Mayur Kudupale The Maharashtra government has initiated steps to change names of localities, awards and to remove the word ‘Dalit’. For changing the name of localities the government is attempting to remove the stigma attached to the names of the localities; it has also changed the name of award Dr Balasaheb Ambedkar Dalit Mitra Puraskar …
How to write anti-caste solidarity texts
Dr. Murali Shanmugavelan Ensure that “Dalit” appears as a prefix whenever the victim is mentioned. The phrase “Dalit victim” helps your readers understand the difference between Dalits and humans. If your text is about (Dalit) rape, murder, or other gruesome violence, make sure you include the name and picture of the already-traumatised person in the …
Statement in support of twelve Bhima Koregaon activists
We the undersigned twenty two organizations strongly condemn the shameful imprisonment of public intellectuals and social justice defenders, Dr. Anand Teltumbde and Mr. Gautam Navalakha, who’ve been in custody since April 14, 2020. Dr. Teltumbde & Mr. Nalvlakha join nine others – journalists, lawyers, writers, academics & organizers- Surendra Gadling, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, …
The Meteoric Rise of L. Murugan, the new BJP Chief of Tamil Nadu
Keerthi Nathan The past week, BJP unit of Tamil Nadu was suddenly brimming with a lot of activity after being dormant for a few months. Mr. L. Murugan had been appointed the President of the BJP State unit of TN much to everyone’s surprise. Mr. L. Murugan is also the Vice Chairman of the National …
The Future of ‘Dravidian Studies’
Karthick R M MSS Pandian was an exemplary Tamil scholar, but more importantly, he was a Dravidian scholar. What I mean by ‘Dravidian’ here does not denote an individual belonging to a region, ethnicity, nation or culture, but a way of socio-political thinking that lays emphasis on social justice, proportional representation, a form of …
Dalits and dichotomy of the Ganesh festival
Kavita Chohan I am from Haryana. I have been living in Ambedkar’s bhumi Mumbai since the past two years. This is a great time for me to have come in contact with Ambedkarites. I have come to understand that there are various shades and layers to the term ‘Ambedkarism’. Ambedkarism is a remarkable and dynamic …
May we tell our children that they can’t be stopped
Pranjali Kureel May we tell our children about our history, our family histories that our ancestors were treated worse than animals were denied basic dignity and that it still hasn’t changed much. May we tell our children that the histories they read in school are conveniently manipulated and distorted to extend the propaganda of those …
Relevance of Manyawar Kanshi Ram’s Politics in Contemporary India
Amit Kumar In post-independence India, there are many names that have made a deep imprint on Indian politics. Kanshi Ram Saheb is one of the tallest figures who not only changed the political vocabulary but became the voice of that groups which have been neglected historically for a long time. In a true sense, he …
Temple entry struggles and some missing contexts
Mayur Kudupale & K Swathi Sivadas The culture of debating on social issues has always paved the way for acquiring new learnings. The recent verdict on Sabarimala row was an inevitable topic among us, students. Our friends from Kerala, especially girls, debated enthusiastically that women’s entry to the temple should be allowed. Dissenting against …