एक दलित की आत्मकथा

The excerpt in this chapter is from an autobiographical essay by Omprakash Valmiki which was first published in 1995. Valmiki, born in 1950 in a village near Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, is a successful Dalit writer. The term ‘Dalit’, literally meaning ‘oppressed’, is used to describe people traditionally known as ‘untouchables’ in the context of the Hindu caste system. Following the popularity of this essay, Valmiki was urged to write more about his experiences as a Dalit, which led to his autobiography जूठन being published in 1997. This was subsequently translated by Arun Prabha Mukherjee and published in 2003 under the title Joothan: A Dalit’s Life. Valmiki’s other works include, amongst others, several collections of poetry and short stories.