The three-day conference at Satana, chaired by Sharad Patil, passed a resolution calling all non-Brahmin writers to boycott the annual Marathi literary meet scheduled in Mumbai branding it as a ``play promoting Brahminic culture''.

The Satana conference also passed resolutions demanding peaceful solutions to the row over shrines in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura; more funds for primary education; protection of rights and freedom of tribals; and a caste-wise census of the country in 2001. During the three-day conference, speakers criticised the domination of Brahmins in literature and called for defying the traditional norms of aesthetics set by Brahmins.

The conference was inaugurated on Saturday by Shetkari Sanghatana leader Sharad Joshi, who opinedthat the caste system was the biggest hurdle in the country's progress. He lambasted the tradition of determining the ability of a person on basis of his caste and said that a person's performance should be the sole criterion to judge his talents.

He called for freedom from the caste system and urged writers to refrain from becoming slaves of ideology and instead portray ground realities. He pointed out that thousands of `Warkaris' (devotees of Vithal) marched to Pandharpur every year while elderly persons went on pilgrimage to escape hunger and neglect by their offsprings.

Chairperson Sharad Patil stressed on the need for equality. Brahmins, he said, had dominated all sectors of life, including culture, and established their hegemony.

He called for an end to the caste system and increased intellectual interaction among non-brahmin writers.

The three-day conference deliberated on various issues of concern to dalits, tribals and those living in rural areas. The speakers demanded a national-levelplatform for non-Brahmin writers including women, more inter-caste marriages and conversions to other religions based on equality. They urged people to give up traditional jobs pointing out that it was not mandatory for a cobbler's son to take up his father's profession. They also stressed the need for universal education and spreading awareness among the deprived.