Angel Sophan Growing up, I would hear from my friends and family who visited Mumbai that the must-visit places were Juhu Beach, Marine Drive, Mannat, etc., and also to spice it up with a romanticized version of poverty by visiting Dharavi. As an adult, in retrospect, I have come to learn that even tourist attractions …
The Social Exclusion of Dalits in India from 1950 to 2023
Jay Choudhari Introduction The Indian caste system is a deeply entrenched and centuries-old social structure, spanning over 3,000 years, if not more. This system has played a pivotal role in perpetuating discrimination and social hierarchies in India. Among the marginalized groups within this system, the ‘Dalits’, also known as ‘Untouchables’, have faced the most profound …
Righteous, not a Reactionary, Prabuddha Bharat
Vruttant Manwatkar “Religion emphasizes, universalizes social values and brings them to the mind of the individual who is required to recognize them in all his acts in order that he may function as an approved member of the society. But the purpose of religion is more than this. It spiritualizes them.[1]” – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar …
Being Dalit, Being Christian: The dilemmas of carrying these identities
Sumeet Samos Growing up in a small village in South Odisha in a Christian family, there were regular prayer meetings in our house and Sunday services in a nearby church, and my parents would always emphasize the teachings of the Bible and ask us to remember the verses from the Bible for our everyday lives. …
The Tyranny of Merit
Pranav Jeevan P Being born with talent is a genetic lottery, especially if it is with a talent that is rare and uncommon and if there is any market or public demand for it during their lifetime. Similar stochasticity is present in the social and economic position we are born into, as that defines whether …
Caste Census as an Exercise to Consolidate Hindu Majority, the other way round
Anshul Kumar “The Census of India has over a number of decades ceased to be an operation in demography. It has become a political affair. Every community seems to be attempting to artificially argument its numbers at the cost of some other community for the sake of capturing greater and greater degree of political power …
Manufacturing Consent: The Propaganda Model for Social Media
Pranav Jeevan P The rise of social media has brought about a new era of communication and dissemination of information. However, the complete dominance of a few social media companies: WhatsApp, Instagram, Threads and Facebook owned by Meta, X (formerly twitter) and YouTube owned by Google, has raised concerns about their monopolized power and its …
Prabuddha Bharata: Ambedkar’s Buddhist Rashtra-Nation
Rahul Sonpimple In my Ph.D. fieldwork in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, I encountered two contrasting assertions regarding the role of Buddhism in the everyday lives of Dalits. The first assertion, claiming “Buddha is our god; Babasaheb gave us, we are not Hindus,” was prevalent among poor and illiterate Dalits in slums and villages. The …
‘Caste organizations should not exist in Tamil Nadu’ – Dr K Veeramani, President, Dravida Kazhagam
Radhika Sudhakar This is a transcript of the Round Table India’s interview with Dr K Veeramani, President, Dravida Kazhagam. Q: You have had a long association with Periyar, what do you admire in him the most? K Veeramani: Apart from his exemplary leadership qualities, as his lifelong disciple, I have had a lot of moments …