DH Changemakers 2024 | Vikas Mourya | This author brings a lived Dalit experience to his writing

Growing up in South Karnataka in a socially-aware, middle class family, Vikas Mourya was slightly distanced from the practice of untouchability. But this changed when he was appointed as a teacher in Sandur.

He found his caste identity turned into his primary identity; the practice of untouchabilty became starkly visible. This experience found its way into many of his writings, exploring the lived experience of a new generation of Dalits.

BR Ambedkar is a strong presence in Mourya's work, and he is deeply influenced by the Dalit Sanghasha Samiti (DSS) and the Black Panthers.

He has translated the memoir: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass into Kannada; his work explores the convergence of race and caste struggles, and more importantly, how and where these struggles diverge.

Vikas Mourya believes that Indian literature is not whole without the contribution of dalit literature. He has so far authored a collection of non-fiction writing (Chammatige), a children’s book (Jai Bheem), four translations (Kappu Kulume, Ambedkar Jagattu, Ambedkar Siddhantha, Savitribai mattu Naanu) and a short story collection (Neelavva).