The walls still keeping untouchables out | ||||
What do many higher castes Hindus in parts of India's Tamil Nadu state still not share with the Dalits, formerly known as untouchables? They insist on separate glasses for drinking tea and they do not allow the untouchables to go to the same barber shops. They ban them from temples, cremation grounds and river bathing points, among other examples. All this in a state that prides itself on being one of the most politically progressive and educationally advanced parts of the country. But studies have found at least 45 different forms of "untouchability" being practised by upper caste Hindus against the Dalits in Tamil Nadu. Social liability So a recent news item about a wall segregating local higher caste Hindus residents from their Dalit counterparts in Uthapuram village in Madurai district barely 600km (350 miles) from the state capital Madras (Chennai) didn't exactly come as a surprise. The higher caste Hindu residents say they won permission for the wall after inter-caste violence in the late 1980s. The wall kept Dalit people out of the main parts of the village. Dalits comprise the majority of residents in Uthapuram and most of them are not badly off either. The authorities demolished part of the wall following an order from the state government to allow Dalits to go where they wanted in the village. Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi himself announced the decision in the state assembly.
About 800 higher caste Hindus are reported to have decided to leave the village and seek refuge on a nearby hillock in protest against the decision. So does the decision of the authorities to back the demolition of the wall mark a turning point for the Dalits in Tamil Nadu? Ravi Kumar, a leading Dalit intellectual, is doubtful. "I don't expect this to galvanise the Dalits for you don't have such walls elsewhere. The fight against other forms of untouchability would prove far tougher." Dalits or the Scheduled Castes, the official name for the lowest castes, constitute roughly 19% of the Tamil Nadu's 62.4 million people. They can swing election results by voting together for one candidate or a party. Raw deal Still they continue to receive a raw deal. Economically their lot has improved in recent years, but they continue to languish at the lower end of the income scale. They have their constitutional quota of members in the state legislature. They also have a couple of ministers in the cabinet. But the Dalit ministers have to content themselves with relatively unimportant portfolios. But this isn't just about discrimination within Hinduism. More than 60% of Christians in Tamil Nadu are Dalits - most converted hoping to find more freedom. But they still have very little voice and are largely shunned in the church. They again find themselves humiliated, with separate pews, services, churches, corteges, enclosures in cemeteries and so on.
Recently a tentative effort was made in a village called Erayur to integrate the Dalits in all the services. But a group of Christians protested and threatened to go back to Hinduism if the Catholic church went ahead with its initiatives. The diocese had to back down. Right now it is trying to persuade the protesting group to re-open the church they had locked in the first flush of the protest. But they appear want an undertaking that the church would not do anything to "hurt" their sentiments. "It is all unfortunate, but then bishops cannot go beyond a point in pushing the integration agenda," says Father Vincent Chinnadurai, chairman of the State Minorities Commission which advises the Tamil Nadu government on how to improve minority rights. "The congealed mindset takes a pretty long time to come to terms with the realities of the modern world." Clearly it is going to be a pretty long haul for the untouchables - Hindu or Christian - in one of India's most developed states. | ||||
Monday, May 19, 2008
The wall
Denied justice, Dalit woman strips in public
Balwant Garg // The Times of India // 20 May 2008, 0320 hrs IST,
MOGA: So traumatized was a Dalit woman by the police's refusal to lodge a case of rape against her tormentors, that she had to strip naked in protest in the middle of the national highway here on Monday.
And as passers-by stared at her in stunned silence, she vented her anger on the cops. The woman said if this is what a woman must do for justice, it is shameful for the authorities.
The Joginder Singh Chowk on Ferozepur-Ludhiana highway, where this woman protested, is just a few yards from the police station, but it still took cops 20 minutes to reach the spot and arrest her - even as traffic policemen remained mute spectators.
This time, she kept abusing the police, besides bringing the traffic to a halt. Ironically, despite taking so much time, when a team of Moga police reached the spot, there was no woman constable to handle her.
In the past five days, the 34-year-old woman, a resident of Ghalkalan village of Moga, had requested the police several times to register her complaint against two youths, who had allegedly raped her on May 12.
Despite having submitted a written complaint with the SSP, Moga, no action was taken against the accused.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Dalit boy touches the stars
Shridhar Kamble TIRAVADE/KOLHAPUR: An insolent society would not permit him and his ancestors basic human contact, keeping him in a ghetto outside his village in Kolhapur district for centuries. Fortunately, celestial wonders are devoid of such bias, allowing Dalit boy Shridhar Kamble to have his head in the stars, literally.
