Sunday, July 17, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Annihilating caste

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20110729281509500.htm

Volume 28 - Issue 15 :: Jul. 16-29, 2011
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU

SOCIAL ISSUES

Annihilating caste

BHALCHANDRA MUNGEKAR

B.R. Ambedkar's passion for the abolition of untouchability and the
eradication of caste is as relevant today as it was 75 years ago.

THE HINDU ARCHIVES

B.R. Ambedkar. He suggested inter-caste marriage as the remedy to destroy caste.

THE Jat Pat Todak Mandal, a social reformist organisation of Lahore,
had, in 1936, invited Dr B.R. Ambedkar to deliver the presidential
address of its annual conference on the topic of the caste system in
India. Ambedkar sent the manuscript of his speech titled The
Annihilation of Caste. However, the organising committee found some of
his views, particularly his critique of the Vedas and his inclination
to leave the Hindu fold, unacceptable.

It, therefore, suggested to Ambedkar that he delete these views, to
which he replied that "he would not change a comma". The speech thus
remained undelivered. Ambedkar subsequently published it in May 1936.

Among the numerous writings and speeches of Ambedkar that run into
thousands of pages, The Annihilation of Caste is indeed his magnum
opus. Judged by any criterion such as content, logic, argument,
language, diction, exposition, urge and, above all, the force, it is a
manifesto of social emancipation, and occupies a place similar to what
The Communist Manifesto once did in the world communist movement.

Since the book is polemical in nature, Ambedkar did not elaborate much
on the agonies, indignities, humiliation and overall sufferings of the
Sudras, and particularly the untouchables. He only gave illustrations
of how they were deprived of education and freedom of occupation and
were subjected to stigmatised manual labour, all resulting in their
virtual economic slavery, how they were segregated and deprived of
basic rights such as drinking water even from public wells, and above
all how they were made victims of social persecutions.

But, according to Ambedkar, worse and unparalleled, the Hindu
Dharmashastras gave legitimacy to the doctrine of Chaturvanya and the
caste system. The infamous Manusmriti dehumanised the Sudras and
untouchables, ruled the Hindu psyche for centuries and created the
greatest obstacle to any serious attempt at eradicating the caste
system. This made Ambedkar publically burn the Manusmriti on the
occasion of his historical Mahad Satyagraha in 1927 for establishing
the right of untouchables to drink the water of the Chawdar tank in
Mahad town in Maharashtra.

In The Annihilation of Caste, Ambedkar, probably for the first time,
raised many profound questions with respect to caste. First, he
rejected the defence of caste on the basis of division of labour and
argued that it was not merely a division of labour but a division of
labourers. The former was voluntary and depended upon one's choice and
aptitude and, therefore, rewarded efficiency. The latter was
involuntary, forced, killed initiative and resulted in job aversion
and inefficiency. He argued that caste could not be defended on the
basis of purity of blood, though pollution is a hallmark of the caste
system.

He quoted from D.R. Bhandarkar's paper "Foreign Elements in the Hindu
Population" that "there is hardly any class or caste in India which
has not a foreign strain in it, (and that) there is an admixture of
alien blood not only among the warrior classes – the Rajputs and the
Marathas – but also among the Brahmins who are under the happy
delusion that they are free from all foreign elements." Ambedkar thus
argued that caste had no scientific basis. He painfully maintained
that Hindu society was a collection of castes, fixed in watertight
compartments with graded hierarchy that made an associated corporate
life virtually impossible.

But most importantly, according to Ambedkar, caste destroyed the
concept of ethics and morality. To quote him: "The effect of caste on
the ethics of the Hindus is simply deplorable. Caste has killed public
spirit. Caste has destroyed the sense of public charity. Caste has
made public opinion impossible. A Hindu's public is his caste. His
responsibility is to his caste. His loyalty is restricted only to his
caste. Virtue has become caste-ridden, and morality has become
caste-bound."

Ambedkar ultimately suggested that inter-caste marriage is the only
remedy to destroy caste. In The Annihilation of Caste, Ambedkar's
critique of the Hindu social order was so strong that Mahatma Gandhi,
in Harijan, described Ambedkar as a "challenge to Hinduism". Ambedkar
replied to Gandhi in his usual uncompromising manner.

Ambedkar did not spare the socialists or the communists either. He
vehemently attacked the communists for their doctrinaire approach to
caste in treating it as the superstructure and argued that unless they
dealt with caste as a basic structural problem, no worthwhile social
change, let alone a socialist revolution, was possible.

