M. Swathy Margaret (First published in the March-April 2005 issue of Insight Young Voices magazine) I am a Dalit-middle-class, University educated, Telugu speaking Dalit-Christian-Woman. All these identities have a role in the way I perceive myself and the worlds I inhabit. I, as a Dalit woman, primarily write for Dalit women to uphold our …
About Roundtable
‘If the Untouchables make no noise, the Hindu feels no shame for their condition and is quite indifferent as to their numbers. Whether they are thousands or millions of them, he does not care to bother. But if the Untouchables rise and ask for recognition, he is prepared to deny their existence, repudiate his responsibility …
Malasa to get a gram pradhan
For five years when it remained a “reserved” seat, Malasa got not a single nomination for the post of either gram pradhan or panchayat membership as Dalits were too scared to come forward in a village that was dominated by Thakurs.
Why we must count caste
The most obvious reason to count caste is that it is a real and significant source of social discrimination and economic inequality in India today. The fact that there has been a long-standing con-sensus about “abolishing” caste only underlines the need to count it.For without monitoring its impact on society, we will never know whether …
Evolution of Telugu Dalit literature
Telugu dalit literature entered a significant phase when dalits began writing about themselves. During the independence struggle, dalit writers, under Gandhian influence, touched upon casteism and untouchability but imitated mainstream writing in form and content.
Special Component Plan implementation as per Economic Survey of Delhi
The concept of Special Component Plan for the welfare of SCs (SCP) was that all the department shall take specific schemes for socio-economic development of SCs. Its essence was that the schemes should be based on their developmental needs.
The Buddha Teaches a Lesson on Forgiveness
The Buddha was sitting under a tree talking to his disciples when a man came and spit on his face. He wiped it off, and he asked the man, “What next? What do you want to say next?” The man was a little puzzled because he himself never expected that when you spit on somebody’s …
Khairlanji Dalit Massacres: Justice for the Victims Aborted
A K Biswas (First published in ‘Mainstream Weekly’ in September 2010) Part I “If someone takes someone’s life (deliberately and not accidentally) then he forfeits the right to his life”. ~ John Stuart Mill The judgment delivered by a Division Bench in quadruple murders of members of the Bhotmange family, village Khairlanji, district Bhandara …
Pride, awkwardness, and a dangerous accident in Chalisgaon
Waiting for a Visa : by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar In the year 1934, some of my co-workers in the movement of the depressed classes expressed a desire to go on a sight-seeing tour, if I agreed to join them. I agreed. It was decided that our plan should at all events include a visit …