Latest News Update: Oct 28, 2011

Friday, October 28, 2011

[ZESTCaste] A subversive reading list for self-proclaimed ‘liberals’

http://www.firstpost.com/living/a-subversive-reading-list-for-those-who-think-they-are-liberal-117724.html

A subversive reading list for self-proclaimed 'liberals'

R Jagannathan Oct 27, 2011

The brouhaha over Delhi University's decision to drop AK Ramanujam's
essay on 300 Ramayanas from the reading list of the history syllabus
shows the level to which our collective fear of the unknown and the
subversive has sunk.

In the case of the Ramanujam essay, since the objectors were
right-wing groups, the left has been happy to treat it as a cause
célèbre, when the fact is even "progressives" have done much to
obliterate "other views" of history that it considers unpalatable.
Histories by right-wing historians, Sir Jadunath Sarkar and RC
Majumdar, have been conveniently left out of reading lists for a while
now.

Fear of "poisoning young minds" is thus common to both the illiberal
right and illiberal left. Both are afraid of what unmonitored readings
will do to the young. They assume that students can't think for
themselves.

Fear of unholy literature is not confined to right-wingers or
left-wingers, or to men or women, or to specific caste-groups or
groups.

A left-sponsored petition is now doing the rounds claiming that "to
delete it (the essay) from the syllabus is an act that is deeply
disturbing, an instance of thought policing. Such a measure will only
encourage sectarian groups to try and prevent intellectuals from
expressing their ideas freely."

As columnist Swapan Dasgupta notes, "because some philistines had
objected to the (Ramanujam) essay being in the list of prescribed
texts, the culture war was transformed into a political war. The
'progressive' adherents of 'scientific history' felt obliged to
celebrate the importance of mythology and the folk tradition — which
they otherwise debunk — while the other side despaired of a text that
injected potentially 'blasphemous' and contrarian ideas in
impressionable minds."

But fear of unholy literature is not confined to right-wingers or
left-wingers, or to men or women, or to specific caste-groups or
groups. Almost everyone has some queasiness about some literature or
the other – whether it is Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, or
Taslima Nasrin's Lajja or BR Ambedkar's Riddles in Hinduism.

To be truly liberal we all have to read the things we most fear –
whether it is an erotic tome (like the Kama Sutra) or an
anti-religious polemical work, or something that makes our heroes look
less heroic (Joseph Lelyveld's Great Soul, on Mahatma Gandhi, or James
Laine's Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India).

Here is Firstpost's initial list of literature that will offend
someone or the other. So we issue it with a warning. Read these books
and essays only if you are a true liberal. In fact, genuine lovers of
academic freedom will know that all these are important texts, even if
one does not agree with what they say.

In the list of books that critique religions or religious groups,
Babasaheb Ambedkar's Riddles in Hinduism and Annihilation of Caste are
classics. They could offend upper caste groups. Also in this polemical
category is Kancha Ilaiah's Why I am not a Hindu.

But Arun Shourie's Worshipping False Gods does the opposite – rock the
boat of Ambedkarites by critiquing Ambedkar himself. At one stage it
provoked Dalits hard enough to attack Shourie.

But what may surprise many people is that Ambedkar also wrote Thoughts
on Pakistan, which may offend Muslims for the critical approach it
brings to Islam. More devastating is Ibn Warraq's critique, Why I am
not a Muslim. Warraq is the pseudonym of a Pakistani apostate, and is
thus guaranteed to offend.

If you want more, Sam Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation will shake
up those who profess Christianity. Koenraad Elst's Psychology of
Prophetism: A secular look at the Bible is also a potential cause for
heartburn.

But if you are just a true believer in whatever religion, Richard
Dawkins' The God Delusion and Christopher Hitchens' God is not Great
are must reads. This is just in case you are willing to see your faith
rocked.

The left should read Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, and on Mao,
The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression. They will
learn that Stalin and Mao were no less criminals than Hitler.

In the gender wars, Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex and Germaine
Greer's The Female Eunuch are in a class of their own. All men should
read them. But women should also read The Skeptical Feminist, by Janet
Radcliffe Richards. It is a useful antidote in case you don't feel all
that feminist.

This is by no means an exhaustive list for testing the limits to your
liberalism. But it's a place to start.

