Fourth Dalit Lit Fest to highlight power of literature as tool for justice, equality

The two-day festivities will host writers, academicians, cultural scholars, singers, playwrights, and artists representing various languages.

NEW DELHI: The fourth edition of the Dalit Literature Festival (DLF) is set to be held between February 28 and March 1 at Aryabhatta College, University of Delhi (South Campus).

The theme for this year’s festival, “World Peace is Possible Through Dalit Literature,” underscores the power of literature as a tool for justice, equality, and social transformation.

The event organised by Ambedkarvadi Lekhak Sangh, Aryabhatta College, and Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), aims to emphasise the role of literary creations and discourses as significant strategies for dismantling oppressive structures and amplifying voices that mainstream spaces fail to accommodate.

Inspired by the works and ideations of Dr BR Ambedkar, the festival aims to reclaim literature, culture, and art from dominant and popular narratives that have failed to talk about Dalit experiences.

Seema Mathur, professor at Kalindi College, DU, and associated with the organisation of the literature festival, emphasised the importance of conceptualising separate events to showcase Dalit literature.

“Other events offer Dalit literature a corner but it needs a centre stage to garner the attention it needs and share its expreriences and stories with people.”

 “Through such events, we aim to break the stereotype regarding the term ‘Dalit’ as it is not just a community based on caste identity but comprises women, LGBTQAI members, and everyone who has faced discrimination and injustice in any form”, she added.

Organisers feel the injustice and discrimination suffered by the Dalits is not an isolated experience but is reflected in cultural and literary creations of the community; hence a platform that unites these marginalised voices and shares these experiences with the world is a necessity; a vibrant space where otherwise peripheral narratives celebrate themselves for their richness.

The two-day festivities will host writers, academicians, cultural scholars, singers, playwrights, and artists representing various languages.

The programme will also include research paper presentations, panel discussions, cultural performances, book and art exhibitions, making it a platform for varied artistic and intellectual exchanges. The aim is to explore contribution of Dalit literature in addressing caste oppression, gender issues, and social justice through cinema, poetry, education and climate.

Courtesy : TNIE

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