Who Are The Dalits? Whose Poetry Sould I Write? Poem by Bijay Kant Dubey

Who are the Dalits
And whose poetry,
Poetry should I,
I write
Of the cobblers
Mending shoes,
Of the washermen
Washing clothes,
Of the rat-catchers
Catching rats to live on,
Of the drummers
Drumming,
Of the palm juice-sellers
Brewing juice,
Of the chandals
Guarding the burning ghats,
Of the scavengers and cleaner
Scavenging ad cleaning,
Of the watchmen
Keeping a watch over,
Of the boatmen
Sailing the boats with the rudder,
Of the fishermen
Fishing in ponds and rivers,
Of the falconers
Going for a kill to feed upon,
Of the liquor-brewers
Brewing liquor from mahua,
Of the blacksmiths
Hammering at his cottage.

Dalit,
Dalit,
Who are Dalits,
Dalits,
Whose poetry
Should I
Of the Chamars, Doms,
Manjhis, Dhibars,
Rajaks, Sunris,
Pasis, Mahars,
Mushahars, Hadis,
Mehatars, Nishadhs,
Dusadhs, Kamars,
Bhil-Kols?