[Via Asha Kowtal] All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM) would like to invite you for a Public Meeting on March 12, 10 – 3 pm at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. The Dalit Women Swabhiman Yatra will culminate here in Delhi after a month long journey for self-respect and justice. The Dalit Mahila Swabhiman …
Overshadowed….
Pradnya Jadhav Bhimabai said: “It has been always ‘my’ honour to be known as the wife of my husband…, I am seen as responsible for raising his children and caring for his family… I am also seen as a great support to him, he always… always praised me for my humble nature, cooking for …
Popular mythologies and their implications for violence against women
Violence against women in India – A review of the popular mythologies and their implications for VAW Cynthia Stephen India’s reputation as a destination for spiritual seekers seems to have faded in recent years. Reputed worldwide to the be the land of the oldest living civilisation, with a rich culture, living tradition, and a …
Dalit Women’s Writing in Telugu
Challapalli Swaroopa Rani (Published in EPW in 1998) It has taken a long time for dalit women to overcome their oppression as women, as dalits and put to creative use the gains of social and literary movements. There are of course common issues that bind dalit men and women, like untouchability and caste oppression. …
Preliminary Report: National Tribunal – Violence Against Dalit Women
National Tribunal – Violence Against Dalit Women Introduction “Hindu Society as such does not exist. It is only a collection of castes. Each caste is conscious of its existence. Its survival is the be-all and end-all of its existence.” Babasaheb Ambedkar, Annihilation of Caste, 1937. A caste society is inherently violent in nature and this …
Dalitizing cinema : A critique of Rupesh Kumar’s ‘Don’t be our fathers’
Ajith Kumar A S Critiquing a friend’s film This time I would like to have an open dialogue with my friend Rupesh Kumar on his film ‘Don’t be our fathers‘. I think a dialogue in the public sphere would be more productive because more people could engage with it. This month I traveled with …
Reflections: National Dalit and Adivasi Women’s Congress 2013
Prachi Beula The National Dalit and Adivasi Women’s Congress 2013 was something that was long overdue. I am yet to absorb the ‘explosion of knowledge and power’ that I experienced and when Anoop bhai said we could share our experiences I was glad to sit down and reflect. Many people asked questions like why …
Vivekananda’s Ideological Yatra
Gopika Nangia & Aashish Gupta It is not a mere coincidence that Narendra Modi had labelled his tour across the state of Gujarat “Vivekananda Yatra”. In a context where Vivekananda has been posited as a “leader of the youth”, it is pertinent to remember the principles the man stood by – casteism, racism, slavery, …
A Life Lived Well, and Lessons Thereof
Braj Ranjan Mani Jotirao Phule, and his wife Savitribai, declared war on brahmanic-casteist culture and religion. This Maharashtrian couple presented the first major anti-caste ideology and led a mass activism against the ascriptive norms and values. Their distinct brand of socio-cultural radicalism was based on uniting all the oppressed, whom they would call stree-shudra-atishudra. (Literally, …