Dr. Sandip Medhe Introduction The gross disparities in health that are conspicuous at the interface of different social orders in India are not new, but had been neglected in the discourse on Indian public health. These disparities in provision of health services driven by social forces result in unequal health outcomes among different social groups …
‘Educate, Agitate, Organize’ – Is it a Sequence or a Parallel Process?
Birendra Nag I could remember the early days of my engagement with Ambedkarite activism; I used to hear this quotation “Educate, Agitate and Organize” on Bhim Jayanti that my community in the Balangir district of the Odisha state used to celebrate every year on 14th April. At that time, I didn’t even know the source …
To speak of Migrant workers is to speak of Politics today
Vishal Verma The politics in India which has continuously been called ‘democractic’ has sustained for more than 70 years. With riots and uprisings[i] having been an intrinsic part of it. Where the former, has always been advantageous for Indian democracy to consolidate its power through the mediation of an institutionally centralised state form. The latter, …
Spectacle of Crisis: Coronavirus pandemic and the disease of Casteism-Brahmanism in India
Subodh Kunwer Has the Corona virus pandemic become something other than a medical subject/disease? The handling of this pandemic brought many crises, events and spectacles to the fore. While on one side lives of people are being lost, on the other we are witnessing the theatrical, performative aspect of the pandemic. Jennifer Cooke in …
കോവിഡ്-19 പകർച്ചവ്യാധിയും ലോക്ഡൗണും : കേരള സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ മുന്നിലെ വെല്ലുവിളികൾ
രഘു ഇരവിപേരൂർ (Round Table India is doing a series to put together the Bahujan perspective on the Coronavirus pandemic) രാകേഷ് റാം എസ്: ഇന്ത്യയിൽ കോവിഡ്-19 ആദ്യ കേസ് തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞത് കേരളത്തിലാണ്. അതിനെതിരെ ഏറ്റവും കാര്യക്ഷമതയോടെ പ്രതികരിച്ചതും കേരളമാണ്. ആദ്യം തൊട്ടു ബോധവത്കരണമുണ്ടായിട്ടും പ്രവാസികളിൽ ചിലർ(കൂടുതലും അധികാരം കൈയ്യേറുന്നവരും അത് കൊണ്ട് തന്നെ നിയന്ത്രണങ്ങൾ ഒരിക്കലും പാലിക്കാൻ താല്പര്യമില്ലാത്തവരും) മുന്നറിയിപ്പുകൾ അവഗണിക്കുകയും ഹോം ക്വാറന്റൈന് പാലിക്കാതെ സമൂഹത്തിൽ ഇറങ്ങി നടക്കുകയും …
Philosopher Beyond Caste: An Understanding of Ambedkar’s Idea of Environment and Nature
Vidyasagar Introduction The entire human civilization is passing through the most painful and catastrophic tragedy of the 21st century. The pandemic ‘COVID-19’ has spread across the world and millions of human beings are suffering for their survival. This global health crisis has compelled us to think about the future of human civilization. Competitive capitalism and …
Lalu Yadav, and the lone fight against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
Shiva Thorat Among the many distractions and distortions the masses have been struggling with, recognising the politics of Lalu Prasad Yadav, the leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) has been a significant one. For 14 years, Lalu Yadav has been imprisoned for his involvement in the Fodder Scam. The complexities around conflicts between social groups, …
The COVID19 crisis: the perils of separating environmental health from human health
Pradnya Mangala (SAVARI and Round Table India are doing a series to put together the Bahujan perspective on the Coronavirus pandemic) Anu Ramdas: What is the global conversation about the climate/weather change as a result of the lockdown in most of the heavily industrialized countries? Pradnya Mangala: Broadly there are two kinds of narratives around …
Covid-19 plus Ramayan: Adding insult to injury
Amarnath Sandipamu & Deepu Myneni (Round Table India is doing a series to put together the Bahujan perspective on the Coronavirus pandemic) Anu Ramdas: It is well known that pandemics can and do facilitate totalitarian regimes to accelerate their ideologies when society is under the threat of the disease. We wanted to document the …