From the beginning Ambedkar was convinced that political empowerment
was key to the socio-economic development of the untouchables.
Therefore, he vehemently demanded a separate electorate for
untouchables in the Second Round Table Conference in 1932.

When the British conceded his demand, Gandhi started his historic fast
unto death in the Yerawada jail. Pressure from all corners mounted on
Ambedkar to forgo the demand for a separate electorate as the
Mahatma's life was at stake. Reluctantly Ambedkar agreed to the
formula of a Joint Electorate with reserved seats in legislatures for
untouchables.

What is the situation today with respect to Ambedkar's mission of
annihilation of caste and, in view of that, the relevance of his
manifesto of social emancipation?

First, the state's reservation policy for the Scheduled Castes (S.Cs)
and Scheduled Tribes (S.Ts) has made a positive impact on their
socio-economic condition. Though the gap between them and the rest of
society persists, and they lag behind the others with respect to many
indicators of development, the overall situation has improved. A small
strata in all areas of national importance – education, professions,
governance, politics, art, literature and so on – has emerged in these
communities. This upward occupational mobility has been accompanied by
some social prestige, which was unthinkable earlier. The spread of
literacy and higher and professional education, the pace of
urbanisation, the development of means of communication and transport,
and so on have been instrumental in loosening somewhat the rigidity
and hangover of the caste system, particularly in the urban areas.

Second, and contrary to this positive development, caste has come to
be used blatantly and indiscriminately for political ends. This has
sharpened caste and sub-caste identities and resulted in caste
alliances of different types in different regions for the sole purpose
of wielding political power.

Thus, while the dominant castes, either in numerical strength or in
terms of economic clout, struggle to retain their monopoly over power,
the marginal castes, operating on the periphery of the power
structure, have aroused their caste consciousness for political
mobilisation.

POTENT INSTRUMENT

Third, since caste is considered a potent instrument for
socio-economic and political empowerment, caste and sub-caste
organisations have proliferated. There is growing demand by some
castes, keeping their caste arrogance intact, to get included in the
Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, and by some OBCs to be
considered as S.Ts (for instance, Jats in Haryana and Rajasthan). This
is indeed a trend in reverse. Fourth, the entire trade union movement
ignored issues relating to caste owing to total apathy and lack of
concern or because of the fear of a rift in the rank and file over the
contentious issue of reservation. As a result, there is a growing
tendency on the part of the S.Cs and S.Ts in several organisations to
form their own associations to fight for their demands.

Fifth, Ambedkar suggested inter-caste marriage as the remedy to
destroy caste. Today, marriages are preferred not only within castes,
but also within sub-castes. In Haryana and Rajasthan, for instance,
the khap (caste council) gives orders to kill young lovers for
marrying outside their caste. Such inhuman killings are glorified as
honour killings.

Lastly, atrocities on the S.Cs and S.Ts continue unabated in different
parts of the country. They are on two counts: first, owing to the
practice of untouchability, resulting in the violation of human and
civil rights of these groups, particularly in the rural areas; second,
for economic and political reasons. Thus, according to the National
Crime Records Bureau of the Union Home Ministry, between 2001 and
2005, the total number of crimes against the S.Cs alone were 1,56,
274, of which 3,406 were of murder and 6,163 were of rape.

Various legislative measures such as the Protection of Civil Rights
Act, 1955, and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, 1989, have proved to be virtually worthless because
of the lack of political will to implement them.

Ambedkar thought the abolition of untouchability and the eradication
of caste would make India an emotionally strong and unified country.
His thought and passion are as relevant today as they were 75 years
ago.

Dr Balachandra Mungekar is a former member of the Planning Commission
and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mumbai.


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[ZESTCaste] Dalit youth shot dead

 

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/dalit-youth-shot-dead/757768.html

Dalit youth shot dead
PTI | 01:07 PM,Jul 16,2011

Muzaffarnagar(UP), Jul 16 (PTI) A Dalit youth was allegedly shot dead
by unidentified assailants in Jandheri village, police said here
today. The youth identified as Balokesh Kumar was shot dead when he
had gone to the nearby fields in Jandheri village under Sirkera police
station yesterday, they added. Irate over the incident, villagers
staged a protest against the murder and denied handing over the body
to the police.The villagers were later pacified and the body has been
sent for postmortem and investigations are on, they said.PTI CORR RCL

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[ZESTCaste] Caste certificates to SC, ST persons

 

http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=63951

Caste certificates to SC, ST persons
Category » Bhopal Posted On Friday, July 15, 2011

