Annabhau Sathe was a communist political activist, textile worker, social reformer, folk poet, and writer from Maharashtra, India.
Career
Sathe was a Dalit born into the Mang (caste), and his upbringing and identity were central to his writing and political activism. In fact Sathe was invited to visit the Soviet Union by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Sathe inaugurated a Dalit Sahitya Sammelan (Literary Conference) held at Mumbai in 1958. In his inaugural speech he said that "The earth is not balanced on the snake"s head but on the strength of Dalit and working-class people," emphasising the importance of Dalit and working-class people in global structures.
There are increasing attempts to water down Sathes" strong Communist leanings and present him as a "Dalit" leader and author, this is to filter and prevent the revolutionary aspirations of his work.
These attempts to appropriate his name and legacy have amplified during the last few years, to contain the increasing unrest within the Dalit communities for having been excluded from a just share of the economic and social cake by the upper castes.
Politics
Though Sathe understood his Dalit lineage, being a staunch humanist and socialist, he rejected any form of "identity politics" and his life"s struggle, writing and work was centered around the rejection of caste as a form of social and economic identity. Sathe was initially influenced by communist ideology and later shifted toward Dalit activism following the teachings of B. R. Ambedkar, and used his stories to amplify the life experiences of Dalits and workers. This process, to exclude the revolutionary fervor of Dalit and other pro Dalit voices is being facilitated by the upper castes, mainstream parliamentary political parties and also many Dalits who reject revolutionary politics.
lieutenant is amply clear that Annabhau Sathe, was deeply influenced by Ambedkar, but never renounced or rejected his staunch support for Marxism and a communist ideal.