In a significant addition to the corpus of Dalit literature in India, retired banker and social observer Nimesh Kumar Gautam has released his deeply personal and thought-provoking autobiography titled Ek Dalit Bainkar ki Atmakatha. This work goes beyond mere personal storytelling—it is a layered narrative that examines caste, bureaucracy, identity, and resilience from the perspective of a Dalit bank employee who served for over four decades in India’s largest public sector bank.
Born in 1963 in a Chamar family in the village of Baghala, Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, Gautam’s journey is both unique and representative. Beginning his career at the State Bank of India as a clerk in 1983, he steadily rose through the ranks to hold several significant positions, including Branch Manager, trainer, auditor, and a key role in the bank’s Vigilance Department. His professional life took him across many Indian states—Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir—where he witnessed not just the diversity of the country, but also the embedded caste-based disparities in work environments.
Unlike many Dalit autobiographies that recount severe oppression and systemic exclusion, Gautam’s life benefited somewhat from the relative stability of a government-employed father. However, this privilege did not shield him from the subtle—and often not so subtle—discriminations and challenges faced within the workplace. In his book, he candidly explores the interpersonal dynamics within the Dalit community itself, addressing rivalries, internal divisions, and the silent battles for recognition and authority. This introspective dimension adds a rare layer of complexity often missing in conventional autobiographies.
What sets Ek Dalit Bainkar ki Atmakatha apart is its grounded yet powerful tone. Gautam does not dramatize his experiences; rather, he presents them with honesty and clarity, inviting readers to reflect on the lived realities of Dalits in professional and bureaucratic settings. His experiences with senior officials, subordinates, and clients form a compelling account of everyday casteism, privilege, and resistance within India’s public institutions.
Inspired by towering figures of Dalit literature such as Dr. Tulsiram, Daya Pawar, Omprakash Valmiki, Sheoraj Singh Bechain, and Dalit women writers like Urmila Pawar and Rajni Tilak, Gautam has now added his voice to this transformative literary tradition. These works gave him not just motivation but also a sense of responsibility—to record and preserve his own truth.
A notable highlight of his career was receiving the Mahatma Phule Fellowship while posted as Branch Manager in Bareilly—an acknowledgment that fueled his resolve to pen this memoir. Through this book, Gautam aims to not only tell his story but also to shine a light on the unspoken realities of caste and labor in India’s public sector.
Ek Dalit Bainkar ki Atmakatha is not just an autobiography; it is a socio-cultural document. It calls on readers to engage with the lived experience of caste beyond academic or ideological lenses. The author humbly leaves it to the readers to judge how successful he has been—but there is no doubt that this is a significant contribution to Dalit discourse in contemporary India.