NAMDEO DHASAL: POET AND PANTHER

Author(s): Laurie Hovell

Source: Journal of South Asian Literature, Vol. 24, No. 2, MISCELLANY (Summer, Fall 1989),
pp. 65-82
Published by: Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40873091 .
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NAMDEO DHASAL: POET AND PANTHER

LaurieHovell
To read NamdeoDhasal's poetryis to stepintothe slumsand
ofbothpoverty
streets
ofBombay;itis toenterintoa centuries-old
history
in HinduIndia.
and vitality.Dhasal was borna Mahar,an Untouchable
But Dhasal and millionsof Maharswill notdie Hindus. Since 1956,
Dhasal and an estimatedsix millionUntouchableshave convertedto
startedby Dr. BhimraoRamji
Buddhismas a resultof the ferment
Ambedkar(1892-1956).
Dhasal is botha poet and a Panther. His activitiesreflectthe
dimensions
of thelargerDalit movement.*
political,social and literary
In 1972,Dhasal founded
the"DalitPanthers,"
a politicalgroupconcerned
withtherightsof India's ScheduledCastesand soon he burston to the
Marathiliteraryscene withhis book of poems, Golpitha,a shocking
depictionof Bombay'sslumsand brothels.
"Dalit" meansoppressed,downtrodden.
Dhasal's poetry,as that
of the largerDalit movement,
cannotbe separatedfromits historical,
political,and socialcontext.Dalitpoemshavea purpose;thepoetsspeak
aboutand fora community.
Someofthesepoetssaythatiftheirpolitical
and social goals were met tomorrow,theycould stop shouting,and
writing.
The following
poemsare fromDhasal's ThilyttKanchiThi
lytt(WhatGradeAre YouIn, WhatGrade?)publishedin 1982. Here
we findhimin a reflective
mood. By thistime,theDalit Panthershad
severalincarnations
and splitsandDhasal's healthwas
alreadyundergone
bad. His angerand rebellionhad reacheda peak in Golpitha. The later
book, WhatGrade, findsDhasal steppingback. In thepoems in this
on how farthe Dalits have come since the
volume,Dhasal meditates
Buddhistconversion. He reflectsupon Ambedkar'
s positionand his
on thecommunity
influence
in contemporary
India. He considerswhere
theDalit community-united
or divided-might
be heading.

*For a studyof Ambedkarand the Dalit movement,see Eleanor

Zelliot, "Dalit-New CulturalContextfor an Old MarathiWord,"
Contributions
to AsianStudies,Vol. XI, 1975.
65

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ONAMBEDKAR
SOMEBACKGROUND
Dhasal and Ambedkarwere born Mahars, membersof an
whoseoccupation
wasthedisposalofdeadanimals.
Untouchable
subgroup
toentertemplesoruse wells
were
not
allowed
Untouchables
Traditionally,
used by casteHindus. Theirchildrencould notenterschoolsbut were
couldnotlive
forcedto listento thelessonsfromoutside. Untouchables
insidethevillagewithcaste Hindus. Theirverytouchwas considered
shadowpassedover
ago,ifanUntouchable's
polluting;
generations
ritually
a seriesofpurifying
rituals.This
a casteHindu,thecasteHindurequired
for
centuries.
had beentheUntouchable's
heritage many
ButBhimraoAmbedkar
managedto acquirean educationthrough
Ambedkar
wentto studyat Columbia
thesupport
ofprivatescholarships.
in
to
in
London
and
Bonn.
well
as
as
Finally,he returned
University
determined
to achievepoliticaland social
India in 1923 as a barrister,
rightsforIndia's Untouchables.
Ambedkarbecamea prominent
politicianand helpedpass laws
anditspracticeillegal. He obtainedfromthe
whichmadeuntouchability
a quota systemfor ScheduledCastes for filling
Indian government
of
themainsegment
comprising
positions,theUntouchables
government
Ambedkar
thisclassification.Butafteryearsof struggle,
finallygave up
any hope of changingthe Untouchables'positionwithinthe Hindu
a religionwhichhe felthad oppressed
hierarchy.He rejectedHinduism,
beforehis
hispeopleforcenturies.In Octoberof 1956,just twomonths
to
of
ex-Untouchables
mass
conversion
led
a
Ambedkar
Dr.
death,
to
the
vows
took
in
half
million
a
which
a
conversion
Buddhism,
people
million
exsix
becomeBuddhistlaypersons.Since then,an estimated
to Buddhism.
haveconverted
Untouchables

