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, …
Dalit Women in Higher Education in Odisha
Saraswati Suna “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.” ~ Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Education is a path for equal opportunity and ensures possibilities for individual growth, social mobilities and economic empowerment to the oppressed, Dalit and marginalized communities. However, education throughout Indian history has only …
Palasa 1978: A Bahujan resistance against caste supremacy
Shiva Thrishul The film speaks about Bahujan resistance against the dominance of caste feudal lords across generations in a town in Andhra Pradesh. The enslavement of the Bahujan bodies for the political gains of privileged castes, upper-caste exploitation of the Bahujan labour force, the abuse of Bahujan muscle power, deceptive and treacherous nature of the …
Fight against Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Arvind Boudhh With the narrowing gender gap in the field of education, the participation of women is increasing and will keep on increasing in the future. We can see more number of women joining different professions, from private to public sector enterprises. Most of the workplaces in India are male dominated, caste infected and communally …
Beauty, Femininity and the Politics of ‘Desire’
Noel Mariam George The recent crowning of a biracial black woman as Miss World made news as it made full circle with four other wins by biracial black and black women in the biggest beauty pageant. Not many understand beauty pageants as political; however what can be more political than a contest in which nations …
Dr. Ambedkar on Government’s Obligations to Labour
May Day Greetings! (Transcription of a news report on Babasaheb Ambedkar’s presidential address as Labour Member, in 1945) Dr. Ambedkar at coal miners’ colony in Dhanbad, 1943 New Delhi, November 27 (1945): Dr. Ambedkar, Labour Member, Government of India, defined the State’s obligations to labour, in his presidential address to the Seventh Indian …
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi: Path-breaking Change in Politics
Sudam Rathod Indian politics for a long time was under the unilateral rule of Congress party because of which other democratic and secular parties could not expand and develop themselves. Secular politics or secularism had been considered the sole property of Congress. Therefore, other such parties with a secular progressive ideology had no space …
Women in Phule-Ambedkarite Ideology and its Relevance to Contemporary India
Hemangi Kadlak This is a transcript of speech given at Bangalore. Today, I am going to talk about ‘Women in Phule-Ambedkarite ideology and its relevance to contemporary India’, from Buddha to Babasaheb and after. As male and female are biologically different and they are complementary to each other, both are very important for reproducing …
Kaala: Debrahmanizing Indian ‘Popular’ Culture
N Sukumar & Shailaja Menon The usual template in many a ‘mainstream’ Indian film in any language is similar. The standard star-crossed heterosexual lovers, dance around the trees in sylvan surroundings, facing family opposition, the stern patriarch, the simpering and cowering females and finally the great Indian wedding. The sole criterion is entering the …