Nidhin Shobhana This essay is an outcome of a conversation I had with myself. The slaughter of Mohsin Shaikh, a Muslim technology professional was my point of departure. It was a reminder of a potent threat and a safe illusion – the threat of being a minority in an Organized Brahmanic Majoritarian Order and …
Politicising the personal: Who am I, Who are ‘we’ as people?
Sinthujan Varatharajah Few diasporans will today come to talk about how caste practices in regards to marriage respond to larger political dynamics and power relations. Endogamy, as the most common marriage practice amongst Hindus, necessarily leads to social exclusion and discrimination. Marriage is traditionally assumed to be the foundation of a political institution, the family. …
Bolstering Privilege: Reservation Debates During Elections 2014
Indrajit Roy As political commentators celebrate or bemoan the supposed change in the Indian polity with the ‘advent’ of Narendra Modi, it is important to highlight the fact that political parties were largely silent about social justice during the just-concluded elections. In fact, two of the largest political parties- the party that won the …
Bhagana: Laboratory of Dalit atrocities and resistance
(This report is sourced from the Hindi blog Raffoo. It has been translated by Akshay Pathak and Atul Anand) Dalits have always been subjected to atrocities by the upper castes and it has to do with the filthy and unjust social structure that we live in. But the incident that happened in Bhagana village …
‘UPA and NDA are two sides of the same coin’: Sudhir Dhawale
Round Table India spoke to writer and political activist Sudhir Dhawale in Mumbai last week, after his release from a long term spent in prison due to false charges of being involved in Naxal activities. Arrested in January 2011, he was acquitted last week by Gondia’s sessions court after the police failed to produce …
Long March Against Dalit Atrocities in Maharashtra
Sunil Dudhe This year marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of the book ‘Annihilation of Caste’ by Dr. Ambedkar. Dr. Ambedkar fought with perseverance till his death against the caste system in Indian society. For this cause he incorporated the ideals of democracy, freedom, equality and brotherhood as fundamental principles in the constitution. …
A Round Table meeting against unlawful Rustication of Three EFLU Students
Students’ Forum for Justice A Round Table meeting was held today at Sundarayya Vignana Kendra, Hyderabad, to decide the demands and future course of action regarding the unlawful rustication of 3 student leaders—Mohan Dharavath, Satish Nainala and Subhash Kumar—from the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad. The students were rusticated on 6th May …
SS inc.: Tales of Fascist Horror from EFLU
[Via EFLU Students for Justice] The struggle against Vice Chancellor Sunaina Singh (henceforth referred to as SS) and her entirely arbitrary decision to rusticate three students for allegedly breaking a glass door during a protest against the closure of the 24 hour reading room has now entered its third week. This has been a …
BTAD Massacre: What it means to be a Bengali Muslim in Assam?
Rafiul Alom Rahman The election results are out. Narendra Modi is all set to be India’s next Prime Minister. TV and phone screens are flooded with congratulatory ads, messages. Acche din aane wale hain! In Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 7 seats. In BTAD, Naba alias Hira Saraniya, the non-Bodo consensus …