66

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AMBEDKAR: 1978
EQUALITY FOR ALL OR DEATH FOR INDIA

10

Afterthis
I'm notgoingto writeanything
obtuse
Poetictwistsand counter-twists
are notallowed
Don't misfire:
theearthmightbe thereor not
Straight
quickgrabit by theroot
This country
growslikea castoroil plant
We love itsworthless
leaveswithout
reason
We havebeendrooling
We playwith
a strandof spit

15

20

25

30

35

Theydon'tacceptourgiftof love
Theybetraythemselves-as if youcouldcarvea lumpoutof yourown flesh
and leave it festering
in a thickbloodystream
Theyare firedup withtheirownegotism
Theyare possessedby neuroses
Killing,violence,bloodshed
stench
Theyare pollutedby thisrotten
make
into
an
They
Oedipus
everyone
Theywantpartition
Theywantriots
Theywantto turnhumansintodemons
one moretime
Theywantto see humanity
destroyed
Ashesand skeletons
Theirsongsof death
Theirbody/their
brain/their
ass
theirgrief/their
blood
Are theytheonlyonesbornof mothers'wombs?
The restare fromcatsand dogs!
Whatan illusiontheylive in
Theyare slavesto theiremotions
Lustand thirst
Theirdreamymind-chariot
fallsapart
Theydenytheacceptanceof life
67

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40

Theylifttheirfacesand spitat thesky

Do theythinktheycouldpollutethesky?
Theirfacesare blackwithshame
someoneelse's sanctity
Does condemning
takeawaytheirown sins?

45

Theyshouldstopnow
Theyshouldchangenow
in somebodyelse's eye
Insteadof lookingforthesplinter
theirown
out
of
the
boulder
should
get
They

50

55

60

65

70

75

You've gonebeyond
thepowerin yourstatue
You're evenbiggerthanthenameof thecountry
You werenevera stifflayinghen
The streamof yourthoughts
ourlives
transformed
How couldwe ignorethetruth?
whosewisdomilluminates
We wantto becomelikethem-those
who restin thedeep shadeof a
We wantto be like them-those
tree
The innervoice is honest
You weren'ta bigot
You bentthetimesto yourwill
Whatseemedimpossible
youdroppedin ourlaps
You standradiantbeforeus
You neverhida secret
My lifewas clearas a crystal
thatflashedbeyonddeath
You becamethecentralfigureforall Dalits
Those who spokeagainstyou
thosewhoridiculedyourworkyoudidn'tgetangrywiththem
earth
You plantedyourfeeton thewild-spinning
and stoodlikea rock
beliefs
againsttheirmistaken
The harshwordsthatcameoutof yourmouththeirpurposewas liberation
In yourheartyou storedtolerance
a volcanoof revolt
In thesameheartstirred
Your revoltwas notblindand dumb:
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80

