For An Informed Ambedkar Age
“I am ready to go. I have no fear.”— Chhatrapati Shahu (A reply to Abhinav Chandrachud regarding the chapter on Chhatrapati Shahu in his book ‘These seats are reserved’. ) Dr. Bhushan Amol Darkase “In fact, there is evidence that the British might have provoked Shahu to take strong actions against the Brahmins in Kolhapur …
Jotiba Phule and Dr.Ambedkar: Understanding their connection (Part-I) Speaking on the occasion of his Diamond Jubilee celebrations, Dr. Ambedkar remarked: “I am a devotee of Gautam Buddha, Kabir and Mahatma Phule and worshiper of learning, self-respect and character.” [1] Out of his three gurus, he had explicitly written about his connection with Buddha and Kabir. …
Prof. Hari Narke Continued from here. (This is the second part of his essay ‘Dnyanajyoti Savitribai Phule’, published in the NCERT booklet on the ‘Savitribai Phule First Memorial Lecture’ in 2008. You can read the first part here) In 1877, Maharashtra was facing a severe drought. It was not possible for Savitribai and Jotirao, who …
Prof. Hari Narke (This is the first part of his essay ‘Dnyanajyoti Savitribai Phule’, published in the NCERT booklet on the ‘Savitribai Phule First Memorial Lecture’ in 2008) “More than Jotirao, his wife deserves praise. No matter how much we praise her, it would not be enough. How can one describe her stature? She cooperated …
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, …
Gail Omvedt & Bharat Patankar Continued from here. The Rise of Dalit Movements Though attempts were begun by the dalit castes from the late 19th century to organise themselves, the various sections of the dalit liberation movement really began to take off from the 1920s, in the context of the strong social reform and anti-caste …
Translated by Gail Omvedt and Bharat Patankar A brief introduction to Phule: Jotirao Phule (1827-1890) is considered a founder not only of the anti-caste movement; in Maharashtra he is also looked upon as father of the farmers’ movement, the women’s movement, and a bahujan-oriented environmental movement. He was born in a Mali (gardener jati) …