Establishing Dalit literature as a separate entity on its own has been a long and difficult task. While the prejudiced class never wanted their stories of oppression, survival and rebellion to come out, a certain section of the progressive force was doubtful whether there is any need to have a different branch altogether. Dwarka Bharti’s A Rebellious Cobbler traces his journey from growing up in Punjab under the aegis of his father who was a Republican Party of India leader to finding his own way and contributing to formulating a curriculum about Dalit literature at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in which his poem was also featured. Originally written in Hindi and translated by Dr Amritpal Kaur, this book focuses on his perseverance and determination without invisibilising the pain and caste discrimination he had to endure since his childhood.
Bharti mentions how once a teacher at his school asked him to start making shoes with his father instead of studying, but such comments and treatment continued even when he started working at the Beas Sutlej Link Dam Project in Himachal Pradesh where he had to hide his caste just so he and his newly wedded wife could survive without getting humiliated. But, as fate would have it, his luck was short-lived. Amidst all this, his love for reading and writing continued. When he started making shoes, he made sure that he didn’t lose out on writing as much as he could. His story is also about camaraderie and forming solidarities as he met several fellow Dalit writers, activists and allies who helped him all along.
The author successfully traces the evolution of his Dalit identity. He also mentions how he ventured into reading Ambedkar’s works and understanding his message, to then exploring what other Dalit writers and scholars were saying and corroborating it all into an ideology. This book stands strong in the company of such literature, which demands the reader to rethink their privilege. The translation has been able to meticulously capture the essence of the original.