Des Raj Kali

Des Raj Kali (1971 – 27 August 2023) was an Indian Punjabi writer and journalist. He is known for celebrating his Dalit identity through his works.

Des Raj Kali
Born1971 (1971)
Mithapur, Jalandhar district, Punjab, India
Died (aged 52)
Chandigarh, India
OccupationWriter, journalist

Early life

Des Raj Kali was born in Mithapur village in Jalandhar district. His father Niranjan Das worked at moulding factory.[1] As a child, he was influenced by the Indian epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana along with the Punjabi Qissa poetry.[2][1]

Literary career

His writing career started when his short-story Chanan Di Leek got published in Nagmani.[1] He started getting recognition as a young short-story writer foregrounding the Dalit experience along with Bhagwant Rasulpuri and Jinder.[3]

In 1996, his first collection of short-stories Kath Kali was published.[4] His second short-story collection titled Fakiri was published in 2006. His 2015 short-story collection Yahan Chai Achhi Nahi Banti is believed to have established him as an experimental writer.[4]

In 2010, he was one of the six Dalit writers to be featured at the Jaipur Literature Festival.[5] He has also been a part of special sessions in Nottingham Trent University, University of Montpellier, and Monash University.[6]

Kali was a part of the Punjabi jury for Sahitya Akademi's Bal Sahitya Puraskar award for 2019.[7][8] His books have been translated into Hindi, Urdu, English, Bengali, Tamil, Kashmiri, Gujarati and Rajasthani.[9]

Personal life

Kali suffered from a liver ailment in later life, and died at PGIMER, Chandigarh on 27 August 2023.[10] He is survived by his wife, and three children.[6]

Works

Short-story collections
  • Kath Kali (Stories of Kali) - 1996
  • Fakiri (Mendicancy) - 2006
  • Yahan Chai Achhi Nahi Banti (Good Tea is Not Served Here) - 2015

Novels
  • Antheen (Eternal)
  • Pratham Pauran (First Puran)
  • Shanti Parav (English translation: Treatise on Peace)[11]
  • Shehar Vich Sahn Honn da Matlab (What It Means to be a Bull in the Town)[12]

Awards
  • Shah Chaman Yadgari award (2018)[13]
  • Harnam Das Sehrai award (2022)[14]

References
  1. "Dalit writings are victims of state's intellectual mafia: Des Raj Kali". The Tribune. 20 June 2016.
  2. "Des Raj Kali throws light on early influences of his life". The Tribune. 19 February 2020.
  3. Lāla, Camana (1998). The Punjabi and Dalit Images in Indian Literature: Occasional Essays and Papers. Anmol Publications. ISBN 978-81-7488-917-1.
  4. Misrahi-Barak, Judith; Satyanarayana, K.; Thiara, Nicole (18 June 2019). Dalit Text: Aesthetics and Politics Re-imagined. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-00696-4.
  5. "Des Raj Kali,a Dalit writer,to feature at Jaipur literature fest". The Indian Express. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  6. Banerji, Aparna (27 August 2023). "Eminent Punjabi Dalit icon Des Raj Kali passes away". The Tribune.
  7. "22 writers Selected for Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2019 | The Indian Awaaz". 14 June 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  8. "Press Release - Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2019" (PDF).
  9. "Des Raj Kali".
  10. "Punjabi writer and journalist Des Raj Kali passes away". PTC News. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  11. "Orient BlackSwan". www.orientblackswan.com. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  12. "Desraj Kali - Jaipur Literature Festival". jaipurliteraturefestival.org/. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  13. "Kali gets Shah Chaman Yadgari award". The Tribune. 12 April 2018.
  14. "ਦੇਸ ਰਾਜ ਕਾਲੀ ਨੂੰ ਸਹਿਰਾਈ ਐਵਾਰਡ". Punjabi Jagran News (in Punjabi). Retrieved 27 August 2023.
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