by Nilesh Kumar Ideology of Bahujan Samaj Party is “Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation” of the “Bahujan Samaj” which comprises of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and the Religious Minorities such as Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Buddhists. Reason for including all these classes is because they all were, …
Mayawati, statues and three types of ‘political’ Indians
— Bodhi DSR ( via Anoop Kumar) There are three types of ‘political Indians at this juncture in history – – the politically sophisticated, – the politically unsophisticated – and the politically apolitical. Each of these ‘tribes’ have their own take on the statues built by Mayawati.
An Open Letter to Dr. Udit Raj
by Khalid Anis Ansari This is a response to Dr. Udit Raj’s (President, Indian Justice Party) note “Rather Upper Castes are nearer to Muslim than Dalits (untouchables)”. For the convenience of readers the full text of the note has been reproduced at the end of this letter. [I] Dear Dr. Udit …
The sorry state of OBC reservation in DU – Note by Academic Forum
by Hany Babu The Academic Forum for Social Justice – a form of OBC teachers of the University of Delhi – strongly condemns the arbitrary and insensitive way in which high cut-off marks have been announced for students from OBC category for admission to the undergraduate programme in the constituent colleges of the University. By …
With Thirumavalan, Meena and Samya(now Stree-Samya)
by Malarvizhi Jayanth We call for all those who support democracy and free speech to express solidarity with Thirumavalavan, Meena Kandasamy and Samya (now Stree-Samya). Kathavarayan and Madurai Veeran are among the gods who are acknowledged to be Dalit and are worshipped by many castes. Clearly, in the oral history of the people, the gods …
“Only ash knows the experience of burning”: An Interview with Dalit Writer Jai Prakash Kardam
Dr. Jai Prakash Kardam, a prolific Hindi Dalit writer, was born in a poor Dalit family in Ghaziabad, UP. India. He worked as an un-skilled labourer in construction and factories. He worked in different capacities in State/central govt./ Bank, and in Central Secretariat official Language Service (Govt. of India) as Deputy Director. At present, …
Memoirs of a Public Intellectual: Siddalingaiah
Review Article by Chandan Gowda “Ooru-Kéri: An Autobiography,” by Siddalingaiah. Translated from Kannada by S.R.Ramakrishna, published by Sahitya Akademi, 2003. 115 pages1 Rs.60. Siddalingaiah is a rare figure in contemporary India. A writer, poet, folklorist, academic, founder of Dalit Sangarsha Samhiti and former member of the Karnataka Legislative Council, Siddalingaiah is an exemplary public intellectual. First published in …
List of Dalit students committing suicide in last four years in India’s premier institutions
by thedeathofmerit Here is the list of the Dalit students who have committed suicide in last four years. This is by no means an exhaustive list but covers only those cases which we were able to document and where parents and relatives have raised their voices and had accused the institutions of caste discrimination …
Our Demands
by thedeathofmerit The large number of suicides by Dalit students in Indian educational system, especially in premier science and professional colleges and universities, are a mere pointer towards the widespread prevalence of various forms of caste-discrimination and humiliations that our students have to undergo on a regular basis while pursuing their higher education.