Kusum Arora

Jalandhar

‘Paise nal banda ameer nahi hunda’ (Money alone cannot make a man rich). A culturally strong society makes the difference. Kali is one of the key speakers among 350 literati at the five day long JLF. As many as 4 lakh visitors from across the country and world would be reaching in the fest. JLF started on January 24 and conclude on January 28.Traversing a journey of hardships in an otherwise unjust society, renowned Dalit writer Des Raj Kali would be again sharing literary explorations in a session dedicated to ‘Transformative Dalit literature’ at the famous ‘Jaipur Literature Festival’ on Friday. It is for the fifth time that he is participating in this fest.

Titled “The Dark of the Dawn: Bhor Ke Andhere Mein”, Kali would be seen sharing dias with his contemporaries Dhrubo Jyoti, Manoranjan Byapari and Sheoraj Singh Bechain. The talk would highlight that how Dalit literature has an inspirational role to play in the battle for justice and equality, including the struggle of iconic writers in this field. “The Dalit and the Punjabi literature have its roots in the Buddhist and Sufi philosophy with genesis through ‘Nath’ or ‘Yogis’ in Punjabi culture. While Dalit literature was philosophical, the Hindi and the Marathi writers like Jyoti Rao Phule and Dr BR Ambedkar were politically influenced. In this session, I would speak about the glorious works of Dalit poets like Gulabdass, Peero Preman, Wazir Singh and Nurung Devi”, he said.

On January 27 ie Sunday, Kali would be participating in another session titled ‘Reclaiming the Mother tongue’. This panel would include writers Akhil Katyal, Desraj Kali, NS Madhavan and Salma in conversation with Kanishk Tharoor, the son of Congress MP and famous author Shashi Tharoor showcasing commitment to their first language.”This session would be based on the reclaiming mother tongue. The mother tongue was the first language learned at home in childhood, reflecting one’s ethnic group. But, in the modern society, the umbilical link with one’s mother tongue was often severed, hence the discussion”, Kali added.From humble beginning to a world of literary genius, Kali shared that he could sustain adversaries in life, as he came from a ‘culturally elite Dalit background’. “Money alone cannot make a man rich. I come from a culturally elite family, where people were sensitive and used to support each other. The folk and oral Punjabi literature that I learned through my ancestors laid my foundation”, he said.

Notably, Kali was a name to reckon with in Dalit literature. His works brought a new turn to the Punjabi story-writing as it entered its fourth generation. He has written novels based on his personal experiences, which include Channan di Leek, Kath- Kali, Faqiri and Nar Natak.Kali said that for the last seven years, he was writing another novel ‘Thumri’, which throws light on how Punjabi philosophy was based on Sikh, Vaishnavism, Sufism and Shail tradition. “With every work, I delve deep into my subject and keep exploring who I am? The journey is going on”, Kali signed off.

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