Amir Hyder Khan In a pathbreaking judgement from the Supreme Court of India on 1 August 2024, the 7-judge constitutional bench led by Chief Justice of IndiaDr Justice D Y Chandrachud had stated that the sub-classification the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) was permissible. This judgment was welcomed by several political parties and …
‘Before categorisation, policymakers need to understand the constitution and the scavenging communities’: Dr. Ratnesh Katulkar
~ This is the transcript of an interview of Dr. Ratnesh Katulkar by Suresh Ahirwar ~ The recent Supreme Court decision regarding the classification of reservations for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, along with the emphasis on adding a creamy layer to it has sparked both support and opposition. This issue primarily concerns the castes among …
Why Kali is not my Qween?!
John Ramachandran In shallow mainstream and pseudo-progressive narrative, Kali is described as fierce and embodiment of power, femininity and even queerness. But, none of those narratives analyses to whom she was fierce and over whom she was powerful. Before going into the analysis let’s see who Kali is and what was the outcome of her …
No Fraternity (No Nation) without disempowerment of oppressors
Sagar Kamble The recent Supreme Court judgement that came out on dividing SC-STs reservation into subcategories and applying the creamy layer clause to their reservation is evidence of how the Upper caste people in India view the idea and mission of social justice. Instead of focusing on which caste groups, communities among the lower castes …
Banksy’s Bristol, UK riots and the texture of subaltern life
Umar Nizar The graffiti superstar Banksy known for his politically charged work, has recently been playing it safe by making animal murals in the city of London, which is interesting in the light of the recent right wing hooliganism and rioting in the UK. Multiculturalism in the UK is a sham, and so is the …
Woman – a Caste
Kshipra When I transfer food from my plate to our house help’s, I ask him to place his plate on the floor. My upper-caste father says our women must not hand anything to lower-caste men, fearing our skins might ignite sparks in our minds and genitals. A few months ago, my hands …
‘Rich Dalit with an iPhone’
Dr. Abhijit Khandkar He walks in, his iPhone shining in your face eclipsing centuries of darkness. With all that swag, how dare he, this rich Dalit. Certainly has two more stashed at his bungalow, and surely a Mercedes. Father an IAS or Doctor, earning more than all the poor Brahmins. Don’t you tell me …
Parminder Kaur: A Wave of Confidence, Enthusiasm, and Hope
Dhamma Darshan Nigam Parminder came in contact with me when I organised a writing workshop in 2019, which she wanted to attend but could not. I had then created a WhatsApp group to share information about the workshop. Over the next year, almost everyone had left the group, but she remained there in the group. …
The Sanskritisation of Ambedkarite Buddhism: A Critique
Vaibhav Kharat The conversion of the Mahar community to Buddhism under the leadership of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was a significant socio-religious movement aimed at escaping the oppressive caste system entrenched in Hinduism. However, as a student of Sociology, my recent observations suggest that certain practices within the converted Mahar Buddhist community reflect a form of …