Ashok Ravichandran
How can I call it my nation, when it follows only the laws of Manu, and not the constitution,
How can I call it my nation, when each caste in this society is a separate nation,
How can I call it my nation, when even after independence there’s only discrimination,
How can I call it my nation, when my mere touch is considered as impure, pollution and contamination?
How can I call it my nation, when this casteist society still claims that manual scavenging and sanitation is my obligation,
How can I call it my nation, when fellow citizen have problems in digestion when I get education through my rightful reservation,
How can I call it my nation, when this brahminical education that promotes rote learning and memorization is one of the major causes of depression and alienation,
How can I call it my nation, when I protest for my basic civil rights, I face incarceration for no obvious reason, then where’s my freedom of speech and expression?
How can I call it my nation, when I’m constrained by caste norms and regulation and I couldn’t do something on my own volition,
How can I call it my nation, when it’s spreading the caste disease throughout the world through a culture called brahminization,
How can I call it my nation, when villages are still cesspools of degradation,
How can I call it my nation, when my people are still slaves in your plantations,
How can I call it my nation, when in villages I face separation and in cities I face segregation,
How can I call it my nation, when people let RSS-BJP govern the nation without any opposition,
How can I call it my nation, when I start an organisation to fight against your domination then you try to dilute our efforts and struggles through your infiltration,
How can I call it my nation, when Neo-Nazi sanghis who should be in mental institutions run around as free citizens, I telling you their mind and heart is sick and that they need rehabilitation,
How can I call it my nation, when upper castes get jobs through social networks, connections and recommendations and Dalit Bahujan Adivasi & Muslim surnames face rejection without even the applications being even opened,
How can I call it my nation, when my people’s blood, sweat and labour is appropriated for your wealth accumulation,
How can I call it my nation, when my people are in starvation for generation after generation whether it’s through green revolution or liberalization or demonetisation,
How can I call it my India, when it’s only the hegemony of Hindia,
How can I call it my India, when it’s only the monopoly of Brahmin and Bania,
How can I call it my India, when there’s only rampant casteism and islamophobia,
How can I call it my India, when there’s only homophobia and queerphobia,
How can I call it my country, when day in and day out minorities are oppressed by Hindu communal majority,
How can I call it my country, when you never want to release me from your captivity,
How can I call it my country, when I ask for freedom, justice and equality, all you’re doing is pushing me further me down into slavery,
How can I call it my country, when my people don’t even have personal or private property,
How can I call it my country, when it’s reality makes me feel like I’m in a mortuary,
How can I call it my country, when you get votes from us for your party through false promises and trickery, but you never really deliver. This is nothing but treachery,
How can I call it my country, even when innocent you create controversy and conspiracy to make me guilty,
How can I call it my country, when it’s forcing me to depend upon beggary and charity,
How can I call it my country, when it’s denying my people human dignity,
How can I call it my country, when I’m a victim of your brutality,
How can I call it my country, when this casteist brahminic society is not even ready to follow humanity,
How can I call it my country, when my people’s concerns and problems are met with apathy,
How can I call it my country, when even in the 21st century my people are facing untouchability,
How can I call it my country, when it does not recognize me even if I have all the ability,
How can I call it my country, when I try to gain mobility all I meet is only disability,
How can I call it my country, when my people are living in a constant state of fear and anxiety,
How can I it my country, when it’s not acknowledging my struggles and outcry,
How can I call it my country, when it fools me with a pacifier when I’m really really hungry,
How can I call it my country, when nobody wants to take responsibility for all this injustice and inhumanity,
How can I call it my country, when it’s judging me based on my caste identity not on my personality. As Rohith Vemula wrote, the value of man is reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility,
How can I call it my country, when it’s following caste bound morality and brahminical patriarchy,
How can I call it my country, when the social order of this society is based upon graded inequality which is nothing but a hierarchy that produced ascriptive inferiority and superiority,
How can I call it my country, when I want to practice liberty, equality and fraternity all I face is hatred, bigotry and enmity,
How can I call it my country, when I expect my life here to be peaceful and heavenly but it’s always been bloody and deadly,
How long I have to tolerate this cruelty?
