Thursday, November 26, 2009

[ZESTCaste] Dalits on Frontline cover story -a must read to understand the situation

 

Dear friends,

Please read articles on Frontline that covered Dalits and their situation. Contrary to the perception that Dalits are a pampered lot, they tell the real story.

 

Benjamin

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An educated man without character and humility was more dangerous than a beast. If his education was detrimental to the welfare of poor, he was a curse to society.
-Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar

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[ZESTCaste] 'Maya connived with communal forces, not Congress'

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Maya-connived-with-communal-forces-not-Congress/articleshow/5269667.cms

'Maya connived with communal forces, not Congress'
TNN 26 November 2009, 02:57am IST

LUCKNOW: Taking strong exception to the reported statement of chief
minister Mayawati accusing the Congress of being hand in glove with
the BJP in demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992,
a Congress spokesperson said that Mayawati, who has a history of
`connivance with the communal forces' for remaining in power, should
have introspected over her own `deeds' before passing unfounded
remarks against the Congress.

"Mayawati, who became chief minister of UP thrice by having a tacit
understanding with the communal and fascist forces, who addressed an
election meeting in Gujarat for Narendra Modi and even voted with BJP
against the confidence motion on nuclear deal in Parliament, is now
claiming to be the greatest well-wisher of the Muslims," alleged the
Congress spokesperson.

He said that Mayawati should stop her diatribe against the Congress
and instead sincerely introspect over her collusion with communal
forces just for the sake of sticking to power. Congress's ideology was
based on maintaining communal harmony and it had always strived to
strengthen secularism in the country, he added.

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[ZESTCaste] FTII begins selection process

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/FTII-begins-selection-process/articleshow/5268109.cms

FTII begins selection process
Laxmi Birajdar, TNN 26 November 2009, 04:01am IST

PUNE: Work on selecting candidates for the next academic year has
begun in right earnest at the Film and Television Institute of India
(FTII). With

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shortlisted students for various courses at the institute being called
for rounds of interviews, the next academic year will begin not before
early December, said Pankaj Rag, director of FTII.

"For the last six years, our courses have been beginning around
December-January. Last year was an exception and we began the courses
on September 29. This year, we had to defer the entrance exams of our
courses by three months due to the Lok Sabha elections in April. Also,
swine flu took a toll and the FTII remained closed for almost 25
days," says Rag.

The FTII has to meet a target reservation quota of 27 per cent. "Last
year, we were able to have eight per cent seats under reservation,
this year, we've reached 17 per cent. By next year we will be able to
reach the 27 per cent reservation target for the OBC quota," says Rag.
This means more students in every course. So accommodating them will
take time.

The shooting of diploma films by last year's students has also been
delayed. Every year, they begin shooting around June-July and finish
by November. "But this year, due to the delays, they have to finish
shooting their films latest by the first week of December," says Rag.

The interviews of short-listed candidates for various courses are
going on. "The interview rounds will finish by mid-December and after
that we will decide to begin the courses for the next academic year,"
says Rag.

However, the year-long scriptwriting course for the year 2009-2010
began last month. "This course does not depend upon the infrastructure
at FTII, so it begins individually," he added.

FTII will be on the expansion mode too. Rs 6 crore has been sanctioned
by the government of India for a new hostel building that will come up
some time next year, says Rag. "Work on a new sound studio is almost
complete. This will be a big add-on for the sound department at FTII,"
says Rag.

Infrastructure is never a problem for first year students as their
syllabus includes mostly theory lessons for the first eight to nine
months. "Infrastructure is used by them only after this duration. But
till date, lack of infrastructure has never been a problem for our
final year students regarding the shooting of their diploma films,"
says Rag.

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[ZESTCaste] For Press Release - Post Hindu India by Kancha Ilaiah Released. 21st Century Discourse on Dalit Bahujan, Socio-Spiritual and Scientific Revolution in India

 

Dalit Freedom Network

P. O. Box 2174  Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh – 500003, India www.dalitnetwork.org Email dfndelhi@gmail.com

 

Dr. Joseph D'souza - International President

 

For Press Release

Post Hindu India by Kancha Ilaiah Released

21st Century Discourse on Dalit Bahujan, Socio-Spiritual and Scientific Revolution in India

 

New Delhi, November 26, 2009

 

In a historic gathering of campaigners for Dalit Bahujan (India's "untouchables" and lower castes) human rights, Dr. Alana Golmei, a Rongmei Naga tribal woman from North East India released Dr. Kancha Ilaiah's book last evening at Gulmohar, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Following a short press conference, a panel discussion featured leading Dalit-Bahujan thinkers interacting on the themes of the book.