85

90

95

100

105

110

115

was to changetheworld
to changeyourself
New eyes,newheart
notrevenge
Your faithwas in awakening,
of
of
born
study, duty
awakening
wasn'tfalse
Your reputation
You grabbedthebanyantreeby theroots
Weapons
You didn'ttakethemoutjust to fillyourbelly
You unleashedthemagainstinjustice
on thegods
You did a post-mortem
goddess,
Satvi,thatfate-reckoning
it
snubbed
her
off
cut
nose,
you
You threwthebarrentalesof heavenand hell
intothegutter
without
You fuckedthe33 croresof cocksuckers
caring
You setthewateron fire
down
The skycame storming
at yourcommand
withgold
and theseasonswalkedtheirwaythreaded
You tookon theworld
You playedwithfire
You playedus musicin thestorm
Suffering
therootof suffering
freedomfromsuffering
thepathof freedom
You warmedto thecursedearth
to meetwithlow ones
to partfromlovedones
desires
to feelunfillable
thisis suffering
all
of
themeaning
themeaningof birthis suffering
themeaningof old age is suffering
themeaningof diseaseis suffering
themeaningof deathis suffering
O heirof conflict
The manwhogivesgood to thelongand short
you madehimtransparent
and beyondeveryman
We see through

69

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120

blind
Theybelievepeopleare absolutely
are
low
believe
people
They
Theybelievepeopleare slaves
Theyfearhumanshadows
Theyweararmorheadto toe
Theyletanthillsriseup aroundthem
tilltheysmother,
seethe,and spitup poison
obscureis to be written
Afterthisnothing
Plow thewholethingwitha donkey'splow

125

EQUALITYFOR ALL
OR
DEATH FOR INDIA
and on theheartcarved
AMBEDKAR: 1978
Translatedby Laurie Hovell and Asha
Karve
Mundlay,withJayant
NOTES

of as we, theDalits,
The "we" and "they"in thepoemmightbe thought
theoppressed,and they,thecasteHindus.
idealof enlightenment.
to theBuddhist
28-29: This is a reference
undera banyantree.
82: The Buddhaattainedenlightenment
visitsnewborn
87: Satvi is a Hindugoddesswho, in the mythology,
childrenand writestheirfateacrosstheirforeheads.
as 33 crore. (A
determined
of Hindugodsis sometimes
91: The number
croreis 10 million.)
99-102: Dhasal is speakingof Buddhism'sFourNoble Truths:
in existence.
is inherent
1)
Suffering
is greed,hatred,and delusion.
of
The
root
2)
suffering
is possible.
from
Freedom
suffering
3)
is theeight-fold
The wayto freedom
path.
4)
124: A donkey'splow is particularly
inauspicious. A cow's plow is
auspicious.
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AMBEDKAR: 79

Your followers
act likefalsegurus
fora tieand babble
use
a
loincloth
They
Theirheritageis mother-fucking
Like Yama fuckedYami, theyfucktheirsisters
These impotent
Arjunsof countlessgenerationsthesunin theirblood
all theycan do is pop somevirgin'scherry,

10

Thisbubblingmass
who willpop it witha pin
This sad lonesomerain,whereis it going?
Won'tsomebodysetthiscityon fire?

15

Your deathis considered

monumental
I saw it fromtheeyesof a commonman
Therewas nojoy in yourdeath,no sorrow
The real manlivesbeforedeath
The restis simplydust,swirling
dust
In place of deathI'm trying
to establish
Beauty

20

25

This is theproclamation
of bread
This is theparliament's
brothel
This country
we call Mother
with
the
sleeps
god of wealth
and timeis becomingmoreorthodox
The lifein myheartbecomesworthless
as dust
Greendreamsfadebeforemyeyes
Now whocan we worship?
Translatedby Laurie Hovell and Asha
Karve
Mundlay,withJayant

NOTES
1-2: Dr. Ambedkar
suitand neveradopted
usuallyworea western-style
thekhadi(homespun
cotton)dressof theIndianNationalCongress. The
linesimplythathis followers
to imitatehisdressbutdon'tgetit
attempt
quiteright.
71

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4: In theVedas, Yama, thegod of death,and Yami are brotherand

ofthelawsofthemortal
sister.Ignorant
world,Yamiwantsto sleepwith
herbrother.He banishesher,butshe repents,and he takesherback.
Thisis theoriginoftheDiwali (Festivalof Lights)holiday:on thefourth
honortheirsisters.
day of thefestivalbrothers
5: In theMahbhrat,theheroArjunhasto livefora yearas a eunuch,
whilehis wifeservesthekingas a maidservant.

