The country by definition belongs even to the Hindus (including the dalits)
I am not sure whther Dalits constitute ONLY Hindus or not. There could be Hindus; as they could be christians, muslims, sikh, buddhist. This is against a Gandhian way of looking at Dalits as 'harijans'. harijan can be only a hindu, but not a Dalit. In fact, taking strong polemical cues from Ialiah, Dalits may prefer to say "Why we are not Hindus" ! and this nation hardly belongs to Dalits. I think ambedkar said that Dalits have no motherland or nation.. and who were the people killed in Orissa? and why some Bishop in kerala said that Khandmal is a minor issue compared to the text book controversy? the minority issue can't be seen in isolation. even in Maharashtra, why only Biharis and Upites are constructed as "outsiders" and not rich caste hindu Gujaratis, and Settus.. and abt DAlit cause: Dalit emancipation and the fight agaisnt caste system emancipate not only the DAlit but also others as well icluding the brahmin from the bondage of caste. The brahmin bz of their high position in the power structure enjoys the bondage and may not want to get rid of it. Valerian Rodrigues' Essential Writings of ambedkar carries a small chapter on the representation of minorities.. (OUP) I think Dalits are a minority community in India (a new religion in the making), though its claims for it has not been accede to. They are bound to be alive t oserve the caste Hindu as "slaves". however, the comparison that who is worst than worse may not help the cause. As u can see anti-DAlit sentiments among muslims/christians/parsies (ambedkar;s autobiographical notes) and strong anti-muslim/christians sentiments among Hindu SCs ( i m deliberately not using the term Dalit here, as i think as a theoretical field DAlit can't encompass such an anti-minority position and it is against the very political/cultural potential it inherit) the issue of Othering of minority communities has to be seen in the context of internal hindu colonisation and the attempt to mask the anti-Brahmin/anti-caste movements/Dalit movements in the country against it. At the surface level it may appear to be between Hindu vs Muslim (as in gujrat) or hindu vs christian (as in orissa), but a deeper interrogation may unearth an altogether differnt story. but we need to have the guts to see that side as well. why should one return to ambedkar? for me it should be to think beyond him. and one should be cautious not to take the route of "postcolonial orientalism" practised by many a post colonial thinkers which eulogises the orientalist glory againt a colonial past and refuses to see the diverse terrains that struggled(s) against this "golden orient" --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
