Young poet and short story writer Pasunoori Ravinder not only earned name and fame for his literary work but also brought recognition to Telugu Dalit literature at the national level by winning the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar recently.
Born into a poor family in Shivanagar in Warangal in 1980, Ravinder was influenced by the Leftist ideology at an early age. He got to know more about inequalities and caste discrimination, which continued to haunt him and provoked him to question them in his writings.
Despite the challenges of poverty, he went on to complete his studies, specialising in Telugu literature. He did his Ph.D from Central University and is currently pursuing post-doctoral studies.
Mr. Ravinder was actively involved in the separate Telangana movement and contributed to it through his writings – songs and short stories. Speaking to The Hindu , he said, “My stories revolve around discrimination and caste because they are an integral part of our lives. However educated and civilised we are, caste consciousness cannot be taken away from our lives.”
Mr. Ravinder also strives to expose Dalits, who for their selfish ends try to exploit their own community, in his writings.
The Sahitya Akademi honoured him for his anthology of short stories titled Out of coverage area .
Besides editing anthologies, he came out with his own writings – Ladai , a long poem and Madiga Poddu , an anthology of poems.
