For several decades now, middle-class Dalits have had access to English-medium education. However, despite this educational advancement, the presence of Dalits in senior positions within India’s mainstream English media and book publishing remains notably scarce. Few Dalits work as editors or hold roles as senior writers, highlighting the persistent barriers to representation in these influential sectors.
The culprit behind their exclusion is not the usual right-wing Hindutva politics but rather the Gandhian Harijan-making politics, adopted by the Indian secular culture, that undermines Dalit aspiration and autonomy. Modern Dalit writers face a unique blend of systemic and cultural exclusion that distinguishes their struggle from that of other marginalised groups, such as African Americans in the US, who benefit from vital support from the mainstream (white) literary establishment. Twenty-first century Dalit literature needs new strategies and ownership of the English language to break out of the regressive cultural norms it is trapped in and to make itself heard globally.
As I argued on the ABC website, Dalit voices remain firmly shut out of the privileged-caste journalistic and literary echo chamber. This professional segregation is carried out quietly, though a young Dalit poet like Gautam Vegda may also experience severe bullying by a privileged-caste publisher. Recent years saw a mini-revolution taking place when three Dalits published English-language books after reac.