Memoirs of a Dalit Communist by R.B. More

R.B Moré begins the narrative of his life in Ladawali, during the celebration of the Chabina of Viroba, consciously intertwining geographic space and the events of his life with anti-caste discussion. This is an indispensable contribution to the literature on Mumbai’s history after Amar Faruqui’s masterpiece. With a superb introduction by Anupama Rao that sets More’s life and struggles in the historical context of the city,which sings its own saga, the text provides a rich picture of the social, cultural,economical and political meanings of what it meant to be a Dalit and a communist. It brilliantly peeps into the etymology and epistemology of the connections between, and the impediments to, the twin struggles for class emancipation and Dalit liberation.

This autobiography/biography of R.B.More, a Dalit communist, bridges the divide between caste and class in ‘Snub-nosed’ Mumbai’s historiography to use the phrase of ace poet Namdeo Dhasal.It potrays a inherent divide that is a product as much of history as of scholarship. The above lines taken from Daya Pawar’s poem ‘ kondwada’ essays the inner nuances of the struggle of Dalits to achieve their dream of the egalitarian society which shall be based on the edifice of Genderless, Casteless and Classless Society.It also potrays the hope and aspirations that Dalits have in their struggle and faith in the dream of instituting an utopia where equality in all realms shall be a normal and their readiness to bear humilation and sacrifice come what may ! Share on WhatsApp Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Telegram Share on Reddit Share on Email

Memoirs of a Dalit Communist by R.B. More