The University of British Columbia last week hosted the 14th International Triennial Commonwealth Literature Conference with the theme "Literature of Our Times." Academics from all over the world attended. In conjunction, the Chetna Association at the Dr. Ambedkar Library in the Guru Ravidass Community Centre organized a seminar dedicated to renowned Punjabi poet, Lal Singh Dil, last Sunday evening.

Mr. Dil was scheduled to speak at the event, but due to an illness, he died on August 14. Therefore, the program was changed to commemorate his achievements in the literature of the oppressed. Several prominent writers, journalists, local artists and social activists attended and engaged in knowledge translation. The unveiling of Mr. Dil's portrait was done by a local artist Shital Anmol and a candle lighting in his memory preceded the presentations.

The loss of Dil, according to many at the event, will "leave a large void in the field of the literature of the oppressed." However, his memory and powerful words live on. The new words and idioms he introduced made him a distinguished Punjabi poet. Despite being a well-known and progressive writer, he died in poverty and, as members of the Chetna Associoation pointed out, "a few days earlier, the poet was found unconscious in his dingy room at Balmiki Mohalla when a team of TV journalists arrived to film a documentary on his contribution to the revolutionist poetry in Punjab."

Being a Dalit left a deep scar on Dil's identity, and because of his caste he also suffered spiritually, abandoned his Hindu religion and did not die a Hindu. At the event, one way to pay tribute to the passion that led him to change the condition of the landless was through a visual clip. Indeed, his words were powerful when he spoke about the lived experience of being Dalit. "This shows our people's slavery and mental slavery," he said. His words to explain the oppression and to encourage activism were expressed thus: "Those who do not know how to fight and those who wish not to fight are enslaved; slavery is a terrible scar. We do not know how to speak up, that is the issue - we keep silent. People must realize this is our land and it belongs to us."

The words are very much at the heart of Karl Marx's ideas about mobilization of the masses to produce social change. A necessary strategy is for a leader to form and to help get the oppressed out of "false consciousness." This involves questioning and debunking the ideologies employed to oppress them. What people need to realize is that they occupied the land first. In this context, a "Conflict Perspective," would argue that the caste system is an "ancient prejudice" to rationalize the unequal distribution of resources. Franz Fanon pointed out a similar argument for change in his well-known book "The Wretched of the Earth," where he wrote about the need to educate the masses as a means of liberation from oppression in the context of the Algerian war and terrorism. It is this theme of mobilization and education that the guest speakers touched on.

Keynote speakers at the UBC conference also spoke at the event. They included Sivakami Palanimuthu, a writer and social activist who is described as a "champion of Dalit and women rights." Her most recent work is the novel "The Grip of Change" in which she shows "Dalit life in the raw, what is done to them, and what they do themselves," (The Hindu, 2006).

When I asked her about the strategies she employed to expand the Dalit Land Rights Movement in the context of government, she was not shy to talk about her interactions with government officials and her interactions with members of the Tamil Panther Movement, as well as the hospitality of Dalit Panther leader, Thirumavalar. She spoke about "being a tool of the movement to organize meetings and raise awareness of the plight of the Dalits and their landlessness and the need for the creation of land policy.

Some key issues raised were: 1) government has a "modern" responsibility; 2) how Dalits can turn to the government and ask for land; 3) uprooting of Dalits who dwell on high cost land (in the urban centers); 4) provisions of basics amenities in urban settings; and 5) amendments to "The Land Ceiling Act."

She also stated that the issues of the Dalits are not only economical in accessing land, but "much more, it is the dignity." Although she herself is successful and has elevated herself economically; she spoke about still being tagged as a "Dalit." Inspired by her words, Ajmer Rode, (regarded as the "founder of Punjabi theater in Canada" who wrote the first Punjabi play Dooja Passa on racism experienced by minorities and is known for his recent play Rebirth Of Gandhi, which was inspired by Ms. Palanimuthu's work), said: "Her writing indeed is what a writer should be, getting involved at the grass roots level -the writing that comes out of that - is real writing."

Another speaker from the conference was Arun Prabha Mukherjee, a professor of English at Toronto's York University, specializing in South Asian and minority literatures. Mukherjee has authored many books, including her much acclaimed "Towards an Aesthetic of Opposition and is currently translating Marathi Dalit writer Sharan Kumar Limbale's novel "Hindu." She pointed out how Mr. Dil's poetry inspired her: "Poets like Lal Singh Dil leave words behind that will inspire in different phases of peoples lives. They are the spark and the light to keep the fire burning."

As an educator, she said, "It is sad that this great literature is not taught in schools and universities. These words have a great effect on the younger generation because of the eye-opening realities of life of India that was hidden from them. People forget social injustice and different work needs to be done to keep memories alive."

Prominent activist from Nawan Shaher, Mr. Om Parkash Lakha (General Secretary of Dr. Ambedkar Mission Society and Trust), also spoke and said he that he was hopeful to tell the Dalits upon his return to India, that Dr. Amdedkar societies are doing well in Canada, and "in a globalized world, emancipation is easier."

As the evening came to a close, local Punjabi singer, Kamlesh Ahir sang with passion and asked: "Why did Lal Singh Dil never marry? He chose not to because he loved a woman from a different caste and he loved her all his life." Indeed, Mr. Dil lived for self-respect and died for self-respect even in matters of the heart.

Also present at the event, as the only non-South Asian, was conference participant Dr. Karin Doerr, professor from Concordia University, Montreal. She was called upon to be part of the award presentation. Her work as researcher and educator is connected to injustice, revolving around the issues of extreme discrimination and genocide as they occurred during World War II in Germany and examines its manifestations in language and literature.

Of special concern to her is the plight of women in struggles and conflicts because it often gets neglected. She said her visit and interactions within the South Asian community and its literature was a learning experience as she enhanced her knowledge about the injustice experienced by the Dalits and the widows in the Delhi colonies following the Sikh massacre of 1984. This, she feels, needs to be shared and exposed more to promote general awareness.

In closing, one of the organizers of the event with the Chetna Association, Jai Birdi, said the speakers' words generated such passion and emotion as they collectively, through their academic work and interest, paid homage to the Dalit movement and the discrimination they experience. They agreed that we all have a social responsibility to fight casteism, to continue to make it a global issue and employ the strategies for social transformation urged by Dr. Ambedkar: "Educate, organize and agitate."