Who Wrote the Poem on Untouchability? Meet Soyarabai

Introduction

Who wrote the poem on untouchability? The answer expected in the Class 8 Civics question is Soyarabai, a medieval Marathi saint-poet associated with the Varkari Bhakti tradition. Her poetry challenged caste-based discrimination and questioned the ideas of ritual purity and pollution used to justify untouchability.

This question commonly appears in study materials connected with the chapter “Confronting Marginalisation.” In those materials, the multiple-choice options include Chokhamela, Surender Sharma, Maithili Sharan Gupta, and Soyarabai, with Soyarabai given as the correct answer.

However, there is an important detail students should understand. The wording “the poem on untouchability” can make it sound as though the poem has a formal English title called Untouchability. The educational question is actually referring to Soyarabai’s poetry about caste discrimination and the experience of being treated as “untouchable.”

Soyarabai’s importance goes beyond answering one examination question. She was a Dalit woman poet whose devotional poetry also challenged social hierarchies. English PEN describes her as a poet who questioned the basis of untouchability and criticized caste-based discriminatory practices.

Key Takeaways

The most important fact is simple: Soyarabai is the expected answer to the question about the poet who wrote on untouchability. Educational resources based on the Class 8 Civics material consistently identify her as the poetess associated with this question.

Soyarabai was part of the Marathi Bhakti tradition and is closely connected with the Varkari tradition devoted to Lord Vitthal. She was also associated with Chokhamela, another important saint-poet from a socially marginalized community. English PEN’s biographical material identifies her as a Mahar woman and describes her as one of the early Dalit women poets to openly resist caste oppression.

Here are the facts students should remember:

• Poet: Soyarabai
• Tradition: Varkari Bhakti tradition
• Language: Marathi
• Subject: Caste discrimination, untouchability, devotion, and equality
• Associated figure: Chokhamela
• Historical setting: Medieval Maharashtra
• Chapter context: Confronting Marginalisation
• Key idea: Human purity cannot be determined by caste or social status.

The question is sometimes reproduced with slightly different spellings, including Soyrabai, Soyarabai, and Soryabai. These variations refer to the same poet. Educational sources commonly use “Soyrabai,” while English PEN uses “Soyarabai.”

This distinction is useful when searching online because spelling differences can produce different results. For an examination answer, however, Soyarabai is the clearest modern spelling to use.

The deeper lesson is equally important. Soyarabai’s poetry did not simply describe discrimination it questioned the beliefs behind discrimination. Her work asked readers to reconsider the idea that some people could be considered impure because of their caste or occupation.

Who Wrote the Poem on Untouchability? Understanding Soyarabai’s Voice

The direct answer to who wrote the poem on untouchability is Soyarabai. The question is included in many study guides and MCQ resources connected with Class 8 Civics. Those resources list Soyrabai as the correct option rather than Chokhamela or the other poets provided.

Yet, to understand why Soyarabai is the answer, students should look beyond memorization. Her poetry emerged from a society in which caste could determine a person’s social position, access, dignity, and treatment by others.

Soyarabai’s work challenged the concept that ritual pollution could make one person naturally inferior to another. English PEN specifically notes that her poems questioned the basis of untouchability, including ideas surrounding ritual purity and pollution.

Soyarabai and the Varkari Tradition

Soyarabai belonged to the Varkari devotional tradition, a major stream of Marathi Bhakti culture centered on devotion to Lord Vitthal. Her spiritual identity was therefore important to her poetry.

The significance of this connection is that devotion created a different basis for human worth. Instead of accepting social hierarchy as a measure of spiritual value, her poetry questioned why caste should determine whether someone was considered pure or impure.

Soyarabai and Chokhamela

Soyarabai was closely connected with Chokhamela, the well-known Marathi saint-poet. English PEN describes her as married to Chokhamela and identifies both within the historical context of caste oppression in Maharashtra.

Chokhamela is also important in the same educational chapter. This explains why students sometimes confuse the two names. The question specifically expects Soyarabai, while Chokhamela is another major Dalit saint-poet discussed in the broader context of marginalisation.

Soyarabai’s Poetry, Untouchability, and Social Equality

Soyarabai’s poetry is significant because it connects spiritual questions with social injustice. Instead of treating caste discrimination as an ordinary feature of society, her work questions the logic behind it.

One recurring idea is that human beings share the same basic physical and spiritual condition. If everyone is born, lives, and dies as a human being, then social labels cannot logically determine who possesses purity or dignity.

This argument makes her poetry especially powerful in the context of untouchability. The issue is not simply that a particular group receives unfair treatment, the deeper problem is the belief that such unequal treatment is justified by an imagined difference in human worth.

Soyarabai’s perspective can therefore be understood through three connected ideas:

1. Human equality, People share the same fundamental human nature.
2. Questioning purity, Physical or social ideas of purity cannot justify discrimination.
3. Spiritual dignity, devotion and spiritual worth should not depend on caste.

Her poetry also demonstrates why literature can become a form of social criticism. A poem does not need to present a political argument in formal language to challenge a social system; a simple spiritual question can expose a contradiction within that system.

English PEN describes Soyarabai as one of the earliest Dalit women poets to openly resist caste oppression. That description places her contribution within the longer history of Dalit literature and anti-caste expression.

In my own reading of this material, the most important point for students is not simply remembering her name. It is understanding why her name appears in a question about untouchability. Her poetry challenged the very assumptions that allowed caste-based exclusion to be treated as legitimate.

