Heera Dom Explained

Birth Date:	1885
Birth Place:	Danapur, Bihar
Occupation:	Poet
Notableworks:	Acchut kee Shikayat (1914)

Heera Dom was a Bhojpuri poet who contributed to Dalit Literature.^[1] He is credited with creating the first poem about the Dalits. The poem was Acchut Kee Shiqayat, which was printed in the "Saraswati" published in Allahabad in 1914.^[2]

Life

He was a Dalit poet from the Domra or Dom caste which is one of the lowest ranked castes in Hindu caste system. He was born in 1885 in Danapur in Bihar.^[3] Some scholars also claim that he was from Varanasi.^[4]

"Acchut Kee Shiqayat"

"Acchut ki Shiqayat" (Bhojpuri: ; IAST: achūt kī śikayat; transl. The compliant of an Untouchable) is written in Bhojpuri.^[5] It was published in the Hindi magazine Saraswati in 1914 from Allahabad.^[2] In this poem, Dom has expressed the trauma of his Dom community in literary form.^[6]

The first and second stanza of the poem are as follows:

References

1. Book: Kumar, Akshaya. Poetry, Politics and Culture: Essays on Indian Texts.
2. Book: Dalit Literature - A Critical Exploration. First poem on Dalits in print was 'Acchut kee Shikayat' (The Complaint of The Untouchable) composed by Heera Dom in 'Saraswati' published from Allahabad in the year 1914..
3. दलित साहित्य के प्रतिमान, Dr. N. Singh, Vaani Publications, New Delhi, Paperback Version-2012, page-91.
4. Book: Kumar, Vivek. India's Roaring Revolution Dalit Assertion and New Horizons. Gagandeep Publications. 2006. 8188865079. 148.
5. Book: The Caravan July 2019. Delhi Press. 2019.
6. Book: Sharma, Pradeep. Dalit Politics And Literature. Shipra Publications. 2006. 8175412712. 110.