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AMBEDKAR: 1980
1

10

15

20

25

You diedbutdidn'tend
Like us, you sleptwithyourwife
buttheydidn'tflapin thebreeze
You had children,
We grewup likethis,likethat
butourchildrenwouldneverignoreyouraffection
Scientist
Politician/
Technician/
Academician/
Philosopher
These mendefineyou somewayor another
You livedlikea man
No actingin it
no dramatics
no imitators
no imitation,
Now thisis old stuff:
theywouldn'ttouchus whentheygave us water
Now thisis old stuff:
theymadeus sitoutsidetheschoolon theveranda
Now thisis old:
theywouldn'tletus see
theblackand whitefeetof Vithoba
Now theyand we are thesame
This world'ssocialism
This world'scommunism
And yourideaswe've putthemto thetest
The implication
is this:
our shadowcan coverour feet
2

30

We curseyoutoo,but
you gave us thetongue
We even sinkyouin thewater,but
yougave us thewater
We've donethingsto you,but
can be doneto you
anything
73

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Yet thequestionof myloyalty,

myhonesty
35

stillremains
Who are you?
Who wereyou?
Whoseare you?
3

40

45

The timesare yours

butyourpeoplestillsuffer
here
A mendicant
can be primeminister
buta Mangcan't,nora Bhangi
In front
of thechair,theparliament's
priceis less
In front
of thelaw, theprostitute's
priceis less
I saw one thingin all this:
thewheelof theseasonscomesto us equally
You, likethewheel,wereequal to all
4

50

55

60

65

It was a Friday
An arithmetic
book,a slate,
and one piece of chalkMama gotthemfromthebazaar
She was tiredthatday
In thelightof thebrasslantern
she had me massageherfeet
Thenshe said
'Baba-untilI fallasleep
takea look at thisbook
I neverlearned
butyoudo one thing
Startyoureducation
and tracea 'B' forBabasaheb
MostkidsstartwiththeletterforGanesh
butBabasahebwas morebeautiful
thanthatgod withan elephant'sface
So don'ttrace
ShriGanesh
The lordof thepeopleis neverugly
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70

He comesfromamongmen
TrueHoly Beautiful
True,holy,and beautiful
thisis BabasahebAmbedkar
or else therestof thisbook meansnothing
5

75

this
WhileI was writing
3 o'clock struck
I knowI needa drink
butI don'tfeellikehavingone
I onlywantto sleeppeacefully
and see no varnas,no castes
to wakeup in themorning
Translatedby Laurie Hovell and Asha
Karve
Mundlay,withJayant

