(This reply was included as Appendix II in the second edition of Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar‘s ‘Annihilation of Caste’) I appreciate greatly the honour done me by the Mahatma in taking notice in his Harijan of the speech on Caste which I had prepared for the Jat Pat Todak Mandal. From a perusal …
Why Madhusudan Refused to Play it Safe
Devesh Kapur, D Shyam Babu and Chandra Bhan Prasad Born to an indentured laborer father in a Dalit family where food mattered more than studies, Mannam Madhusudan Rao began as a construction worker. Today, he runs his own construction company that is completing a township worth Rs 250 crore. This is the story of …
A life lived for the community
Rakshit Sonawane Till 1994, Kishore was one of those forgotten people who have to struggle to get the minimum necessities in life, and undergo humiliation and abuse from the rich and powerful who have everything in life handed to them on a platter. An illegitimate son to a tamasha dancer (tamasha being a performing …
‘I don’t want stable government’: Kanshi Ram
Dilip Awasthi and Javed M. Ansari December 31, 1993 In India, 50 per cent of the media is pro-BJP: Kanshi Ram He sits in an old chair in the corner of a sparsely furnished and dimly lit room in New Delhi, speaking in a commanding tone and bristling with a new confidence for, at …
‘It’s no alliance’
Zafar Agha Uttar Pradesh is the cradle of Brahminism: Kanshi Ram BSP supremo Kanshi Ram spoke to Special Correspondent Zafar Agha from his Escorts Heart Institute bed in Delhi. Excerpts: Q. When did your relations with Mulayam Singh Yadav reach a turning point?A. The panchayat elections were the turning point. There was rigging, booth-capturing, …
Riddle No. 2: The Origin of the Vedas – The Brahminic Explanation Or an Exercise in the Art of Circumlocution
(From ‘Religious Riddles’ in Part I of the book ‘Riddles in Hinduism’ by Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar) There is hardly any Hindu who does not regard the Vedas as the most sacred Book of his religion. And yet ask any Hindu what is the origin of the Vedas and it would be difficult …
Riddle No. 1: The difficulty of knowing why one is a Hindu
(From ‘Religious Riddles‘ in Part I of the book ‘Riddles in Hinduism‘ by Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar) India is a congeries of communities. There are in it Parsis, Christians, Mohammedans and Hindus. The basis of these communities is not racial. It is of course religious. This is a superficial view. What is interesting to …
The Dalit Panther’s first leap
Sunil Dighe (Participant of the Dalit Panther movement in the 70s, Sunil Dighe reminisces here about its hopes and failure. The movement would have been 40 today.) Each nation has its share of movements but some movements are such that they compel society to give a thought to their calls and demands. They have …
‘Slavery’ by Mahatma Phule: Preface
‘Slavery’ by Mahatma Phule ~ Preface by The Author Himself ~ “The day that reduces a man to slavery takes from him the half of his virtue,” – Homer. “Our system of Government in India is not calculated to raise the character of those subject to it, nor is the present system of education one …