Vinay D Damodar Introduction All over India, the working of party politics bears a marked influence exercised by the caste factor. Even left parties (witness Kerala) have not escaped from the prevailing socio-political atmosphere. In Karnataka, as in several other states, the tussle for political power has evolved on clear lines. Karnataka Assembly Election is …
Hegemony of Sexual Violence
Bobby Kunhu While, sexual intercourse in dominant discourse is located foundationally within a heterosexual patriarchal paradigm and rape is a violent extension of the same. The act is deeply orchestrated by existing hegemonies that define the society in which it is enacted. This is the reason that women’s bodies and sexualities are often primary targets …
Words Of The Ordained Women
Dr Amritpal Kaur ‘What becometh a woman best, and first of all? SILENCE. What second? SILENCE. What third? SILENCE. What fourth? SILENCE. Yea, if a man should aske me till Domes daie I would still crie Silence, Silence… ‘ – Thomas Wilson, The Arte of Rhetorique, 1560. Women have long been expected to govern their …
Sanghi agenda: Religious polarisation among Adivasi communities
Chhotelal Kumar The Adivasi is frequently mistaken as a “noble savage” who leads a primitive lifestyle. His social and cultural traditions are perceived as unsophisticated and based on superstitions. In central India, tribals have their own religions, the most notable of which is Sarna, followed by Adivasis of Chotanagpur, and Koyapun, followed by Gonds …
Hands off my rights!
Nourin N K Hands off my rights! Like the damaged headlight Of my neighbour’s rickshaw, At first, My country flickered In deadly saffron, Was it a warning? Are we all dead? No! No! No! I see a living ghost, Hovering over Hopeless future. Gates closed, crowds gathered, But you are still too weak to …
Religion and Dalits: Learning from Black Americans
Chanchal Kumar Before we come to the question of religion, we must first contend with the issue concerning our knowledge of history. History as a means to self-definition and a way to place ourselves in society and the larger world. Religion and history (by which we mean not just knowing our past but also …
Buddhist Sangha — an embodiment of gender neutrality
Dr Amritpal Kaur When an ideology for restructuring of human nature and society becomes a religious cult, it not only loses its spirit of rationality and political relevance but its professional representatives also degenerate into mere religious organizations. It then becomes impossible for such a psycho-social philosophy to maintain its effectiveness, particularly in the …
The God: Clashing Visions of the Jews and Brahmins
Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd The Idea of The God The idea of God even in the twenty first century rules the global human mind more than the state, and the constitutional laws. There is also fear and reverence of God more than just the idea of God. Though rationalism, secularism and liberalism emerged as a …
India Oh India!
Nourin N K India Oh India! Let me call you out-by your nameAt last.India Oh! India!My father’s wallet isStill on quarantine,Sick and coldWe chant “achhe din aayega”To heal what’s stuckIn our throat. What was it? I wonder!My caste? My religion? My rights?Oh! How easily I forget,One after the otherLike my aunt’s unending bitching,The subject …