How can I call it my nation, when my brothers and sisters are killed, raped and persecuted without any kind of protection,
How can I call it my nation, when even in public places my people face restriction,
How can I call it my nation, when my people face forced migration and persecution,
How can I call it my nation, when it’s killing my people’s ambitions and aspiration by pushing them into a helpless situation,
How can I call it my nation, when great scholars like Dr. Anita, Dr. Rohith Vemula, Dr. Payal Tadvi and n number of students are murdered by brahminical institutions with casteist slurs and humiliation,
How can I call it my nation, when Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar wrote texts for my liberation and you appropriate him and his writings through your perversion,
How can I call it my nation, when the state and the police is unable or unwilling to protect my people from human rights violations,
How can I call it my nation, when I touch someone then I’m dead, when I drink water then I’m dead, when I love someone then I’m dead, how can anyone be against love? When I ride a horse then I’m dead, when I grow a moustache then I’m dead, when I walk somewhere then I’m dead. I face death with nothing to defend myself against your violent aggression, which means not only my human rights are deprived but also my natural right of self-preservation is stolen,
How can I call it my nation, when even after committing numerous inhuman crimes and atrocities against Dalits, the upper and dominant castes don’t even have the conscience to introspect. What is your justification?
How can I call it my nation, when you are trying to force brotherhood and integration between castes through hypocritical legislation,
How can I call it my nation, when academia is full of conversation and discussion but hardly any meaningful action,
Dear upper castes, your mind is filled with caste notion that’s why you question my merit and eye me with speculation?
You say Buddha was one of the avatars of Vishnu–moron that is not real, only a belief or superstition,
If you use Jai Shree Ram for my oppression then I’ll use Jai Bhim for my liberation,
You call this independent India, but I’m not independent,
You call this incredible India, but to me it’s not credible,
You call India homeland, but still I’m landless,
You are living in a dream, but I’m living a nightmare,
I’m being peaceful, but I’m not at peace,
There’s democracy, but all I have seen is hypocrisy
There’s the justice system, but all I have seen is injustice,
There’s inclusion in politics but exclusion in society,
There’s equality in constitution, but inequality in social and economic life,
My vote has a value, but socioeconomic structure of this society denies me any value,
Look at my life, I’m living a life of contradiction, then how can I call it my nation?
After facing all these injustices and inhumanities, you tell me, should I call it a country? Should I call it a democracy or hypocrisy? Should I call it a nation or illusion?
I know you don’t have answer for any of my question!
Babasaheb Ambedkar said “Hinduism is a Brahmin’s heaven and common man’s damnation” and I still say this nation which is made up of caste Hindus is Brahmin’s heaven and a Dalit’s damnation,
I know I’ll be called anti-nation but all I’m speaking is truth to the so called nation, if you don’t believe me then you’re living in a delusion,
I’m not being anti-nation, but all I’m saying is that I’m anti political oppression, anti social degradation, anti economic exploitation,
Our movement is not about exclusion or inclusion, but about independence,
It’s not about separation or segregation but about emancipation,
It’s not about jobs and opportunities but about liberty, equality, fraternity and about reclamation of the human personality,
It’s not about reservation and representation but about human recognition,
It’s not about wealth and property but about human dignity,
It’s not about quarrels and retaliation but about reconciliation and peaceful relations,
It’s not about destruction of the graded unequal society but about reconstruction of an equal and just society,
It’s not just about social justice and social reformation but also about social transformation,
It’s not about revenge or vengeance but about justice,
It’s not about welfare and rations but about reparations and redistribution,
It’s not just about a class revolution but also about caste annihilation,
And it’s all about freedom from the Caste Hindus’ thralldom.
If this nation won’t straighten out all the injustices it has done to us over the centuries then I won’t call it as my nation even in my imagination,
We will keep striving towards education, agitation, organisation with passion and dedication then there’ll soon be victory and celebration,
If you want unity and harmony in this country then Ambedkarism is the key,
I’ll call it my country, when Jai Bhim is the slogan of everyone!
JAI BHIM!!!
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Ashok Ravichandran is an MA Sociology student at CSSS/SSS in JNU, New Delhi.