By Our Staff Reporter
Bhopal, July 15:

The State Government has made the procedure easy for issuing caste
certificates to people who have settled permanently in Madhya Pradesh
after the state's bifurcation. New amendments have been made in this
procedure keeping in view the convenience of the certificate seekers.
Following the amended procedure, these people can get caste
certificates like domiciles of Madhya Pradesh.
As per amendments made in Madhya Pradesh Punargathan Adhiniyam-2000,
those families or individuals, who originally belong to Chhattisgarh
living in undivided Madhya Pradesh and have settled permanently in
Madhya Pradesh after promulgation of Madhya Pradesh Punargathan
Adhiniyam-2000 and continue to reside in Madhya Pradesh, will also be
provided certificates of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes like
the domiciles of Madhya Pradesh.
In the instructions, competent authorities have been asked to
undertake necessary inspection of the residential proof given by the
applicants at the time of issuing caste certificates to people
belonging to scheduled tribes. These instructions have been issued to
all the divisional commissioners and district collectors.

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[ZESTCaste] Protest over occupational caste in certificates

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Protest-over-occupational-caste-in-certificates/Article1-721625.aspx

Protest over occupational caste in certificates
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, July 15, 2011

A large number of people from the 'Balmiki' committee are up in arms
against the Delhi government for mentioning their 'sub-caste'
(occupational caste) in the caste certificates issued to them by the
revenue department. The Supreme Court has long back banned the mention
of the
occupational caste of SC/ST people. The Balmiki committee members said
the use of their occupational caste in the certificate is quite
demeaning.

"Tempers are frayed among youngsters in our community. They don't want
these certificates," said Balkishan Mahar, at a protest at Rajghat on
Friday.

Community members say, these certificates are used for education, jobs
and other such purposes. "Till last year, the revenue department
mentioned 'Balmiki' in these certificates. This year the department is
mentioning the occupational caste," said Delhi BJP spokesperson Sambit
Patra.

HT is in possession of copies of such certificates issued by the
deputy commissioner's office of north district. Senior revenue
department officials refused to comment on the issue and said they
would get it examined. htc


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[ZESTCaste] Misuse of SC ST funds; action against officers sought

 

http://www.newkerala.com/news/2011/worldnews-28520.html

Misuse of SC ST funds; action against officers sought

Kakinada, Jul 15 : The East Godavari District Struggle Committee
against Caste Discrimination has alleged funds earmarked to various
departments under SC ST Component Plan were either misused or diverted
depriving the benefits to those sections.

Committee Chairman Dadala Subbarao addressing a press conference along
with SC, ST leaders claimed the officers were colluding with elected
peoples representatives in diversion of SC ST funds and in the absence
of any action from the government, injustice was going on unabated.

He demanded stringent action against the erring officials by booking
cases under the SC ST Atrocities Act treating it as a heinous crime.

`Due to the apathy of the government, the SC ST colonies are lagging
behind in development. Adequate funds are not allotted and
discrimination is being shown even in regard to spending of the
allotted funds.

''The SC ST component funds either remained unspent or diverted or
misused. Under the rules, the state budget funds have to be spent at
16.5 per cent for SCs and 6.6 per cent for STs but not even ten per
cent of funds were spent.

"Unless the SC ST funds are channelised and spent through the nodal
agencies justice will not be rendered to them," he alleged.

Mr Rao said the district level conference to be held at Kakinada on
July 17 would discuss the issue threadbare and chalk out future course
of action.

--UNI

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[ZESTCaste] SC panel notice to SU over BEd admission

 

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-15/rajkot/29777656_1_su-admission-saurashtra-university

SC panel notice to SU over BEd admission
TNN Jul 15, 2011, 11.01pm IST

RAJKOT: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes on Friday issued
a notice to Saurashtra University (SU) in connection with the
admission of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in
BEd course. The commission has written to SU vice-chancellor Kamlesh
Joshipura saying that the university has not followed proper
procedures as per the UGC guidelines and reservation policies of the
Government of India and the state government for these categories of
students.

"The SC/ST category students are being compelled to take admission in
reservation seats only even when they had scored more and have
qualified for general category seats. It is mandatory that the SC/ST
category students with higher merit be given admission in general
category seats and allowed to make their choice of colleges.
Therefore, the admissions to BEd for the academic year 2011-12 needs
to be cancelled and the whole process should be done again,'' the
letter says.

The commission has warned that if SU failed to implement the
reservation policy then it will exercise its power conferred under
Article 338 of the Constitution of India. The commission has asked the
SU authorities to submit its response to the notice within a
stipulated time frame.

