Bust of Annabhau Sathe – Father of Dalit Literature – adorns Moscow library campus

Mumbai/Moscow: In a unique honour, a bust of the Maharashtra-born Tukaram B. Sathe, famed as ‘Annabhau Sathe’, the Father of Dalit Literature – was inaugurated at the famed Margarita Rudomino All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature, Moscow, on Wednesday.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the bust, terming it as “a historic development which will further strengthen relations between India and Russia”.

Fadnavis consecrated the bust – gifted by the University of Mumbai – in the presence of Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, the varsity’s Annabhau Sathe Study Centre Director Dr. Baliram Gaikwad and Dr. Sanjay Deshpande, Director, Central Eurasian Studies Department, ICCR President Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, besides around 300 invitees at the famed library campus in the Russian capital this afternoon.

The Dy CM also recalled the sterling contributions of Annabhau Sathe to Dalit literature though he attended school “for only one day” owing to the prevalent social systems,” but went on to create an impressive body of literary works and is a famous figure in the Russia academia.

“After his epochal visit to Russia, he wrote the ‘Ballad of Stalingrad’ and ‘My Journey To Russia – A Travelogue’, many of his books were translated into Russian language and he was regarded as the ‘Maxim Gorky of India’, plus fostered ties between the people of the two countries,” Fadnavis said.

A portrait of Annabhau Sathe, gifted by the Millionaire Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mumbai to the ICCR was also unveiled and went on display at the Indian Embassy in Moscow.

Dr. Gaikwad told IANS earlier that Annabhau Sathe was the proponent of Rural Literature in India, and had travelled to Russia for two months in 1961 as India’s ‘cultural ambassador’.

“He left an indelible mark there and was the first Indian whose books were prescribed by Russian universities’ syllabi,” said Dr. Gaikwad of Annabhau Sathe, who had humble beginnings but emerged as one of the tallest litterateurs from Maharashtra gaining international respect.

Russia has also instituted scholarships in his name, many scholars have specialized on his literature, while his books have been translated into 27 languages worldwide, and three of his books in Russian language were also relaunched on Wednesday at the 101-year old library.

Born into an ‘untouchable’ family in Sangli on August 1, 1920, Annabhau Sathe became a legendary social reformer, freedom-fighter, an actor, folk poet, Dalit writer, and despite lack of education, went onto to pen 35 novels, 12 film screenplays, 10 ballads, poems, etc in Marathi, totalling 104 works in various genres.

His novels include the torch-bearer “Fakira” (1959), which bagged the state government’s top literary award (1961) and in 1963 was made into a Marathi film by the same name with Annabhau Sathe enacting the title role, and “Waarnecha Wagh.”

Dr. Gaikwad said that since he was a staunch follower of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar “Annabhau Sathe’s stories were testaments to Dalits’ self-respect and resistance India” which earned him many admirers in the Communist Russia at the height of the Cold War with growing warmth between the two countries.

A Dalit icon, the state government set up the Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe Development Corporation (1985), processions are taken out in his name annually, a Kurla (Mumbai) flyover is named after him, there is a memorial dedicated to him in Pune, India Post issued two postage stamps in his honour in 2002 and 2019, while all political parties invoke him for attracting Dalit votes.

Besides the Annabhau Sathe Study Centre in University of Mumbai, there are departments in his name at Pune and Aurangabad universities, while there are proposals to start the same in New Delhi, Nanded and Nagpur varsities.

Annabhau Sathe died in Mumbai on July 19, 1969, aged 48, and his descendants live in Mumbai and Sangli.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at:Aq.najmi@ians.in)

-IANS