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Hard-working skilled laborers of various work are referred to as ‘they’ here.

After a day-long work, if they return home empty-handed, the people sigh.

Dr. Siddalingaiah is a professor of Kannada in Bangalore university. He is a major Kannada poet. He pioneered the Dalit voice in 1975. The trendsetting work on Dalit literature in Kannada is ‘Holemaadiagana Haadu’ (1975) a collection of poems by Siddalingaiah. His auto biography. ‘Ooru Keri’ is translated into English. Many of his poems are translated into various Indian and other languages.

Dr. Sumathedra Nadig, is a prominent modern poet. His ‘Dampatya Gita’ has been translated into English, Hindi, Bengali and other Indian languages.

In the poet ‘My People’ Dr. Siddalingaiah, the poet highlights the miseries of his people the ‘Dalits’. Dalits have been socially marginalized by others in Indian society. In the days gone by Dalits never had an opportunity to get educated and this led to their oppression.

They were forced to work as landless laborers, paid meagerly and led a life of poverty. They have suffered unknown miseries. In the poem the poet says that his people carry stones for buildings.

They are forced to do hard labour. If they are not quick enough to do the work assigned to them they are kicked until they faint. Even though they toil day and night, they are paid a pittance. Many of them can’t offerd two square meals a day and so die of hunger or malnutrition.

The poet’s people, go deep into the gold mines, risking their lifes and limbs to excavate gold, even though they help to produce the most valuable metal on earth, they don’t get a meal a day, because they are paid a meager wage from their toil.

These people weave cloths to protect the modesty of all people, but they themsevles go naked because they can’t afford the cloths they themselves weave.

These people plough the fields of rich landlords.

They sow the seeds and harvest the crops by toiling in the hot sun. They get baked (burnt) in the sun – many of these people are enslaved into bonded labour because they have borrowed money from the landlords.

All the money they earn by labouring at the Land – lords fields is deducted for the loans they have to repay, so they go home empty handed. They have a deep sigh in sorrow and live a life of misery and poverty.

These people build shops and raise buildings. They are ensnared in web of heavy debts. Inspite of poverty and starvation they do not ciy out for help when they are in a difficult situation. They supress their cries for help because they know that no one will help them, no one will come to their aid and relieve them of their misery.

They pay heavy interest for the loans they borrow (they pay interest through their noses). The politicians use them as their vote banks. They make fiery speeches about their upliftment and get elected. These poeple lured by their enticing promises elect them, only to be let down by the politicians – ‘They become ash in the fire of fiery speeches.

Men often project themselves as God-loving people but these men (Guru’s and math – heads) live a life of luxury. The poet’s people make footwear for these Godmen.

If the poet’s people fall at other’s feet i.e, if they plead for help they are kicked. But they are ignorant of the ways of the other men who assure them of their upliftment. They devote themselves to these men and listen to anything said to them.

But they never get any help, they are left to fend for themselves. They live on air. They live a life of poverty and misery, these people, the poets people.

They weave cloth for people to dress up well but their meager in come makes them go naked.