Dr Amritpal Kaur Caste is a notion, as Babasaheb said but what makes it a complex phenomenon to understand is the fact that it is also a notional reality. Caste is never singular, it is a plural social mechanism. There is no such thing as a caste. There are always castes that constitute the …
4th World Atheist Conference Number – Periyar on God
4th World Atheist Conference Number – Periyar on God There is no god!; There is no god at all; He who created god is a fool; He who propagates god is a rogue; He who worships god is a barbarian. I will explain further why we say so. He who created the soul, heaven, hell, …
Dalit movement must provide our students a positive identity: Anoop Kumar
Anoop Kumar (This is the transcript of his speech at an international conference on Babasaheb Ambedkar in Tokyo, Japan, in October 2018) Thank you very much. Jai Bhim and good morning to all. My name is Anoop and I’ve been teaching for the past 5-6 years in Wardha. Today, I am going to speak …
Dr. BabaSaheb Ambedkar’s Idea of an Ideal Democracy
Babasaheb Ambedkar always used to say that, Political democracy will not work if there is no democracy in the society. Social democracy is important. But democracy is neither a political machinery nor a social system. It should be the philosophy of life & attitude of the mind. We must not equate democracy merely to …
How the caste census became a national issue and thereby a Brahmin problem
Neha As the 16th census of India is about to be conducted, several marginalized organizations and leaders have intensified their demand for a caste census. This is happening in the background, when the government is yet to publish the caste wise data of 2011 census and the parliament has been informed that the government …
Delhi university must reinstate the removed texts and Apologize-Dalit intellectual collective
Dalit Intellectual Collective With the select removal of texts by three towering writers in Bengali and Tamil: Mahashweta Devi, Bama and Sukirtharani, from Delhi University English Honours syllabus, the exertion of Brahmanical, patriarchal, communal prejudice and domination in higher education once again becomes painfully visible. These authors’ writings accentuate the life-narratives of Adivasis, Dalits, marginalized women and minorities. They …
My journey from a Brahmanic kid to a truth seeking adult
Amol Shingade As settled nomadic people, we have a house in the middle of the village. We are largely dependent on agricultural activities happening at the village level. However, before coming to Pune for graduation, the image of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was as a leader of only the Dalits. This image was created in …
The Savarna Bhaskar politics
Deepali Salve We recently saw Swara Bhaskar’s public display of ‘grihapravesh’ rituals following the norms and traditions of Hinduism. They were presided upon by a Brahmin priest, upholding the systematic exploitation of caste, class and gender. There is nothing wrong with this religious display – it has been kept alive for the …
Mirabai Chanu – Bahujan, Brahmin or just Meitei?
Khakhlari How digital activism narratives around the athlete exposed structural racism towards the ‘chinky northeasterner’ When Mirabai made news as the first woman to score a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, people across several socio-political factions were quick to claim her. Her win evoked nationalistic pride and sentiments and celebratory posts poured in. A …