Entitlement versus exploitation: A critical examination of Bhikhari Thakur’s Nai Bahar
By: Singh, Dhananjay
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Material type: 
BookPublisher: Economic & Political Weekly Description: 60(48), Nov 29, 2025: p.69-78.
In:
Economic & Political WeeklySummary: Nai Bahar (1932), a Bhojpuri composition by Bhikhari Thakur (1887–1971), is critically examined through the discourse of hakdari (entitlement) and hakmari (exploitation). Unlike caste histories aligned with Sanskritisation, Nai Bahar serves as a lived autobiography of the Nai (barber) caste, exposing systemic oppression within the varna order. Thakur critiques the jajmani system that exploits barbers despite their ritual importance and proposes migration as a means of liberation, dignity, and economic survival. By linking local caste struggles with broader labour migrations, including the girmitiya experience, the text redefines migration as resistance and self-assertion. As the first caste-based autobiographical narrative in Bhojpuri literature, Nai Bahar offers a powerful intervention in Dalit–backward caste histories and labour discourse.- Reproduced
https://www.epw.in/journal/2025/48/special-articles/entitlement-versus-exploitation.html
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Vol info | Status | Date due | Barcode |
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Articles
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Indian Institute of Public Administration | 60(48), Nov 29, 2025: p.69-78 | Available | AR137836 |
Nai Bahar (1932), a Bhojpuri composition by Bhikhari Thakur (1887–1971), is critically examined through the discourse of hakdari (entitlement) and hakmari (exploitation). Unlike caste histories aligned with Sanskritisation, Nai Bahar serves as a lived autobiography of the Nai (barber) caste, exposing systemic oppression within the varna order. Thakur critiques the jajmani system that exploits barbers despite their ritual importance and proposes migration as a means of liberation, dignity, and economic survival. By linking local caste struggles with broader labour migrations, including the girmitiya experience, the text redefines migration as resistance and self-assertion. As the first caste-based autobiographical narrative in Bhojpuri literature, Nai Bahar offers a powerful intervention in Dalit–backward caste histories and labour discourse.- Reproduced
https://www.epw.in/journal/2025/48/special-articles/entitlement-versus-exploitation.html
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