Latest News Update: Jun 7, 2011

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Re: [ZESTCaste] Fwd: Dr. Ambedkar on Satyagraha

i hear so many different interpretaitons of ambedkar, that i wonder if it is good to hear what the dalits themsleves have to say- after listening to various interpretations

ranjani

--- On Mon, 6/6/11, Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Siddhartha Kumar <mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com>
Subject: [ZESTCaste] Fwd: Dr. Ambedkar on Satyagraha [1 Attachment]
To: "zestcaste" <zestcaste@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Monday, 6 June, 2011, 7:11 PM

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: kumarv nangal <kumarv.nangal@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jun 4, 2011 at 4:31 AM
Subject: Dr. Ambedkar on Satyagraha
To:
Cc: mailsiddhartha.k@gmail.com

Dear Sir/ Madam,

One cannot stop wondering as to how, the Chief Architect of
Constitution of India, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar could foresee - with
precision - the dangers that the newly independent country, INDIA, may
encounter.

Dr. Ambedkar,...

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[ZESTCaste] Separate cemeteries for Dalits

http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/04/stories/2011060454200600.htm

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Separate cemeteries for Dalits

D. Karthikeyan

Great divide:The ground under the shed is meant for cremating caste
Hindus and the nearby area where a few people are seen is a cremation
ground for Dalits. They do not have a shed.

MADURAI: Dalits of Karadipatti near Tirupparankundram in Madurai have
been victims of what could be seen as a very tangible form of
discrimination. The village has two separate cemeteries for caste
Hindus and Dalits and only the former has a water tank and motor pump
facility and a proper pathway to the shed.

When M. Karuppiah (45), a Dalit who was a 'thotti' (one who works in a
graveyard and also does conservancy work), died on Thursday, caste
Hindus opposed the move by the Dalits to take his body through the
pathway used by them for many years.

The pathway leading to the cremation ground actually starts on a patta
land, which is owned by a caste Hindu. After a recent skirmish, caste
Hindus opposed its use by the Dalits. However, the Dalits claimed that
they had been using the pathway for years. "It is just for a few yards
we have to use their land. Then, we actually move into the poromboke
land," said Jayaneedhi of Ambedkar Colony.

For close to one hour, the Dalits were not able to take the body to
the cremation ground and only after the police intervened and pacified
the caste Hindus to allow them for the last time that they were able
to proceed.

On May 24, the villagers had submitted a petition to the Collector
alleging that they were not allowed to use the water tank in the
village cemetery and, if used, they were subjected to verbal abuse and
discrimination. The district administration now has made arrangements
to build a separate water tank for the Dalits.

The village has close to 100 families belonging to Other Backward and
Most Backward Classes and 75 Dalit families. The caste Hindus of two
different castes use the same cemetery.

A social activist, who came to the village for a field report, opined
that the stand taken by the district administration on the issue of
common burial/cremation grounds, instead of confirming the legitimate
Constitution guaranteed rights of Dalits to bury the dead in the
common graveyard, gave them separate places which reinforced
discrimination.

Judges of the Madras High Court in orders passed in two cases in 2008
and 2009 had stressed the need to provide common burial and cremation
grounds and put an end to caste discrimination, which continues to
haunt people, particularly the Dalits, even after death.

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[ZESTCaste] suppression of dissent

Dear friends:
While different people- from Yoga gurus to Anna Hazare go on fast to protest against corruption in India- one needs to ask whether such approaches are good or do they land up suppressing large scale dissent from oppressed groups, with 75% of India living under $2 per day per capita (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_percentage_of_population_living_in_poverty).

Other reasons for absence of large scale dissent in India include i) Populist schemes of government like free/subsidized distribution of rice, television, grinders, gold etc which do not question the unequal distribution of assets/income, returns to labor, usurpation of natural resources, ii) The inadequate emphasis on labor intensive growth by government and on dry land agriculture growth (MNREGS is palliative and poorly implemented, rarely in manifesto of state specific parties), iii) Initiation of schemes like SGSY without linking them to land redistribution or rights to ponds, forests, tanks, markets. iv) The anti-Dalit sentiment by upper and middle castes, the blindness of society towards poverty, the upholding of patriarchal values, phobia towards people of diverse sexual/gender identities, Muslims*, etc. v) Belief of people in institutionalized religion and that one's religion is superior to that of the others. vi) Emergence of NGOs under corporate control as well as NGOs which engage in service delivery (which should be done by government). NGOs' role should ideally be restricted to making state and inter-state organizations accountable or showing replicable models of making oppressed groups take control over livelihoods and assets along value chain and making households, community and markets accountable. vii) The internationalization of good social movements by INGOs by funding them, with leaders being pulled to different countries to speak. Cannot technology be used to speak from here? Viii) Inadequate back up support mechanisms for few non party political formations that have survived this onslaught.