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[ZESTCaste] HAC recommends placing village recognition under ST/SC & Hill dept

http://kanglaonline.com/2011/07/hac-recommends-placing-village-recognition-under-stsc-hill-dept/

HAC recommends placing village recognition under ST/SC & Hill dept
Posted by kanglaonline Published on July 16, 2011 in Top Stories | View Comments
Share

IMPHAL, July 15: A recent meeting of the Hill Areas Committee resolved
to placed all matters relating to recognition of all hill villages
under the purview of the Department of Development of ST/SC and Hills,
in business of the government of Manipur (allocation) Rules, 2009, in
accordance with the Manipur Hills Ppeoples' (administration)
Regulation 1974.
According to an official, the resolution was finalized after due
responses and official compliment from the state government meeting of
the committee on June 28 which was attended by legislators from the
hill districts and the chief secretary as administrative
representative of the state government.
The meeting discussed the present system of the giving recognition to
new villages in the hill areas of Manipur, and the committee
reportedly learnt from the explanation of the chief secretary that
some official orders were issued recognising some new villages in the
hill areas by the hill department recently but were later cancelled
though an order of the state government.
The MLAs present at the said meeting also further explained that under
the Manipur Hills Peoples' (Administration) Regulation 1974 the hill
administration, particularly the un-surveyed hill land and revenue
especially hill house tax collection, is under the hill department and
as such recognition of new villages in the hill districts in the Hill
areas falls purely under the perview of the Hill department.
The source further mentioned that all the members attending the
meeting studied needful observations given by the various comments
from both state officials and from the members during the meeting and
finally observed that the Manipur of Hill People (Administration)
Regulation of 1974 should be effectively enforced. When some members
of the committee raised question why the order of the recognition of
new villages in the hill districts issued by the hill department were
cancelled, chief secretary DS Poonia explained the stand of the state
government that the enlistment in the Business of the Manipur
Government (Allocation) Rules, 2009, for recognition of all hill
villages under the Revenue department is only a matter of procedure.
Finally, committee meeting, after threadbare discussion on the matter,
resolved that all the matters relating to recognition of all Hill
villages be placed under the purview of the department of ST/ST and
Hills, in the business of the government of Manipur (Allocation)
Rules, 2009, in accordance with the Manipur Hill Peoples
(Administration) Regulation 1974. The committee further resolved that
the government of Manipur is responsible to act on it timely and to
intimate the action taken on the matter to the committee, the official
source added.
In the meantime, the official resolution of the HAC meeting was
officially circulated recently by the chairman of the HAC,
Thangminlein Kipgen the official source added.

KCP (MTF) held in Assam
IMPHAL, July 15 (NNN): A "commander" of Kangleipak Communist Party
(MTF) was apprehended along with a woman cadre by Assam Police on
Saturday night, said a police source here.
The apprehended Imphal East district "commander" of KCP (MTF) has been
identified as Thokchom Inaocha Meitei aka Ibungo aka Rahul from
Pundongbam Laimanak in Imphal East district while the woman cadre who
was arrested with him has been identified as Pundongbam Bandana Chanu,
d/o Lemba of Pungdongbam.
They have been arrested by Assam Police from Julubari in Assam after
gathering reliable intelligence input, the source said.
Two pen drives, two driving licenses, five memory cards, three mobile
handsets, five sim cards, one SBI ATM card, a school certificate and
six thousand rupees in cash were seized from them.


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[ZESTCaste] 20-yr-old model raped in Sola, six arrested

http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/20110717201107170156092169cfac1b/20yrold-model-raped-in-Sola-six-arrested.html

20-yr-old model raped in Sola, six arrested

Accused beat up the girl and took away Rs 10,000 from her;
investigation has been taken over by SC/ST cell of police

Ahmedabad Mirror Bureau

Posted On Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 01:56:00 AM

Sola police have arrested Mayur, Jaydeep, Darshan, Aalap, Jitu and Meena

The Sola police on Friday arrested six people after a a 20-year-old
SCST girl from Amreli alleged that two men had raped her. Mayur
Thakore, 22, resident of Panchdhar Awas in Sola and his friend Jaydeep
had allegedly raped Geeta (name changed), 20, a model who was in the
city to look for modelling assignments. While Mayur and Jaydeep were
arrested for rape, the others were arrested for abetting the crime.
Four others who were arrested are Meena alias Kajal, Darshan Patel,
Aalap Patel, and Jitu Patel. The case has been taken over by the SC/ST
cell of police as Geeta is from Schedule Caste.

