Dialogue: A Journal Devoted to Literary Appreciation

Winning Freedom, Losing Freedom: Unheard Voices of Adivasi Struggles

H. S. Chandalia — 2025-12-30

India attained freedom in 1947.With thousands of other countrymen Adivasis also contributed their
share in the struggle for independence. From Birsa Munda to Govind Guru, thousands of Adivasi
leaders led their people against the British in fierce battles. Their contribution remained unheard and
was sung primarily only in the oral literature passed on from one generation to another through the
world of mouth. These songs and tales are still sung and told in the hilly terrains of the Aravalis, the
abode of the Adivasi people in Rajasthan. The country attained freedom but the Adivasis lost it. In
the name of development their natural historical and ancestral rights over their land, forests and
water were snatched away and they faced massive displacement and evacuation. The freedom and
autonomy they enjoyed before the British times was lost through laws promulgated by the British
and later by the Indian legislatures.
On November 17, 1917 hundreds of Adivasis were gathered on the hills of Mangarh under the
leadership of Govind Guru for a meeting. Supported by the forces of Mewar, Dungarpur and Ratlam
British forces seized them from all sides and opened indiscriminate fire. More than fifteen hundred
Adivasis laid down their lives. This was a bigger massacre than the Jalianwala bagh. However, it
remained unheard for several years. Hari Ram Meena, a retired police officer researched into the
historical facts and came out with a novel titled Dhuni Tape Teer translated as Arrows.
The paper explores the struggles of Adivasis through this text and several other oral texts which
represent the part played by the Adivasis in the freedom struggle. There are many other texts
composed after independence which relate the struggles of Adivasis against the state for the
protection of their rights over their forests, land and other natural resources. Freedom for Adivasis is
a mirage. Despite all constitutional provisions the tale of agony of displacement, forced migration,
harassment by the police and forest department, and apathy of the people at large seems unending.
Some of these issues have been explored in the paper.

Ilango Adigal's Silent Rebellion: Constructing a Complete Bhasha World in the Shadow of the Sanskrit Cosmopolis

Neelima Pandey — 2025-12-30

The Cilappadikāram (c. 5th–6th century CE), traditionally classified as
one of the Five Great Epics (Aimperumkāppiyam) of Tamil, has largely
been studied within the narrow confines of regional Tamil literary
history or as a Jain moral allegory. This paper repositions the text as the
earliest and most complete manifestation of what can be called “bhasha
literature” in the Indian subcontinent: a vernacular literary tradition that
consciously constructs an autonomous aesthetic, ethical, and political
universe independent of (and often in tension with) the pan-Indian
Sanskrit cosmopolitanism. By examining its narrative architecture,
akam–puram poetics, performative registers, and Dravidian cultural
geography, the paper argues that Cilappadikāram is not merely a Tamil
classic but the inaugural masterpiece of bhasha consciousness,
prefiguring the later vernacular revolutions in Kannada (Pampa),
Telugu (Nannaya), Malayalam (Ezhuthachan), and early forms of
Bangla and Marathi courtly literatures.

When the Subaltern Speaks in Awadhi: The Poetic Activism of Adam Gondvi

Dharmendra Kumar Singh — 2025-12-30

This research paper critically scrutinizes the path of poetic activism as
mediated by the poetic expression in the couplets of Adam Gondvi (1947-
2011), an eminent poet from Gonda, U.P., the Republic of India. Exposing
the decadence of the prevailing system of his time, Gondvi's Hindi ghazals,
which teem with Awadhi tints in tone and tense, serve as an influential
apparatus for subaltern counter-discourse. Placed under the aegis of
subaltern studies and vernacular resistance, the analysis explores the
restoration of the traditionally romantic ghazal into a political questioning
tool by the writer. Perusal of the preferred couplets from his oeuvres reveals
such recurring themes—of hunger, corruption, exploitation of classes,
dispossession of the rural Indians, and betrayal of democracy—that
underscore the strategic use of Awadhi-inflected Hindi by the poet to put in
place the subjugated voices in literal and political arena. The finding of the
study shows that Gondvi's couplets are not just minutes of socio-economic
realities; but they are such verdicts that ethically justify resistance and
uprising against systemic injustice. Ultimately, the enquiry displays that by
the subaltern speaking Awadhi, poetry becomes uprising oratory—
aesthetics muted into activism and language turned into emancipation—in
the literary cosmos of Adam Gondvi.

