Round Table India brings together perspectives from Dalit and Bahujan communities.
A Decade Later…
Nagaland: The Cradle of Humanity and Civilization
Dr. Suryaraju Mattimalla In distant streets of Europe, I walk- Through France’s gentle breeze, through Germany’s silent dawn, Belgium’s timeless whispers, the Netherlands’ vibrant hue, And in Australia’s sprawling skies, I see your face, Nagaland, shining through. Your spirit echoes in every cobblestone, in every bustling street, For in the heart of Western worlds, …
The ‘as though’ folks
The ‘as though’ folks In India, we have the oppressor caste folks Whose language is a bit hard to understand Let us configure this language In a way that makes sense. This is the language of the ‘As though’ Oppressor caste folks act as though they care As though they understand vulnerabilities very …
Woman – a Caste
Kshipra When I transfer food from my plate to our house help’s, I ask him to place his plate on the floor. My upper-caste father says our women must not hand anything to lower-caste men, fearing our skins might ignite sparks in our minds and genitals. A few months ago, my hands …
Horse blinkers
Tripak Horse blinkers ‘Walk with horse blinkers’, advised my forty year old father out of his tobacco filled mouth, rotten teeth showing, from the gap of two lips. While removing my blood stained , white school uniform, on a rainy evening of shravan, when I came back from the school, breaking the skull of …
A Touch
~ Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man A Touch Your ancestors Forced my ancestors, To drag their dead animals, To skin them and cut them, Eat the dead animal meat, Cheap protein they would say — Animals which were fed Milk, ghee, curd and buttermilk. Your ancestors For years, became ‘impure’ after death. Your ancestors Won’t touch …
Dr. Ambedkar – The Iconoclast
Dr. Bhushan Amol Darkase It had taken aeons for darkness to disappear When the sun of hope rose on the horizon of humanity; One man against 33 Million Inside the sanctum sanctorum, Every atom in the clay idol trembled The stones of the holy religion shook. Armed with the weapon of knowledge, The Iconoclast Blew …
How can I call it My Nation?
Ashok Ravichandran How can I call it my nation, when it follows only the laws of Manu, and not the constitution, How can I call it my nation, when each caste in this society is a separate nation, How can I call it my nation, when even after independence there’s only discrimination, How can I …
The Lovers of Democracy
Dr. Bhushan Amol Darkase One vote, One value: Hurrah hurrah In the middle of the night Tell this to a burning raped corpse of a Dalit girl Of the people, By the people, For the people: Hurrah hurrah In the deep pit of Brahmnical gutters Tell this to the suffocated sanitation worker …