The Poet’s identification with Dalits

Inquilaab becomes ferocious when he thinks of the inhuman and horrible cruelty committed to Dalits.Whenever he writes about Dalits, he himself turns as a Dalit.

Identifying himself with Dalits, he speaks:

The Blood drops

Oozed from our buttocks and thumbs

Are frozen in the Ithihaasas

Which you recite daily.

Even when Ahimsa was preached

Under the Bodhi tree

The fire which was burning us

Never stopped.

We were suffering for many a Thousand years

With the legs which did iron chains tie

And the mouths which drank the cow-dung.

We were carrying the scorching sun

On our back daily.

With the fibers of our perspiration

We clothed the nudity of the earth.

Even then

We gained a small measure of rice

And a piece of loincloth

………………………………………

When we were born in this earth

The thread of ‘caste’ made by you

Entangled our neck

Even before the placenta of the mother’s womb

We are-

Indian Negroes

The wealth of the whites flourished

By the blood of the blacks

Like that

Your temples and tajmahals

Were built and cherished by our blood.

The title of the poem’ Fiery Position’ explains that the Dalits, who had tolerated the savageries done to them for many centuries, had taken a determined standpoint.

The determination of the Dalits is made clear in the following lines.

Even in the dreams of

The exploiters

We will hold flags of demonstration

And shout slogans.

Whatever torture you give

We won’t weep and cry

We stand erect

Hereafter

Every minute is ours.

Inquilaab’s poem points out the motivation and willpower every Dalit should have to achieve emancipation.

Inquilaab always thinks and acts for the emancipation of the downtrodden, hegemony of the working class and the emancipation of dalits.

Here we see the poet, as an emancipator, and we sincerely wish his mission to succeed thereby achieving an egalitarian society in our country.

Solution for the salvation of Dalits

Almost all the poets of Tamilnadu condemned this crime through their poems. When other poets ventilated emotional outburst through their poems, Inquilaab clearly stated that until feudalism is replaced by scientific socialism such atrocities might continue forever.

Burning alive the Dalits

Feudalism is preparing the sacred ash

To wear in its forehead

How to end this atrocity? His solution is simple.

To destroy

The mosquito of unsociability

Let us destroy

The drainage of Feudalism

Atrocities commited to Dalits

The main and malicious evil communalism is of serious concern to everybody who wishes the welfare of the society. The oppressed caste known as Adidravidas in the south and panchamaas in the north termed themselves as Dalits are suffering a lot. As they happened to be agricultural laborers and menials of the landlord in the feudal system for many centuries. They were confined in an institutional slavery system and treated even worse than the animals reared up by the landlord.

Even though Mahatma Gandhi wished to emancipate them from their slavery, he was unable to do anything except christening them with a new nomenclature”Harijans.”

The atrocities committed to Dalits are a never-ending dark spot of the Indian society.

In the year 1968, twentyone years after Independence, at Keezhavenmani, in the then Thanjavur district, agricultural laborers were burnt alive. After this tragedy, this cruelty did not come to an end. It happened here and there. But poets took Keezhavenmani as a symbol to notify brutality committed to Dalits.

In Keezhavenmani, the dalits who were agricultural laborers asked for a small rise in their wages. The landlords considered this as a great sin. The thugs employed by the landlords threatened the dalits. To save themselves from brutal assault they took shelter in a thatched hut. Alas! They were unable to save their lives from the merciless hooligans, who burnt them alive, creating a dark page in the history of Tamilnadu.

Inquilab

Inquilaab hails from Keezhakkarai, a coastal commercial town which belongs to Ramanathapuram district of Tamilnadu.He did his Pre-University course at Raja Duraisingam college, Sivagangai.Poet Meera (Mi.Rajendiran) was working as a Tamil Professor there at that time. Meera, who was motivating youngsters during his lifetime, had also encouraged Inquilaab’s literary pursuits. Meera, who was organizing Poetic symposia throughout Ramanathapuram district found the poet hiding in Inquilaab’s mind and have given due exposure.

Inquilaab did his graduate course in Thiagarajar College at Madurai.This College is very famous. AbdulRahman, Mi.Rajendiran, Naa.Kamarajan, Mu.Methaa are some of its products.

Famous scholars like Ilakkuvanar (who translated Tholkappiam in English), Avvai Duraisami (who had rendered commentaries to many Tamil classics) A.K.Paranthamanar were working there at that time. This institution helped and strengthened Inquilab’s creative efforts. The budding poet, Inquilaab, metamorphosed as a revolutionary poet in this atmosphere.

Inquilaab neither indulged in Hero worship nor associated himself with any of the political parties. Poets who were keeping to the beaten track satisfied themselves by choosing the readymade themes. Inquilaab was very clear in his motive and still keeps it. He wants the entire societal set-up to change. His voice is a voice of revolt. He is not willing to compromise with the social reforms suggested to remedy the social evils prevalent now.