Embracing the Finite: No, Rahman Babu and the Meditations on Human Mortality and Evanescence of All Things

Shubha Dwivedi — 2025-12-30

Indian Writings in English broaden our understanding of human destiny, set our moral-ethical compass into motion
and relentlessly guide us towards a more fulfilling existence in concordance with the cultural and spiritual values of
the land. Revitalizing our ties with the socio-cultural ethos of the land, these writings encourage us to perceive the
deeper imports, underlying our shared existence, joys, collective pains, morals lurking beneath our anguishes and
travails and much more. In the early twentieth century, writers like Rajinder Singh Bedi, Krishan Chandar,
Premchand, Bhisham Sahni and Joginder Paul deftly integrated themes inclusive of religious/ spiritual syncretism,
rationality, equality, fraternity, rights and dignity of the proletariat, and lent voice to the anxieties and hopes of their
compatriots in deeply textured stories in Bhashas or vernaculars of the subcontinent. Metaphorically speaking,
adorned in multiple hues, these narratives articulate the heterogeneous 'Indian experience' and amplify multiple
Indian subjectivities by foregrounding personal histories from marginalized communities rather than conforming to
the idea of a singular monolithic chronicle that could represent the diverse nation. The writings in Bhashas, centered in
the idea of “Indianness,” unequivocally reflect indigenous experiences and concretize the vast linguistic, literary,
cultural heritage that continues to guide and humanize all our creative outpourings and behaviours in the spirit of
“vividhata mein ekta” or what is unquestionably hailed as “unity in diversity.” Further, the diverse representation of
Indian literatures with its principal theme of unity could be understood from the often invoked Rigvedic
dictum,“Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti (The RigVeda, 1.164.46, qtd. from wisdom library.org),” signifying that
the truth is one but is expressed differently by wise men.
The present study attempts to locate Joginder Paul's No, Rahman Babu as an elucidation of the linguistic and literary
pluralism of our country, accentuating its serious engagement with the core principles of mysticism, spirituality and
Indian philosophy. Through a detailed reading of Joginder Paul's No, Rahman Babu translated into English by Usha
Nagpal (2023), the present work will make inquiries into the role of literature in enhancing our awareness of the self,
the word and the world especially during times when all possibilities of conversation and mutual discussion have
become more or less counterproductive or misleading due to the growing cacophony of conflicting ideas. This work
rooted in the Indian practices of soul searching, and cultivating connections across diverse manifestations of universe
or celebrating cosmic love, also acquaints us with the role of translations in bridging the gap between different
linguistic communities by sustaining dialogues on perennial questions pertaining to human existence, identity and
possibility of inner growth through writings in Indian languages.

Female Agency in Amrutara Santana (the Dynasty of the Immortals): Negotiating Gender, Community, and Survival

Sonali Das — 2025-12-30

Shri Gopinath Mohanty won the first-ever Sahitya Akademi Award in 1955
for his novel, Amrutara Santana, and was the first recipient from Odisha to
win Jnanpith Award in 1974 for his epic fiction, Matimatala. In Amrutara
Santana Mohanty portrays the life of the Kondh tribal community in preindependence
Odisha. While the novel is often read as an ethnographic and
socio-political narrative of tribal existence, it also offers a profound
exploration of female agency within a deeply patriarchal and economically
vulnerable society. Female agency means a woman's freedom to make her
own choices in life. This article talks about the female agency in the novel
where the women are not passive victims but active participants in shaping
their lives, relationships, and community structures. Female agency in
Amrutara Santana by Gopinath Mohanty translated as The Dynasty of the
Immortals by Bidhubhusan Das, Prabhat Nalini Das, and Oopali Operajita,
emerges through a continuous negotiation between gender roles,
community expectations, and the demands of survival within the Kandha or
Kondh tribal world. The novel situates women at the intersection of gender,
community, and survival, highlighting how their roles are integral to the
continuity of tribal life. Through the characters of Puyu, Pubuli, and Piyoti,
Mohanty illustrates distinct modes of agency—resistant, assertive, and
adaptive—each shaped by personal circumstances and social expectations.