According to the complaint, Geeta used to work as a model for
Chaudhary film company in Amraiwadi. However, a few weeks ago she went
back to live with her sister in Amreli. The victim had returned to the
city last week to resume her career. She was visiting the Saibaba
Mandir near Sattadhar Crossroads when she met Meena alias Kajal, a
resident of A4 Panchdhar Awas near Sola overbridge. Meena offered to
help her find a job and provide her lodging facility till she found
something more suitable.

"Meena, a divorcee, was in a live-in relationship with Mayur. On
Friday, Meena got drunk and told Geeta that she ran a prostitution
racket. An enraged Geeta left Meena's house immediately and went to
the old high court building near Income Tax. Unknown to her Mayur and
a friend of his were following her. They intimidated her and took her
to Jitu Patel's (an auto rickshaw driver) flat in Akanksha Apartment
near Sola Overbridge," the complaint stated.

"Patel's sons Darshan, a cloth merchant and Aalap, a college student,
are apparently good friends of Mayur. Mayur and his friend took Geeta
to the flat and raped her while Darshan and Aalap waited outside."

According to the complaint, Mayur and his friend also beat her up .
When the duo left the room, Geeta called the police control room.
However, the accused found out about the call and broke her cellphone.
They also took away Rs 10,000 from the girl.

Geeta somehow escaped and sought help from women who were singing
bhajans in the society's common plot. They took Geeta to the cops who
had arrived on the spot after getting the call. They arrested Mayur.

Angry residents smashed Patel's rickshaw. "Since their mother ran away
with a builder it has been like this. This place is frequented by
anti-social elements," said Sailesh Patel, a resident of the
apartment. The residents of the society have decided to give a fresh
complaint against Jitu Patel and his sons.

SC/ST cell DySP R L Chavda visited the flat with FSL officials on
Monday and collected evidence. They recovered a bedsheet, pillow
cover, condom wrappers and porn literature. The cops, are looking for
the used condoms, which have been apparently disposed of by Meena.


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[ZESTCaste] Row over Aarakshan theme

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110717/jsp/nation/story_14249968.jsp

Row over Aarakshan theme
TAPAS CHAKRABORTY

Lucknow, July 16: Prakash Jha's upcoming film Aarakshan has run into a
controversy following complaints that the theme, reservation, might
unleash fresh social tensions and the director set against a special
screening for "self-appointed" censors.

This is not the first time the film, due for release on August 12, has
been embroiled in a dispute. Two months ago, some backward caste
leaders had protested against the choice of Saif Ali Khan, a scion of
a Bhopal royal family, to play a Dalit in the film.

The latest quarrel involves a July 14 notice from the SC/ST Commission
to the Censor Board. The board is expected to appear before the
commission, a constitutional body, on July 18.

"I would like to watch the film before it is released to see if it
might cause any fresh social backlash across the nation over the
sensitive issue of reservation. You know what happened in the country
over the issue in the past," commission chairman P.L. Punia, a former
chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, told The Telegraph today.

"A number of voluntary organisations approached me voicing concern
that the film's spirit was against reservation. It may cause social
unrest. They have formally sent applications to the commission and I
have taken cognisance of those," Punia, now a Congress MP from
Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, added.

The comment came a day after Jha issued a statement in Mumbai saying
he wouldn't allow a special screening of the film for the commission.
Tomorrow, some more organisations may approach with a request to
screen the film for them, he said. "Let the Censor Board decide
whether my film is damaging in any sense. I won't let it be censored
by self-appointed censors."

The maker of Rajneeti, however, said if there were any issues about
the upcoming film, he would clarify them for the commission.

The controversy comes months before elections are due in Uttar
Pradesh. Observers said the film could open new wounds in a state
whose 3.2 crore Dalits account for a sizeable chunk of the population
but occupy the lowest position in the social structure and face
constant discrimination.

Some politicians, mainly from the Congress, said if reservation
sentiments were resurrected before the polls next year, it could lead
to polarisation of votes along caste lines at a time party MP Rahul
Gandhi was focusing on development.

Old-timers recalled the storm the Mandal Commission recommendations
had unleashed in the eighties and the image of an anti-reservation
student leader in flames.

Leaders of Dalit chief minister Mayavati's BSP and the opposition
Samajwadi Party refused comment.

Another of Jha's hard-hitting films, Aarakshan is a high-voltage,
socio-political drama based on caste-based reservations in government
jobs and educational institutions.

