In a small village on the outskirts of Haryana, Ravi was born into a family of Valmikis—a Dalit sub-caste historically forced into manual scavenging. By the time he turned 10, Ravi was already familiar with the suffocating stench of gutters, the metallic clang of iron buckets, and the dehumanizing gaze of those who walked past him without a word, as if he were invisible.

His reality was one shaped not by choice, but by caste

Childhood in the Shadows

Ravi’s earliest memories are not of playgrounds or schoolbooks, but of narrow drains and dirty streets. His family, like many others in their caste, were expected to clean human waste—an occupation so deeply stigmatized that they were forbidden from using the same water sources or temples as others in the village.

Though laws in India have long outlawed manual scavenging, caste-based occupational bondage continues in many areas under different guises. For Ravi, this wasn’t just a job—it was a social sentence.

A Voice Within

Despite the humiliation, Ravi always carried a silent fire inside him—a longing to be heard. He couldn’t afford books, so he began scribbling his thoughts on scrap paper collected from trash bins. He found solace in words. At 16, he attended a local youth meet where a spoken word artist performed a poem on inequality. It shook him. That night, Ravi wrote his first poem: “Kaun hoon main?” (Who am I?)

He began performing at open mics in Delhi, often traveling hours just to get five minutes on stage. The first time he recited his poem about caste discrimination, the room went silent—not out of discomfort, but realization. People listened.

Fighting Injustice with Art

Ravi’s poetry isn’t just art—it’s activism. He writes about the shame imposed on Dalit children, the silence around caste violence, and the hypocrisy of modern India. His viral poem “Brahmanvaad ke Tukde” (Fragments of Brahmanism) was met with both praise and threats. But Ravi isn’t afraid.

“People say caste is gone. I say, look at our schools, our streets, our marriages. Caste is not gone—it’s just been repackaged,” he says.

Through workshops in slums and poetry events at universities, Ravi now mentors young Dalit artists, encouraging them to write their truths unapologetically.

What Ravi’s Story Teaches Us

Ravi’s journey from sewers to stages is not just inspirational—it’s deeply political. It reminds us that social mobility in India is still shackled by caste, despite claims of progress. It challenges us to see art not just as entertainment, but as a weapon against systemic injustice.

The caste system may be centuries old, but voices like Ravi’s are cracking its foundation—one poem at a time.

At Ink of Impact, we believe that stories like Ravi’s must not remain on the margins. They belong in the mainstream.