Kavita Janbandhu The concept of beauty is a social construct. It is founded on societally accepted ideas that have become ingrained in our systems and psyches and are accepted as the norm. These ideals of beauty gradually become imprinted in our minds on a micro level, influencing how we act. There is a two-way link …
The ‘Samrat’ daily, Ambedkarite movement and social commitment
Vinay Damodar Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar edited four magazines like Mooknayak, Bahishkrit Bharat, Janata and Prabuddha Bharat in his lifetime, and blew the trumpet of change in social life. Babasaheb said that “any movement needs a newspaper to be successful. A movement without a newspaper is like a bird with broken wings”. We can see that …
Pavsacha Nibandha: A tale of irony on the rains
JS Vinay The Marathi short film Pavsacha Nibandh, literally meaning essay on/of the rain was released on Zee5, an OTT platform in the month of July. It is directed by Nagraj Manjule, who is known for his successful films with strong and assertive themes like Fandry and Sairat. To begin with, I am not a …
Jayanti Movie- Re-emergence of Lost Voices
Mithun Nagwanshi & Ajay Choudhary Ideologies often get spread through different media to register their presence in the life world of members of society. Cinema is also one of the powerful ideological apparatuses to create sensitivity and emotions among the audiences. Historically, it has been revealed that cinema was used as an instrument not …
Jayanti: A celebration of Bahujan history and autonomy
JS Vinay The recently released Marathi movie ‘Jayanti’ is creating waves in the Marathi circles. Based on my understanding , I will try to share some points (not in order of preference) as a viewer and as also someone who belongs to the Vidarbha region where the movie & characters are based. Use of …
How to turn a murder into suicide: Sumitra Bhave’s ‘Kasav’
Rahul Gaikwad Every now and then one comes across some or the other celebrated so-called progressive leader/writer/activist who turns out to be absolutely shallow, superfluous and even hypocritical upon closer examination. This has been the case with Vijay Tendulkar and his Kanyadaan drama; or Pandit Anand Patwardhan’s Jai Bhim Comrade where he portrayed Ambedkarite assertion …
Prabuddha Bharat cover page – Special edition for Mahatma Phule’s Death Anniversary
Vinay Shende The following is the English translation of the famous Cover Page of Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Weekly called Prabuddha Bharat. It was published on 1st of December,1956. It was a special edition for Mahatma Jyotiba Phule’s death anniversary. The translation has been done part by part and each part’s picture is shown for better understanding. …
Do ideas of Phule-Shahu-Ambedkar matter anymore?
Shailesh Narwade Jayanti, for many, is merely a celebration of the birth anniversaries of socio-political thinkers who were instrumental in bringing social change of which our generation is a beneficiary. Some people see it as an occasion to eulogize and recollect the contributions of these great leaders. Though these modes of celebrating and remembering …
Castes among Indian Muslims
Dr. Basharat Ahmed (Translation of Dr Ahmed’s Marathi article published in Loksatta) I have received many responses via email from readers of my article ‘Dharmiya Aarakshanache A (Vastav)’ (Reality of Religion based Reservations) published in Loksatta on 31st October 2013. Some of those while asking questions on certain aspects have also expressed the desire that …