Om Prakash Valmiki’s ‘Joothan’: A Symbol of Soreness, Humiliation and Dearth

Abstract

Om Prakash Valmiki (1950-2013) was a well-known Indian poet, a leading Hindi Dalit writer, a short story writer and a story teller. He was a resident of Barla village in Muzafurnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. He was nurtured in Chuhra caste. His contribution for Dalits made him ‘Masiha of Dalits.’ He bestowed the voice to the long felt agony of Dalit community. He set a mile stone in Dalit Literature by writing a celebrated and debut autobiography entitled as Joothan (1997). In Joothan, Valmiki communicates the conflicts of Dalits and their disquieting communal occurrences. Joothan is in the real sense, a saga of Dalit unfairness and societal proscription. It compels the readers to ponder over to investigate the self-esteem and uniqueness in the Indian Hindu society. It also highlights the heartrending situation of India's untouchables and their experiences of soreness, sufferings, tribulations, humiliation, dearth and poverty. One cannot deny the fact that even after independence; Dalits are still facing the evil practices such as chauvinism, monetary insufficiency, injustice, resentment and disrespect. They are still struggling for their rights.  Joothan highlights the glimpses of Dalit history and a scheme for a far-reaching change of civilization and human perception. The prime objective of this paper is to portray Omprakash Valmiki’s Joothan as the symbol of rebellion, soreness, humiliation and dearth.