Apart from Saif, a dairy owner who applies for the job of a professor,
the film features Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.


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[ZESTCaste] Dalit theology in the twenty-first century: discordant voices, discerning pathways Edited by Sathianathan Clarke and others, Oxford,

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110715/jsp/opinion/story_14235714.jsp

IN BRIEF
CHANGE FROM BELOW

Dalit theology in the twenty-first century: discordant voices,
discerning pathways Edited by Sathianathan Clarke and others, Oxford,
Rs 745

This book is a collection of essays on various aspects of Dalit
theology, especially among Christian Dalits. The uninitiated reader
will immediately stumble on the phrase, 'Christian Dalits'. The term,
Dalit, has grown out of a protest movement directed at the domination
of upper caste Hinduism. Many of those belonging to the lower castes,
Dalits, decided to convert to other religions that do not recognize
caste. Christianity is one such religion. Thus the question: having
converted to Christianity, can a person be marked by a caste status?
The editors write very self-consciously in the introduction,
"Conscious of the fact that the Indian Christian community is
predominantly Dalit and thus, historically, geographically, socially,
economically, and culturally entwined with the lived reality of Dalits
from other religious communities, this volume collects and promotes a
Dalit-based, Dalit-focused, and Dalit-committed set of world visions
that represent some features of 21st century theological optics and
options.'' This volume straddles two different identities — a caste
identity as the emphasis on Dalits in the quotation above makes
evident; and a religious identity based on a religion that explicitly
denies caste. This is indicative of a major churning within Indian
society, a process that is completely refashioning it. This volume
reflects that transformation and the ways in which a faith is trying
to come to terms with it. This is not an easy book to read. But it is
an enriching one.


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[ZESTCaste] Nepal: Social equality

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Social+equality&NewsID=295536

Social equality

The path to economic prosperity

Added At: 2011-07-14 9:51 PM

Last Updated At: 2011-07-14 9:51 PM

The Himalayan Times - Saved Articles(s)

DR. KAMAL RAJ DHUNGEL

The government has been implementing a number of programs against
caste and gender discrimination for more than a decade. The
effectiveness of these programs is evident in the villages where
discrimination is high

During my visit to a few villages of Sarlahi district last year, I
noticed Yadavs as the majority population. The Yadavs are normally
more sensitive as regards their traditions and customs. The villages
feature in both the economic and social discrimination chart across
different castes. However, social discrimination is much more intense
than economic inequality, with a deeply-rooted caste system. The
people of the lower caste are particularly known as Dalits or
untouchables. Most of them work on the land that belongs to the upper
caste villagers, either on wages or on lease. This way they share the
crops with the landowners, and make a living. This tradition is found
all over the country. Even after the implementation of the relevant
law, the Dalits are not allowed to participate in any social
activities. I experienced one peculiar and amazing event when I was in
Sisautia VDC. A woman of about 50 bowed in front of me, and then held
my feet and put her head on it. I was too startled to understand the
peculiar gesture. On being asked for her action, she said that it was
the tradition of greeting new people in the village.

Gender bias is more extreme. Females between the age of 12 and 35
cover their faces by a cloth similar to women in the Muslim community.
This is a widespread practice. Moreover, the women of this age group
are not allowed to go outside their houses. At their most productive
age, they remain idle. If a girl of this community attends school, she
would most likely lose her social status. But, on the contrary, boys
are admitted to schools from all the households of the upper caste.

Despite the traditional impact, the economic status of both Dalits and
non-Dalits is changing gradully. Dalits who had worked as agricultural
labor for the upper class for a nominal wage now work in the
transportation, private and public offices, and the industrial sector.
Even in agriculture, they cultivate a variety of crops by leasing the
land of the upper class on a crop-sharing basis. This transformation
has improved the price of their labor, from their traditional pattern
of nominal wage rate to crop-sharing. This is because of the
opportunities that have enhanced the bargaining power of agricultural
laborers. Unlike the economic status of lower caste people, the social
status has not yet improved. Until their social status is restored,
the economic status alone cannot bring them dignity, respect, status
and empowerment in the society.

On my other visit to a few villages of Sindhupalchowk district, I
witnessed equal economic status of the villagers irrespective of the
caste they belonged to. There is no wide income gap between rich and
poor. Higher inequality exists because of the highly skewed
land-holding patterns, educational level, skill development training,
opportunities etc. In such s case, there exists fewer social problems.
Dalits themselves have reported that their social well-being has
improved even faster than their material well-being. And,, their
social respect and dignity is rising. There is no discrimination. The
children of the Dalit households also attend school. A goldsmith,
locally known as "Kami", has reported that they have respect, dignity,
and social status in the community as the upper class people have.
But, there is no practice of Dalit girls marrying boys from the upper
caste.

