Anshul Kumar “A deputation of Harijans waited on Gandhiji at Sevagram with the request that members of the castes grouped under the head of ‘Scheduled Castes’ should be allowed representation on the governing body of the Harijan Sevak Sangh. Gandhiji is reported to have replied that the Sangh is meant to help Harijans and was …
Expanding Dewey’s Part of the Dewey-Ambedkar Story
Scott R. Stroud The relationship between Bhimrao Ambedkar, anti-caste thinker and activist, and John Dewey, his teacher at Columbia University, is significant and unique. Ambedkar sat in three of Dewey’s courses while he was studying at Columbia University and kept up with the American thinker’s philosophical evolution over the following four decades largely through collecting …
Academic Dishonesty of Shashi Tharoor Towards Dr BR Ambedkar’s Scholarship
Jyoti Bania & Ashok Danavath Shashi Tharoor is the fox that Malcolm X warned of Shashi Tharoor, a Nair liberal, member of the Indian Parliament (MP) and author of many books made many inaccurate, controversial and contradictory comments in a recent talk on Ambedkar: The Quest for Equality held on June 13, 2023, at Selwyn …
Manusmriti: A Threat to Constitutional Values and Social Justice
Ashutosh Singh Boddh (Vidrohi) Recently there was a news that, Delhi University’s Faculty of Law was planning to introduce the Manusmriti, the ancient Sanskrit & Casteist text, in its undergraduate programme under the paper called Jurisprudence (Legal Method), prompting a certain section of faculty members in the varsity to raise concern over the move. In …
Kaala: A Critique of the Communists, and a Call for them to join the Dalit movement
Sree Govind Bharatvaraj Pa. Ranjith’s Kaala makes an Ambedkarite critique of the communists yet calls for their participation in a collective battle against Hindutva. Keywords: caste; Hindutva; communist; Ranjith; Kaala Tamil filmmaker Ranjith (well known as Pa. Ranjith) is an Ambedkarite who is influenced by the 1990s Dalit political movements. In his movie Kaala, he …
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 …
Ambedkar’s Call for Individual Agency
Dr. Aniruddha Babar From Blind Idolization to Active Engagement: Ambedkar’s Call for Individual Agency In Democracy’s realm, Ambedkar’s voice resounds, Hero-worship challenged, new paths it bounds. Critical eyes unveil leaders’ true intent, Empowering minds, societal dissent. Injustice crumbles, equality takes flight, Individual agency, shining bright. Ambedkar’s teachings guide the way we tread, A Hero within, …
Social Democracy is a very distant goal in India
Prashant Randive India is one of the world’s largest democracies, with a constitution that enshrines democratic ideals and a political system that is meant to reflect them. However, despite the country’s many democratic achievements, there remain significant challenges and contradictions that continue to affect Indian society and politics. One of the most important figures in …
Why bring “Rhetoric” into our Stories about Ambedkar?
Scott R. Stroud Bhimrao Ambedkar is a complex figure who has many stories orbiting about him, many still waiting to be told and explored. I have become enraptured by the story we all know is there—that of the intellectual relationship between Bhimrao Ambedkar and John Dewey. Dewey was a giant in American philosophical stories; Ambedkar …