Saturday, December 18, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Dalit women still face harassment: DSS

http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/19/stories/2010121961520300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Dalit women still face harassment: DSS

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: Given their social, educational, economic and political
backwardness, dalit women and girl children continue to be victims of
class, caste and gender exploitation, according to Dalit Stree Sakthi
State convener Gaddam Jhansi. DSS is a community-based women's
organisation working for the rights of dalit women.

Speaking at a round table conducted on the sidelines of the 5th
district meeting of the DSS here on Saturday, she alleged that the
atrocities against dalit women were on the rise and the sexual
exploitation of girls and women of the dalit community was frequent.
Citing instances of dalit women and girls in Krishna district being
attacked sexually and on the basis of caste, she said, "Though the
higher-ups of various departments had reacted favourably to punish the
guilty, the lower rung officials had neglected implementation of the
orders in many cases."

"Take the case of rape and murder of 14-year-old Ghanta Sirisha of
Bapujinagar in Gudivada. This seventh standard student of Navodaya
convent complained to her parents about her school principal who used
to harass her. They convinced the girl to stay on in the school till
the completion of the examinations but they were shocked to hear the
news that she was no more. She was raped and murdered but the school
management described it as suicide. The parents and relatives pointed
to the injuries on her legs and contended that it was a rape and
murder. Justice has been denied to the parents in this case," Ms.
Jhansi said.

Vijay Daniel Prakash, who is working on the issue of children's
rights, criticised the Act brought in by the State government to
protect the children's rights. He said that even after the enactment
of this legislation "we do not know how many cases have been filed and
resolved."

Appreciating the services being rendered by the DSS, Assistant Social
Welfare Officer Mary Bharathy called upon the dalit women to get
united to achieve their rights.


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[ZESTCaste] Nepal: Destitute Dalit family living in cave for 15 years

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Destitute+Dalit+family+living+in+cave+for+15+years&NewsID=269975&a=3

Destitute Dalit family living in cave for 15 years

Added At: 2010-12-19 12:13 AM

Last Updated At: 2010-12-19 12:13 AM

The Himalayan Times - Saved Articles(s)

PRAKASH SINGH

BAJURA: Raibhane BK of Sappata-9, Muktikot, experienced poverty at its
worst when he ended up in a cave with his family 15 years ago. Since
then suffering has been his constant companion over the years.

He lost his wife in the cave ten years ago. He was too poor to educate
his two children. He asked, "How can I feel happy when my stomach is
empty and my body is not covered?"

His family neither has warm clothes to wear nor a mattress to sleep
on. "We sit beside the fire to warm our bodies." He said he had
received a change of clothes after eight years of life in the cave
when an NGO provided clothes to each of his family members last year.

Though Raibhane once had a house and a little patch of farmland in the
village, all his property, including the house and farmland, was swept
away in a landslide. Since then he has been living in the Sigaure cave
near Banjada forest.

Now in his 50s, he also does not have a citizenship certificate. He
asked, "What's the use of citizenship if one does not have any
property?"

According to Man Bahadur Rokaya, a local, Raibhane sharpens iron
implements and receives food stuff from villagers, with which he feeds
his daughter Laxmi (15) and son Sur Bahadur (13) in return.

Moreover, Laxmi is disabled and both children are illiterate.

Raibhane said he could never think of sending his children to school .
"It is so difficult to feed them twice a day, sending them to school
is totally out of the question." He hopes for happiness after sending
his son to India for employment. He said, "Perhaps, my life will be
better then."


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[ZESTCaste] Past and prejudice

http://www.dailypioneer.com/304682/Past-and-prejudice.html

Past and prejudice
December 19, 2010 12:26:43 PM

Makers of Modern India
Author: Ramachandra Guha
Publisher: Penguin
Price: Rs 799

Ramachandra Guha has his own preferences while making the list of the
'makers' of modern India, writes Saradindu Mukherji

In post-Independent India, conformism to the received wisdom is the
key to "glory" in social sciences/historical studies, and deviation
leads to guillotine. Ramachandra Guha is fully conscious of this
truism. His book, Makers of Modern India, deals with 19 mainly
well-known, and a few lesser-known, personalities; many of them were
titans of our national resurgence.

