As an atheist in Modi’s India, I have decided, now, however, to become Christian, a political Christian. Contra Bertrand Russell, I am writing an essay called ‘Why I am a Christian.’ As I see pastors being beaten every day, ramshackle churches destroyed, Dalit and Adivasi Christians (and these communities form the bulk of Christians in […]
‘Dharma’ of Mahabharata, is nothing more than a Brahminical construction, where the lower caste characters are fitted to ‘brahmin-wash’/ “hindu-wash” them. To obliterate the blatant caste discrimination and ferocity with which it is practiced, ‘Dharma’ is the ethical ‘veneer’, a modality to justify the essential naturalization of caste divisions, argues Abhik (Mohd.Uzair). Savarna liberal academics have always […]
On 14th October, about 30,000 people in over 1000 villages of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka participated in a symbolic protest to commemorate Hathras “Bhim Kanya” — a Dalit girl allegedly raped and murdered by the upper-caste […]
One of the self-aggrandizing popular discourse among the elite Bengali bhadralok is that Bengal is ‘casteless’ and ‘exceptional’ compared to other states regarding the caste question. It is not quite civil enough to bring up the talk about caste issues in the polite urban conversation in a tea shop or coffee house which is deemed […]
কী উত্তরবঙ্গ, কী সুন্দরবন বা জঙ্গলমহলে বনাধিকার আইনের সার্থক প্রয়োগ, বনবাসীদের উচ্ছেদের কেন্দ্রীয় ও আইনি চক্রান্ত্রের বিরোধিতা, পরিবেশ, জীববৈচিত্র্য রাজ্যের রাজনৈতিক দলগুলির ইস্তাহারে স্থান পায় না। অতঃপর বনবাসীদের বুঝটা তাদেরই বুঝে নিতে হবে। বুঝিয়েও দিতে হবে। লিখছেন দেবাশিস আইচ। ভারতের বনাঞ্চলে ব্রিটিশ শাসন ফিরিয়ে আনতে তৎপর মোদি সরকার। নয়া মোড়কে মুড়ে ঔপনিবেশিক আইনের […]
10th January marks the martyrdom of Bhagwat Jhadhav, the first martyr of the Dalit Panthers Movement, a militant anti-caste struggle that shook Maharashtra during the 70s. Like every year, several anti-caste, cultural organisations and political parties including the Kabir Kala Manch, Samta Kala Manch, Republican Panthers and the Republican Party of India organised meetings in […]
After his release from Saharanpur jail, Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar Azad has spoken out against the BJP and has appealed to everyone in the country not to vote for BJP in 2019 under any circumstances. A GroundXero report. Earlier today, NSA charges against Bhim Army leader Advocate Chandrasekhar Azad Raavan were dropped by the […]
A new choreography by a Chennai-based dancer speaks of caste-oppression and honour killing in Tamil Nadu, addressing the contemporary socio-political issue in a straightforward manner. How severe is the truth underlying the content of this work? Madhushree Teenda Teenda In travel advertisements, the image of Indian culture is often represented by a smiling Bharatanatyam dancer, […]
Abhishek Bhattacharyya Prof Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd, now Chairman of T-MASS, or ‘Telangana Mass and Social Organizations,’ appears to have put behind him the recent spike in threats to his life, and is very busy with travel and various meetings. I learn from him of a celebration organised here in Hyderabad by KVPS (Kula Vivaksha Vyatireka […]