The Charmakar Community and the Indian Cultural Knowledge Tradition: A Study of Struggle and Transformation
Narendra Jagnik
Assistant Professor
Late N. P. W. College, Chopa
Tah. Goregaon, Dist. Gondia – 441807
Email: narendrajagnik1979@gmail.com
Dr. Ajaykumar Mohabanshi
Principal
Arts and Commerce Senior College
PetrolPump, Jawaharnagar, Dist. Bhandara
Email: ajaymohabansi1@gmail.com
Abstract
Indian culture represents a continuous flow of ideas, values, and traditions shaped over centuries; however, this cultural continuum has not provided equal recognition to all social groups. Communities that contributed through manual labor were frequently excluded from dominant knowledge traditions. Among such marginalized yet foundational groups, the Charmakar community holds significant historical importance. This research paper examines the position of the Charmakar community within the Indian cultural knowledge tradition from social, cultural, and intellectual perspectives. It critically analyzes the community’s folk traditions, artistic practices, role in the Bhakti movement, and the influence of modern Dalit literature and Ambedkarite thought. Saints such as Rohidas, Chokhamela, and Namdev articulated ideals of equality and human dignity during the Bhakti movement, while Dr. B. R. Ambedkar later provided a transformative intellectual and political framework grounded in education, organization, and struggle. The study concludes that the history of the Charmakar community is not merely one of deprivation but a continuous process of knowledge creation and self-realization, contributing to a more egalitarian, humane, and inclusive Indian cultural tradition.
Keywords: Charmakar Community, Indian Cultural Knowledge Tradition, Dalit Literature, Bhakti Movement, Ambedkarite Thought, Cultural Struggle, Folk Culture.
DOI link – https://doi.org/10.69758/GIMRJ/2601S01V14P046
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