This document provides an overview of Dalit women's literature in Telugu between 2000-2014. It discusses several prominent Dalit women writers from this period, including Gogu Shyamala, Maddela Swati Margaret, Challapalli Swaroopa Rani, Joopaaka Subhadra, Putla Hemalatha, and Jajula Gowri. It notes that Dalit women face oppression based on both their gender and caste status. The literature from this period focused on portraying the problems and lived experiences of Dalit women in India, as well as demanding social equality and an end to caste-based discrimination. Excerpts from the poems of Challapalli Swaro

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Women literature in Indian languages- Yesterday-Today- Tomorrow
13th
and 14th
September 2014
Andhra Association, Delhi
Kendra Sahitya Akademy
Prajaswamika Rachayitrula Vedika
Telugu Sahiti, Delhi
Andhra association Bhavan, Lodhi Instituitional Area, Delhi.
Topic of the paper- Dalit women literature-2000-2014
Introduction: Literature is the expression of the society. It is the projection of
thoughts and reflection of life in various periods and situations. When it is a unique word
and when it has worldwide arena, how did dalit literature emerge? Dalit literature is now
a defined branch in literature. Dalit literature in fact was first oral. The songs sung and
the stories told were mostly oral as the dalits of ancient ages were not literates so that
they can write their stories/poetry or experiences.
These stories do not come from crispy backgrounds.
This literature is not just for fun or time pass.
You need to concentrate on the bitterness they portray!
You need to focus on the reflections of the societal mistakes!
Yes!
This is Dalit women literature!
It has problems that never asked for solutions!
It has tears that never expected someone to wipe off!
The word Dalit itself is a trump card since ages, to make someone vulnerable.
The vulnerability had woven bitter lives.
In addition, the atrocities manufactured dalit writers.
Do you know how it is to be, when you have to hang a pot to your neck?
Do you know how havoc it might be, when a property owner/ landlord makes you sleep
with him, though he lessens you by saying that you are an untouchable?
Yes!
The communities that never had a God to worship or to convey their tears or problems….
The communities that always had to hang their head low for being dalit….
The communities, which suffered atrocities in every age….
Raise their voice against the societal mistake in oral songs and literature.

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Some just portray the problem and provoke a thought in your mind.
The socio, economic, cultural aspects of the society pose direct effect on dalit
literature. Dalit women literature comes from every day life and every day living.
Patriarchal society has lot of impact on how the living of these women based on.
There is always a loophole in the equality aspect. Dalit literature mostly emerged from
the atrocities done to them. The hierarchical imposition of rules leads to the deterioration
of their living conditions. The caste system was questioned. Dalits never had the
opportunity to worship in temples. This lead to the insecurity feeling, which otherwise
lead to adoption of foreign gods to worship. This lead to the total change in their
livelihood. The priorities changed. They lead them into other religion. Was this the
failure of Indian system and society?
As the time passed, the rate of atrocities and rapes increased. Their
vulnerability levels raised high. How can a community escape atrocities when it can be
easily vulnerable? However, as they witnessed and endured more number of atrocities,
their voice gathered courage and the courage gave them a determination to get educated.
Here, we should appreciate the dalit movements and Ambedkarism to have instilled
brevity in dalit communities. Education gave them hands to write about their problems
and raise their voice high. Then, the birth of dalit literature took place.
Though it was born, it continued to be living as a child with malnutrition. The
voices that spoke were cut, the hands that wrote their anguish were tied or broken.
Dalit women literature did not shape itself with sharp speed as other types of literature.
When the word dalit started and took shape into deed in the form of oppression and
atrocity, the dalit women did not even know that it was inhuman. They accepted their
category in the society as it was formulated in the societal framework at that particular
age. When men who were the leaders of the patriarchal system could easily accept the
oppression, women felt that it was appropriate to be treated in oppression. The women
could never ever think of expressing their problems in the form of writing.

