Joothan  (English, Paperback, Valmiki Omprakash)

Omprakash Valmiki’s Jhootan is an autobiographical book, which describes his life as an untouchable in the newly independent India of the 1950s.

Summary

Joothan refers to the left over food on the plate destined for the garbage or the family pet. Valmiki writes about his life story and his predicament as a Dalit and what it took for him to bear with the humiliation each and every day of his childhood. In the book, the author writes about the untouchables in India and how they have been the underdogs of the society for centuries. Despite of untouchability being abolished in 1949, Dalits continue to face discrimination, violence and economic deprivation even to this day. The author shares his struggle to survive the drudgery and his transformation under the influence of the B. R. Ambedkar. Jhoothan is the outcry of  long-silenced and long-denied sufferings of Dalits.

About Omprakash Valmiki

Omprakash Valmiki is a prolific Hindi poet and writer. He currently works at the Ordinance Factory, Dehradun and has authored books like Salaam, Dalit Sahitya Ka Saundaryashastra, Safai Devta, etc.