Kancha Ilaiah ‘You labelled the SC/ST/OBCs as corrupt to equalise them with upper castes who are not merely corrupt but also exploit ‘ Dear Ashis Nandy, On the question of corruption — how to deploy that concept, and which section of the Indian society (not of the state) deserves to be deployed — it …
‘Brahmins do not have the right to call themselves Indians!’
(This interview was published in January, 2001, in Rediff.com) Dr Kancha Ilaiah, associate professor of political science at Hyderabad’s Osmania University, is known for his fierce attacks on Hindu religious and political leaders. In 1996, his first book Why I am not a Hindu was accused of inflaming communal passions. Last month, he published another …
A black stone among white marbles
Kancha Ilaiah I am among the millions who live a life without a birthday. October 5, 1952 is what my school recorded as my birthday; beyond this, I am as yet unclear of it all. As I retire this month from Osmania University, where I studied, researched and taught over a period of 38 years, …
“Cultural Politics of Religious Festivals in India: The Popular and the Secular”
DABMSA, TSA, PDSU, BSF and TVV invite you for a Seminar and Discussion on “Cultural Politics of Religious Festivals in India: The Popular and the Secular” Speakers: Prof. Kancha Ilaiah, MANU University, Hyderabad
The Murder of Dalit-Bahujan King Mahabali and the Myth of Onam
James Michael (For Dalit Camera: Through Un-Touchable Eyes) Onam is the only national festival of Kerala that has assumed a universal secular character. Other popular festivals like Christmas or Bakrid are closely identified with particular religions like Christianity and Islam. Although many Keralities participate in non-Hindu festivals, Onam assumes its certain universality in terms of …
Why Beef and Pork Food Festival at JNU?
The New Materialists Comrades, we have recently seen the Janmastami celebrations in JNU by right wing and casteist forces i.e. ABVP and NSUI in many places of JNU. Celebration of the Hindu festivals (in the name of celebrating Culture) is the act of enhancing and strengthening the caste system. Krishna, the god of Hindus who …
Nothing but academic immorality
Kancha Ilaiah Educational issues are best left with Parliament and not with ‘intellectual’ experts Ever since the Thorat committee submitted its report on the political science text books of the NCERT of class IX to XII recommending deletion of some cartoons, changing of some words a gnat war has started against Thorat personally. M S …
Food fascism
Kancha Ilaiah After the beef festival in Osmania University, Hyderabad, on April 15 — in which 1,500-2,000 students belonging to SC/ST/OBC communities and some faculty members participated — was attacked by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists, food culture has become an issue of national debate. The ABVP and …
Twin blows to OBCs
Kancha Ilaiah The backward class politicians failed in forcing the government to undertake a caste-wise census of all sections. The Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the country have had two setbacks in the recent political manoeuvring of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. The pushing of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha and also …