Kanaga Varathan “My body is my politics, my actions are my movement, my life is my statement,” everyone was astonished when the firebrand activist stamped their authority. “We need to educate people on how important it is to learn from black women and intersectional movement to strengthen anti-caste struggles,” the casual coffee shop conversation suddenly …
Documented Caste Violence on Barbers and its Invisibility in OBC Politics
Suvendu Barik 1. Caste violence on barbers A default understanding of the social position of barbers in the Shudra hierarchy is of holding them accountable for denying haircuts to Schedule Caste communities. While barbers are considered low-caste, they hold onto various casteist norms and simultaneously are minutely regulated by oppressor castes (and feudal, landed communities) …
Democratic Directions for Minority Educational Institutions
Ayaz Ahmad Racial minorities of America fought a valiant battle against educational segregation. They made huge sacrifices in their social, political and legal struggle for the creation of integrated educational spaces. That brave Afro-American struggle for the abolition of ‘the separate but equal doctrine’ is stuff of the legends. The US Supreme Court judgment in …
Fragmenting Justice: The Threat of Sub-Categorization to Dalit Unity and Representation
Lokesh Bag The Supreme Court of India, in its review judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, delivered a verdict on August 1, 2024 allowing states the authority to sub-classify reserved category groups, such as Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), for the purpose of reservations. This judgment has sparked widespread debate, especially …
Question of political ideology: Should we accept or reject Marxism?
Samyak Samudre This essay is primarily written for Ambedkarites who either reject or completely embrace Marxism. Karl Marx was a social scientist, economist, and philosopher who was born in 1818. His ideology is commonly referred to as communism. His extensive writings demonstrate his outstanding scholarship. Published in 1867, “Das Kapital” [1] is perhaps his most …
26th November – National Constitution Day
Kuldip Chand Dobhetta The Constitution of India was drafted at a cost of approximately 6 crore rupees, in 2 years, 11 months and 18 days was adopted on 26th November 1949 and came into force on 26th January 1950. The constitution of any country is the pillar of its strength. The Constitution of India is …
Periyar’s Statue at Srirangam
Lingaraj Azad Madras High Court Judge G. Jayachandran’s statement about the action choreographer Kanal Kannan’s provocative speech case on Periyar statue in front of Perumal temple at Srirangam in Tamilnadu is based on his religious and caste perspective instead of constitutional and existing criminal jurisprudence. Kanal Kannan is an Indian actor, action choreographer and screen …
Catherine Liu on the US Liberal Class – Part I
Pradnya Garud Catherine Liu, professor of Film and Media Studies at the School of Humanities, University of California, Irvine, talks to Round Table India about the worsening economic segregation and inequalities in contemporary U.S.A – the dominance of the professional managerial class, and the role of the elite liberal politics in the recent U.S. presidential …
Civil society versus casteism, patriarchy and Brahmin dominance in Chhattisgarh
Degree Prasad Chouhan In a diverse country and society like India, where people of the some superior class and caste have been living at the highest peak for thousands of years – in a country like that, post independence and the adoption of the Constitution, it is extremely difficult to get the principles of social …