While being the mirror of society, Baburao Bagul’s literary creations were rebel acts that aimed at dethroning the brahmanical forces. He broke new ground in Marathi literature by evolving a “Dalit consciousness”.
His characters not only question the inhumane caste-based hierarchy but destroy its very base. They are angry, they dissent, they revolt. They are subjected to unbearable sufferings, but they are not resigned to their situation. They fight ferociously to assert their self-respect and dignity. His stories do not consist of “saviours”; the downtrodden themselves are the heroes who rise in rage against the system that is the reason behind their degradation. Hence, Masthur, the protagonist in one of Bagul’s stories, says, “When was I beaten by them? It was Manu who thrashed me” (Bagul, 2018).
