Genesis, Historicity and Persistence of Dalit Protest Literature and Movements in Odisha

Abstract

Even after seven decades of India’s independence, the status of the Dalits remain unchanged where caste system, along with the practice of untouchability, remains a universal phenomenon of rural India, and the state of Odisha is not an exception. Among various issues that the Dalits in the state are facing, the greatest problem is that they are not allowed to worship inside some of the temples even today, by the upper caste Hindus. Against this flagitious practice, voices from the marginalized concerned have been raised time and again. However, like other states, the state of Odisha has not witnessed a strong all-Odisha Dalit movement either in colonial or in postcolonial period. But this does not mean that Dalits in the state are silently tolerating all caste oppressions and are not conscious; rather, they have protested against the dominant castes from time to time. There are different phases of Dalit protest literature and movements in the state from precolonial period to the present day. The state has witnessed some small, sporadic and scattered Dalit movements, and protest literature against the caste system and untouchability in the past, but these remained limited within the form of literature and religion due to various reasons. In this juncture, an endeavour has been made in this article to articulate and unify these small sporadic Dalit movements and protest literatures into a theoretical account by building coherency and continuity in its nature and spirit.