Friday, July 30, 2010

[ZESTCaste] 'Bankrupt caste politics led to ban on Shivaji book'

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Bankrupt-caste-politics-led-to-ban-on-Shivaji-book/articleshow/6233551.cms

Q&A

'Bankrupt caste politics led to ban on Shivaji book'

Jyoti Punwani, TNN, Jul 30, 2010, 07.28pm IST

Bookshops are afraid to stock James Laine's Shivaj i: Hindu King in
Islamic India, even after the Supreme Court struck down the
Maharashtra government's ban on it. Film-maker Anand Patwardhan, one
of three petitioners who challenged the ban, speaks to Jyoti Punwani :

What prompted you to challenge the ban?

Ambedkar gave us a Constitution. It is up to us to protect its spirit.
Whether it is Ambedkar's Riddles in Hinduism or works by Taslima
Nasreen, we must not allow bullies to dictate what we read. I would
oppose a ban even on books i abhor, like those by Golwalkar and Godse.
The real inspiration and the legal hard work, however, came from human
rights lawyer P A Sebastian. We have won many court battles against
the censorship of my documentaries. In each case, the courts upheld my
right to freedom of expression and the public's right to information.
Naturally when we heard about a book banned under pressure from
right-wing groups, we intervened.

Shivaji is revered in Maharashtra. Didn't you anticipate an adverse reaction?

Bankrupt caste politics led to the ban. An academic book on Shivaji
would have remained largely unnoticed. But our politicians have many
economic crimes to hide and identity politics is a convenient public
diversion. An emotive rumour that Laine had questioned Shivaji's
paternity spread, since no one had actually read the book. A research
institute was attacked, historical manuscripts destroyed, then the
publishers were attacked and books burned. The government, dominated
by the same caste forces that rampaged in the street, banned the book.

Those opposing the judgement have made it a Maratha Vs Brahmin issue.

No one reads the book so the entire opposition to it is based on
hearsay. Incidentally, all the petitioners come from different castes,
Dalit, Maratha, Brahmin, though each of us categorically rejects the
caste system. In fact, the claim that Laine's book is a "Brahmin"
conspiracy against the "Maratha" Shivaji is so hollow, it could not be
articulated even by those who fought for a ban in court. They could
only argue that it would cause enmity between those who admire Shivaji
and those who don't.

When the court asked "Who does not admire Shivaji?" there was no
answer. The attempt to reduce Shivaji's greatness to his paternity
reveals a desire for sacrosanct bloodlines (Vaunsha and Kula). The
very concept of "purity" comes from patriarchal upper castes that had
to establish their long lineage to mythical forefathers. So some
Marathas proudly claim "Shahannau Kula" (96 forefathers) and some
Brahmins maintain immaculate family trees.

Laine himself has no caste axe to grind. He compares texts written in
Shivaji's lifetime where the Brahmin Ramdas is hardly mentioned, with
those written in the Brahminical Peshwa period where Ramdas gains
prominence as Shivaji's guru, to texts inspired by the Varkari
movement, those written by Mahatma Phule, by the British, each with
their distinct motivations. He paints a complex picture of 17th
century Maharashtra where cross-religious alliances were the norm.

This complexity is anathema to those who want to use Shivaji as a
symbol of Hindutva or who appropriate him as a caste hero. This is not
only an injustice to Shivaji, but also to historical and scientific
enquiry. Laine's anatomy of a legend is not the last word on Shivaji.
Nor must it be a word that is forbidden.

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[ZESTCaste] Maya has sided with feudal forces: CPI

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Maya-has-sided-with-feudal-forces-CPI/articleshow/6234662.cms

Maya has sided with feudal forces: CPI

TNN, Jul 30, 2010, 12.38am IST

LUCKNOW: Accusing chief minister Mayawati of buckling under the feudal
forces, the CPI has reacted sharply to the the state government move
to reserve for scheduled castes the cooks slot under the mid day meal
scheme.

The move will only embolden the class which still practices
untouchability, said CPI state secretary Girish while talking to media
on Thursday. While on one hand Mayawati has been promising stringent
action against the "Manuwadis", who distinguish people on the basis of
caste and creed, by abolishing the facility she has exposed her
indifference to the dalit cause, he said.

Daits are suffering under the rule by the dalit diva, he charged.
Scholarships and facilities meant for dalit students are not reaching
them and dalit women are being targeted for exploitation, he said,
adding: the BSP government with eyes firmly on consolidating its votes
bank is turning a blind eye to the development. The leader demanded
the government to provide justice to the affected class keeping its
populist policies aside.

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[ZESTCaste] 5-year-old raped: bandh in Mumbai Dalit colony

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article540711.ece

Mumbai, July 30, 2010
5-year-old raped: bandh in Mumbai Dalit colony
Staff Reporter

Residents of Ramabai Nagar, a Dalit colony in suburban Ghatkopar,
observed a bandh on Thursday in protest against the rape of a minor
girl.

Ritesh Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police, told The Hindu that
there was no untoward incident. He said the accused, who lived
opposite the girl's house, was a minor himself.

A case of rape has been registered and the boy, under arrest, has been
sent to a remand home.