Impressed by 17-year-old Shridhar's theory of galaxy evolution, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited the farm labourer's son into their fold as a junior scientist.
"It's a proud moment for all of us. We feel like touching the stars ourselves," say people from the Dalit basti in the dusty Tiravade village as people from neighbouring villages and the media make a beeline to visit Shridhar's tiny mud house.
Shridhar, who has appeared for the HSC exams, took part in a research competition where he submitted a summary paper on galaxy evolution called 'Huge black holes stifle star formation'. This won him a $10,000 scholarship. The doors of Colorado University have also opened for Shridhar to join their Bachelor of Science (Astronomy) course. He will be joining the course in August 2008.
"I always believed that education alone would open the doors of opportunities," says Shridhar's mother Kanchan. "Shridhar was always a bright child and we put in all efforts to give him an education. Today, our efforts have paid off."
In fact, Shridhar had won the young scientist award from the Bhabha Research Institute when in the eighth standard. Since then, astronomy has been his passion.
But the US sojourn will come at a price. "I have to bear the cost of education for the first two years," says Shridhar. "For the third year, NASA will give me a scholarship. For the visa, I need a bank statement showing $45,000 in my parents' account or in the account of a sponsor. We have sold or mortgaged all our belongings as of now."
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Landless Dalit women promptly repay loans
Porayar (TN), Apr 30 (PTI)
Over a 1,000 landless Dalit women agricultural labourers in Nagapattinam district have promptly repaid loans obtained in 2007-08 from the National Scheduled Caste Financial Development Corporation (NSFDC), New Delhi. The 1,015 women handed over Rs 30 lakh to District Collector, Tenkasi, S Jawahar, who in turn provided them land pattas at a function here yesterday.
An acre of land was given to each of the women under the initiative of Gandhian, Krishnammal Jagannathan, who acts as the secretary of Nagapattinam based Land for Tillers Movement (LAFTI).
NSFDC provided Rs 3.34 crore loan to purchase the land. THADCO gave a subsidy of Rs 1.51 crore and the beneficiaries had to repay Rs 1.83 crore. The women repaid Rs 30 lakh in July 2007 and another Rs 30 lakh yesterday.
Of the Rs 60 lakh paid so far, 100 women have fully repaid loans and got pattas from the Collector. Others have partially repaid loans and will continue to do so in instalments.
Handing over a cheque for Rs 30 lakh to the Collector, Krishnammal Jagannathan said LAFTI had told the women while they availed of loans that they would have to repay it. On LAFTI's appeal, the government had exempted these women from paying land registration expenses, she said.
The Gandhian leader has helped more than 12,000 Dalit women get one acre of land since 1992.
Receiving the cheque, Jawahar appreciated the honesty of the women in repaying loans. "Agricultural labourers have now become land owners. This is a silent revolution," he said. PTI
6-year-old Dalit girl pushed into bonfire
Bhupendra Pandey // The Hindustan Times // Mathura, May 01, 2008
A six-year-old Dalit girl was pushed into a bonfire allegedly by a teenager who objected to her passing through a road next to his house in Chhata area of Mathura district on Tuesday evening.
The girl is in a critical condition with 50 per cent burns. She has been admitted to a local hospital. The youth has been arrested.
Kamlesh was with her mother Manju when the incident took place. The girl was running ahead and as she passed Ashok Singh’s house, his son Sunny came out and intercepted her. An altercation followed after which Sunny allegedly pushed Kamlesh, said SSP Mathura R.K. Chaturvedi.
Although no one knows yet what the argument was about, police have been told that Sunny scolded Kamlesh for running through the passage next to the house of an upper caste, the SSP said.
The SSP and other officials visited the spot later. Chaturvedi said residents belonging to different castes use that passage everyday and no one has ever objected.
Sunny has been charged with attempt to murder and booked under Sections 3 and 4 of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Protection of Civil Rights) Act.
“We are thinking of taking more serious action against the accused under the Gangsters Act...We want a message to go out so that nobody does such a thing in future,” he said.
The SSP denied the road was meant for upper caste people.
“It is wrong...It is a general road and everybody was moving on it...There were so many women and children going through that road. The road was never obstructed by people and it was an act of an individual,” said Chaturvedi.
Sunny, however, told the police that he had not pushed the girl into the hot ashes and that it was an “accident”.
Giving details about the incident, Chaturvedi said: “Basically, it is an act of an individual. There is no previous history or any background of enmity.”
According to the girl’s father, Soudan, who lodged the police complaint: “My daughter was passing by the house of this youth...He objected to her doing so. When he tried to stop her, she got scared...Then he pushed her into the fire.”
