Wesly Kumar Even though the Dalits form one fourth of India’s total population they are still in the lower strata in Indian society. The caste sentiments are still rising in the land where Ambedkar relentlessly strived for the abolition of the caste system. We now have instances of discrimination in higher educational institutions. Being …
Challenging Heterogeneity in Universities
Nidhin Shobhana This short essay aims to deconstruct and challenge the heterogeneity claims made by certain universities. Such a challenge is informed by Phule-Ambedkarite scholarships. It is not original. It is a reiteration of old, relevant facts. This essay is timely as we are increasingly witnessing hysteric and glorious accounts on nation and universities (across …
Surnames and ‘Merit’: A Case of Miranda House
Nidhin Shobhana Recently I had the opportunity to participate and speak in a two-hour session on the ‘Intersectionalities of caste and gender’ conducted by National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights at Miranda House, Delhi. The session aimed at understanding how caste and gender operate in Higher Educational Institutions. It was organized as a part …
Dalits and the Dogs: An Autobiographical Note
Mahitosh Mandal “‘What is it Kusum’, I said, ‘What are you thinking of?’ ‘Saar,’ she said, wiping her face, ‘the worst part was not the hunger or the thirst. It was to sit there helpless and listen to the policemen making their announcement, hearing them say that our lives, our existence, was worth less …
‘Excellence’ through Expulsion: A case of Arbitrary Merit vs Constitutional Mandate
(Preliminary) Fact Finding Report on Expulsion of SC/ST/OBC students from IIT, Roorkee 30th July 2015 – 1st August 2015 ~ National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights National Dalit Movement for Justice ~ Fact Finding Team: Anoop Kumar, Dilip C. Mandal, Gurinder Azad, Nidhin Shobhana and Shefali Saini Report Authored by: Nidhin Shobhana and Shefali …
Condemned by Caste
Nilesh Kumar The effect of caste on the ethics of the Hindus is simply deplorable. Caste has killed public spirit. Caste has destroyed the sense of public charity. Caste has made public spirit impossible. A Hindu’s public is his caste. His responsibility is only to his caste. His loyalty is restricted only to his …
Caste, Campuses and Contradictions
Yogesh Maitreya When I reached the 7th Grade, my parents admitted me into a school that was run by a Hindu nationalist trust. Sanskrit, which was foreign to my tongue till then, became the compulsory language for my 7th grade curriculum. The teacher who was to teach us Sanskrit was a traditional Brahmin- a …
Savarna English and the violent exclusion of Dalits
Yogesh Maitreya Language is one of the basic media to facilitate the expression of the mind. Yet, when a distinct form of it is spoken by a select group of people who are high up in the social hierarchy, it can become a tool to maintain cultural superiority. In the Indian context, it would …
Biological and Symbolical Killing of Dalits with Reference to Paramakudi Firing
V. Ratnamala Abstract: The present paper aims to study the representation of biological and symbolical killing of Dalits with reference to Paramakudi Firing in the Print media. Space allotted for Dalits in print media will be analyzed. Six Dalits were shot dead at the Police firing on Sep 11, 2011 in Paramakudi. The Dalits …