------------------------------------

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[ZESTCaste] LDF walkout over suicide of Dalit youth

http://zeenews.india.com/news/kerala/ldf-walkout-over-suicide-of-dalit-youth_738524.html

LDF walkout over suicide of Dalit youth
Last Updated: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 13:39

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI(M)-led LDF opposition in Kerala on
Thursday staged a walkout in the Assembly, accusing the UDF government
of taking lightly the alleged suicide of a Dalit youth who is
suspected to have killed himself after being detained by the police.

Leading his colleagues out of the House after the Speaker's rejection
of the adjournment notice on the issue, deputy opposition leader
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said marginalised communities in the state are
living "with a sense of insecurity as they failed to receive justice
from law enforcers".

Responding to the Opposition's adjournment notice, Chief Minister
Oomen Chandy said the body of the 23-year-old youth Sinu was found
hanging in his house yesterday. The previous night, he was taken into
custody by police from the roadside for allegedly creating scenes
after consuming alcohol, he said.

He was let off the same night after medical examination, which
confirmed the charge against him, Chandy said.

Following the alleged suicide, the Sub-Inspector and Assistant
Sub-Inspector of Vithura police station were placed under suspension
last night and a case for unnatural death had been registered, Chandy
said.

Pressing for adjournment over the issue, Koliyakkode Krishnan Nair
(CPI-M) sought to know as to why the Government was reluctant to
register a case against the police officers allegedly responsible for
the death of the youth.

Speaker G Karthikeyan turned down the opposition plea for an
adjournment over the issue in the light of the Chief Minister's reply.

Following the incident, Vithura, about 30 km from here, and the
adjoining areas remained tense yesterday with local people blocking
the road traffic and enforcing an hartal in protest over the incident.

PTI

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[ZESTCaste] Jairam’s letter on MNREGS politically motivated: Mayawati

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/jairams-letter-on-mnregs-politically-motivated-mayawati-118219.html

Jairam's letter on MNREGS politically motivated: Mayawati

Oct 28, 2011

Lucknow: Hitting back at the Centre, UP Chief Minister Mayawati today
wrote a letter to the Prime Minister stating that Union Minister
Jairam Ramesh's allegations on implementation of MNREGS in the state
were "politically motivated".

She accused Ramesh of having a pre-conceived agenda and arriving at
conclusions without taking cognisance of steps taken by her
government.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. PTI

"The minister, through his letter, attempted to score political points
by alleging misuse of funds by UP. The letter was released to the
media much before it was received here confirming the intentions of
the minister", Mayawati said in the letter.

Ramesh had accused the Mayawati government of "continuing inaction" in
instances of "grave irregularities" in the implementation of the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Ramesh had pointed out that as many
as 22 reports of National Level Monitors (NLMs), which brought out
serious violations of funds, were pending for action from the state
government.

On withholding release of funds under MNREGS, Mayawati said funds
released by Centre were not a largess but form a part of the revenue
sharing mechanism under federal system.

"It would be appropriate, if the minister is apprised of the
Centre-state fiscal arrangements provided in our Constitution. It is
obvious that Ramesh has a pre-conceived agenda and has arrived at the
conclusions without taking any cognisance of the steps taken by state
government", she said.

About allegation regarding inaction of state on NLM, Mayawati said
that of 67 reports received since inception of the scheme, 49 reports
have already submitted.

About the seven district mentioned in the minister's letter, Mayawati
said proceeding have been initiated against six Chief Development
Officers (CDO), seven project directors, 28 block development officers
besides other.

In her letter, which was briefed to reporters by Cabinet Secretary
Shashank Shekhar Singh at a press conference here, Mayawati also gave
details of action against those involved in case of MNREGS
irregularities and state's achievements.

The Chief Minister alleged that the Union minister has deliberately
sought to generalise his subjective impressions formed during his
interactions with on NGO, which is working in Chitrakoot.

"He (Minister) has tried to make sweeping generalisations from certain
findings with respect to only seven districts conveniently forgetting
that UP has 75 districts," she said.

Terming the minister's view on release of funds to UP as "distinct
signs of colonial hangover", Mayawati said that he seems to think that
Central grants for sponsored programmes are discretions he bestowed on
the state.

Taking objection over drawing a parallel of MNREGS with NRHM, the
Chief Minister said the minister has shown blatant disregard of "rules
of business" by doing so as NRHM has not connection, whatsoever, with
his ministry.

