For An Informed Ambedkar Age
by Chandra Bhan Prasad Now that the Election Commission (EC) has decided to hold the UP Assembly polls in February, the accompanying trauma is all set to begin. Political parties will spend many sleepless nights while political analysts, in particular psephologists who seem to do brisk business via the electronic medium, will certainly also have …
Chandra Bhan Prasad A few years ago, a former foreign secretary had said, “Dalits don’t fit into the Indian Civil Services’ culture.” What the retired (Varna) civil servant seemed to be saying was: a civil servant is meant to govern people and not serve them. This seems to be the culture of the Varna …
by Chandrabhan Prasad It can happen only in India. In the US or South Africa, it will be beyond anybody’s imagination to indulge in any race-related discourse without involving Blacks. Last Sunday, Star News organised a debate on caste in We The People, hosted by Barkha Dutt, otherwise a fairly “secular” person by persuasion …
by Chandrabhan Prasad The Ganges is a monumental aqua-guard which has been cleansing Varna souls ever since the advent of their civilisation. A few Varna apologists describe the senseless Ganga dip as an act of “self-criticism”, where devotees officially confirm they have committed a sin.
by Chandrabhan Prasad Ever since Varna editors were caught postulating before Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf at his free breakfast ceremony in Agra, they have discovered a time tested refuge of “Press freedom” to justify their shameful intellectual conduct. They are into their old habit of “defining” freedom, where the Press has the spine to confront …
by Chandrabhan Prasad Politicians, usually, lack a sense of shame or remorse. When they were made to wait outside, while the general negotiated with Hurriyat leaders, Indian politicians didn’t seem to mind and instead, argued that a head of state has “schedule constraints” to keep in mind. But what about the Varna-media? When our editors …
Chandra Bhan Prasad (Originally published in The Pioneer on August 28, 2001) Was LK Advani’s Ram Rath a ploy to fight the Mandal Commission or only a tool with which to mobilise Hindus around the Ram Mandir issue? What must have been an electoral calculation – a subtle opposition to Mandal will earn the …
by Chandrabhan Prasad About a decade back, Rajasthan’s Nathdwara town was in the news. The town houses a Hindu temple into which Dalits are not allowed. The maverick Arya Samaj sadhu Swamy Agnivesh had organised a march to accord Dalits their right to enter the temple. Read More Most newspapers wrote lengthy editorials condemning the …
by Chandrabhan Prasad A novelist friend has just returned from Oxford. She was there to attend a Dalit-related talk where the UN-sponsored World Conference Against Racism, to be held in Durban this year, came up for discussion. She wondered why European scholars were not easily prepared to equate caste-based discrimination with that of race. Another …