Sahityasetu

(1)
Our journey of slavery
starts with your birth
and it comes to an end only when
you cease to exist.

(2)
You Brahmin!
our sweat smells foul to you
then do one thing
you send your wife to lift the shit on her head for a day.
You! come and sit with me
we will boil the leather together.
Send your son with mine
if not-
then listen Vasistha!
You too Dronacharya !
We hate you
we spit on your past and
your beliefs.
Don't forget that now
steadfast shoulders
are not ready to shoulder your loads.
Absolutely not ready.
Watch!
At least look
outside the closed castle
the snow is melting.
Calves are running like flashes.
Oxes are chewing the sunshine.
And Eklavya is
heating the old rusted arrows
in fire.

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Is this poem for you?
By Dwarka Bharti.

Don't you feel disgusting when you hear the far away temple bell?
Doesn't your whole existence shake when you hear filmy hymn noise from
the tents made by obstructing the traffic?
Doesn't your eyebrows raise when you notice a great man's portrait at
political goon's house?
Doesn't your hand search the pistol when you see a long sandal mark on
the forehead of a criminal?
Doesn't your forehead precipitate when you observe a dirty old man
pulling rickshaw in scorching heat?
Doesn't the tip of your pen bring to light the realities of dangerous scorpions?
Doesn't your head bow down with respect when a murderer of wrongs
passes across you?
If the answer to all these questions is in ‘nay’, then please excuse me
This poem surely cannot be for you.

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Caste
By Dwarka Bharti

Don't tell me that
you'll make me a very big man,
you'll show me places on other's shoulders,
you'll register big building to me in a big city,
you'll put my bed on big heap of wealth;
After looking at my condition please do just one thing if you want to
Remove the caste which is attached
for centuries with me.

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Shame
By Dwarka Bharti

Why does it happen
that
while moving across a religious place
my head bows down often
not with respect but
with shame.

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Rath Yatra
By Dwarka Bharti

The Rath Yatra of his god
resolves where humanity surrenders itself.
Humans divide themselves in countless parts.
Dangerous wheels of chariot revolve
and move ahead after crushing
the pride of helpless Indians
Those tracks of the past to which
the dust of time had tried to remove
Again reappear on the face of the earth
spreading hatred the chariot moves on
in the darkness and
the size of India continuously sinks to tiny.
And after all this
do we still need a Rath Yatra?

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These poems are taken from Prof Vimal Thorat’s Book on "Dalit Poetry and Spirit of Revolt" and translated by Dr Parmod Kumar who is an Assistant Professor of English at Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. Apart from his Ph.D on Indian English Dalit Literature, he is a recipient of Australia-India Council fellowship (2010-11) and has done comparative literary research on Indian Dalits and Australian Aborigines .

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