While congratulating the author, Dr. Alana said, "I am delighted to release such profound and revolutionary book, which predicts the future of my people and Dalit Bahujans at large, who have been classified as outcastes and untouchable by Brahminical hierarchies and kept under socio-political, socio-economic, socio-religion and socio-educational oppression for last 3000 years. Kancha's ideology will create a welcome debate and discussion in the coming decade on these important issues of true freedom for Dalit Bahujans."

 

Research scholars, students, civil society members, social workers, politicians, Dalit activists, and journalists -- both national and international -- attended the book launch and joined the two hour panel discussion. Mr. Yogendra Makwana, Former Home Minister of Gujarat state, chaired the discussion. Panelists included: Prof. Gail Omvedt, an American-born scholar, sociologist, and human rights activist who is an Indian citizen; Dr. Joseph D'souza, International President of the Dalit Freedom Network; Dr. Udit Raj, National Chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations; Prof. Valerian Rodrigues, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi; and Mr. Vivek Mehra, Managing Director of Sage Publications.

 

Dr. Joseph D'souza, in his panel discussion remarks, said, "Kancha's book, "Post-Hindu India" is the greatest 21st century challenge to the Brahminical portion of Hindu society. It rationally questions and respectfully reveals the caste apartheid facing untouchables, outcastes and the oppressed majority of India."

 

In his remarks, Professor Kancha Ilaiah said, "Any religion that says all human beings, men and women are created by God equally is a spiritual democracy. Hinduism says all human beings -- men and women -- are not equally created. They were born unequal, live unequal, and die unequal. I call this spiritual fascism."

 

Professor Dr. Kancha Ilaiah teaches in the Department of Political Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad. He won the prestigious London Institute of South Asia (LISA) Award for 2008 for his book "Why I am Not a Hindu" and has provided expert testimony to commissions in India and abroad about the Dalit Bahujan struggle.

 

"The oppressive system of spiritual fascism is detrimental to the future of religion and the flourishing of our great nation. The idea of spiritual justice or varnadharma, used to justify the caste system, as rooted in spiritual inequality is the main factor that will affect the future of Hinduism," said Prof. Kancha.

 

As Dalit Bahujans continue to struggle against spiritual fascism and search for equality and liberation, the nation seems to be heading toward a civil war, predicted Prof. Kancha. He cited American civil war history, "Racism of black and white in America came to end but only at the end of civil war. I hope we can avoid this."

 

The event was organised by Dalit Freedom Network in partnership with Sage Publications. Dr. Kancha Ilaiah serves on the Advisory Board of the Dalit Freedom Network.

 

The Dalit Freedom Network (www.dalitnetwork.org), is a non-partisan, non-government human rights organization founded in 2002 to support the Dalit Bahujan quest for religious freedom, social justice, and human dignity through projects in education, health care, economic advancement, and social justice advocacy and intervention.

 

Sage Publications is an independent, international publisher of books, journals, and electronic media with offices in India, London, and the United States. Known for a commitment to quality and innovation, Sage is a world leader in scholarly, educational, and professional markets. See excerpt below about the book.

 

Released by

 

 

Madhu. Chandra

Media In-charge

DFN - Delhi

9716004939

 

About the Book "Post-Hindu India" by Kancha Ilaiah

From: http://www.sagepub.in/browse/book.asp?bookid=1422&mode=1

 

Kancha Ilaiah, the author of the best selling book Why I am Not a Hindu, pens a thought-provoking critique of Brahmanism and the caste system in India, while anticipating the death of Hinduism as a direct consequence of, what he says is, its anti-scientific and anti-nationalistic stand.

 

This work challenges Hinduism`s interpretation of history, with a virulent attack on caste politics, and also takes a refreshing look at the necessity of encouraging indigenous scientific thought for the sake of national progress. It establishes Hinduism as a `backward` religion that suppresses the latent scientific and productive potential of the Dalit–Bahujan communities. The author says this oppressive system of spiritual fascism is detrimental to both the future of religion and the nation-state. He thus criticizes the idea of spiritual justice or varnadharma, used to justify the caste system, as rooted in spiritual inequality.

 

On a micro-analytical level, it is based on a thorough study of the productive knowledge systems of the Dalit–Bahujan communities of Andhra Pradesh, and provides a detailed day-to-day analysis of the scientific technological processes and events at work in the life of a member of these communities. On a macro level, it shows how Hinduism fails to negotiate between faith and reason, unlike other major religions of the world.

 

Kancha Ilaiah critiques the intellectual imagination of the dominant communities and inspires the marginalized. In the process of doing so he crafts a work of immense socio-political interest which appeals to academics, and also to all those who are concerned about contemporary India`s polity and social fabric.



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