Arun Krushnaji Kamble

Arun Krushnaji Kamble (March 14, 1953 December 2009) was a Marathi writer and Dalit activist.
Arun Kamble, President and one of the founding members of the Dalit Panther was working as a Head
Of Marathi department at University of Mumbai. He was National General Secretary of Janata Dal. He
had taken many major decisions in favor of Dalit, Backward Class people and minorities.

Introduction
Kamble formed Dalit Panther as a social organization alongside Namdeo Dhasal and Raja Dhale. Later
Kamble became the National General Secretary of Janata Dal and worked with former prime minister
V.P. Singh. He demanded the renaming of Marathwada University as Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
University. He started leading Dalit Panther from 1974. Kamble, a writer, poet and editor, authored
many books such as Cultural Struggle in Ramayana, Conversion of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar,
Cheevar, Vaad-Samvad, Yug-Pravartak Ambedkar, Chalvaliche Diwas, and Tarkateerth Ek VadatoVyaghyat. He was awarded with accolades such as "The Prabuddha Ratna Puraskar", Life Time
Achievement International Award. Some of his work has been translated into English, German,
French, Gujarati, Kannada, Telegu, Malyalam, Urdu (Dalit Awaz) and Hindi (Suraj ke Vansh-dhar).

Biography
Kamble was born on March 14, 1953, in Mahar Dalit family of village-Kargani, Atpadi near Sangli. He
was a follower of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as Dr.Ambedkar was an inspiration to him and Kamble's family
converted to Buddhism because of him. His mother and father were School Headmasters in Sangli.
His mother (Shantabai Kamble) and father (Krushnaji Kamble) have written autobiographies called
Majya Jalmachi Chittarkatha and Mi Krushna respectively. His father was a well known personality in
Kargani district.
Education

His school days were in Athapadi and Dighanchi at Sangli. He completed B.A. (honors) from Willingdon College,
Deccan Education Society, Sangli in 1974. Later on he earned his M.A. from Siddhartha College in 1976 with
distinction in "Shodhnibandh ani Shodhnibandhachi Lekhan Paddhati". His major interest was in Dalit literature
and the Ambedkarite Movement.
Academic career
He joined the Dr. Ambedkar College of Commerce and Economics, Wadala, Mumbai in 1976 as a
lecturer of Marathi (19761985). Later he joined Kirti College, Dadar (W), Mumbai (19851989). In
1990 he joined the University of Mumbai as a reader. Until his death he was a PhD Guide in Marathi
Department and was also the Head of Phule, Shahu chair in University of Mumbai.

Political Career
Kamble was the national president and one of the founding members of Dalit Panther.[3] He was also national general
secretary of Janata Dal, a member of the National Election Committee Janata Dal (Parliamentary Board), and a member
of the national committee and in charge of Bihar State. He successfully led the Namantar Andolan of Marathwada University
as a president of Dalit Panther.
After a dispute arose on the book of Riddles in Hinduism (appendix, Riddles of Ram & Krishna) authored by Ambedkar,
Kamble led the intellectual fight and march in procession with ten lakh people (January 1987) and the provision for

reservation to Buddhist, Backward class, and minorities from prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh. He got promises and
assurance to implement the Mandal Commission, with immediate effect (1989).
Kamble resigned from Janata Dal on the issue of Dalit president of India. He led the march as a president of Dalit Panther
during an Assembly Session at Nagpur on the issue to publish Ambedkar's complete body of literature (1979). He later
worked as a member of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Charitra Sadhane Publication which was borne by march.
Kamble worked as a editor for the book Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Writings & Speeches. Government-placed decisions to omit a
part from the appendix (Riddles in Hinduism, 4th series of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Writings and Speeches) for this issue caused
him to leave the editor's committee and file lawsuit in the High Court against the government.
He inaugurated the Manusmruti Cremation Conference at Karur by Dravida Kazhagam who founded by Periyar E. V.
Ramasamy (1983). He also inaugurated and led the march to protest against the outrageous behavior on Dalit
at Karamchedu (1987). He led Samajik Nyay Jyoti (Social Justice Flame) with Ram Vilas Paswan from Chundur to New
Delhi(1992). He was the chief guest at the All India Dalit Writer's Conference (October 1987) and worked as a convener of
the 'All India Dalit Writer's Association. He inaugurated the Social Gathering of Dalit Literature at Bangalore (1986) and
gave a speech on the conference of the Namantar-Mandal Commission (1984). He inaugurated the 9th Marathi
Conference at Badoda (1995) and gave a speech at the conference on All Indian Dalit Liberation (December 6, 1987). He
undertook editorial work for the periodicals Ambedkar Bharat, Shunya, and Sangharsh.

