5.8.2. Print and the Poor People

Very cheap small books were brought to markets in nineteenth-century Madras towns and sold at crossroads, allowing poor people travelling to markets to buy them. Public libraries were set up from the early twentieth century, expanding the access to books. These libraries were located mostly in cities and towns, and at times in prosperous villages.

In the nineteenth century, small, inexpensive books became available in markets, particularly in places like Madras. Street vendors sold these books at crossroads, making it easy for poor people, who were often traveling to markets for other purposes, to purchase them. This availability marked a significant change because prior to this, books were typically expensive and not accessible to the poor. Additionally, the establishment of public libraries in the early twentieth century helped widen access to literature by providing free resources to communities, especially in urban areas and wealthier villages.

Imagine a local farmer who always wanted to read about new farming techniques but couldn't afford the expensive books available at bookstores. With these cheap small books sold at the crossroads on market days, he could finally purchase one or two to learn how to improve his crop yields, transforming his farming practices and potentially his livelihood.

From the late nineteenth century, issues of caste discrimination began to provoke this reaction to be written about in many printed tracts and essays. Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha pioneer of ‘low caste’ protest movements, wrote about the injustices of the caste system in his Gulamgiri (1871). In the twentieth century, B.R. Ambedkar in Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker in Madras, better known as Periyar, wrote powerfully on caste and their writings were read by people all over India.

During the late nineteenth century, the problems surrounding caste discrimination in India began to be highlighted through printed materials. Jyotiba Phule emerged as a significant figure for low caste movements, articulating the injustices faced by these groups in his work 'Gulamgiri'. As time progressed, other leaders like B.R. Ambedkar and Periyar also wrote extensively about caste issues, gaining a wide readership across India. These writings were essential in raising awareness about the caste system's inequalities and encouraging discussions about social reform.

Think of how social media today amplifies voices advocating for change. Just as activists use Twitter and Facebook to spread awareness about issues like caste discrimination, the writings of Phule, Ambedkar, and Periyar served a similar purpose in their time by reaching large audiences and encouraging debates about social justice.

Workers in factories were too overworked and lacked the education to write much about their experiences. But Kashibaba, a Kanpur millworker, wrote and published Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938 to show the links between caste and class exploitation. The poems of another Kanpur millworker, who wrote under the name of Sudarshan Chakr between 1935 and 1955, were brought together and published in a collection called Sacchi Kavitayan.

Factory workers often did not have the time or the opportunity to write about their lives due to their exhausting jobs and lack of formal education. However, some individuals, like Kashibaba, found a voice despite these challenges. In his work 'Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal', he highlighted the connections between caste and class exploitation, bringing critical attention to the issues faced by marginalized groups. Similarly, Sudarshan Chakr’s poetry was compiled and published, showcasing the struggles of workers and giving them representation in literature.

Consider how today, many underrepresented communities share their experiences through blogs and social media. Just as Kashibaba and Sudarshan found ways to express their realities through writings, modern activists use digital platforms to communicate their struggles and advocate for social change.

--