DIG Agra, Kamal Saxena said tight security has been deployed to maintain peace in the area.
With inputs from PTI
MPs’ forum demands land for landless SCs
NEW DELHI: At a meeting of the Scheduled Caste MPs’ Forum here on Tuesday evening, it was decided to take up its demand of land for the growing number of landless Scheduled Caste families with the Prime Minister and the Group of Ministers on SC Affairs. It was decided to submit a memorandum to the government.
The MPs from various parties got together at the residence of Minister of State for Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja to discuss problems of gruelling poverty and social humiliation confronting Dalits even after 60 years after Independence and abolition of untouchability.
Incidents of cruelty
Not a day went without reports of incidents of cruelty against Dalits. And despite job reservation, a large number of reserved positions remained vacant in the government sector, the MPs noted.
Around 35 MPs were present — some came for a while and left before the meeting concluded.
The view was that the forum must unitedly — cutting across party lines — work for the economic and social betterment of Dalits. If they raise their voice together, the forum could help influence government policiy, it was felt.
Several important points were made. While there was no dearth of educated SCs, a large number of reserved positions remained vacant and were later filled by general category candidates. The view was that old prejudices often worked to deny the SCs their constitutional right.
An impassioned plea was also made in favour of rapid urbanisation, for that alone could make a dent on centuries-old prejudices and social practices.
One Minister pointed out that though his entire family was well-educated and financially well-placed, back in his ancestral village in Tamil Nadu, his home was the area marked out for the Dalits. He could not, would not be allowed, to build a home and live next to the so-called caste-Hindus.
That kind of untouchability was difficult to practise in densely-populated urban conglomerations and that was the positive aspect of industrialisation and urbanisation.
“By and large in the villages of India, the Hindu-Aryan system remained firmly entrenched,” he said.
‘Ambedkar misquoted’
It was also pointed out that B.R. Ambedkar was not against reservation for the Backward Classes but that had to be done only after identification of the Other Backward Classes (other than the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) through a commission.
Some BC leaders, it was pointed out, were trying to spread misinformation about Dr. Ambedkar’s views on reservation for Backward Classes.
Dismal conviction rate
The memorandum stated that crimes and violence against the SCs should be seen as crimes against humanity and its genocidal nature should be recognised.
Special courts were needed for speedy disposal of cases. At present the rate of conviction was less than 1 per cent and long delays rendered justice meaningless.
The forum demanded filling up of reserved positions and “exchange” of reserved positions between the SCs and STs.
‘At least 5 acres of land’
Finally, it was noted than landlessness among Dalits was growing. Efforts should be made to give a minimum of five acres of land to each Dalit family and preference should be given to ensure irrigation for these lands.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Ambedkar’s ideology exists in socio-cultural context
Ambedkar’s ideology exists in socio-cultural context
Udayavani / April 28/ 2008 Mangalore, April 27: The ideas and writings of B R Ambedkar provide enough space and political context for most “isms” to exist within the wide canvas of “Ambedkar-ism,” opined Vice-Chancellor of the Karnataka State Open University Vivek Rai on Friday.
He was addressing a gathering of students and teachers of the Mangalore University to mark the 117th birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Rai is of the view that, while followers of Carl Marx, Mao Zedong, Mahatma Gandhi and Ram Manohar Lohia are poles apart, they would all find a resonance of their ideologies in the teachings of Ambedkar. “Can there be an ideology based on the teachings of Ambedkar?” he asked.
Lavishing praise on the leader. Rai said: “The beauty about Ambedkar’s ideology is that it manages to exist within the country’s socio-cultural context.”
He said that Ambedkar’s teachings had social, political, theological, anthropological and even scientific soundness.
Speaking on the issue of Dalit emancipation in the country, Rai said that the greatest impediment to upward mobility of backward castes is globalisation. “Rampant growth of the private sector at the cost of the government sector has led to widespread unemployment among educated Dalit youth,” he said.
Expressing solidarity with the views of Rai, Vice-Chancellor of Mangalore University K.M. Kaveriappa said that both Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar were great freedom fighters. While one fought for political emancipation, the other fought for the social emancipation of the country’s masses. He said that Gandhiji could never fully understand Ambedkar or the suffering of the socially excluded masses of India. “Gandhiji could have understood what it is like being a Dalit only if he was born as one,” he said.
Earlier, Vice-Chancellor of Tumkur University Anantharamaiah said that Ambedkar was always misunderstood as a leader of Dalits in this country. “He was also a scholar in Science, Mathematics, Sociology, Anthropology, Law, Political Science, Literature, the Vedas and Theology,” he said.
