For An Informed Ambedkar Age
The following is the first editorial (translated from Marathi) written by Babasaheb Ambedkar for the very first issue of Mook Nayak published in January 1920! This translation was first published in July 2010 by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Research Institute in Social Growth, Kolhapur. Translated by Dr. B.R. Kamble. ~ Mumbai, Saturday 31st January 1920 [Issue No.1]. …
Athithan Jayapalan As far as Eelam Tamil politics are concerned, caste is a contentious issue. Broadly speaking, two trends can be observed in discussions of caste and casteism in Eelam Tamil society. One tends to overlook any debate on the pernicious ramifications that caste had and continues to have on Eelam Tamil society. The …
On January 15, 2014, in commemoration of the 85th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., several prominent African American Legacy Families, descendants of those whom directly experienced unspeakable degradation and brutality during the dark days of American slavery, will voice their own concern and empathy, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., for those families …
‘Slavery’ by Mahatma Phule ~ Preface by The Author Himself ~ “The day that reduces a man to slavery takes from him the half of his virtue,” – Homer. “Our system of Government in India is not calculated to raise the character of those subject to it, nor is the present system of education one …
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, …
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, …
Pardeep Attri My final words of advice to you are Educate, Agitate and Organize; have faith in yourself. With justice on our side I do not see how we can lose our battle. The battle to me is a matter of joy. The battle is in the fullest sense spiritual. There is nothing material or …
Savari (Round Table India thanks Savari for sharing this article) Universally, the imagery of a whip evokes the reality of violence throughout human history. The whip is inseparable from violence against slaves, dalits, women, animals and children. Almost all histories of protest against injustice, be it feminism, anti-slavery, anti-caste or anti-apartheid movements have protested and …
Gail Omvedt [Written in the year 2008] (A Reply to the Hindu Council of UK essay on “The Caste System”) * I owe thanks to Michael Witzel for his note citing Vedic references on caste and his careful reading of an earlier version of this essay. Introduction The essay submitted by the Hindu Council of …