Yashwant Zagade During my masters programme, after class one day, I was having tea with my classmates. We were discussing about the research topic for our masters programme. An upper caste friend of mine expressed interest in working on the plight of Dalits. My other Dalit friend responded by asking, “Why don’t you rather …
Differentiating the Hindi subject: Bhojpuri experience
Asha Singh Questions of linguistic autonomy and annihilation of caste-gender oppressions are crucial for the struggles of an emerging Bahujan public sphere in Bhojpuri speaking regions. Ali Anwar, the Pasmanda Muslim Parliamentarian from the Bhojpuri region has often been in the forefront of asserting Bhojpuri autonomy in the Parliament. Within the Bhojpuri public sphere, …
Castes of Cricket in India
Rajesh Komath This short write-up is motivated by the recent discussions in social media on the demand for reservations in Indian cricket team, put forward by the Union Minister for Social Justice Shri. Ramdas Athawale. The Minister’s thrust of the demand was that the national cricket body BCCI should provide reservations to SC and …
Why did Dalit become the mascot for the caste system?
Gaurav Somwanshi This piece is in continuation with its previous part, the fourth question in a series of seven, but it can be read independently too. This is going to be the longest question to attempt an answer. 4. You can only be destroyed by believing that you really are what the white world calls …
Seven Questions
Gaurav Somwanshi In this piece, I seek to outline some questions that arose in my life or I have seen them arise around me, questions which may contain within them their own pitiless answers that form the weather and climate of this caste society. While for some questions, I may not have any answer. …
No Mr. Tharoor, I Don’t Want to Enter Your Kitchen
Tejaswini Tabhane Shashi Tharoor is an author, politician and former international civil servant who is also a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. This write-up is a rebuttal to his three-year-old article Why Caste Won’t Disappear From India, which I came across recently. While three years’ span is too big and my …
Why are the Debates on Menstrual Taboo One-sided?
T. Sowjanya In a nutshell, the answer is, the views expressed in the online protests are of women belonging to a particular set of social groups! This is a response to the recent online protest against the taboos on menstruation in Indian society launched by some students and middle class, educated men, and women. …
‘Indian education doesn’t have any emancipatory agenda’: Prof Vivek Kumar
Round Table India This is the transcription of Round Table India‘s interaction with Prof Vivek Kumar, Professor, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, for the Ambedkar Age series of films. In the interview, Prof Vivek Kumar touches upon a vast range of subjects, including the contours …
How Privileged Are You? (Authentic version)
Rajesh Rajamani Has a know-it-all ISJW (Internet Social Justice Warrior) asked you to check your privilege? Did you misunderstand the statement and check the online dictionary to verify if the word is spelled as ‘privilege’ or ‘privelige’? Have you wondered why someone tagged you in a social media post that said: “When …