BY CASTE NONE IS SUPERIOR NOR INFERIOR EITHER; DALITS ARE EQUIVALENT TO ANY INDIAN; POETRY FOR DALITS, THE COUNTER DISCOURSES IN AP, INDIA

Abstract

A significant development in 1980s is the emergence of Dalit poets who have enriched the modern Telugu literature with their poetry in Andhra Pradesh, India. In fact the remarkable entry of Dalit poetry has given a new dimension, a new viewpoint and a new effect to the literary and social circles of the state. But some men of letter felt that literature has, of late, lost its values because of the emergence of the poetry on the struggle for existence of religion, caste and gender. He points out that the modern movements changed the literary ideologies, its form and the order of evolution qualitatively. Struggle for the existence of religions, castes and gender are given more importance. As the by-product, the literary values were spoiled. From qualitative point of view, they may be right as poetry is travelling from macro to micro and universal to individual. But it is strongly felt that Dalit poetry has provided voice to the voiceless and the power to the powerless. This cannot be denied. All the dalit voices whether they are of dalits or non-dalits are brought together in the English research article, though I am not a research scholar, to express the strong internal social solidarity for them. Let literature be a mirror and reflect the contemporary society.