Dalit Consciousness in Ram Saroop Rikhi’s Novel ‘Diva Bujhya Nahin’

सार

Issues like Dalit Consciousness and Women's Consciousness are coming to the fore in contemporary Punjabi literature. The proposed research paper highlights the Dalit Consciousness in Ram Saroop Rikhi’s Novel ‘Diva Bujhya Nahin’. In this novel, the novelist has presented the awakening that has arisen among the people living at the rural level realistically. The main
tone of this novel by Rikhi is pro-people. His speciality is that he has given the marginalised group their due place in his novels. In the novel ‘Diva Bujhya Nahin’, a picture of such a person has been created, who strives to change the face of society. The lower-class people in this novel do not become objects of pity but become a source of inspiration for others while achieving their goals through their hard work. The consciousness that has come into these Dalit characters does not tolerate the excesses of the upperclass landlords but raises its voice against them. In this novel, the Dalit class is seen talking about mutual solidarity and equality and wants to bring about a revolution at the ideological level instead of an armed revolution. The women of the lower class also became conscious and made a place for their equality in this revolution. In this way, the novelist succeeds in
presenting the concerns related to Dalit consciousness.