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It was just like the freedom movement of Indians. One line in a year, one writes up
in a year. Innumerable obstacles stood in front of the writers. Due to the British rule,
Indian dalits got a new God. He does not ask for their caste. He does not prohibit them
from entering the place of worship. They had a God who can listen to their tears and
assure them the divinity after death. Thus, much of the dalit literature in one period
transformed into religious literature. When we search for dalit literature few decades
back, we would end up holding the religious literature.
The 21st
century witnessed the forceful projection of dalit literature that
questioned the still existing atrocities. The population that developed and got educated
shifted to the creamy layer. They are least concerned about the problems of dalit
community. Cultural renaissance in dalit community and literature did not take shape in a
proper manner. This should sharpen at least in this age.
As time ran into its multifold arena, the next generations realized the problems
and the ethnic societal level of the dalits. They understood the lifestyle and its impact on
their future generations. Then the paradigm shift in the perspectives came into existence.
This is the present day dalit literature. The period from 2000 to 2014 has seen drastic
change in the method of writing. Old writers too changed their mode of raising the voice,
new writers established their writing.
This period have seen most dalit women writing. Few are recorded in the history
and many are not. Steps should be taken to record the literature of this period. Dalit
lifestyle too has changed. Globalization had its impact on dalit living too. This
community is not an exception. This period focused on the lifestyles, the changes of
living adding the flavour of contemporary issues to the literature.
The narrations just heard and swept away with the time, as they were not
recorded. Dalit literature emerges not from imaginary illusions or imaginations. Dalit
literature emerged from the rawness of its truth and reality. Everyday life is the source of
the literature. From the oral form to the written form, the journey of dalit literature

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happens to be sliding on a very slow sledge. Those writers who speculated the reality
never won accolades until the twenty first century. The everyday living, the situations,
the problems, the jeopardy, the authentic reality are the sources of this literature. It
happened to be emerging when the ages passed by and as we reached the recent century.
This Indian literary domain flicks off with the bitter truth that the Telugu dalit literature
was given very less priority. The struggles and identity crisis lead to the portrayal of
famous poems and stories.
Coming to the contemporary literature, we can say that women writers lessened
writing on dalit concept. Many people feel that there are no atrocities taking place in the
society in this period. True. The law enforcement gave strength to fight against
untouchabiltiy and oppression. However, it is also true that the perspective of other castes
has not changed until now that the dalits belong to lower caste. Now, many dalit
problems revolve around the contemporary issues.
Marginalization of women and the lack of voice against atrocities resulted in dalit
literature by women. When women writers of dalit community stood on the lines of
feminism and took the stance of making the voice of the unheard find a place for echo,
dalit literature came into existence. The literature that flowed out from the pens of these
writers displays the position of dalit women and how they are treated. The social
framework and the lifestyle of this community finds place in the short stories, poetry and
drama.
The social trauma they underwent and the exploitation they suffered reflects in the
dalit literature. History is the witness. The oppression they endured knew no way out but
we can say that the literature that expelled from these pens was just a small outlet.
Dalits live in the consciousness that they are marginalized and cannot help but endure the
burden of being atrocities. Their anguish went unheard for centuries together.
When it comes to feminism, we see that women are subjected to atrocities. The plight
with dalit women is that they have to face both gender inequalities along with castes.
They are treated low class and gender disparities too make hell out of their lives.

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They are mere objects that work dawn until dusk. The domestic violence too is
high in this community. Their culture never gave them a chance for renaissance. Their
silence broke with the advent of dalit literature. Social hierarchy is a concept that slipped
off their living as a whole. The voices that spoke about this imbalance of the society,
seldom asked for justice. They just projected their hurt feelings for many years. When the
time changed, and when we stand in the line of 2000 to 2014, the face of dalit literature
changed its attitude and became stern asking for justice.
Social movements and literary movements helped them write their heart out.
Untouchabiltiy was dealt with, in law but many people still take the word “dalit” as lower
caste. Their emotions and expressions put forth the problem of their oppression and
suffering. They have to face the patriarchal imbalances as well.
The modern dalit literature is the real weapon in the hands of dalit women. The
voice of this weapon made the world stand still and listen to the problems they wrote.
The world had to answer the questions they posed.
Dalit literature now demands social equality and respect for their community. The
manu dharma is questioned in much of the literature. The old traditional values and
cultures that oppressed their entity were questioned. The lioness attitude that roared in the
wilderness now has a stage. dalits could be defined as people who have been subjected to
untouchabiltiy and denied social, economic, political, and cultural rights. Dalit
consciousness is a critical factor in dalit writing. There are writers who wrote about the
pain of dalits. They come under sympathetic writers. Such literature is very less. Though
the chaturvarna theory lost its colour now, the impact of its social categorizing still
remain.
The progressive nature of the dalit literature has slow pace but now it is widening.
The revolutionary literature poses questions against the problems and for sure demands
for solutions. Sharpness increased in this period.

