BAHUJAN CULTURE, ART AND LITERATURE 

Anti-caste socialists B.R Ambedkar and Jyotirao Phule introduced the term Bahujan in the Indian political discourse to oppose the dominance of the Forward Castes. Referred to in English as Bahujainism, it’s based on the philosophy of social equality for backward castes, religious minorities and other disadvantaged communities. Seeking social change, the word Bahujan is featured in the names of various political parties in India advocating for the rights of the people. 

As Gautam Buddha believed in ‘ Bahujana Sukhaye bahujana hitaya cha’( ‘ for the happiness of many, for the welfare of the many’), it has become the motto of Dalit Buddhism. Now, the initiative to spread the message has been propelled through Bahujan art, culture and literature. The first-of-its-kind initiative has been taken up by the Telangana Sahitya Akademi on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Indian academic and social activist Kothapalli Jayasankar. The initiative marked the literature published by Dalit writers to launch simultaneously at hundreds of places in the country. That way, the message wasn’t confined to Telangana only but every nook and corner of the country. 

Works by writers Vanapatla Subbaiah, Damera Ramulu and compositions based on the icons Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule have been released. The initiative thus encourages to bring the people from the margins to the centre. It also highlights the need to undo the injustices to the oppressed.