Mayawati said she had also directed the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) to
probe into alleged irregularities to initiate action against those
guilty.

She also requested the Prime Minister to ensure timely release of
funds to the state to facilitate continued implementation of MNREGS in
the state.

Asked about the possibilities of a CBI probe into the matter, Shekhar
said that it was not needed as the minister's letter was general and
not specific.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal and state Congress
committee demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

"If Mayawati feels, that letter is politically motivated why is she
shying away from a CBI probe. She should come clean by ordering a
probe", Jaiswal said.

PTI

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[ZESTCaste] In India, Once-Marginalized Now Memorialized

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/27/141775668/in-india-once-marginalized-now-memorialized

In India, Once-Marginalized Now Memorialized

by Corey Flintoff

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approx.
9:00 a.m. ET

Stone elephants line a newly inaugurated park dedicated to Dalit, or
lower caste, leaders in a suburb of New Delhi, India. Mayawati, a
politician known as the "Dalit queen," says previous governments did
nothing to honor the leaders who fought for Dalit rights.
Enlarge Pankaj Nangia/AP

text size A A A
October 28, 2011

In India, a land of ancient monuments, people are talking about a
newly built monument for the nation's most marginalized people.

It's a memorial to India's Dalits, the people once called
"untouchables," and it was built by the country's most powerful Dalit
politician.

The Indian monument best known to Westerners is the Taj Mahal, but the
country is bejeweled with magnificent temples and palaces, built by
whoever happened to be ruling India at any given time.
Related NPR Story
Uttar Pradesh state Chief Minister Mayawati waves after being
presented a garland made of money
'Queen' Of Poor Flaunts Riches

Opulence on display at a political rally seems to have gone too far,
even by Mayawati's standards.

This latest monument continues that tradition: It's a colossal domed
building carved from pink sandstone.

It sits in a park across the river from the Indian capital, New Delhi,
and is flanked by 24 life-sized statues of elephants, with their
trunks raised in a gesture of welcome.

The elephant is the symbol of the Bahujan Samaj Party, and this
memorial is very much a project of the BSP and its leader, the Dalit
politician known simply as Mayawati.

"[The monument] almost takes you back to antiquity and the old,
medieval days and ancient days where the emperors used to build these
things," says journalist Ajoy Bose, the author of a biography of
Mayawati.

Bose says the memorial is calculated to do for her just what the
monuments of old did for the emperors: to simultaneously flaunt and
preserve her power.

Criticism For The Lavish Memorial
Mayawati, chief minister of the northern Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh, gestures as she prepares to open the newly built Dalit
memorial on the outskirts of New Delhi on Oct. 14.
Enlarge STR/AFP/Getty Images

Mayawati, chief minister of the northern Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh, gestures as she prepares to open the newly built Dalit
memorial on the outskirts of New Delhi on Oct. 14.

On the day of its dedication earlier this month, the plaza was
thronged with BSP members, chanting slogans as they waited for the
woman who is known to some as "the Dalit queen."

Mayawati is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, one of India's
largest and poorest states, so the monument's price tag of more than
$150 million has raised significant criticism — not least for the fact
that the pink dome houses three giant statues of BSP leaders,
including one of Mayawati herself.

She is portrayed in bronze, at least three times life size, toting her
trademark handbag.

There are other statues of her in the park, and many more scattered
around Uttar Pradesh, especially in the state capital, Lucknow.

In her dedication speech, Mayawati flung a defiant answer to those who
say this is extravagance, and that it's spending public money on
partisan symbols.

Previous governments, she says, did nothing to honor the leaders who
fought for Dalit rights, so it was up to the BSP to do it.

Giving The Dalits Heroes They Never Had

Bose says the statues that Mayawati is so proud of have a special
resonance for Dalits, the people once regarded as untouchable.

"They were not allowed to go into temples, so they never had their own
icons, their own totems, their own gods and goddesses," he says.

Bose says Mayawati's buildings and statues help supply the Dalits with
the imagery of themselves and their heroes that they never had,
shrewdly including herself in the pantheon.

"That is going to be a lasting legacy that has been created for the
Dalits, so it's a matter of great pride for the Dalits," Bose says.

That pride, he says, is more important to the lowest people on the
caste ladder than any other social benefits that Mayawati's government
could provide for them, including health and education.