Short biographical sketches are supplemented with their speeches,
writings, etc, without any interrogation. While Jyotiba Phule,
rightly, gets 20 pages, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, considered by Guha among
the "makers" of modern India, has about 16 pages on his speeches; Bal
Gangadhar Tilak, in contrast, gets just nine pages. And, Lala Lajpat
Rai is mentioned only in the foot-note. Guha, indeed, has a unique
vision of history!

Among the leading thinker-politicians from the West, omission of
William Ewart Gladstone appears surprising, considering what all he
wrote and did!

India is not an "unnatural nation", as Guha suggests. Long before it
developed as a united entity in the 19th century under the colonial
impact, it was the cultural unity which had provided the bedrock.
Right from the 52 shakti pithas spread across the subcontinent, our
saints and poet-philosophers had visualised the concept of
'Bharatvarsha'.

Guha cites a speech by Jayaprakash Narayan in Patna, when he said,
"Travel to the remotest corners of India, and you will find things
that are linked to our epics and scriptures — when we speak of the
unity of India, we do not really mean its political unity." It is the
spirit of mutual accommodation born out of our ancient Hindu-Buddhist
ethos that explains our survival as democracy, and the presence of a
growing number of minorities — however distorted that "secularism"
might have turned.

The author excludes Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and
many more, because they lacked what he calls "original ideas". One
always believed that great activists are mostly fired by original
ideas. But then, the personalities, their writings/speeches and the
bibliography he mentions are a matter between the author and the
publisher. Surendranath Banerjee ("surrender-not" to the British),
also called the "prophet of modern India", who authored A Nation in
Making, is not even mentioned in the foot-note! Dadabhai Naoroji
doesn't find a place among the 19.

Rammohan Roy's Persian book, with its 'preface' in Arabic, wasn't only
an attack on idol worship, as Guha mentions, but also a critique of
prophetism, and thus against intolerant monotheism. In any case, Roy
was not talking of a creedal religion. In dismissing Shivaji rather
pejoratively as a "warrior-chief", the author ignores, among many
others, the impact of the Shivaji tradition — the inspiration behind
the nationalist challenge in Maharashtra and elsewhere. Rabindranath
Tagore has a wonderful piece on this.

Guha blunders egregiously in comparing Syed Ahmad Khan with Rammohan
Roy. Unlike Roy, Khan had no faith in democracy and liberal
principles. The latter was in the habit of reminding his
co-religionists about their tradition of military conquest and
supremacy over Hindus. It is he who gave the sobriquet
'Quwwat-al-Islam' (might of Islam) to the mosque built over 27
Hindu/Jain temples in Delhi's Qutub Minar complex. While Roy
campaigned against sati, Khan never uttered a word against triple
talaq, jihad, the concept of kafiror similar ideas. As for Aligarh's
Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, Guha smothers its role in spreading
a vicious brand of Muslim separatism.

In Guha's scheme of things, Mohammed Ali Jinnah is considered the
"maker of India"! There is, however, no mention of his call for the
"Direct Action", resulting in the massacre of thousands of Hindus,
and, of course, the persecution of minorities in Pakistan. In blaming
"Congress arrogance", "separate electorates" and the policy of "divide
and rule" for Partition, Guha ignores the ideological-theological
basis of Islamic separatism and Muslim propensity for street violence,
exceptions apart. This perfectly suits our 'secularists', and would
sell well in Pakistan, too.

The inclusion of Jayaprakash (JP) Narayan, Rajagopalachari, Rammonohar
Lohia, along with Gandhi and Nehru, is apt, but then, by that logic,
Syama Prasad Mookerjee's presence in the book would not have been
absurd. But then, this is the author's prerogative! Hence, the
exclusion of JP's speech in 1974, preceding the fraudulent Emergency
is not so surprising. After all, JP had a stellar role in giving us a
respite from the dynastic rule. As there is a lot on Mahatma Gandhi
and Jawaharlal Nehru everywhere, I refrain from commenting anything
more on what he says. He admits a preference for the "older books",
yet there is none from the magisterial writings of venerable Ramesh
Chandra Majumdar.

