Is Non-Popularity of Dalit Epics due to Lack of Translation? Gorakh Prasad Mastana

Abstract

Indian literature is short of translators, and this shortage is felt in regional works. The impact of translations is evident: Without A. K. Ramanujan, there would be no Sangam literature today. No doubt, there remains a scarcity, and as a result, folk poets, writers and dramatists stay at the margins. One such writer is Gorakh Prasad Mastana, whose epics are neglected despite their important themes and content. Building on the aforementioned points, this article examines how epics of Mastana remain at the margins due to a lack of translators. Simultaneously, the paper will compare Dalit aesthetics, especially Gurram Jashuva’s Gabbilam, with Kalidasa’s Meghdootam. The hypothesis will delve into Tathagata, Punyapathi and Ekalavya, and then compare these works with Korean and Chinese social strata to examine the impact on writers from excluded communities. The research questions will ask why Dalit writers are excluded. Is the lack of translators the only reason? Or is there any lack of writings from Dalits, or are they not given due importance? The conclusion will establish that Dalit writers and translators must be given due importance so they can achieve the same level of name and fame as other writers. The conclusion explains that if folk writers get translators, then regional writers such as Bhikhari Thakur, Dayachand Mayna and Deichand Sankhol will gain new readership, and a new discourse will begin, opening new avenues.