The Politics of Possession: Om Prakash Valmiki’s Poem, Kuan Thakur Ka
This week in Daak:
1. The Politics of Possession: Om Prakash Valmiki’s Poem, Kuan Thakur Ka
2. Words of Affirmation in Your Pocket
3. Daak Recommends
1. The Politics of Possession: Om Prakash Valmiki’s Poem, Kuan Thakur Ka
Omprakash Valmiki (1950-2013), a seminal figure in contemporary Dalit literature from Muzzafarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, combined classical Hindi with vernacular voices to narrate powerful Dalit stories. His work, including the autobiographical novel, Joothan, indicts the caste-based social order and reflects on Dalit experiences with searing honesty. One of his earlier poems, "Thakur Ka Kuan", is a moving yet playful exploration of the intersection of caste and feudalism in Indian village life. The poem ends on the lingering questions of possession: if everything belongs to the landlords, what remains for Dalits amidst this system of domination?
chulha mitti ka mitti talaab ki talaab Thakur ka bhukh roti ki roti bajre ki bajra khet ka khet Thakur ka bail Thakur ka hal Thakur ka hal ki mooth par hatheli apni fasal Thakur ka kuan Thakur ka pani Thakur ka khet-khalihan Thakur ke galli-muhalle Thakur ke phir apna kya? gaon? shehar? desh? // The stove is made of mud The mud is from the lake The lake belongs to the landlord We have a hunger for bread For bread made of pearl millet The pearl millet grows in the fields The fields belong to the landlord The bull belongs to the landlord The plough belongs to the landlord While the hands on the plough are ours The harvest belongs to the landlord The well belongs to the landlord The water belongs to the landlord The fields and the harvest belong to the landlord The streets and neighbourhoods belong to the landlord Then what is ours? The village? The city? The nation? Translation by Daak
2. Words of Affirmation in Your Pocket
Check out these keychains with words of affirmation in different South Asian languages - and carry a bit of courage, hope and positivity with you!
3. Daak Recommends
Explore a collection of Om Prakash Valmiki’s writing here.
Read another Daak on Mahasweta Devi’s haunting story inspired by the 1967 Naxalbari uprising in Jharkhand against the system of land grab and labour regime.
Hi Daak, Thanks for sharing this poem by Omprakash Valmiki.
In my humble opinion, the English translation lacks soul and history, and fails to convey the persecutory and power dynamics inherent in Indian society and the significance of this poem. Actually, you could have used the word Thakur, the oppressor, instead. I firmly believe that this poem would not exist without "Thakur".
Thanks for sharing the poem. The Hindustani version would have been better than the Romanised one