For An Informed Ambedkar Age
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 …
Paramakudi: a police engineered violence and firing [ An interim report from People’s Watch since police and District Magistrates have not been personally met, circulated in public interest by Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director, People’s Watch] September 11th, the 54th death anniversary of the dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran has not only been a day observed to …
PUDR condemns in the strongest terms the arrest of Lingaram Kodopi by the Chhattisgarh police from his village in Dantewada district People’s Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi (PUDR) condemns in the strongest terms the arrest of Lingaram Kodopi on 9 September 2011 by the Chhattisgarh police from his village Sameli in Dantewada district. The police …
Kuffir It was clear they wished to play down the enormity of the bloodbath from the beginning. First, they said two were killed. Then the figure became three, and five. And then six. Now they say: seven. Have you seen any pictures of any of the seven? Or were their names mentioned anywhere in …
Translated from Tamil by Cynthia Stephen and Rajendran Prabhakar The life of Immanuel Segaran (1924-1957) continues to inspire the younger generations of those who struggle for justice and equality in Southern Tamil Nadu, especially those from the still oppressed Dalit community of the region. His memories are kept alive in the stories of …
Even if we do not have freedom, we should stand up with valour for our rights: Immanuel Sekaran. ‘How much repression to keep his memory down!’ It is strange that a man whose memory attracts over a million people, and increasing every year, on his death anniversary to his memorial in a village in …
Braj Ranjan Mani is the author of Debrahmanising History (Manohar, 2005). His new book, Reconstructing Knowledge: Transforming the Self and Society, is due soon.