Du. Saraswathi sees herself as a writer and an activist in equal measures and perceives no dichotomy between the two. A human rights and Dalit activist and a vocal feminist, she is also a writer, poet, playwright and actor. Her Ph.D. work is on the pourakarmikas of Bengaluru who toil to keep cities clean but never get recognition as entitled citizens. In fact some of Saraswati’s best stories reflect the lives of these underpaid and unrecognised workers of the city.
Saraswathi’s recent work Beedi Hennu is a translation of Marathi author Baburao Bagul’s groundbreaking work, Jevha Mi Jaat Chorli Hoti, gives voice to marginalised sections. Bagul’s collection of short stories, first published in 1963, revolutionized not just Dalit literature but left an indelible mark on Marathi and Indian literature. It brought forth an unfiltered, raw reality over the harsh truths of societal structures. The Kannada translation was launched recently in Bengaluru.