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Now, dalit women writer’s perspectives changed to a great extent. They now
realized that they could not be categorized as lower caste. They need not undergo the
atrocities. It is their social right to have equal opportunities in the society.
Anti caste, movements helped them in understanding their priorities. The
violence they faced. They came to realize that another incident like Karamchedu,
Chunduru, and Padirikuppam should never take place again.
To date there are about 30 dalit poetry anthologies in Telugu (among them
Chikkanavutunne Pata, Nisari, Bahuvadasau Valivera, Padunekkina Pata. Gunde Dappu,
etc, are important).
Poets wrote about and condemned the physical and mental torture and atrocities
that their women were subjected to in different occupations. Caste specific experiences of
women are reflected.
Dalit women literature between 2000-2014:
----------------------------------------------------
Dalit women constitute almost half of India 's 160 million Dalits, comprise about
16% of India 's total female population, and 8% of the total population. However, there is
little understanding of the economic, religious, political and ideological isolation of Dalit
women. This is certainly true of their experience in the mainstream women's movements,
where most of them feel disillusioned and alienated.
If there is any soul in this country who subjected to all kinds of oppression and
exploitation, it is the dalit woman. On one side she is oppressed by the caste system, on
the other side she is subjected to gender oppression and class exploitation. She is a dalit
among dalits. It is from this angle that we need to understand dalit feminist poetry and its
specificity.
An examination of dalit feminist poetry unravels for us a concern with caste
oppression, gender oppression and class exploitation. Contemporary dalit feminist poetry

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is written by Challapalli Swaroopa Rani, Madduri Vijayasri, Darisi Sasinirmala, G
Vijayalakshmi, Rani, Karri Vijayakumari, Seeta Mahalakshmi, Nakka Vijaya Bharathi
and M Gauri, There is some similarity between the writings of these poets and the women
poets in Maharashtra who have been part of the Dalit Panthers Movement like Hira
Banisode, Jyoti Lanjewar and Kumud Pawde, as well as the writings of Black women.
Women’s movements played a vital role in the dalit literature expression. The
articulation of women writers in representing the problems of dalit women in their poetry,
short stories and novels is good.
voices, aspirations, and visions of dalit women and their life in this highly stratified
society should be portrayed.
Gogu Syamala:
Gogu Shyamala is a Telugu language writer and women's activist. She is also a
prominent Dalit writer. One of her books is “Nallapoddu (The black morning) this book
was published in 2003. Each story published in this book deals with one problem of
dalits. This book consists of stories written by 53 dalit women writers. The story period is
from 1921 to 2002. (That means the book deals with the stories of 82 years)
Maddela swati Margaret:(1976-
Her doctoral thesis “the presentation of dalit women in telugu films” is famous for its
depiction of dalit women in Telugu films. This thesis dealt with the portrayal of dalit
women in different movies. It poses many questions on the “astitva” of dalit women.
She is famous for dalit feminism.
Challapalli Swaroopa Rani: (1970-
Born in Guntur District, she is a famous writer who addressed dalit problems in her
poetry and short stories. Her works are translated into English and Hindi. She published
research articles too. She teaches in potti sriramulu telugu university. Participated in
students agitations, social activities, public meetings, seminars, workshops related to dalit
and women’s issues. She took PhD in History from the University of Hyderabad.

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Her collection of poems, named mankena puvvu was published in 2005. (Anthology of
poems) there are about 30 poems in that anthology.
When has my life been truly mine
In the home male arrogance
sets my check stinging
while in the street caste arrogance
splits the other cheek open
(Challapalli Swaroopa Rani, 'Mankenapuvvu')
Chasing the far away distant hope
of an education
Reaching the shore of the hostel
Shrinking from the hungry look of
the warden
I long to gather my body into
a fist and fling it into the distance
(Challapalli Swaroopa Rani, 'Mankenapuvvu')
My fame is that I
was recognised as a whore
even as a new born babe
my story that should bring
the head of this civilisation
low into the depths of hell
In which chapter of the volumes
of famous history of your country
do you intend to write it?
(Challapalli Swaroopa Rani, 'Nishidda
Charitha')

