These poems, translated from the Marathi by Dilip Chitre, appear in the book, Namdeo Dhasal, Poet of the Underworld: Poems 1972-2006, published in 2007 by Navayana, an independent Indian publisher dedicated to Dalit politics, literature and theory. They are the first major selection of Dhasal's poems to appear in English, surprising given his stature as one of post-independence India's most important poets. That these poems are here at all and that they bring a strong sense of Dhasal's unique voice into English is thanks in part to publisher S. Anand's crusading instinct and thanks, in no small part, to Dilip Chitre's remarkable translations that find equivalents for Dhasal's wide range of registers and argot, his layered complexity. Chitre, a bilingual poet and filmmaker, has been a close friend and collaborator of Dhasal in the Marathi avant-garde, and the book contains intriguing essays on Namdeo's life and struggle as a Dalit poet.

This book can be purchased online at the site, Scholars Without Borders.