Mayawati's main political rival in Uttar Pradesh has vowed to pull
down her statues if he's elected, but Bose says that threat may just
galvanize her supporters.

"She is almost challenging anybody to come and, you know, to break her
statues if she ever goes out of power," Bose says. "For their
community, it's so important that she stays in power, so that these
statues are protected."

Mayawati makes no secret of the fact that she would like to cross the
Yamuna River, which separates her fiefdom from the national capital in
New Delhi, to be elected the first Dalit prime minister.

In her speech at the memorial, she taunted the opposition, saying
Dalits and other members of lower castes would never vote for anyone
else.

------------------------------------

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[ZESTCaste] Namakkal village tense after clash; 5 arrested

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/namakkal-village-tense-after-clash-5-arrested/196824-60-118.html

Tamil Nadu | Posted on Oct 28, 2011 at 09:12am IST
Namakkal village tense after clash; 5 arrested
indianexpress Express News Service , The New Indian Express

NAMAKKAL: Tension gripped Pottireddipatti village near here after some
persons were injured in a group clash. Five persons were arrested in
connection with the incident, while a search is on for three others,
police said on Thursday.

According to police sources, the incident was sparked off after a
group of persons from Ambedkar Nagar area in Pottireddipatty village
manhandled a youth from another community. Soon, another group made a
retialiatory strike, injuring a few of them. However, the persons who
were injured in the clash and subsequently admitted to the Government
Hospital, alleged that they were attacked due to political rivalry in
the recent civic body polls. As per a complaint lodged by Murugesan of
Ambedkar Nagar, a group barged into their area on Wednesday evening
and attacked them, besides pelting stones.

Tension prevailed in the area following the incident and a large posse
of policemen were deployed to avert any flare up. The arrested persons
were identified as G Velmurugan (23), R Senthil (38), S Karthick (21),
R Satheesh (19) and K Prasadh (21). DSP K S Subramaniam told Express,
"They were booked under various sections of the SC/ST Atrocities
Prevention Act and IPC based on Murugesan's complaint."

On Thursday, SP Pravesh Kumar and Additional SP T P Suresh Kumar and
others, visited the area to take stock of the situation.

------------------------------------

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[ZESTCaste] Student charged with circulating poster to slap case on JNU

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/student-charged-with-circulating-poster-to-slap-case-on-jnu/878096.html

Student charged with circulating poster to slap case on JNU
PTI | 09:10 PM,Oct 27,2011

New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) A JNU student, who was issued a showcause
notice for circulating a religiously "offensive" poster on the campus,
is planning to slap a legal case on the varsity, even as he was given
three more days to reply to the notice. Jitendra Yadav, a Phd student
of Center of Indian Languages and president of All India Backward
Students Forum (AIBSF), said today that the poster in contention did
not bear his signatures and he could not be held responsible for
circulating them. The notice had said that Yadav had been found guilty
of releasing an "offensive" poster depicting a deity "in a derogatory
manner" that led to violent incidents. Members of the AIBSF and Akhil
Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had clashed earlier this month
over posters that were found "hurtful" by a section of students. The
posters were circulated by students of the AIBSF, based on an article
in the Forward Press magazine about the 'Dalit viewpoint on
Durga-Mahishasura'. "I am seeking legal advice on the issue and I plan
to file a case against the University, especially against the Proctor,
who has issued notice to me. It was the organisation that had
circulated the poster and they cannot single me out," he said. Yadav,
who was given time till today to reply to the notice, meanwhile, asked
for more time from the administration, which granted it three more
days. The AIBF and United Dalit Students Forum (UDSF) condemned the
showcause notice issued to Yadav and threatened to launch a protest if
the University punishes him. The groups said in a statement that the
University was acting with "an intention of revenge" against them and
demanded that a fresh inquiry be conducted into the incident with
representatives of all student bodies like AISA, SFI, SFR and NSUI
included in the panel. The Forward Press magazine meanwhile defended
its article 'Kiski Puja Kar Rahe Hai Bahujan?', that was published in
its October edition, saying allegations that it has elements that show
disregard to Goddess Durga were undesirable. "'Forward Press' mainly
emphasises on the evident and new facts that prove India's oppressed
Bahujan society's history, culture and tradition," said its editor
Pramod Ranjan in a statement.