Shankar Ramchandra Kharat

Shankar Ramchandra Kharat (Devanagari: शंकर रामचंद्र खरात) (1921–2001) was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India.
He was born in Atpadi, secondary capital of the former princely state of Aundh, now in Sangli district. He had converted to Buddhism in his adulthood.
He was worked with Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for many years. He was a true follower of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Babasaheb told him "We have doctors, engineers, lawyers and many educated people in our community but we don't have writers in our community. Our community literature needs to be focused and established all over India. You need to take this responsibility." Then ShakarRao Kharat started writing books and stories about Dalit's Stories and literature. He established "Dalit literature" all over India.
For some years, Kharat served as the vice-chancellor of Marathwada University. and member of council of Maharashtra State.
In his writings, he mainly wrote about the life experiences of people from Dalit community.

Life

Dr. Shankarrao Kharat was the first child in the family born by father, Shri Ramchandra Tatya kharat and Mother, Smt. Savitri Ramchdra kharat, followed by three brothers named Dnyaneswar, Maruti and Sopan and three sisters named Bhagirathi, Pavitra and Shevanta.He received his education till Secondary high school at Shree Bhavani High School at Atpadi, after which, he moved to Pune to receive his further education. Where, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Arts and ranked top in Maharashtra. Later, he decided to move to Mumbai in search of a job and to enrol himself in Bachouler’s Degree course in Law (LLB), where he came in contact with Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and became his personal secretory. He also fulfilled his responsibilities as the national joint secretory of Schedule Cast Federation led by Dr. Babasaheb Abedkar himself. Meanwhile, he led the Union of Ammunition factory worker at Pune and soon gained a reputation as the lawyer of the poor people. Dr. Ambedkar expressed his concern about dalit literature and inspired him to write about the miserable life led by dalits, especially when a non-dalit writer, an upper cast the one from his own hometown called Shri Venkatesh Madgulkar, could write about dalit community .

Books

Autobiography

• Taral Antaral (तराळ अंतराळ) (1981)

Collections of short stories

• Bara Balutedar (बारा बलुतेदार) (1959)
• Tadipar (तडीपार) (1961)
• Sangava (सांगावा) (1962)
• Titvicha Phera (टिटवीचा फेरा) (1963)
• Sutaka (सुटका) (1964)
• Daundi (दौण्डी) (1965)
• Adgavche Pani (आडगावचे पाणी) (1970)
• Gav-Shiv (गाव-शीव) (1970)

Novels

• Hatbhatti (हातभट्टी) (1970)
• Gavacha Tinpol Guruji (गावचा टिनपोल गुरुजी) (1971)
• Jhopadpatti (झोपडपट्टी) (1973)
• Masaledar Guesthouse (मसालेदार गेस्टहाऊस) (1974)
• Footpath Nambar 1 (फुटपाथ नंबर १) (1980)
• Majhe Nav (माझं नाव) (1987)