Committee undertakings
Kamble worked as a member for the National Police Commission and as a committee member on the advisory board of
Special Department for Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe at the University of Mumbai. He was president for 3rd All India
Conference on Ambedkar's Literature at Wardha and president at the World Conference on Buddha, Phule, on Ambedkar's
Literature at Kalyan (March 2325, 2002).

Major works
Poetical works

"Arun Krushnaji Kamble", 1983Awarded as Best Poetry Collection by Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad.

"Mudra" (Upcoming book)

Prose works

"Ramayanatil Samskrutik Sangharsh"- (Cultural Struggle in Ramayana - Critical study of Ramayana) This
book earn immense publicity in Mumbai and Hydrabad High Court as Research work. Panther Publication 1982, 1987.

"Ramayanma Samskrutik Sangharsh"- Published by Subhash Palekar on Dec 6, 1993.

"Janata Patratil Lekh"(JanataDr.B.R.Ambedkar, Edited by Arun Kamble -7 appendices and 47 pages
preface) Published by University of Mumbai and Popular Publication, 1993.

"Cheevar"-(Essays on Literature and Culture),Ashay Publication, 1995.

"Yug Pravartak Ambedkar"-(Epoch Making Ambedkar) Ashay Publication, 1995.

"Chalvache Diwas"- (Reminisances of the Agitations), Ashay Publication, 1995.

"Vad Samvad"-(Debate and Dialog) an Intellectual Prose, Pratima Publication - 1996,Pune.

"Dharmantarachi Bheemgarjana" Conversion of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar) - Pratima Publication - 1996,Pune.

"Marathi Intellectual Prose", Edited by Arun Kamble and other, Text prepared for B.A. (University of
Mumbai), Pratima Publication,2003.

"Tarkateerth Ek Vadata Vyadhat", Critical writing on Luxman Shastri Joshi,Ambedkar Bharat Publication,
1987.

Translations

"Priya Adarker" translated a selection of his poems into English under the title Arun Kamble: ARUN
KRUSHNAJI KAMBLE, Poems.

"Modern Indian Poetry" Published by [12]Pritish Nandy.

"An Anthology of Dalit Literature", Edited by Eleanor Zelliot and Mulk Raj Anand.

Poems published on the cover page, Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars, Journals of Michigan
University,USA 1978 & 1998.

"Some Aspects of Half Social Justice, Krishna Aiyar

From "Untouchable to Dalit", Eleanor Zelliot(Carleton College,USA), Manohar 2005.

"Poisoned Bread" Edited by Arjun Dangle, Orient Longman and Co. 1992.

Speeches

Speech at Panvel

Speech at Pandharpur

Speech at Amaravati

Speech at Parbhani

Documentary on Dalits (Mumbai's Way: Il buddismo negli slum. Visita a Daharawi con il Dr. Arun Kamble).

Death
Kamble was found dead in a lake at Hyderabad. News of his suspected death in a mysterious manner came as a
major shock to his friends in socio-political circles. Kamble had gone to Hyderabad on December 13, 2009 to take part
in an International Seminar at Birla Scientific Institute in Saifabad and went missing the next day.