Dalits in Nepal: Politically Manufactured Karma The facts on the ground Suresh Singh (First published in Insight magazine in 2005) Dalits are groups of people considered as ritually impure and imagined as living apart from the “mainstream society”. This poorly understood community is called untouchables or Dalit, a term borrowed from India. The literal meaning …
‘Twice-Born’ Riot against Democracy
Gail Omvedt (First published in September 1990) Any caste based reservation system, in this case the Mandal Commission, has to be judged in terms of what it can do and not in terms of what it is not supposed to do—and in this case its goal is the limited but important one of ending caste …
Jotirao Phule: Shetkaryaca Asud (Part 10)
Translated by Gail Omvedt and Bharat Patankar Chapter 5 Our suggestions to the Arya Bhat-Brahmans regarding the Shudra farmers and the remedies which the current government should follow: — Before beginning this final chapter, I would like to make some suggestions to the greatly cunning Arya Bhat-Brahmans of the country, with the aim that they should not obstruct …
The Touch of Ambedkar (part I)
by Thamburaj Dharmaraj The assignment is of performing the story of Ambedkar in a folk art form, shadow puppetry. Shadow puppet theatre is widely held in the southern districts of Tamilnadu. Though it is prevalent in most of the South Asian countries it is habitually getting ostracized in the villages and performance opportunity is on …
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar – His Relevance Today
Khushi Ram The attitude of the so-called followers of Dr. Ambedkar recalls the rebuke Christ administered to his followers: “You call me ‘Lord’ ‘Lord’ but never carryout what I say.” To have easy and cheap leadership they claim to be Ambedkarites but do not observe any item of the work-a-day philosophy of that great leader. …