Hopefully, one day, some open-minded historian/publisher would dare to
write an inclusive history on the makers of modern India. Besides
excluding some, and including those deserving a place on the high
pedestal, the ideal chronicler would care to include, besides Swami
Vivekananda and Dayanand, the likes of Sri Aurobindo, JC Bose, CV
Raman, Jamsetji Tata, Visveswaraiya, among others. Till then, many of
us, at least our children, would be content with reading Amar Chitra
Katha.

-- The reviewer is professor of History, University of Delhi


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[ZESTCaste] Mala Mahanadu meeting today

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/hyderabad/mala-mahanadu-meeting-today/232459.html

Mala Mahanadu meeting today

Express News Service
First Published : 19 Dec 2010 02:16:49 AM IST
Last Updated : 19 Dec 2010 09:13:50 AM IST

HYDERABAD: Opposing the SC categorisation issue, the Mala Mahanadu has
decided to organise a public meeting 'Malala Sankharavam' at Lalitha
Kalathoranam here tomorrow. Mala Mahanadu state president Karem Sivaji
called upon the people to attend the meeting in large numbers.

Sivaji, in a statement here, criticised all the political parties
which were supporting the SC categorisation despite knowing that it
would not be implemented. Mala community would revolt if the political
parties fail to stop their efforts to bring pressure on the government
on SC categorisation, he warned.

Referring to the Supreme Court's verdict and constitution of Usha
Mehra Commission on the issue, the Mala Mahanadu leader appealed to
the Madiga community to realise the 'true intentions' of Krishna
Madiga, and to cooperate keeping the interests of Dalits in view.


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[ZESTCaste] Very urgent: Ambedkar movie by Jabbar Patel

 

Dear friends,
I need a copy of English version of Ambedkar movie very urgently. I need to send it to two schools in MD and IL. We got contributions from the staff and students of these schools and asking for some DVDs on Dalits and Ambedkar. Ms Shaun (whom I met in Sakya Hostel, Chennai) and I are also planning to distribute and play them in Libraries as well.
In the past, Dr David gave me a great quality Ambedkar Movie, but to my discouragement, it was not complete (only 1:30 hours of movie in it). I need a complete movie. Please help me.
 
Also I need India untouched - by Stalin and any other movies that cover Dalits or Babasaheb. I know there are many, but I couldn't recollect.
 
Please let me where I get them and how I get them. Are they available with anyone in US?
Thanks
Ben 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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] Hurting the dalit cause

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/121501/hurting-dalit-cause.html

RAJA OF CORRUPTION
Hurting the dalit cause
By Kancha Ilaiah

Our democracy is not only fragile but corrupt. But that does not
absolve any dalit leader indulging in a massive corrupt practice.

The Indian nation is reeling under corruption of all varieties —
financial, moral and ethical. Unfortunately former minister Raja's
corrupt contracting of the communication networks called 2G spectrum
scam has not only shaken the UPA government but affected the moral
credibility of DMK politics and more so that of the dalit ideology.

Raja is not only a dalit but has grown up in the Dravidian ideological
framework. Why did he pursue politics of this level of corruption? Did
he do it at the instance of the DMK leadership or on his own? I cannot
imagine that a politician of his age and background could do it
without the knowledge of the top DMK leadership.

The DMK has its origins in the socio-political culture of Periyar
Ramasami Naikar's movement. The DMK has moved far away from it. We
have been haunted by the corrupt image of Lalu Prasad and Mayawati for
quite some time now. The scope to justify their deeds as individual
aberrations tainted our ideological vision also. Of course, we cannot
write off such corrupt practices of the dalit-bahujan leaders as some
historical inheritance of the same brahminic practice as the practice
sustains outside the realm of 'sramanic' practices.

