With spatial reference to Yavatmal Sachin Kamal Introduction The vulnerable section of society is always more at risk than the privileged one. Caste is the tool of systemic oppression in Indian society, divided by the social hierarchy. The rigid system is divided by the unequal distribution of power, resources, respect and assumption of competence. The …
Is Congress a true alternative to BJP?
Naveen (Nijam) Gara The Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently declared that Congress will be decimated after the next elections in 2024. Such a statement is no surprise coming from the belligerent BJP and it is indicative of their poll-ready state of mind. Whether that would happen or not will only be evident with time. …
Can India afford a third Modi stint?
Naveen (Nijam) Gara There is still more than a year left for the next general election in 2024. However, if purported surveys are to be believed, Mr Narendra Modi is set to storm back to power comfortably. Setting the validity of these surveys aside, does the current dispensation deserve to be voted back? While there …
Assault on democracy in Brazil
Vikas Parasram Meshram Supporters of Brazil’s right-wing leader, former President Jair Bolsonaro, could not digest the change of power in the country. As a result, just one week after veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as the forty-ninth president, violent protests erupted in the streets of the nation’s capital, Brasilia. Protesters …
Jotiba Phule and Dr. Ambedkar: Understanding their connection
Jotiba Phule and Dr.Ambedkar: Understanding their connection (Part-I) Speaking on the occasion of his Diamond Jubilee celebrations, Dr. Ambedkar remarked: “I am a devotee of Gautam Buddha, Kabir and Mahatma Phule and worshiper of learning, self-respect and character.” [1] Out of his three gurus, he had explicitly written about his connection with Buddha and Kabir. …
Trading pearls for sand: BJP and the Panchamasali reservation struggle
Trading pearls for sand[i]: BJP and the Panchamasali reservation struggle ಛಲಬೇಕುಶರಣಂಗೆ, ಪರಧನವನೊಲ್ಲೆನೆಂಬ;ಛಲಬೇಕುಶರಣಂಗೆ, ಪರಸತಿಯನೊಲ್ಲೆನೆಂಬ;ಛಲಬೇಕುಶರಣಂಗೆ, ಪರದೈವವನೊಲ್ಲೆನೆಂಬ;ಛಲಬೇಕುಶರಣಂಗೆ, ಲಿಂಗಜಂಗಮಒಂದೇಎಂಬ;ಛಲಬೇಕುಶರಣಂಗೆ, ಪ್ರಸಾದದಿಟವೆಂಬ;ಛಲವಿಲ್ಲದವರಮೆಚ್ಚನಮ್ಮಕೂಡಲಸಂಗಮದೇವ. Fortitude is needed for the Sharana (devotee) to declare: “I don’t want another’s wealth” Fortitude is needed for the Sharana to declare: “I don’t desire another’s wife” Fortitude is needed for the Sharana to declare: “I will not believe …
‘Matto Ki Saikil’: How there’s no hope for Dalits in upper caste cinema
Neeraj Bunkar Cinema is being refined in many ways due to the rapid technological advancements and emergence of other platforms for disseminating film messages. However, in the visual cultural space, this approach of modernism, liberalism, and assigning assertive agency to characters is only limited to ‘upper caste’ characters but not to Dalit characters. Aside from …
History of reservation and the present situation: A View from Chennai
(Speech made by G Karunanidhi translated from Tamil by Radhika Sudhakar) I would like to go into how Social Justice was in operation in the past. We do not have to search for information elsewhere but can have it from the sections of the Constitution that was given by Dr Ambedkar. Under the Directive Principles of …
Bring Life Back To Literature — Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
Akshay Gujar Babasaheb Ambedkar was a voracious reader, and his writings have always been empowering for the downtrodden and enlightening for the country. In my opinion, literature has immense power. It can be oppressive in nature and also be liberating. In a country like India, knowledge production rights were confined to Brahmins and not to …