Abusing a Dalit by his caste in private interaction is not an offence, a Delhi court has said. The court’s observation came while acquitting a principal of a government school of charges of passing some derogatory remarks against his junior, belonging to a Scheduled Caste. To drive home the guilt of the accused, such incidents …
And thus spoke Gama Ram
by Chandrabhan Prasad The other day, I was pleasantly surprised to have Gama Ram at my home. He is thought of as a “living legend” among senior Dalits. He became a Sub-Inspector with the UP Police in February 1948. “At the time, becoming a Sub-Inspector was a lot bigger than becoming an IPS officer today,” …
Dalit intelligentsia must act responsibly
by Chandrabhan Prasad During my last visit to Hyderabad, a young Dalit got rather upset with my view that the British rule had helped emancipate the community. So passionate was he that he wouldn’t even listen to Karl Marx’s views about the positive impact of British rule in India. Ultimately, when I presented him with …
Varnas only celebrate their intelligence
Chandra Bhan Prasad A few years ago, a former foreign secretary had said, “Dalits don’t fit into the Indian Civil Services’ culture.” What the retired (Varna) civil servant seemed to be saying was: a civil servant is meant to govern people and not serve them. This seems to be the culture of the Varna …
All the myths about Kerala
Chandrabhan Prasad Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya: This is one of the three slogans the Adi Guru Shankaracharya had offered while according “religious” cover to the Chaturvarna order in the early ninth century in India. Shankaracharya was born in Malayali land and was an accomplished myth maker. According to him, “The world is not real, …
Chinna breaks the fellowship fortress
by Chandrabhan Prasad It was the morning of January 30, 2000, and the place was Rashtrapati Bhawan. We, a group of Dalit writers and a host of non-Dalit intellectuals, along with the editor of The Pioneer, were walking out of Rashtrapati Bhawan after having presented the first copy of the Dalit Millennium, a 12-page supplement …
Woman power in Dalit movements
Chandra Bhan Prasad (First published in The Pioneer in October 2001) I do not wish to refer to Ms Mayawati, the pride of the Dalit movement today, who has single-handedly redefined the grammar of cowbelt politics. Yes, Kanshi Ram did “introduce” her but don’t male politicians require mentors, too? I am talking about other …
A safe distance from peace activism
by Chandrabhan Prasad Late in the evening of September 1, the Kingsmead stadium at Durban witnessed a keen contest of ideas and agendas. That evening, the World NGO Forum finalised the Declaration, which was to be submitted to Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Journalistic ethics at Durban
by Chandrabhan Prasad A t the Durban conference, I was greatly perturbed by the intellectual taste of the Indian media and the excessive dependence on secondary sources for news.Not one of them seemed to have confirmed with the WCAR Secretariat facts relating to Para-73, before pronouncing judgments on the “exclusion” of “Work & Descent” in …