Dalit literature is a literary movement born out of the social movement of the Dalits, the "downtrodden", former "untouchables", the lowest segment of the Hindu caste hierarchy, called Harijan ("Children of God") by Mahatma Gandhi. Since 1935, when the British government in India grouped all the low castes under the category S.C. (scheduled castes), the term Scheduled Castes has been officially applied to these people. In independent India, they are supported and encouraged in many ways by the government, but their literature tells us a lot about the reality of their situation.
In a few short stories on this theme, Premcand (1880-1936) as the first Hindi writer conveyed a certain warning to the reader that though West offers personal freedom of choice, it takes more away than it gives. In the literature of last several decades, Premcand’s main motifs related to the subject appear again and again, modified with the course of time and elaborated minutely. Basically, contemporary writers, concerned with the psychological aspect of the matter, reach the same conclusion as Premcand.