NOTES
14: If a casteHindugave waterto an Untouchable,
theywouldpourit
fromabove and be carefulnotto touchhimforfearof ritualpollution.
vesselwas considered
Even thetouchof an Untouchable's
polluting.
werenotallowedinsideschoolsbuthadto listento the
16: Untouchables
lessonsfromtheschoolveranda.
bhakti(devotionalreligion)sect
19: Vithobais thegod of theimportant
numbered
of Maharashtra.Untouchables
amongthepilgrimsof thesect
butuntilIndependence
inthe700 yearold tradition,
andweresaint-singers
s chief templein
Vithoba'
inside
allowed
in 1947, theywere never
Pandharput.(noteby EleanorZelliot)
21-23: Dhasal in his maverickpoliticalcareerhas joined both the
and thesocialists,as wellas theCongressParty. He implies
communists
as
herethatall thesepoliticalgroupsstillholdthenow ex-Untouchable
defiling.(Zelliot)
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weremadetoliveoutsidethevillagewalls.
26: In thepast,Untouchables
he was normally
shadowwas heldto be polluting,
As an Untouchable's
when
theshadowwas
But
at
the
notallowedto enter village.
highnoon,
couldenterthevillage. (Zelliot)
coveredby thefeet,an Untouchable
theDalits-thatAmbedkar
27-30: The speakeracknowledges
empowered
of
their
have
been
conscious
would
not
without
Ambedkar,
position.
they
Ambedkarfoughtfortheirrightsto entertemplesand to getwaterfrom
publicwells. Anypowertheyhaveto speakagainsthimnow is power
thathe gave them.
42: Mang and Bangi are subcasteswithintheUntouchable
community.
maderopes,and Bhangiscleanedlatrines.
Mangstraditionally
thefirstsyllablethatchildrenlearnis "shri,"which
60: Traditionally
means "honorable"and refersto the Hindugod Ganesh,or Ganpati.
of Shiva:he hasthebodyof a manand thehead
Ganeshis an incarnation
of an elephant.Ganeshis a particularly
populargod in Maharashtra.
divisionofHindusociety.The
to theclassicalfour-fold
78: Varnarefers
Manusmritispeaks of four varnas: the Brahmins(the priests),the
and the
(thesoldiersand rulers),thevaishyas(themerchants),
kshatriyas
are seen as
Untouchables
shudras(themenialworkers). Traditionally,
adishudras;theyare so low thattheyare noteven includedwithinthe
varnasystem.

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WHAT GRADE ARE YOU IN, WHAT GRADE?

10

15

20

Whatgradeare youin,
whatgrade?
Have yourough-housed
madeit bounce
sunksevenhandsdeep
telloh tell
eat husk. For sleeping:a rock
If you'rehungry:
Done that?
woman? Fuckedher?
Have you fuckeda menstruating
Dead cow?
cattle?
the
dead
around
Dragged
Grindstone?
Rubbedthegrindstone?
Knowwhathayaleis? Cow gut?
Saved stalebread? Ateit?
Suckedthemarrow?Marrow?
Friedthegibblets?Gibblets?
Have you fondledanybreasts?Breasts?
Kissed? Kissed?
Filled thehole? The hole?
Made yourcock swell? Yourcock?
Knockedanyoneup? Knockedherup?
Done it fromtheback? The back?
Done it twicein one night?Twice?
You havelotsof gaps

25

Whatgradeare youin?
Whatgrade?
Translatedby Laurie Hovell and Asha
Karve
Mundlay,withJayant

NOTES
Thisis thetitlepoemofDhasal's 1982collection.Dhasal's explicitsexual
are shockingin a societyin which,up untila fewyearsago,
references
cinemacoupleswerenoteven allowedto kiss on screen. Most of the
thingsthatthespeakerasks aboutwouldbe especiallytaboo fora caste
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witha menstruating
womanis
Hindu: forexample,havingintercourse
womenare not
consideredpolluting.(In Brahminhomes,menstruating
or nearthegodhouse.)Eatingbeefis also taboofor
allowedinthekitchen
inthesections
tells
onbeef-eating,
The
casteHindus.
speaker,particularly
of poverty.
abouttheDalits' heritage
womanritually
9: Hindusconsidera menstruating
polluting.
Maharsdisposedofthecarcassesofdeadanimals.The
10: Traditionally,
cow, thoughsacredtoHinduswhileitis alive,is impurewhendead. The
atethemeatfromthedeadcattle,andtheircontactwith
Maharssometimes
status. The
theirUntouchable
dead cows bothcreatedand perpetuated
assuredtheuse of everypartof thecow.
Mahar'spoverty
of a cow.
12: Hayale is thelargeintestine

