Bhagyashri Boywad I, Bhagyashri Boywad, come from Nanded, one of the backward districts of Marathwada. I am from an economically backward family, my father works as an auto-driver and mother is a domestic worker. We do not own a house given the economic conditions. Both my siblings (one sister and a brother) had to …
A Critique on Article 15: Unravelling the Brahmin Saviour Complex
Nandhana Prem As I entered into the dimly lit multiplex for a second show, I saw seats almost half-filled, people busy chattering about Article 15. The film takes off with a folk song, drawing the attention of the audience from their chatters to that of a gut-wrenching explication on discrimination met by the Dalits. …
Nation of Caste: Can India Tolerate A Dalit Prime Minister?
Rahul Sonpimple I was told that I couldn’t rent the bicycle that day. All entries to our basti (slum) were blocked by the police. I was eighteen then. I insisted, but Namdeo, the cycle wala (shop owner), didn’t even bother to look at me and hurriedly shut the shop. With all his ferocity and …
In Gujarat, there’s a conflict between Mahajan culture and Bahujan culture: Raju Solanki
Round Table India In this episode of the Ambedkar Age series, Round Table India talks to Raju Solanki, writer, poet and activist based in Ahmedabad. Interviewed by: KuffirCamera and editing: Ahmedabad Talkies In the interview, Rajubhai traces the roots of the Mahajan vs Bahujan conflict in Gujarat. He explains the growth of the Mahajan …
Caste: The System of Injustice and Lunacy
Aishwarya KS Caste is a sharpened weapon which has the power to destroy the identity and dignity of an individual in India. Caste is a socially constructed reality. Dr BR Ambedkar has defined caste as a state of mind. It can control an individual’s mind and can make him inhumane in nature. This is exactly …
Exploring the Narrative History and Experiences of Meghwal Community: An Ethnographic Study
Mayur Helia The Meghwal community has no written history as such. Everything is in the oral form. Through this research, I have understood that a major portion of their history is lost in this process of oral history. Also, there are multiple stories which have come up over a period of time. About the …
They Ask Me, “Do You Face Caste Discrimination?”
Shivani Waldekar Before starting to write my words I want to give one disclaimer here that whatever I am writing comes from my personal lived experience, so if anyone is hurt because of that, I apologise. If you are unable to digest the facts and thoughts I hereby state, please feel free to build your …
Caste & Untouchability: Root of the Blasphemy project in Pakistan
Auwn Gurmani Babasaheb Ambedkar in his book Annihilation of Caste says: “I have no hesitation in saying that if the Mahomedan has been cruel, the Hindu has been mean; and meanness is worse than cruelty”. I’d add, the context may be different today, but, nonetheless, there is a cruelty amongst Mahomedans that cannot be …
Unshakeable conscience of the so-called most conscious Indian citizens
Dharmaraj Kumar Two recent incidents of crime should have shaken the nerve of the conscience of the Indian citizen, but they failed to do so. In the first incident a girl named Sanjali, returning from school was allegedly caught by some men and burnt alive in broad daylight. As it is clear that the …