Dalit Sahirs
Arjun Hari Bhalerao Full name : Arjun Hari Jagtap (stage name: Shahir Arjun Hari Bhalerao) Born : 1 December 1932 , Bhalerao Wadi (near Shrirampur), Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra Died : 27 November 2004, Pune Community : Mahar (Scheduled Caste / Dalit) Occupation : Shahir (folk poet-singer), Powada and Lavani performer, social activist, playwright Early Life – From Village Boy to Voice of Resistance Born into a landless Mahar family in rural Ahmednagar, Arjun grew up witnessing extreme caste oppression and poverty. His father Hari was a farm labourer; the family lived in the traditional Maharwada (Dalit settlement) outside the village. Like most Mahar children of the 1930s–40s, he faced untouchability daily: barred from village wells, temples, and schools. He studied only up to Class 4 because the school refused to let Mahar children sit inside the classroom. Instead, they were made to sit outside on the veranda. Yet, even in childhood, Arjun showed extraordinary talent for singing,...