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JUSTA BIT MORE TIME

Justa bitmoretime,mydarling
Justa bitmoretime
Hold on somehow
5

Suppliesmaycome,theymaynot
Theyhavecapturedourbodies
Theyhavecapturedourbreath
in ourhearts-howcan we blow it out?
Butthelantern
Injusticedoes notfallwiththeharvest
Or comepouringdownin season

10

Thesedayswillpass
Justas summers
pass, rainyseasonspass
Hear-in thedistance
Revolutionrumbleseverywhere
You hearit?
Translatedby Laurie Hovell and Jayant
Karve

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ABOUT SATAN
ThesedaysI certainly
don'tgo aroundwitha crossaroundmyneck

10

I said to her
Whydon'tyouwritea couplelinesaboutSatanin thehouse
aboutthecruellittlegameshe playswithyourlife
how he carrieson noisyand naked
how he getsa hard-on/
loses it
and finallyfallsdowntired,quietin hisownhouse
Whenshe feelsI shouldtalkof thescarletmohurin bloom
aboutus walkinghandin handon thesandsof thesea
thewavesthatare whitebirds
fondling
a
stealing cornerof privacyinsidethehouse/outside
to mergewithone another. . .
ThesedaysI can'tdo this. I am likeSatan.

15

20

25

30

35

For mySatanicsport
I needthousands
of witnesses
I minglewiththem,mixwiththem,becomelikethem
If I can, I caresstheirpleasuresand pains
If possibleI evensharewiththem
If nothing's
possibleI dancelikea bearon a leash
Thesedays,everyday,shetunesthetamboura
and sings
likea ruffled
henbeforesacrifice
Eggs withblackbeautyspots
Breadmadefromscraps
The firstdraught
of homebrew
in a cup
Hot bloodfora condiment
Narcoticbittentongue
Can Sataneverbe too intimate
withhumans?
I am intimate
withher
Does a devileverlistento thestereo!
WatchTV? Spiffup his house? Needprivacy!
Satanfearslight
I mergewithlight
Afterdarkmysoul is restless
Satangrabsholdof her,crushesherlips
rapesher
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I said to her,writeaboutthisdemonin thehouse

And thatshecouldnotdo
40

Now Satan'sturnhas come

surrender
mind,soul, body
and puta crossaroundhis neck
Translatedby Laurie Hovell and Asha
Karve
Mundlay,withJayant

NOTES
All italicizedwordsappearedin Englishin theoriginal.
Dhasal uses theEnglishword"Satan"in hispoem. To an American,the
termresonateswithmeaningsfromthe Christiantradition. But to a
thewordmustsoundfresh,foreign.Dhasal lives in a
Marathi-speaker
live nextto Hindusnextto Christians
partof BombaywhereBuddhists
nextto Muslims;Christian
images,suchas crosses,arepartofhiscultural
milieu. In the poem Dhasal also talksof otherforeignthingsusing
Englishwords:stereo,TV, privacy. Again,theseare wordsfamiliarin
our culture,but to a Marathi-speaker
theymightsoundcosmopolitan,
modern.
3-4: Dhasal's wife,MalikaAmarShekh,is also a poet. Her fatherwas
folksinger,AmarShekh.
thewell-known
Communist
romantic
9: The mohurtreeis a conventional
image.
forhispublicantics. Beforehis
15-20: Dhasal has acquireda reputation
healthfailed,Dhasal madea nameforhimselfas a drinker,man-abouttown,and politicalmaverick.
fretsas
21: A tamboura
is a four-stringed
strummed
without
instrument,
a background
to
voice
or
other
instruments.
accompaniment
23: Probablya metaphor
fora woman'sbreasts.

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bread." In American
24: In Marathi,the phraseis "seven-grained
in
Englishthissoundslikea healthfood,but Marathiitconnotespoverty:
thereisn't enoughof one kindof flour;theremainsof sevendifferent
kindsof flourmustbe mixed.
27: Literally"a chandol-bitten
tongue."The chandolis a bird;herethe
a
state.
imageimplies drug-induced

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