This compendium of 15 essays attempts to make a critical evaluation of dalit writing in India, with special focus on Gujarati dalit writing, followed by Marathi and Kannada dalit writing. Tracing the genesis of Gujarati dalit literature, it discusses at length the dalit world as depicted in dalit literature, reading of caste, and the issues of dalit identity.

Analyzing the impact of dalit literature on the society, it takes close look at the sufferings and resistance of dalits, the protest of social group and class, and the issues of gender and caste discrimination. The writers whose works have been studied here include Neerav Patel, Harish Mangalam, Mulk Raj Anand, Uma Shankar Joshi, Joseph Macwan, B. Kesharshivam, Shivaram Karanth, Urmila Pawar and Annabhau Sathe.