Jenny Rowena On first or second Saturday coming after the Hindu New Year’s Day (Gudhi padawa), the devadasis, who are mostly dalitbahujans, were openly sexually enjoyed in public, about hundred years ago. This is now replaced by another tradition called “Okali”, which was in vogue till 1987. It is a festival like ‘Rang Panchami’. The …
Discrimination against Dalits in admissions to Delhi University
All India Confederation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Organizations’ Press Note Dr. Udit Raj, National President of the AICOSCSTO , has unveiled the discrimination against Dalit students in admissions to the DU. The procedure for admissions to the first year commenced on 4th June. For SC/ST students, it turned out to be an ordeal as …
Attacks on Dalits in Koothirambakkam near Chennai
(Fact finding report first published in April 2003 by PUCL) Team members 1. Sheelu, President, Tamil Nadu Women’s Collective 2. T.S.S. Mani PUCL, Chennai – Chengai District Committee. 3. Ponnuthai, Women’s Forum Against Violence on Women, South Tamil Nadu. 4. W.G.Latha – Tamil Nadu Resource Team. 5. Jessy , Kanchi People’s Forum 6. Mahesh, Kanchi …
The warriors who slayed babies and other tales
Rahi Gaikwad The name Ranvir is usually given to a boy. It means brave warrior or battle hero. This is the name a section of landed castes in Bihar, chiefly the Bhumihar landlords, adopted to christen themselves as an army of warriors, the Ranvir Sena In Hindu mythology, the idea of the warrior king who wages …
Cartoons, Caste and Epistemic Violence
Nilesh Kumar ‘These upper-caste authors who are forever miles away from reality and who can only make ceremonial and meaningless speeches in big meetings, can never understand what we the shudras and atishudras have to suffer and what calamities we have to undergo. All this is not entirely unknown to the high-caste …
Critical Reading of NCERT text ‘Indian Constitution at Work’
Lalit Khandare The National Curriculum Framework 2005 for social sciences states: “In the social sciences, the approach proposed in the NCF recognises disciplinary markers while emphasising integration on significant themes, such as water. A paradigm shift is recommended, proposing the study of the social sciences from the perspective of marginalised groups. Gender justice and a …
Ranvir Sena Massacres and State Complicity
[An excerpt from the chapter ‘The Pattern of Abuse: Rural Violence in Bihar and the State’s Response’ from the report ‘Broken People: Caste Violence Against India’s Untouchables’ published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 1999.] The extent of political patronage extended to the Ranvir Sena can be gauged by the fact that while a large …
Thol.Thirumaavalavan writes to Kapil Sibal and Sukhadeo Thorat
Memoranda submitted by Thol. Thirumaavalavan of the Viduthalai Ciruthaikal Katchi (VCK) to Prof S.K.Thorat, Chairman, NCERT Review Committee and Mr Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Govt.of India, on 29.05.2012 and 30.05.2012 respectively, in New Delhi. ~~~ To Mr Kapil Sibal Honourable Minister of Human Resources Development Government of India New …
Not about intolerance
Chandra Bhan Prasad Wrong history real issue, not cartoon A couple of weeks back, almost all television channels and newspaper carried the controversy that arose over a National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) book that had a caricature of Dr BR Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru. The newspapers, news channels and columnists were aggrieved …