Karnataka Sahitya Academy, in partnership with the Kannada Studies Centre and Bangalore University, will host a three-day study camp on Dalit literature and social movement at the Venkatagirigowda Auditorium on the Jnanabharathi campus. The event runs from 2 to 4 January and marks a half-century of organised engagement with Dalit writing and activism in the region.
Dalit Literature and Movement after 50 Years
The camp is intended as a focused forum for writers, academics and activists to assess five decades of Dalit literary production and the parallel social movement. Sessions will review how Dalit literature has evolved in language, form and reach, and will consider the movement’s influence on public policy, cultural institutions and community mobilisation.
Kotiganahalli Ramaiah will serve as director of the study camp. Writers D. Saraswathi and Subbu Holeyar have been named co-directors, and Ravikumar Baagi, a member of the Karnataka Sahitya Academy, will act as convenor. The programme will be presided over by Jayakar S.M., Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University, and inaugurated by L. N. Mukundaraj, president of the Karnataka Sahitya Academy. The keynote address will be delivered by poet and Dalit activist H. Govindaya.
Organisers said the camp will bring together established and emerging voices in Kannada literature alongside scholars from related disciplines. Discussions are planned on the thematic trajectories of Dalit writing, the movement’s cultural interventions, and the literature’s role in shaping public debate and social policy. Panels will examine the relationship between literary expression and grassroots mobilisation, and explore contemporary challenges facing Dalit authors and activists.
The event’s programming includes plenary sessions, panel discussions and reading sessions. Participants will map key moments in the movement’s history, highlight notable authors and works, and debate how translation, publishing and academic attention have affected the reach of Dalit narratives. Workshops will focus on methods for documenting oral histories and for supporting community-led literary initiatives.
Educators and cultural institutions will also consider the place of Dalit literature within university syllabuses and public archives. Delegates are expected to address questions of accessibility, representation and the institutional support needed to sustain Dalit writing beyond celebratory anniversaries. The convenors have emphasised practical outcomes, including recommendations to strengthen local networks for writers and to enhance publication pathways for marginalised voices.
By convening writers, activists and academics, the Karnataka Sahitya Academy and its partners aim to create sustained engagement with the issues the movement raises, as well as to celebrate the literary achievements that have emerged alongside it. The study camp underscores ongoing efforts in Karnataka to document and amplify Dalit perspectives within regional and national cultural conversations.
Registration details and a full schedule are being finalised by the organisers. Interested participants and members of the public are advised to consult the Karnataka Sahitya Academy and Bangalore University websites for updates ahead of the event.
Key Takeaways:
- Three-day study camp on Dalit literature and movement will be held at Bangalore University from 2 to 4 January.
- Led by director Kotiganahalli Ramaiah with co-directors D. Saraswathi and Subbu Holeyar; convenor Ravikumar Baagi.
- Programme to be presided over by Vice-Chancellor Jayakar S.M.; keynote by poet and Dalit activist H. Govindaya.
- Sessions will examine the path, impact and current status of Dalit literature and the Dalit movement.
