Breaking the quiescence of a Sunday winter morning, the campus of Kirori Mal College on February 3 stood abuzz with students, academics, artists, activists, and other enthusiasts, all of whom had gathered to attend the ‘first’ (of its kind) two day Dalit Literature Festival.
The event was organized by the Hindi Department of Kirori Mal College in collaboration with the Ambedkarvadi Lekhak Sangh, National Alliance of People’s Movement, and other organizations and publications.
The event kick started with the musical performance of Rashtriya Ambedkar Mission’s Mordwaj Gautam and his band, donning blue turbans, who sang of Babasaheb Ambedkar and his efforts in the emancipation of the Dalits. Mordwaj Gautam says that he wants to create awareness amongst people especially the marginalized ones through his music.
The event proceeded with a speech by the chief guest Medha Patkar who alluded to the adivasi workers of the Narmada Valley and their struggle, while trying to answer the question of “where does literature locate an activist?”
Addressing the question on the politics of representation she called herself and others like her “eech beech ke karmi.” The event continued with writers, poets, and musicians who acquainted the audience with their work in a series of panel discussions.
The overarching theme was to redefine the understanding of Dalit identity and assert that it is an umbrella term that was not just limited to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes but encompasses all marginalized communities. This was reflected in the issues taken up for discussions which were not specific to a particular community but rather were common to the oppressed.
The discussions also addressed the rift within literature and the emergence of Dalit literature as ‘parivartanvadi sahitya’ (literature of resistance or social change). The panelists argued that Dalit literature unlike those meant for entertainment is “serious literature,” a testimony to the struggle of the marginalized and the oppressed. Hence, grouping them both in the same box would mean compromising the spirit of Dalit literature.
The two day event was studded with Sahitya Akademi Award winning writers like Lakshman Gayakwad, political figures like Rajesh Kumar Manjhi, DU alumni singers like Hemant Kumar Bodh and several other notable figures. Unlike many other literary festivals, this one was not sponsored by large publishers and other advertising agencies. The venues instead of being named after publishing houses were named after different writers, like Rajni Tilak Sabhasagar.
In the inaugural speech, the organizers remarked that they made it a point to not involve sponsorship from a lot of publishers considering it would dilute the purpose of the event and reduce it to a corporate affair for promotion.
The organizers further mentioned how difficult it was to conduct a festival of such scale within the college premises. Though the college provided for the venue and supported the event, such events required greater monetary support for better execution.
However, despite the odds the event was a success with more than 500 people attending it. Viewed from a subversive lens, at a time when the word Dalit is received with the cringing of noses, when Ambedkar is being systematically overshadowed in Indian history, when a majoritarian ideology is threatening to take charge, to hold such an event is to make a statement against the forces that keep the marginalized out of the mainstream through social, political, and economic discrimination.
The aim of such events, thus, doesn’t just confine itself to create awareness or establish a network of artists but rather extends to become alternative platform for the expression of dissent in a democracy while simultaneously celebrating subaltern voices.