Suresh Mane, General Secretary of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), spoke recently to Ria De, of Dalit Camera: Through Un-Touchable Eyes, on the Aam Aadmi Party and the emerging contours of politics in India. This video interview was transcribed by Ajith Francis. Recently, Indian politics is undergoing radical changes- drastic changes especially in the …
Dalit women ask South Asian States to challenge impunity, untouchability and discrimination
Statement issued by All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch – NCDHR Navi Pillay highlights power asymmetries leading to Caste based Gender Discrimination and Violence faced by Dalit women at the side event on Dalit women in the 23 Human Rights Council, United Nations, Geneva Geneva, June 7, 2013 The UN High Commissioner, Navi Pillay, …
Caste control & FDI
Kancha Ilaiah The opening of the retail market for foreign entrepreneurs has invited sharp reactions from several quarters. The main argument against it is that the livelihood of millions of small shop owners would be seriously affected as they would be handled by global marketing giants like Walmart and Tesco. According to the opponents …
First ever poetry collection on lives of Dalit women launched in Delhi
Rajeev R Singh A unique collection of Hindi poetry was launched in Delhi. It’s the 1st ever collection of poetry about the lives and struggles of Dalit & Adivasi women – by 65 young poets of the democratic tradition. (Editors: Anita Bharti & Bajrang Bihari Tiwari). There was a different kind of excitement and …
The Ashis Nandy Controversy: Inside the Mind of One ‘Intolerant’ Dalit
Anoop Kumar Vaibhav Diwakar Ghadge, a post-graduate from TISS (Mumbai), got married on 20th January, 2013. Two days later, he left his village Kulakajai in Maharashtra’s Satara district, along with his wife, to visit a nearby temple. On the way, the couple got waylaid and was brutally assaulted, robbed, molested and then thrown down …
“Agitate by burning down the Manu Dharma Shastra”: Kolathur Mani
[Via Ravi Chandran] On December 26, 2012, Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam will join hands with all other like minded progressive organizations who are concerned about annihilating caste, and agitate by burning down the Manu Dharma Shastra. Statement by Kolathur Mani: For more than 2000 years, the brahminical Manu Dharma was the one that was controlling …
Caste determines everything in campuses everywhere in the country: Dr Rakesh Sammauria
Neel Kranti Media (First published in the ‘Dalit and Adivasi Students’ Portal’ as ‘Dr Rakesh Sammauria: For a teacher his integrity is very important’ in 2010) Dr. Rakesh Sammauria, age 37 years, is an Associate Professor (Agronomy) at Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Currently he is working at All India Coordinated …
Caste And Hinduism
Gail Omvedt (Written in November 2003) M V Nadkarni’s recent article “Is Caste System Intrinsic to Hinduism?: Demolishing a Myth”, (EPW, November 8, 2003) comes as a follow-up to his earlier article “Ethics and Relevance of Conversions: A Critical Assessment of Religious and Social Dimensions in a Gandhian Perspective” (Januay 18). Both articles show the fundamental stamp of Hindutva ideology, …
Law, Society and Dalits in India
Karthik Navayan Society in India A society should be a humane society; the pre-requisite of a society is that the groups of people constituting it should be related to each other through persistent relations. But in Indian society, people are not only unrelated to each other but also hate each other, and the castes belonging …