Gautham Buddha gave us a moral code that one's own property should be
an external image of one's labour power that must get invested into it
in varied forms. He was not totally opposed to private property but
opposed to private property accumulated by exploiting the labour power
of others.

Periyar, Mahatma Jotirao Phule and Ambedkar inherited the moral ethics
of Buddha. DMK and Bahujan Samaj Party are the political expression of
these great leaders of depressed classes. When these parties are
heading the state institutions what ethical, moral and financial
policies should they follow?

Marx also believed in a similar theory that the private property of a
person should not go far beyond one's own family labour power. Any
property accumulated in any other form outside the realm of labour
power of one's own family is nothing but exploitation. The kind of
political corruption that Raja or Kalmadi or Ashok Chauhan or
Yeddyurappa got involved in amounts to plundering of the national
resource that got generated with the investment of mass labour power
of the nation into it.

If it were to be China or any other western democratic system, such
political leaders either would have been hanged or they would have
been jailed for their entire lifetime. In a country like the USA the
jail term may be 120 years or 140 years whereby whatever could be the
life span of that particular individual, he/she cannot come out of the
jail till he/she dies. The Indian laws of punishment do not follow
such a course. Life sentence at best means one would be in jail for 14
years.

Double punishment

The culture of punishing less for major crimes of corruption of the
magnitude that we witness today has been inherited from the historical
culture of ignoring or giving marginal punishments for such practices.
Should not that legal trend change now? As Kanshi Ram used to say that
if upper castes with proven history of corruption indulge in
corruption they should be punished severely and when the state is
being run by the representatives of the poor and oppressed they should
be punished more because they were supposed to help the poor more.
Raja, if proven guilty deserves double punishment because his moral
duty was to work for the welfare of the poor more than the others.
Obviously this he did not do so.

Of course, the present market economy seems to force every section to
get into the network of corrupt accumulation of private capital. The
culture of massive corrupt accumulation of family wealth seems to have
become a normal mode of political life of politicians. May be this is
part of third world democracy.

Our democracy itself is not only fragile but corrupt at the very base
of it. But that does not absolve such massive corrupt practice of a
dalit leader who emerged out of the political formation of the kind
that DMK is.

B R Ambedkar thought that the Indian corruption is imposed by the
brahminic intelligentsia, as they lived off the 'dakshina' economy.
Those politicians who have come from the productive communities have
acquired an ideological education that more you earn more respect and
stature you acquire irrespective of the means you adopt for acquiring
the wealth.

If Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram, having come from the dalit-bahujan
background provided one kind of example, Raja, having come from the
same dalit background and having grown from the ranks of Periyarite
party seems to set another example.

Culturally we have lost a moral ground that Buddha, Phule, Ambedkar
and Periyar handed down to us. The political formations that emerged
out of their ideology and practice must reset on a course of fresh
debate about the political and social morality they set in motion. If
these political parties along with communists also do not observe the
cultural ethics of non-corruptibility where will the nation go?


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[ZESTCaste] Orissa: Sambalpur Dalit Adivasi Sena joins ruling BJD

http://www.orissadiary.com/ShowDistrictNews.asp?id=23200

Orissa: Sambalpur Dalit Adivasi Sena joins ruling BJD

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Bhubaneswar : Sambalpur Dalit Adivasi Sena, a regional outfit of
minorities and tribals on Friday formally joined Biju Janata Dal.

At least a hundred of activists of the Sena led by president Yuvajaj
Barik, secretary Shyam Sunder Munda and women wing president Subarna
Naik came in a rally and attended a special joining ceremony held in
the premises of party's head office here. The BJD supremo and the
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik received them with warm greetings.
Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik called upon all present to work for
the development of SC and ST women. Among others, political advisor of
the BJD and Rajya Sabha Member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra was present.