It is time to challenge the yoga guru and middle/elite class led development and protest models and ask the oppressed (50% of whom are Dalits and Adivasis in India (bahujannews.blogspot.com/.../zestcaste-my-response-to-ashok.html), majority are unorganized workers- with women amongst them being more marginalized) what they see as Just model (s) of development, governance, spirituality and sustainable living. It is obvious that neither unfettered capitalism nor communism has worked. Instiutionalised religion is divisive.    If necessary, one could expose oppressed to different interpretations of Ambedkar, Lohia, Paulo Friere, Andre Gunder Frank, Marx, Che Guevera, Trusteeship of Gandhi,   etc, pose a few questions and leave it to them to evolve a model which is non violent. Listening to the songs of 70 year old Naynamma, a dalit from Thervoy Kandigai, Tamil Nadu I feel she could teach us a lot. Dalits, Adivasis and Sufis also follow a lot of non-institutionalized spiritual and sustainable living practices and follow their own governance systems (though not equitable in all aspects of diversity).

FURTHER IT IS TIME TO GIVE FELLOWSHIPS TO OPPRESSED GROUPS WHO HAVE LED STRUGGLES OR RESOLVED CONFLICTS TO FORM PREVENTIVE STRUGGLE and CONFLICT RESOLUTION COMMITTEES (WITH LEADERSHIP BY THEM) AND NOT CURATIVE ONES AFTER (INTER) NATIONAL CORPORATE CONTROL, STATE CONTROL AND CONFLICT STARTS. OTHERWISE THERE IS A DANGER THAT SOONER OR LATER SPORADIC PATHS OF VIOLENCE MAY SPREAD FURTHER. AFTER ALL OPPRESSED ARE NOT FOOLS. FURTHER, WITH TECHNOLOGY AND FREE DISTRIBUTION OF TELEVISIONS PEOPLE KNOW PATHS OF PROTEST HAPPENING IN OTHER COUNTRIES.
* 31% of Muslims are below poverty line, higher than national average (articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com › Collections › Dalits - Cached).

subjective interpretation of suppressed voices

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits in Villoor living in fear, says report

http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/dalits-in-villoor-living-in-fear-says-report/281834.html

Dalits in Villoor living in fear, says report

Express News Service
Last Updated : 07 Jun 2011 07:32:10 AM IST

MADURAI: Dalits in riot-torn Villoor village fear more attacks by
caste Hindus once the police protection in the area was reduced, said
a report from People's Union for Human Rights (PUHR).

A fact-finding team comprising A Marx and Rajini from PUHR and K
Sukumaran from People Rights' Federation in Puducherry visited the
village on May 28 and studied the aftermath of the riots.

According to them, the Dalits were paranoid about future attacks as
anger was still simmering against them among caste Hindus. The report
said there were possibilities of attacks on Dalits, especially on the
family of Murugan.

Taking note of a significant change in police approach this time
around, the report said the department took the right decision during
the latest incident when compared to the police action of 2010. Also,
top police officials camped in the village and gave out warnings that
any form of untouchability would not be tolerated. Also, only members
of the community that instigated violence were arrested, unlike the
usual practice of arresting those belonging to both the communities
involved in riots. Key police officials hailing from other States and
who did not belong to any local community were responsible for this
change in approach, the report said. Despite police coming under
villagers' attack, Superintendent of Police (SP) Asra Garg remained
unruffled and even in police firing there was no loss of life. This
was in contrast to similar incidents that occurred in the State
earlier. The PUHR report also compared the situation with that at
Irayur in Villupuram district some two years ago, where an SP shot
dead two persons without any warning once the riots were over.