Soyarabai’s Life, Background, and Literary Importance

Soyarabai’s historical importance comes partly from the fact that she wrote from within a marginalized social position. English PEN identifies her with the Mahar community in medieval Maharashtra and places her within the Varkari devotional tradition.

Historical details about medieval saints can vary across sources, especially when dates and biographical traditions are reconstructed from later records. For that reason, it is safer to emphasize the well-established literary and social context rather than attach an uncertain exact birth date to her.

Her connection with Chokhamela is another major part of her literary background. Together with other members of the family and associated saint-poets, Soyarabai contributed to a body of Marathi devotional poetry that gave expression to people facing caste discrimination. English PEN’s collection presents Soyarabai alongside Karma Mela, Nirmala, and Banka as poets whose work gave voice to experiences of caste injustice.

Why Soyarabai Matters in Dalit Literature

Soyarabai’s importance is not limited to the fact that she was a woman poet. Her poetry brought together gender, caste, devotion, and social criticism.

This combination makes her particularly important in the history of marginalized voices. She did not merely repeat established religious ideas; instead, she used devotional expression to challenge social assumptions about purity and exclusion.

Her poetry also helps students understand that resistance to caste discrimination did not begin in modern political movements. Voices from the Bhakti tradition had already challenged rigid social hierarchies centuries earlier.

The educational value of her work is therefore much wider than one MCQ. It shows how marginalized communities used literature, poetry, and religious expression to assert their dignity.

Who Wrote the Poem on Untouchability? Common Questions

Students searching who wrote the poem on untouchability usually want a short examination answer. However, several related questions can cause confusion, especially because Soyarabai and Chokhamela appear in the same historical context.

Q: Was Chokhamela the poet mentioned in this question? A: No. Chokhamela was another important Dalit saint-poet associated with the same broader Bhakti and anti-caste context. However, the MCQ specifically gives Soyarabai as the correct answer.

Q: What did Soyarabai’s poetry criticize? A: Her poetry questioned caste-based discrimination and the idea that certain people could be considered impure because of their social position. English PEN specifically describes her poems as challenging the basis of untouchability and criticizing discriminatory caste practices.

Q: Which tradition did Soyarabai belong to? A: Soyarabai was associated with the Varkari Bhakti tradition of Maharashtra. Her poetry combined devotion with criticism of social hierarchy, making her an important voice in Marathi devotional and anti-caste literature.

FAQs

Q: Who wrote the poem on untouchability? 

A: The expected answer is Soyarabai. The question appears in study materials associated with the Class 8 Civics topic “Confronting Marginalisation,” where Soyrabai is listed as the correct option. Her poetry questioned caste discrimination and the ideas of ritual purity and pollution that supported untouchability.

Q: Who was Soyarabai? 

A: Soyarabai was a Marathi saint-poet associated with the Varkari Bhakti tradition. She belonged to the Mahar community and was connected with Chokhamela. Her poetry combined devotion with criticism of caste hierarchy and social exclusion. English PEN describes her as one of the early Dalit women poets who openly resisted caste oppression through poetry.

Q: What did Soyarabai say about untouchability? 

A: Soyarabai’s poetry questioned the logic of treating some people as impure because of caste. Her work challenged the distinction between supposedly pure and impure people by emphasizing shared human existence and spiritual worth. English PEN notes that she questioned the basis of untouchability, particularly ideas concerning ritual purity and pollution.

Q: Is Soyarabai the same as Chokhamela? 

A: No. Soyarabai and Chokhamela were different saint-poets, although they were closely connected and belonged to the same broader historical and devotional context. Chokhamela was a prominent Dalit saint-poet, while Soyarabai was a Dalit woman poet whose poetry also challenged caste oppression. The specific MCQ asks for Soyarabai.

Q: Which literary tradition is Soyarabai associated with? 

A: Soyarabai is associated with the Varkari Bhakti tradition of Maharashtra. This devotional tradition centered on Lord Vitthal and produced many influential Marathi saint-poets. Soyarabai’s contribution is especially notable because she used devotional poetry to question caste-based discrimination and ideas of ritual purity.

Q: Why is Soyarabai important in the study of untouchability? 

A: Soyarabai is important because her poetry gave a marginalized woman a direct literary voice against caste oppression. Rather than accepting untouchability as a social fact, she questioned the ideas used to justify it. Her work therefore connects poetry with dignity, equality, spirituality, and resistance to caste hierarchy.

Final Thoughts

The answer to who wrote the poem on untouchability is Soyarabai. For a school examination, that is the key fact to remember. Educational versions of the question consistently give her the correct option.

However, the historical meaning behind the answer is more valuable than memorizing a name. Soyarabai used poetry to question caste discrimination and the belief that social status could determine human purity.

Her connection with the Varkari Bhakti tradition also shows how devotional literature could challenge established social ideas. Her poetry placed spiritual equality against caste-based exclusion.

Students should also remember that the phrase “poem on untouchability” is commonly used in the educational question to describe the relevant poem or poetic passage. It should not automatically be treated as the formal title of a single work.

Soyarabai’s legacy matters because she represents an early marginalized female voice speaking against caste oppression. Her work demonstrates how poetry can preserve lived experience, challenge injustice, and question assumptions that society has treated as normal.

For a concise exam response, write: “The poem on untouchability was written by Soyarabai, the Marathi saint-poet associated with the Varkari Bhakti tradition.” That answer gives both the required name and the relevant literary context.

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