Jesus as a Symbol of daLit hero - a poem by satish chander

Rao Veluri (rveluri@smtpgate.anl.gov)
Mon, 04 Nov 96 16:33:04 CST 

     
     dalit poets of yester years associated themselves with 
     vyaasa, vaalmeeki and even aruMdhati! Today, daLit poets
     show their reverence to Sambuka, Ekalavya, and Jesus Christ.
     Here is a poem entitled 'Lost Angels' by satish chander
     in which he chooses Jesus as a hero, a symbol, for daLits.
     It is from the collection 'paMcama vEdaM' (1995) published by
     
     Navya Prachurana
     Ground Floor, Badam Sohana Apts.
     Raj Bhavan Road Hyderabad
     
     Copies can be had, if available, from Navodaya Book House
     Sultan Bazar, Hyderabad.
     
     
                        
                Lost Angels
     
     paalE kaadu
     konni cOTla paapaalu kooDaa telupE
     kaakunTE kaasiMta kanneeLLa kaltee
     
     gaaju kaLLa raaja haMsallaaraa
     neeLLa saataM kaadu, kanneeLLa varnaM ceppaMDi
     tuLLina svargaM nuMci jaari paDDa
     dEva dootalu meeru
     jalakreeDalappuDu, samudraalni cappariMcE vuMTaaru
     kanneeLLa ruci ceppaMDi
     dEmuDi gaadhaaliMganaMlO meeku
     cemaTlu pOsE vumTaayi
     kanneeLLa vaasana ceppaMDi
     
     kaaru mabbuLLaMTi nEnu maatraM
     kanneeLLa sparSa guriMci 
     kuMDa pOtagaa varshiMci cebutaanu
     
     malle puvvulE kaadu
     cEti toDugulu kooDaa telupE
     kaakunTE kaasinni nettuTi marakalu
     
     cEtulu kaDukkunna cakravartullaaraa
     muLLa kireeTaalu peTTE muMdu
     ciTikeDu nalla raktaanni coopiMcaMDi
     aadima vanaMlO vihariMcina naagaraajulu meeru
     manishi gaayapaDDacOTa, maTTi karicE vuMTaaru
     olikina raktapu ruci ceppaMDi
     veeruDi veepu meeda meeru, koraDaalayi muddaDi nappuDu
     maMcigaMdhapu ceTlu moorchilli vuMtayi
     raktapu vaasana ceppaMDi
     
     siluvanu siMhasanaMlaa adhishTiMcina
     nannu maatraM 
     rakta sparSa EdaMTE
     vElu peTTamani naa aracEti gaayaalanu cooputaanu
     
     EDu raMgulE kaadu
     caturvarNaaloo kalipinaa telupE
     kaakunTE nallagaa kaasta aidOtanaM
     
     aMgaraajya bhikshatO, agra varNulaina apara soodrullaraa
     raajakeeyapu raMgu ceppaMDi
     dEvuDi kaaLLallOMci bujaala varakoo
     ega baakina dhamanulu meeru
     manudharmaanni manee parsulO 
     muggabeTTE vuMTaaru
     raajakeeyapu ruci ceppaMDi
     
     pasarlekkina oora ceruvulO
     biMbaaniki pratibiMbaM saakshyaM kaadu
     raajakeeyapu vaasana ceppaMDi
     
     manishinE kaadanna nannu
     raajakeeya sparSa guriMci adigitE
     carmaM valici sOdaaharaNaMgaa cebutaanu.
     
     (american blacks aagraha jvaalalaku svadESee aajyamidi)
     
                                        - satish chander
     
     ____________________________________________________________
     
     My two schekels:
     
     It was not too long ago, a well known daLit leader of the
     independence era, along with millions of his followers left
     hindu religion and en masse embraced buddhism as a protest
     to the atrocities committed against the paMcamaas by the
     upper castes.
     
     "naastitu paMcam@h" - there isn't any paMcama caste - manu smRti     
     
     ____________________________________________________________
     
     Regards.
     
     --Venkateswara Rao Veluri