In recent years, the upper caste people have accepted the view that
caste discrimination is outdated and illegal. People of the higher
caste respect the lower caste members, and sit and have meals
together, something unimaginable even a decade back. The Dalits can
participate in any event, whether it is religious, social, economic or
political occasion. People of the upper caste frequently participate
in funeral processions of the lower caste. The gap between male and
female discrimination has narrowed down to the minimum over the years.
The girls of school-age of both Dalit and non-Dalit families are
admitted to school along with their counterparts.

Though it is very early to generalize my experience, it at least
indicates that the social status of women and Dalits in the hills is
improving over time, in comparison to that of in the Terai. Social
equality is more marked and noticeable in the hills than in the
plains. Women in the hills are equally treated at work. Opportunities,
political activities and empowerment in decision-making either in
household matterd or related issues have equal status of the women.
Nowadays, women and Dalit participation has become vital in economic,
political and social activities. But, in the Terai, women and Dalit
participation in these activities is still disappointing. The
tradition of dowry system is one of the worst. Many women are
punished, tortured and even put to death for inadequate dowry.

The government has been implementing a number of programs against
caste and gender discrimination for more than a decade. The
effectiveness of these programs is evident in the villages where
discrimination is high. It is high time that the government weighs the
effectiveness and improve programs in the areas of low effectiveness

kamal.raj.dhungel@gmail.com


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[ZESTCaste] Dalit youth roughed up by caste Hindu students

 

http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/dalit-youth-roughed-up-by-caste-hindu-students/294269.html

Dalit youth roughed up by caste Hindu students
Prince Jebakumar

Express News Service
Last Updated : 15 Jul 2011 10:23:20 AM IST

MADURAI: A Dalit youth from Melur was recently roughed up and attacked
in public by fellow college students when he tried to square off an
altercation over the playing of songs between caste Hindu students and
Dalits.

Selvam, a Dalit from Indra Nagar of Manapatti village in Kottampatti,
is a third-year DEEE student of a college in Sivaganga. To get to his
college, he has to commute to Melur to take a connecting bus. On
Tuesday, students from a caste Hindu community started playing songs
relating to their community leader. Not to be left behind, Dalit
students began playing some songs simultaneously on their mobile
phones. The resulting cacophony attracted the wrath of the bus
conductor, who scolded them.

According to eyewitnesses, Selvam tried to pacify friends from his
community and asked them to stop playing songs. But, he was
intercepted by caste Hindu students and an altercation followed.

When the bus reached Melur, a group comprising caste Hindus, which had
been told to gather by those inside the bus, roughed up Selvam.

The following day, the caste Hindus openly discussed in the bus
tackling Selvam if he voiced a protest against the playing of songs.
The Dalit youth was soon forced to alight at a bus stop, roughly 2 km
ahead of Melur, and was attacked by the caste Hindu students in
public. He was stripped of his shirt and suffered internal injuries.

Later, Selvam lodged a complaint with the Kottampatti police and was
admitted to the GH in Melur.

Anand, EDof Equal Rights, an NGO, demanded a case to be registered
under Section 3 (1) (3) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

When contacted, Superintendent of Police Asra Garg said the complaint
and a counter-complaint were received and investigations were on.

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[ZESTCaste] Hope for India's Dalits

 

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=1387808

Hope for India's Dalits
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 7/17/2011 3:35:00 AMBookmark and Share

K.P. YohannanGospel for Asia (GFA) founder K.P. Yohannan has written a
new book called No Longer a Slumdog. The title is a spin-off of the
2008 movie, Slumdog Millionaire, which is about children who are
kidnapped or taken off the streets of Mumbai, India, for human
trafficking. Some of their owners even blind or maim them so that they
can turn them into beggars and enslave them for life.

Yohannan tells OneNewsNow the Dalits of India are heavily affected by
this practice.

Book cover - No Longer a Slumdog - by K.P. Yohannan"We realize there
are 162 million child laborers and 15 million born to child laborers,
and they are the kind of slumdogs, the least and the lost and the
dying, and these are the children," he laments.

His book recounts the story of hundreds of children found and rescued
by Gospel for Asia. Yohannan uses No Longer a Slumdog to tell what God
is doing for and through the Dalits, who are known as the
"untouchables" in India's traditional caste system.

