‘Dandkarunya’: Marathi poet Avinash Poinkar writes about extractive development on tribal land.-Scroll.in

The role of a writer, poet, or artist in society is to foster critical consciousness among the masses so they can question and fight against unconstitutional practices. Their work strengthens voices against discrimination and exploitation while presenting the real picture of our society. While reading Avinash Poinkar’s poetry collection Dandkarunya, I remembered the poem on false patriotism, freedom, and equity written by Langston Hughes (“Let America Be America Again”) during the Harlem Renaissance of 1920–30s.