For An Informed Ambedkar Age
by Thavaseelan G [A former director of IIT Madras writes an essay which is featured in the Vision 2020 series of The Hindu Business Line. The title and the content reflects his racist, casteist and classist understanding of basic concepts of social justice, merit, testing, teaching and the responsibilities of a government funded teaching Institute. …
Karthik Navayan [Karthik Navayan was a member of a fact-finding team that visited Paramakudi town on 19th and 20th September, 2011, and interacted with the victims and also with the district officials in Ramanathapuram. This article contains his observations and analysis- Round Table India] On September 11th the police killed six among the several Dalits who …
By Chandra Bhan Prasad Hazare’s movement used symbols that were non-Dalit Recently, a foreign correspondent from a well-known publication wanted to know what I thought about Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement. He was accompanied by his Indian colleague. He had done his home work, and asked me to the point question. One of his question’s was …
Thamburaj Dharmaraj (part I) I came back to Madurai after wandering in and around Paramakudi for the past two days. I have never really experienced such a disappointment and helplessness in my life. The entire trip was disgusting. The way we construct our own history through oral and written sources as a political move …
by L Lalit Singh (Calling for CBI probe or enquiry by a Judicial Commission) The news of rampant mark-tampering by way of destroying the answer scripts of all aspirant candidates of the Primary Teachers written test examination conducted by the Board of Secondary Education through bureaucratic bungling and corruption have been haunting and letting loose …
Raza Rumi Obedience to hierarchies, conformity and identification with groups are central tenets of existing in Pakistan. [The relief operations after the recent floods in Sindh have revealed the extent to which man-made structures of stratification remain entrenched in Pakistani Society. We thank Raza Rumi for sharing this article outlining his views on …
By Gail Omvedt WILL THE computer age bring an era of renewed Brahman dominance? This is not simply a fear of a few pro-Dalit fanatics. It is a possibility that has been expressed, if not hailed, by no less an authority than Mr. Swaminathan S. Ankleswaria Aiyar, who characterises the information age in terms of …
by Ajmal Kamal [With excerpts in Urdu and Hindi scripts] [I] The historical division of society in South Asia on caste lines is now an acknowledged sociological, political and economic fact. However, caste as a literary or social discourse does not, for several reasons, form a part of the predominantly Muslim culture of Urdu. …
R. Ravi Kumar The debate on merit has once again come to the forefront with the movie ‘Aarakshan’. From various press clippings and debates on the movie one can come to the conclusion that the ‘Aarakshan’ team is much worried about the victimization of merit due to reservations for the disadvantaged groups. Though there …