Chandra Bhan Prasad Wrong history real issue, not cartoon A couple of weeks back, almost all television channels and newspaper carried the controversy that arose over a National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) book that had a caricature of Dr BR Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru. The newspapers, news channels and columnists were aggrieved …
We need to battle the media mindset
Chandra Bhan Prasad (First published in January 2002) How do temple priests treat Dalits? An educated, decently dressed Dalit with some dignified source of income may be acceptable to them. Dalits with similar qualities may even get some acceptability among Varna landlords. But how does the media treat Dalits and the issues which concern them? …
Nationalists versus people of India?
Chandra Bhan Prasad (First published in October 2001) My Dalit scholar friend HL Dushad keeps coming up with ideas. This time he suggested, “The ultra-nationalist forces, the Left parivar and the Sangh should dissolve into their original Varna identities. That way, the people of India could fight them.” I asked, “Just what has got you …
Playing village card
Chandra Bhan Prasad How many Anna supporters are ready to live by his code? A leader’s actions or opinions are measured by his vision which he has acquired over a period of time. So, in a way the actions are context specific. We all know that same thing can have different meanings depending upon the …
Upper caste uprising
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 …
Change is on cards
By Chandra Bhan Prasad Our democratic set-up is heading for a complete revamp. To decode Anna Hazare’s Jan Lokpal Bill vs Government’s Lokpal Bill cry and to translate that is a phenomenon in itself. To understand this, one will have to travel the path that Britain underwent in creating their Parliament and democracy. Approximately in …
Want to live in the India Anna wants to build?
By Chandra Bhan Prasad It is true that corruption is a menace that must be uprooted and a new law enacted in the changing circumstances. India has seen an explosion of wealth post 1990 which has resulted in rampant loot. But who will make the new law? Members of Parliament or the Anna Hazare-led battery …
UP and ‘untruthful’ political players
by Chandra Bhan Prasad Now that the Election Commission (EC) has decided to hold the UP Assembly polls in February, the accompanying trauma is all set to begin. Political parties will spend many sleepless nights while political analysts, in particular psephologists who seem to do brisk business via the electronic medium, will certainly also have …
First feminist war of the new century
by Chandra Bhan Prasad British imperialism did help serve the Dalits’ cause. The sciences, modern institutions and democracy were attendant features of colonialism which, in turn, shook the very foundations of the Varna order. The British, however, had no such intent when Queen Elizabeth granted a charter to a few London businessmen on December 31, …