The fact-finding team said the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act was enforced for the first time during the recent
attacks, though untouchability was prevalent in Villoor for years
together. The report also blamed the government for not implementing
the Act strictly.

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[ZESTCaste] India’s Ageless Caste Shadow

http://the-diplomat.com/indian-decade/2011/06/07/indias-ageless-caste-shadow/

India's Ageless Caste Shadow
By Neeta Lal
June 7, 2011
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Despite the country's surging economy and growing clout at the global
geopolitical high table, swathes of India continue to endorse the
deeply-entrenched caste system.

This sad reality was highlighted yet again recently in a report by
Lucknow University's department of education. According to the report,
40 percent of the schools across sample districts in Uttar Pradesh --
India's most populous state, with 199 million people -- teachers and
students refuse to partake of government-sponsored free midday meals
because they are cooked by dalits (once known as untouchables).

The report adds that upper primary school children take less midday
meals than those in the lower grades because the 'upper primary
children…are more aware of the caste system and do not like to take
midday meal prepared by SC (scheduled caste) cooks.'

This is all the more ironic considering dalits have revolutionized
life in Uttar Pradesh. Many of the state's top politicians and
administrators are dalits, and the state is helmed by the feisty
Mayawati, who despite her sometimes arbitrary and vengeful way of
governing, has still ushered in meaningful economic change. (Uttar
Pradesh is the second largest state economy in India, and contributed
8.34 percent to India's GDP in the 2010 financial year).

Unfortunately, while the caste system has been officially abolished
under the Indian Constitution, there's still blatant discrimination
and prejudice against the Dalits. They are frequently refused entry to
temples, schools, eateries and barred from participating in community
gatherings. They are sometimes still even ostracized to the point that
they are made to live on the outskirts of villages.

The word 'dalit' is derived from the Sanskrit word for 'ground,'
'suppressed,' 'crushed,' or 'broken to pieces.' In ancient times,
dalits were synonymous with lowly occupations such as butchering,
making footwear or cleaning toilets and sewers. Engaging in these
activities was considered 'polluting' to the individual.

Post-independence, the Indian government has done much to try to
improve their lot by providing them opportunities for education,
health and employment. Clearly, though, there's still an uphill battle
changing people's mindsets.

Neeta Lal is a New Delhi-based senior journalist.

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[ZESTCaste] Midday meals cooked by dalits go waste

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/New-Article/articleshow/8755038.cms

Midday meals cooked by dalits go waste
Akshaya Mukul, TNN | Jun 7, 2011, 04.24am IST

NEW DELHI: A dalit chief minister in Mayawati has not changed the
deep-seated caste bias in schools of Uttar Pradesh. In 40% schools of
Shahjehanpur, Badaun and Pilibhit districts, teachers do not taste the
mid-day meal food and students refuse to eat it since the cooks belong
to lower caste.

The rot in MDM in these three districts is not confined to caste bias
alone. It has also been found that in schools of urban areas of these
three districts roti and green vegetables are never given, in 80%
schools there is difference between the number of actual students
present in the class and the number of students who are shown to be
availing of MDM. Also, in most of the schools in urban areas there are
no utensils.

In rural areas of these districts, MDM supplies of 95% of the schools
are kept at the pradhan's house from where they are brought to the
school every day for cooking.

The report on three districts was prepared by Lucknow University's
department of education. It was discussed, along with another report
on Maharajganj district, in the MDM's Project Advisory Board meeting
last month in the HRD ministry. The Centre has now asked the UP
government to look into the matter and send a report by July 31.

The report said that in the three districts upper primary school
children take less mid-day meal than those in the primary sections
because the "upper primary children belonging to general category are
more aware of caste system and do not like to take mid-day meal
prepared by SC cooks".

The report said in 10% schools of rural areas of these districts,
village pradhans do not give the required quantity of food grain for
cooking mid-day meal. It also said that in 95% schools of these
districts children bring their own utensils. Also, non-iodised salt is
used in 5% of schools and 30% schools used wood for cooking mid-day
meals.

Another report – prepared by GB Pant Social Science Institute,
Allahabad, and Lucknow University – based on a survey of 110 schools
of Maharajganj district said that MDM was not served in 50% of the
sample schools.

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