest works in Marathi. The list was compiled by a panel comprising stalwarts such as Govind Talwalkar, Aroon Tikekar, Arun Athalye and P L Deshpande. All the more strange that it has chosen to leave out all the Dalit literary heavyweights — Baburao Bagul, Annabhau Sathe, Narayan Surve, Waman Nimbalkar, Tryambak Sapkale, Arjun Dangle, Namdeo Dhasal, Umakant Randhir, JV Pawar, Urmila Pawar, Datta Bhagat, Tarachandra Khandekar, Yogiraj Waghmare, Avinash Dolas, Yogendra Meshram and Bhimrao Shirvale. Ironically, many of these are writers who have been honoured by the state.

Incidentally, the three seemingly obligatory mentions of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar (interestingly, the work chosen is only a Marathi translation of his Who Were The Shudras?), Daya Pawar, and Laxman Mane seems to have only added to the ire. An angry Mane said, “The inclusion of my name in the list of 172 while so many stalwarts were left out is an outrage. Is the government saying their work is not literature?”

Panelist Aroon Tikekar seems to think so. When asked about the list, he said, “Our compilation was a subjective exercise and

we have gone by the tenets of what we believe qualifies as
literature.’”   

So does that mean that the works of Baburao Bagul, Namdeo Dhasal, Narayan Surve, and Annabhau Sathe don’t qualify as literature? Despite the fact that many of their works have been canonized, and are part of university syllabi not only in Maharashtra, but also in universities around the world? 

With a circulation of 3.8 lakh, Lokrajya, published by the state government’s Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR), is the most widely read government publication in the country. “This is why this glaring lapse is unpardonable,” says Ganpat Bhise of the Samjik Nyay Andolan (SNA), an organisation that campaigns for Dalit rights. Like other Dalit organisations, SNA too has shot off letters to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, demanding corrective action. “We want the special issue withdrawn, it should be reprinted with an apology to the nearly 12 lakh Dalits in the state, and with a new list that includes the great Dalit writers,” says the letter.

Eminent Dalit writer Namdeo Dhasal is livid. “All these upper caste bureaucrats who have nothing do with literature should be publicly kicked in the behind for allowing this to happen,” he said.

“That this should happen when we are set to mark Annabhau Sathe’s 91st birth anniversary on August 1st is shameful. Our government is stuck in its old feudal, casteist mindset.”

Well known Dalit author Arjun Dangle, too, expressed his disappointment. “Why is a government publication lending itself to the upper-caste agenda of negating Dalit contribution to Marathi literature?” he asked.

“Since the panelists are ‘knowledgeable,’ such exclusion is obviously agenda-driven.” 

However, DGIPR head Vijay Nahata believes it is a non-issue. “It’s not like this is the last issue of Lokrajya. There will be future issues, and we can always carry additions to the list.” His deputy, Prahlad Jadhav, added, “Working on this issue was like diving into the ocean. There can be no end to the pearls you find. The exclusions are not deliberate.”