K. Satyanarayana [This is a comment on the recent article by Dr. N. Sukumar (Dalit Revolution and Hindutva Counter Revolution in Indian Politics) on Round Table India which questioned the new discourse in the opinion columns of mainstream media on how the Dalit movement has supposedly taken a ‘rightward’ shift. Thanks Dr Satyanarayana for keeping the …
The Brahmean Machine: Distorting Revolt into Surrender
Shakyamuni Chandal A veritable danger lurks over the whole corpus of knowledge and practices developed as a result of Dalit existence, assertion and its resistance to Brahminism; in short, the entire Dalit episteme: from the teachings of Buddha, Ajiwakas, Siddhas, Naths, Bauls, south Indian revolutionaries like Akkamahadevi, Basavanna, Chenna Basavanna, Kinnari Bommayya, Siddharama, Allamaprabhu …
Democratic Debate on Appropriation of Ambedkar’s Writings
~ Democratic debate on the appropriation of ‘Annihilation of Caste’ by Navayana on 10th April, 5 p.m., at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram, Hyderabad ~ Dear Friends, All of you are aware about the ongoing discussion on the issue of publication of Dr B.R.Ambedkar’s “Annihilation of Caste” by Navayana Publications with an introduction of Arundhati Roy …
Sanskritization or Appropriation: Caste and Gender in “Indian” Music and Dance
Sreebitha P. V. Two recent articles in The Hindu address the question of caste and gender in Indian Music and Dance. The first article titled ‘Sanskritization and Culture’, highlights the fact that many artists from the field of dance and music have rejected and embraced Sanskritization at different points in history. The second article, …
Theyyam: Critique on Patronage and Appropriation by Prof M Dasan
Dr Ajay Sekher Theyyam, the ancient ritual and popular art form of Malabar, is a cultural expression of the dalits and other contested sections of the stratified society. The subaltern classes used it as a strategic aesthetic and spiritual act and articulation against caste oppression and barbaric violence unleashed by the caste lords and …
History, community and identity: an interpretation of Dalibai
by Rajshree Dhali In recent years there has been a qualitative and progressive change in Dalit consciousness. This has resulted in Dalit assertion. Apart from mobilizing masses for political power, Dalits are now trying to reconstruct Dalit culture, literature and history so that they can claim for their identities. The present article intends to trace …