The Enigma of Malevolence: Exploring Kuṭanī's Motiveless Malignity in the Plays of Bhikhari Thakur

Akshay Bhardwaj — 2025-12-30

Bhāṣā literature is the "confederation of (Indian) literatures" rooted deep in the cultural
richness and diversity of India. The literary works of these languages are the living reservoir
of the thousands of years of experience, knowledge, hopes, aspirations, and cultural
sensibilities shaped by the struggle of the ancestors. These literatures have a distinct and
powerful sense of individuality stamped by the socio-cultural and geographic ethos of their
region. The present paper takes into consideration, the literature produced in Bhojpuri, a
major proponent of Bhāṣā literature. Bhojpuri is the language spoken by more than 5 crore
60 lakh people, mostly in Western Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. It has a vast corpus that
falls under the domain of Bhāṣā literature. Their songs, stories, plays, and novels capture the
authentic lived experiences and cultural expressions of the Bhojpuri speakers. Bhikhari
Thakur, the "Bhartendu of Bhojpuri", is the literary phenomenon of Bhojpuri who put
Bhojpuri on the map of Indian languages. Also known as the "Shakespeare of Bhojpuri", he
was a poet, playwright, actor, director, and social reformer who transformed Bhojpuri folk
theatre into a powerful medium of social critique. His plays, like Bidesiyā, Gabarghicor and
Beṭī Becavā address contemporary social issues like migration, the pain of separation of
newly married couples, and the plight of women. The thematic concerns of his plays offer a
profound insight into the subaltern consciousness of the region and elevate Bhojpuri
literature from mere entertainment to an instrument of social awakening. His characters are
archetypes, and they represent basic human traits. These characters are based on real people
and their behaviour patterns. These characters are based on real people, and they occur
across cultures and nations universally. This paper analyses "Kuṭanī", the crooked old
motiveless villain's portrayal in Bhikhari Thakur's Bhāī-Virodha and Putra-Badha using the
techniques of close reading, comparative and psychological analysis.

Exploring A Linguistic Bridge: Examining the Footprints of Gujarati Language in Wagadi Dialect

Khushpal Garg — 2025-12-30

Wagad region is located at the southern part of Rajasthan state. Two districts
Banswara and Dungarpur mainly constitute the Wagad region but it extends in
a few villages of the adjacent districts namely Udaipur and Pratapgarh as well.
The dialect spoken in this region i.e. Wagadi dialect determines the ethnic
identity of the region. Wagadi is a sub-standard and low status language which
is spoken in the region dominated by the tribal community.
The boundary of the Wagad region has three major adjoining regions. These
are Madhya Pradesh is in the Eastern side, Pratapgarh is in the Northern side,
Udaipur is in the North Western side and Gujarat is in the Southern side of the
Wagad region. The culture of any community is always influenced by the
dominating culture that is closest to it. As the language of any community is an
integral part of the culture of that community, it is also influenced by the nearest
dominating culture or language in terms of geographical area.
Wagad region had always been politically and administratively governed by
Rajasthan state. Thus, Wagadi dialect has always been specified as a dialect of
Rajasthani language. This is a historical fact that this region had always been
more connected with the adjoining regions of Gujarat state and was
consequently more influenced by the culture of Gujarat. The influence of
Gujarati culture as well as its language is more dominating on the culture and
the dialect of Wagad region.

Silent Kitchens, Loud Revolts: Domesticity and Feminist Awakening in the Select Bengali Short Stories Translated into English

Miti Sharma — 2025-12-30

In South Asian women's writing, domesticity emerges as a
deeply ambivalent space. It is considered as a place of
confinement as well as a ground for the awakening of selfhood.
Though the domestic sphere has been idealised as protective and
sacred throughout history, it can also nurture consciousness,
anger, and transformation. The present paper examines four such
powerful short stories, namely “The Stream Within” by Sabitri
Roy, “The Subalterns” by Ashapurna Devi, “The Confrontation”
by Sulekha Sanyal, and Selina Hossain's “Motijan's Daughters.”
In all these stories, the domestic space transforms into a site of
revolt. These stories are originally written in Bengali but are
available to Anglophone readers through translation. Although
these stories are set in varied social and economic contexts, they
converge in dramatising how ordinary household spaces such as
kitchens, courtyards, and rooms can become charged sites. The
paper draws upon the ideas of feminist thinkers such as Virginia
Woolf, bell hooks, and Audre Lorde to demonstrate how
domestic labour and its erasures fuel interior rebellions in a
Bhasha Literature.

Retracing the Inbuilt Eco traces in Sant Kabir's Dohe

N Lakshmi — 2025-12-30

Bhasha literature evolved due to our country's shift from using
various regional languages instead of classical Sanskrit. This type of
literature got its support from different socio-religious movements
occurring nationwide like the Bhakti movement, the Sufi movement
etc., beginning as early as the 8th century to the 17th century. The
earliest works can be retraced to around 12th century, with great
poetical appeal. Saints like Kabir, Tulsidas etc., challenged orthodox
traditions with devotion. Kabir's poetry holds an ecocritical voice
and stands as a powerful ethical critique to conserve nature,
delivering its importance. This paper focusses on retracing the inbuilt
eco traces in Kabir's Dohe. Further, it also analyses the Dohe and
emphasizes on how Kabir evolved a Global perspective long before
the advent of Eurocentric ecocritical thought. His Dohe, in particular
render a protest against human greed, domination and pride of
control which eventually lead to both social and environmental
destruction. This paper upholds the significance of further in research
Sant Kabir's Dohe.