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This poem describes the indispensability of the dalit woman's labour. The poem' Vegu
Chukka' says that although the dalit woman' s touch is necessary for a house to become
clean, she herself is always unclean, untouchable.
Although each corner
of the house sparkles
from her touch
To her fellow humans
she is untouchable
(Challapalli Swaroopa Rani, 'Vegu Chukka')
Joopaaka subhadra:( 1962-
Her story “shuddhi cheyyali” published in 2001, depicts the physical hard work done
by a dalit woman. She is a dalit activist and a writer who works on fictional as well as
non-fictional literature on dalit women and their problems.
Putla hemalatha:(1962-
“Tirigi rani payanam” was the first story published in religious magazine named
kreestu rahasyam. She is an icon of technology. Being a professor in Potti Sriramulu
University, she teaches passionately and her love for writing and internet research go
hand in hand. She has done her phD in “Telugu Literature in Internet” which is one of its
kind in the university level researches.
“Goodu cherina guvva” was one of her 3 novels that was serialized in a religious
magazine named “Spandana” in 1990. She wrote 3 novels, 20 stories and 30 poems.
Her poetry was published in the famous anthology named neeli meghalu that was about
the dalit women poetry. She started a web magazine for women named “Vihanga” in two
languages ( Telugu and English) and is successfully running this web magazine until
date. She works on publishing dalit literature in her web magazines. She organizes
different literary programs on the dais of her literary organization named “Manojna
Sahitya Academy”.

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Jajula gowri: (1970-
She wrote dalit samrajyam, utiki aresta( I’ll wash and dry) poems-1994
Kanche(story) was written in 2001. This story deals with the young girls who have to do
physical hard work while studying in the school and the physical abuse they are exposed
to.
Mannu buvva(2004)
This collection of stories was published by visala sahitya academy of Hyderabad.
This book deals with the stories that deal with social exploitation of dalits from various
angles.
Oyinam is the recent book published.
MM Vinodini:
Born in Guntur, she did her M.A and M.Phil from Potti Sriramulu University,
Rajahmundry. She did her M.Phil research on feministic poetry “Neelimeghalu” and
done her P.hd on “Samagra Telugu streevada kavitvam ( integrated Telugu Feministic
poetry) she writes from the everyday experiences of the dalit women. Her story “mariya”
depicts a line that strikes every mind. “No one practices untouchabiltiy when it comes to
sex.”
Her story “Mariya” was published in “Nallapoddu”. And this story was translated
into 6 languages. The English version of this story was translated by the penguin
publishers. She wrote 7 stories.
1. black- 2007- that dealt with the life of scavengers.
2. black ink-2008- that dealt with two girls of different religions, one is a dalit girl.
3. tappipoyina kumarte (the missing daughter)- 2008- this story deals with the
attitude of a young woman who wants to be respected by adopting the hindu
culture in her life and how she faces insult when her friends parents come to know
that she is a dalit girl.
4. mariya
5. baledu-joramochindi (not well- got fever)-2010- this story deals with the hunger
and self respect of a small dalit girl.

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6. oka villain aatmahatya (the suicide of a villain)-2011- this story is all about a
farmer who commits suicide. He abuses the dalit women all his life but commits
suicide due to circumstances. Here, the writer says that it is good if such a villain
commits suicide.
7. kumarakka (sister kumari)-2011- this story deals with a young woman who is
cheated so ruthlessly by a higher caste man. This is a heart wrenching story in fact
that describes how dalit women are cheated.
Vinodini wrote poetry too. one of them is “onti nittadi gudise” this poem poses lot of
questions on the insults dalit women face. Another famous poem is “ All Indians are
my brothers and sisters”. In this poem, she says that all Indians are not her brothers
and sisters as she couldn’t escape from being called as a dalit, due to which she faces
insults.
Her drama “Thirst” ( Daaham in Telugu) was published in the book “staging
resistance” this books was compiled with plays written by women writers. This play
portrays the anguish of the dalit women who face caste discrimination. This is how
dalit women fight to gain right to fetch water from the village well. this play was
introduced as a lesson in the syllabus for M.A English students in Hyderabad Central
University.
Bearing oppression is the first mistake. Dalit women are questioning about this
aspect in their literature now. It is not just expressing the anguish but they now seek a
solution.
More literature should come on dalit women and their rights. The leadership
qualities should increase so that they can face any problem and fight for justice through
their literary activities. We can see that the Human Development Index (HDI) and the
Gender Development Index (GDI) show our nation at very low ranking. The living
conditions of Dalit women in the unorganized sector should be improved. Literature
should focus on the contemporary problems they face and should aid in formulating
solutions. The postmodern issues should also be dealt with, in short stories as well as
novels. The alienated community should be brought into the mainstream social
framework. The social, physical, economical, and political vulnerability should be

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addressed in literature. The grassroots should be dealt with now. Underprivileged and
working class problems should also be addressed. The human rights of dalit women
should be addressed. there should be focus on Rebuilding, Restoration and Reconciliation
of all communities, and especially of those which have survived oppression for
centuries.