Dalit literature in India
... The post-colonialist India proudly shouts slogans of democracy, equality and secularism. ... In this system one is born a "dalit," ones lineage is "dalit" and there is no way out of the stigmatized position. The word "dalit" came into usage after independence. ... One is born into a "dalit" family because of ones accumulated bad deeds. ... " This bitterness towards the brutal denial of existence founds its voice in Dalit literature. Dalit literature is the literature born out of the Dalit consciousness. ... The nature of this literature consists in a rebellion against the suppression and humiliation suffered by the dalits. ... Babasaheb Ambedkar who conceived the Dalit movement said, “Gandhiji I have no homeland. ... Baburao Bagul in his poem, “You who have made the mistake” laments his birth in India. ... Independent India is divided into India and Pakistan and it is factionalised further by dividing it into religions, castes and class. ... Dalit poetry is not burdened with poetic conceits or metaphors. ... Dalit literature has not yet been acknowledged as a literature in its own right, and no reference to it is found in the standard literary journals of India. Dalit poetry uses the powerful tool of writing to strike at mainstream literature. ... ” This is the keynote to all Dalit literature. Dalit literature is a form of hope that seeks to bring about a change in social consciousness by making the country aware of its vital existence.