Policy

Skill-based training- The hidden way to revive the caste system!

Dr. Chetana Sawai On September 20, 1932, Mahatma Gandhi announced a fast unto death in protest against Dr.BabasahebAmbedkar’s demand for a separate electorate, which later turned into the Pune Pact. However, today, on September 20, 2024 at Wardha, the Shudra, an untouchable community of this country once again saw the killing of their rights, justice, …

Features

Merit: A Savarna Tool to Reinforce Caste Hegemony

Vaibhav Kharat The recent notification by the UPSC, inviting applications for 45 lateral entry posts at the levels of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary across 24 Union government ministries, has reignited the toxic debate of meritocracy vs reservation. The government’s promotion of lateral entry as a tool to bring in fresh talent and expertise …

Assertion

Teacher’s Day and Upper Castes’ Glorification

Pramod Kumar India celebrates 5th September as Teacher’s Day, which marks the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishan. According to Caste Hindu society and Brahminized narratives, he is considered a champion and role model for teachers, someone who inspires students. However, this raises the question of which student community is inspired by such figures and …

Assertion

A Review of Thangalaan’s anti-caste philosophy

Mayur S. Hadke Thangalaan is a Tamil language movie directed by Pa Ranjith, known for his socially conscious movies that shed light on the lived realities of oppressed communities. Thangalaan is a movie that projected the struggle for dignity and self respect. The question of land and self respect was the central focus of the …

Assertion

Hindutva culture in higher education campuses

Sanjukta Bhowal What does religious tolerance and celebrating secularism in a college campus look like? In my college – Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, it looks like this – saffron insignia decorating the mess, special veg lunch for January 22, no non vegetarian food in the mess for the hindu month of shravan, seminars by iskcon, holidays …

Features

The 2024 General Elections and the Stifling of Muslim Anti-caste Discourse

Md Asif Uzzaman Abstract: This article looks at the uses of Pasmanda political discourse during the Indian general elections of 2024 by the two contending sides represented by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in order to bring out a larger process of invisibilization of the politics based …

Research

Dalits in Freedom Movement: An Year of Academic Events

Dr. Chandraiah Gopani, Mr.Anand Kumar, Mr. Pradip, Mrs. Annu Chouthmahal There are contested views and understandings of the Indian freedom movement and nationalist thinking. A comprehensive study of the literature suggests that the Indian Freedom Movement was manifested in various ideological positions. Subalterns articulated a distinct nationalist thought aimed at challenging British and Brahmanical supremacy. …

Assertion

`Rasa’ theory and Subversion of Muslim imaginaries in Malabar

Umar Nizar  The culinary crafting of Bharata’s `rasa’ theory has been established so much so that it is even compared to the South Indian spice soup called `rasam’ which is a cocktail of spicy, sweet, tangy and sour flavours. `Rasa’ depends on the sue generic creation of emotion. `Vibhavaanubhavavyabhicharisamyogit rasa nischpatti’ is the famous rasa …

Assertion

The Problem with Locating Queerness in Hinduism: Caste and Nationalism

Dhruva Bhati In recent years, there has been an increased discussion on the reclamation or reinterpretation of religious texts or scriptures to validate the idea of queerness. This revivalism is more rigorous in the East, where “this reclamation/reinterpretation” is used to obliterate the idea of “Queerness as a western concept.” However, this quest for the …