CHENNAI: Asserting oneself as a Dalit is not an easy choice, especially if one is involved in public life, as it not only attracts criticism but also ridicule, filmmaker Pa Ranjith said while lauding the work of retired IAS officer and writer P Sivakami.
“She did not hesitate to assert her identity and utilised the platforms available for her to address the problems faced by Dalits and other marginalised communities,” he said.
Sivakami was awarded the Verchol Dalit Literary Award for the year 2025 by Neelam Cultural Centre at the valedictory of the two-day Verchol Literary gathering that the centre organises every year as part of the Vaanam Art Festival.
In her speech, Sivakami said that there seemed to be an inherent antagonism from non-Dalit writers, who wrote on Dalit lives, towards Dalit writers since the former perhaps felt threatened by the latter. She urged the youngsters to believe in themselves instead of following a party or personality.
Expressing disappointment on the scant attention given to Dalit literature written in Tamil, especially from critics, she said it has become important for the works to get translated into English.