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[ZESTCaste] Write Angle

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Write-Angle/726193/

Write Angle
Amrita Chaudhry Posted online: Sat Dec 18 2010, 23:52 hrs
Ludhiana : Gurdial Singh's celebrated work is being made into a film

Punjabi film-makers are now turning to literature for inspiration. The
language's sole Jnanpeeth Award winner, professor Gurdial Singh's
well-known novel Anhe Ghore Da Daan is being turned into a film.

The author shares that the movie is being directed by well-known
documentary film-maker Gurvinder Singh, who is a 2001 graduate of the
Film and Television Institute of India (FTTI), Pune, and has assisted
stalwarts like Mani Kaul. "Gurvinder approached me and stated that he
wants to make a film based on the novel. My only condition was that I
did not want him to tamper with the novel and he agreed," says Singh.

Well-known for his writings in the Malwai dialect, Singh's work deals
primarily with the conflicts that take place in the changing and
dynamic times. Talking about the novel, Singh says, "There is a
practice in the Malwa region where Dalits and members of the Schedule
Caste beg at the time of lunar and solar eclipse. They cry out 'anne
ghore da daan' and in return the people from higher castes donate
grains. This novel projects how changing times have forced the Dalits
to move out of villages, as they find it hard to find work there. They
face a similar problem in the urban areas. The conflicts, pain and the
social changes arising out of such a situation is the basic subject of
the film, which has been titled Chann Garahn," says Gurdial Singh,
adding that the shooting of the film will begin in January 2011. This
is the author's second work that will be converted into a film. In the
1990s, his work Marhi da Deeva was made into a film of the same name.


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[ZESTCaste] Loharu land row divides Dalits

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20101218/haryana.htm#1

Loharu land row divides Dalits

One panchayat backs Dharamvir, the other Cong ex-MLA Somvir Singh
Raman Mohan
Tribune News Service

Loharu (Bhiwani), December 17
Two panchayat meetings were held here simultaneously to resolve the
land dispute between Dharamvir, a Dalit, and Om Prakash, brother of
Somvir Singh, a son-in-law of the late Chief Minister Bansi Lal and a
former Congress legislator.

Only one panchayat was scheduled to be held on the issue but a
division in the local Dalit leadership overnight led to the main
panchayat being organised by Dharamvir at Chungi Number 7 Mohalla's
Harijan Chaupal and the other at Lal Bahadur Shastri Park.

The main panchayat, attended by leaders of all Opposition parties,
asked the district administration to resolve the dispute within two
weeks failing which its representatives would stage a dharna at the
Jantar Mantar in Delhi and meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi to
seek her intervention in the dispute. The other panchayat merely said
that since the matter was subjudiced, none should undermine the
judicial process.

It termed the controversy as an attempt to tarnish the image of Somvir
Singh. This meeting was attended, among others, by Dalit Samaj Kalyan
Sabha chief Mahavir Amirwas and vice-president Dharampal Gignau.
Addressing the main panchayat, Indian National Lok Dal MLA Dharampal
Obra said it was unfortunate that atrocities on Dalits were on the
rise. He said his party would not allow any further exploitation of
the downtrodden. Bahadur Chand Sharma, president of the district unit
of the Haryana Janhit Congress, alleged that Somvir Singh had used his
political influence to get the land registered in the name of his
brother's wife. He also alleged that several revenue officials had
colluded with him to fabricate documents to help him grab land at
several places in the town. INLD's KC Bangar alleged that Congress
leaders had grabbed land at several places in the state by exploiting
loopholes in the revenue records. He said his party would expose such
leaders.

When Congress leader Brahmanand tried to put across Somvir Singh's
version, the crowd became restive. However, saner elements succeeded
in restoring calm. Brahmanand, who belongs to the Dalit community,
said the panchayat was a "political stunt" and that no wrong had been
done to any Dalit. He claimed he had perused the land record and had
found nothing amiss.

Meanwhile, tension continues to grip the town and heavy police force
has been deployed to maintain peace.

A meeting of the Loharu assembly segment unit of the Congress was held
after the panchayat.

It was chaired by its president Surinder Singh.The meeting alleged
that certain anti-social elements were trying to disturb harmony in
the town.


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