Baluta Quotes

“Annabhau Sathe’s Akalechi Gosht (The Dimwit’s Tale) performed in front of the temple. This had also been banned. We did not know when the police would arrive and arrest the performers. This satire was like no other we had seen; it had no kings and queens. It spoke of the exploitation we saw around us, offering an aesthetic analysis of our situation. It played all night and we learned some new songs. ‘Daulatichya raja, utoon Sarjya, haak de shejaaryaala re, shivari chalaa’ (‘Oh kings of wealth, Sarjya, wake up, listen to what your neighbours say, let’s go back to the fields’) and ‘Aamhi dhartichya lekra bhaagyavaan’ (‘We are the fortunate sons of the earth’).”
― Daya Pawar, Baluta

“I have tried my best to forget my past. But the past is stubborn, it will not be erased so easily. Many Dalits may see what I am doing here as someone picking through a pile of garbage. A scavenger’s account of his life. But he who does not know his past cannot direct his future.”
― Daya Pawar, Baluta