"In the New Testament, we find God is a God who is so concerned about
the suffering and the needy to the extent Jesus said, 'What you did
not do for the least of these' -- clothing and giving food and giving
shelter -- 'you did not do it for me,'" the GFA founder references
(Matthew 25:45). "So particularly, I think God's heart is very, very
concerned for the children who are helpless."

He concludes that the problem in nations like India is the absence of
the living God. However, he notes, many rural villagers are now
opening their hearts to God.

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[ZESTCaste] Maoist ideologue Kobad Gandhy speaks from Tihar

 

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/176762/maoist-ideologue-kobad-gandhy-speaks.html

Maoist ideologue Kobad Gandhy speaks from Tihar
New Delhi, July 16 (IANS)

A petite Mumbaikar, Anuradha Shanbag, captured the fancy of a tall,
lanky, bespectacled young man, who had returned to Mumbai from London
after a stay in jail.

The man was an affluent Parsi youth, Kobad Gandhy, an alumnus of
Mumbai's St Xavier's College. The two married in 1977 and 'Anu', as
Shanbag was called, became Gandhy's wife of 35 years, until she died
of sclerosis.

"Anuradha's simplicity and total lack of ego or arrogance and her
innate attitude to see all others as her equal drew her to the issue
of caste in her early college days," the jailed Maoist ideologue
Gandhy reminisces in the book, "Hello, Bastar", by journalist-writer
Rahul Pandita. The release of the book coincides with the third death
anniversary of Gandhy's wife.

Anuradha began "studying the caste/Dalit question at a time when the
issue was an anathema to most shades of communists and by 1980 she had
presented extensive analytical articles," Gandhy says in an essay,
"Comrade Anuradha Gandhy and the Idea of India". The essay is one of
the 11 chapters in the book.

It was written by Gandhy in April from his cell in the Tihar Jail
here. He was arrested in 2009. The 63-year-old leader headed the South
Western regional bureau of the Communist Party of India-Maoist before
his arrest.

The essay is a tribute to his wife, who had sown the idea of a perfect
India into his head, early in life with her pro-Dalit and pro-poor
outlook.

The Mumbai girl inspired Gandhy into Maoist ideology and to work on
the ground in states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and
Maharashtra.

"It is an occasion to remember her monumental contribution to the
understanding of caste, the Dalit question in India and the
significance of its resolution for the democratisation of individuals
and with it the society. In a society, where a small percentage of
people consider themselves superior to others due to birth, there can
be no democratic consciousness," Gandhy writes.

Gandhy explains the plight of the Dalits in 21st century India with an example.
In Chief Minister Mayawati-ruled Uttar Pradesh, a 16-year-old Dalit
girl was attacked by three upper caste youths Feb 5... They dragged
her away in an attempt to rape her; but when she resisted and shouted
for help, they chopped off her ears, part of her hands and injured her
face, the Maoist leader says.

This single incident brings out three facts, Gandhy says.

"First: the intolerance to any form of Dalit assertion, even if it is
an assertion to resist rape. Second: the impunity with which Dalits
can be attacked even in a state ruled by a Dalit leader which stems
from the confidence that the state will not touch the culprits. And
third: it brings out the arrogance of the upper caste youngsters,"
Gandhy says in the book.

Gandhy argues: "Major sections are seen as inferior (and nearly 20
percent people treated as untouchable), merely due to birth results.
It is a society that is hierarchical, not democratic."

"Caste consciousness supersedes national consciousness, identity,
loyalty - and everything," Gandhy says.

Gandhy attributes his wife's fiercely independent thinking as a great
help to a rational understanding of events, people and issues. "There
was no other person with whom I have had as vehement debates. This
normally brought a balance to my often one-sided views," he says.

Anecdotes such as these abound in the book, which weaves the story of
Maoist insurgency in Chhattisgarh's Bastar.

The book comprises accounts, interviews and analyses based on
reportage by Pandita for over a decade. The writer traces the growth
of Maoist insurgency in Bastar in the context of the greater Left
insurrection movements in south and central India.

"I have been going to Bastar since 1998 as a young reporter. In the
course of my visits, I got an idea that it would turn out to be one of
India's biggest internal security threats," Pandita told IANS.

He said: "The problem has become very big because of the policies of New Delhi."
"The thin line between the ordinary tribal and the Maoist has blurred.
They have more weapons to attack the paramilitary forces and more
support in the villages. The focus of Left insurgency has also shifted
from traditional hotbeds of Bihar and Jharkhand to the Andhra
Pradesh-Orissa border and Bastar," the writer said.

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