Disability Narratives in Contemporary Bhāṣā Fiction and Poetry

Neha Nagar — 2025-12-30

This research paper examines the emergence, evolution, and complexity of
disability narratives within contemporary Bhāṣā fiction and poetry, focusing on
Hindi and related North Indian vernacular literatures. Through textual analysis,
disability studies frameworks, and cultural-historical contextualization, this
study interrogates how disability is represented, embodied, metaphorized,
politicized, and resisted in literary forms shaped by caste, gender, class, and
linguistic identity. The study argues that unlike traditional literary depictions in
Sanskritic or early modern Bhāṣā texts—where disability often functions as
karma, divine punishment, moral allegory, or symbolic flaw—contemporary
Bhāṣā writings increasingly foreground disabled subjectivities as autonomous,
complex, and embodied agents. These narratives challenge normative aesthetics,
interrogate social exclusion, and reframe disability within relational, sociopolitical,
and phenomenological contexts. Drawing from key works of fiction,
poems by marginalized and Dalit writers, autobiographical accounts, and modern
anthologies, this paper explores how disability interacts with themes of rural life,
labor, gender, violence, trauma, environmental crisis, and modernity. Ultimately,
the study illustrates that contemporary Bhāṣā literature not only reflects shifting
cultural attitudes toward disability but also actively participates in reimagining
inclusive futures, linguistic representation, and literary ethics.

Merging with the Masses, Declassing the Self: Some Glimpses of North Indian Folk Literature

H. S. Chandalia — 2025-12-30

Folk refers to a group of people who share at least one common factor.
Johann Gottfried Von Herder, a German in his book used the term 'Volk' as
folk and called folk songs as Volkslied, soul of folk as Volksseele and folk
belief as volksglaube, 1778-79. Grimms brothers, Jacob Grimm and
Wilhelm Grimm used the term Volkskunde for Folklore in 1812.William
Thoms, a British, used the term 'folklore' in 1846. Russian folklorist
Y.M.Sokolov says,“ Folklore is an echo of the past but at the same time it is
also the vigorous voice of the present.” The New Book of Knowledge defines
folklore as, “ Folklore is the lore of folk, the knowledge of the people.It
includes things as unlike as birthday cakes, lullabies, the shapes of houses,
magic charms, snow shoes and jokes.” (302)

Bhakti, Print, and Performance: Canonizing the Ramcharitmanas

Rahul Bajpai — 2025-12-30

The dichotomy between the “Great Tradition” (Sanskritic, elite, pan-
Indian) and the “Little Tradition” (vernacular, folk, local), as argued by
scholars like Robert Redfield and Milton Singer, suggests that there is
usually a one-way flow of cultural prestige from the former to the latter.
But the historical trajectory of the Ramcharitmanas belies this rigid
model. Composed in Awadhi, a dialect of the masses, in the sixteenth
century, the text faced intense initial resistance from the orthodox
Brahminical establishment of Varanasi. Over the centuries, however, it
rose to a status of supreme canonical authority, effectively functioning
as the foundational “Great Tradition” text for the Hindi-speaking belt of
North India.
This paper argues that the canonization of the Ramcharitmanas was not
a passive process of Sanskritization, but a dynamic restructuring of the
religious hierarchy driven by three specific, interlocking forces: the
egalitarian ethos of the Bhakti movement, the performative ubiquity of
Ramlila, and the standardization and commodification of the text
through print culture, specifically exemplified by the efforts of the Gita
Press.

From Stark Nakedness to Divine Negligee : Akkamahadevi's Spiritual Journey

Kanwar Dinesh Singh — 2025-12-30

Srinath, C.N. Ed. Sarasa, 25 (A Journal devoted exclusively to Creative Translation in English). Dhvanyaloka Publication, Mysore, 2025. Pp.174. Rs. 500.

Basavaraj Naikar — 2025-12-30

What's Left Icarus?: An ecopoetry collection by Pulkita Anand, Published by Authors Press, 2026 | ISBN: 978-93-6095-357-7 | ₹295

Manohar Brahmane — 2025-12-30

Basavaraj Naikar. Pathway to Salvation and Other Plays. Current Publications. Agra. 2025. Pp 312. Rs.995. ISBN: 978-93-48066-81-7

Geetashree Roy — 2025-12-30