For An Informed Ambedkar Age
Vaibhav Kharat Recently, Rahul Gandhi’s visit to a Dalit kitchen and his interaction with the Dalit family was broadcast on his YouTube channel, which has millions of subscribers. It was framed as an act of inclusion, meant to bring attention to the everyday lives of Dalits, particularly their food culture. The visit showcased his conversations …
Vaibhav Kharat The recent notification by the UPSC, inviting applications for 45 lateral entry posts at the levels of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary across 24 Union government ministries, has reignited the toxic debate of meritocracy vs reservation. The government’s promotion of lateral entry as a tool to bring in fresh talent and expertise …
Vaibhav Kharat India’s recent history has been stained once again by two horrifying incidents of sexual violence—one in Bengal and the other in Bihar. Both crimes were monstrous, but the response to them exposes the rot at the core of Indian society, a society that remains shackled by caste even in its darkest moments. The …
Vaibhav Kharat The conversion of the Mahar community to Buddhism under the leadership of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was a significant socio-religious movement aimed at escaping the oppressive caste system entrenched in Hinduism. However, as a student of Sociology, my recent observations suggest that certain practices within the converted Mahar Buddhist community reflect a form of …
Vaibhav Kharat The first installment of a trilogy directed by Arun Matheswaran, ‘Captain Miller’, features Dhanush, Shiva Rajkumar, Nassar, Sundeep Kishan, and Nivedhithaa Sathish in key roles. Initially released in theaters, the film later became available on Amazon Prime Video. Penned by Arunraja Kamaraj and Madhan Karky, it was produced by Sathya Jyothi Films. As …
Vaibhav Kharat In her persistent engagement with caste, reservation, census related topics, Tavleen Singh exemplifies a pseudo-intellectual approach that perpetuates casteist biases located in the strong foundation of savarna prejudices, stereotypes and stigmatisation. Her recent writings on caste include the column ‘Time to end the reservation’, and ‘A caste census is casteism’ in the ‘The …
Vaibhav Kharat A song composed or sung on Babasaheb Ambedkar is called Bhimgeet in Marathi and Bhimsongs in English. Bhimgeet, or Bhimsongs, are also known as Jaibhim geet/songs or Ambedkar geet/songs. Ambedkar’s work, his thoughts, his political and social philosophy, and his lived experiences are presented through these songs. Today, thousands of Bhimsongs are available …