Oppressed turned crusader!
Omprakash Valmiki, a poet and pioneer of Dalit literature, (30 June 1950 – 17 November 2013) was born in Barla village of Muzzafarnagar district, U.P.
Valmiki’s early years were marked by social, psychological, and financial challenges. He struggled with caste prejudice while attending Barla’s Inter College. He was not permitted to sit with upper class classmates. Because he was a Dalit, his headmaster made him sweep the schoolyard when he was a boy. He was made to feel debased. His chemistry teacher failed him in his 12th grade by giving him poor marks in practical and viva; yet he managed to finish his education.
In his autobiography, Valmiki described his school library, where he first encountered literature. He had read Premchand, Rabindranath Tagore, and Sharat Chandra by the time he was in his eighth grade.
He developed Hindi Dalit literature significantly. His creative writing used straightforward, factual, spontaneous language with a thick, obvious overlay of sarcasm.
He gave the reader many hitherto unexplored facets of Indian society by vividly illustrating caste-insult and tyranny. These analyses were based on actual experiences. His short stories highlighted the prejudice and exploitation Dalits endured by focusing on aspects of their daily lives.
He concentrated on areas of Dalit life that had been neglected by well-known Hindi authors who, for the most part, had downplayed the caste issue. He believed that in addition to dividing individuals, caste and varna also forced a sizeable portion of the population – women in particular – to the bottom of the social ladder, robbing them of fundamental freedoms and even depriving them of the dignity as human beings.
This master of short stories was dedicated to equality, had a strong distaste for the caste system and Brahmanism, and was a strong supporter of social justice. He felt that the society’s elite had been unable to escape caste consideration even in the twenty-first century. Even the educated were powerless in the face of the priests, who resisted change despite the wishes of the younger generation.
He described the brutal treatment Dalits bore, in a poem. Instead of being given meaningful employment, they were abused, forced to crush stones in the sweltering midday sun, and dig canals and large drains even though their bodies smelled and their hands were sore. Given scraps to eat, they were instructed to pull animal corpses, remove the filth of entire families, given hand-me-down clothes to wear, and kept far away from books and the entrance to the temple of learning.
Forced into slavery, deprived of their rights, the pages of their history were torn to shreds. They had to send their newlywed women on the first night to the landlord’s mansion. Their women were told to become devdasis and turned into prostitutes. Even their fair faces were darkened. What would you do if you had to endure such a life for all time, like I did? he queried.
His autobiography Joothan, published in 1997, is regarded as a key work of Dalit writing. His other books and anthologies include Bass! Bahut Ho Chuka, Ab Aur Nahin, Savion Ka Santaap, Salaam, Ghuspaithiye, the history of the Valmiki community Safai Devta, Dalit Sahitya Ka Saundaryashastra, Main Brahman Nahin Hoon, Yah Ant Nahin, Dinesh Jatav Urf Digdarshan and Brahmastra.
Sadly, his college library did not retain even one of his books. His surviving family members were disappointed because he did nothing to help them or the Valmiki community, despite being well known.
He was honoured with the Sahitya Bhushan Award in addition to receiving the Dr. Ambedkar National Award in 1993 and the Parivesh Samman in 1995. He died of stomach cancer in 2013 in Dehradun.
A. Radhakrishnan is a Pune based freelance writer, poet and short story writer