Mr. Kumar said the girl belonged to a Scheduled Caste. Asked if the
police had invoked provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said, "It is a matter of
investigation."

Chintaman Gangurde, a resident and Republican Party of India (RPI)
member, said the five-year-old victim, whose father was a labourer,
was recuperating in a civic hospital. The colony has been branded a
sensitive area ever since the massacre of Dalits by a police officer
in 1997.

Police bandobust was maintained at Ramabai Nagar throughout the day.


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[ZESTCaste] From the fringes

http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/27/stories/2010072759750300.htm

From the fringes
DEEPA GANESH

Janamanadata's Ooru Keri, based on one of the most influential Dalit
autobiographies in Kannada, was lively and charming

Siddalingiah's autobiography "Ooru Keri" brings to mind yet another
Dalit autobiography, Marathi writer Lakshman Gaikwad's "Uchalya". Both
these works recount the trauma and suffering not only of an individual
but also of the whole community. Their narratives open up the
underbelly of the society; they bring the world of the poor and
underprivileged living on the fringes of the society to centre stage.
However, there is a vast difference in the tone that these two writers
adopt to construct their worlds: Siddalingiah is understated and
couches anger and angst in humour, in Gaikwad it is pronounced. What
drives Siddalingaih's composed voice? As the late culture critic D.R.
Nagaraj put it, it must be "the voice of the creative writer."

Interestingly, the theatre group Janamanadata, which had staged
"Uchalya" years ago, now staged Siddalingiah's "Ooru Keri" at Ranga
Shankara recently. With a team of competent actors, the production was
lively and charming. The play directed by M. Ganesh, a drama teacher
at the Ninasam theatre institute, was a fairly convincing stage
version of the autobiography. Retaining the first person narrative of
the autobiography, the protagonist was performed by all the actors of
the team in turns – making it the story of everyone who shared
Siddalingiah's time and space. Many episodes that get a mere mention
in his autobiography acquire fascinating visuals in the course of the
play.

The sets were minimalist and the backdrop which was a patch of black
and white was evocative. Truth, in all its bareness, transcends
compartments of black and white. The presentation was poignant in
episodes that defy typecasting. For instance, both Siddalingiah's
teachers, Nagappachar and Andalamma, were benevolent and refuse to fit
into upper class stereotypes. Also, the story of Siddalingiah's uncle,
who was well versed with Lakshmisha's "Jaimini Bharatha" which again
breaks our notions of the unlettered Dalit. Particularly moving is
Siddalingiah's grandfather who was moved by Gandhi's speech and turned
a teetotaller, a vow that he kept all his life.

The play kept the emotions of each phase intact: from the joy and
surprise of childhood to the more reflective adulthood. In this
journey there is also a sharp departure from the community to the
individual. In that it moves from a small canvas where personal and
public spaces merge to a larger one which begins to locate the self in
society. The narrative of the play is sensitive to the demands of the
text throughout. However, the play doesn't escape the danger of an
autobiography adapted to a stage performance. It changes the tone of
the narrative. Siddalingiah maintains a low mimetic, muted expression
in the text, but in the play his voice acquires a self-indulgent tone.
Siddalingiah subverts moments of deep anguish into clownery, but they
become coarse in the production — particularly when Gaddar is invoked.

Music by Swamy Gamanahalli was exceptionally good, capturing all the
native nuances. The performance by each of the actors was extremely
proficient.

Janamanadata's intervention is important. It not only keeps the
tradition of interaction between literature and other forms of
cultural expression alive, but also re-examines these texts and the
forces that shaped them. Questions emerge: what political and social
ideologies would shape a Dalit autobiography of today? Have the
marginalised gained in dimension?


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[ZESTCaste] Ramabai Nagar tense after rape of minor Dalit girl

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ramabai-nagar-tense-after-rape-of-minor-dalit-girl/653641/

Ramabai Nagar tense after rape of minor Dalit girl

Express News Service Posted online: Fri Jul 30 2010, 00:54 hrs
Mumbai : Tension gripped Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar slum in Pant Nagar,
Ghatkopar (E), after residents called a bandh in protest against the
rape of a minor Dalit girl in the area. While a 15-year-old was
arrested on charges of rape and sent to Dongri Children's Home on
Wednesday morning, the police had to impose a bandobast as a
precautionary measure.
The police said the incident took place on July 24 when the accused,
who is from outside the community, took the girl out. The two were
neighbours and knew each other. "He took her to a transit camp area
within the slum and allegedly raped her. After she returned home, she
complained of pain and her mother took her to a doctor who confirmed
rape," said deputy commissioner of police, zone 7, Sanjay Shintre.

"The parents were hesitant to lodge a complaint, fearing humiliation
as the accused was their neighbour's son. However, with the support of
local activists, they finally lodged a complaint with the Pant Nagar
police on Wednesday, and the accused was arrested from his house,"
said Shintre.

"Some of the groups called a bandh on Wednesday night. The police
imposed bandobast in the area. Though the shops in the area remained
closed on Thursday morning, the situation was normal," said Shintre.

A senior police inspector with five police inspectors and 90 personnel
were deployed besides homeguards, three patrolling mobile vans and a
SRPF and Delta platoon each.


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