[ZESTCaste] Tribalism
http://www.dailypio neer.com/ columnist1. asp?main_ variable= Columnistfile_name=ashok% 2Fashok133% 2Etxtwriter=ashok Tribalism by Ashok Malik The Gujjars want to be declared a Scheduled Tribe. How, if at all, can this be done? And what does the Constitution and what do past precedents from Rajasthan say? Ashok Malik and Kumar Uttam find the answers They're squatting on train tracks, disrupting traffic and commerce and, by collecting in the heat of the Rajasthan summer, creating a potential health and hygiene crisis for themselves. Yet, the Gujjars are not giving up. While the community leadership has finally agreed to talk to the Rajasthan Government, it is adamant that its basic demand must be met -- Gujjars must be recognised as a Scheduled Tribe (ST). Gujjars, of course, are recognised as one of the Other Backward Classes/ Castes (OBCs) in Rajasthan. Yet, ever since the numerically larger and socially better-off Jats were also given OBC status in the State a few years ago, the Gujjars felt they were being squeezed out. As such, they sought strategic demotion to ST status. This posed two challenges to the Vasundhara Raje Government. First, the Meenas, currently the dominant ST community, certainly did not welcome the idea of more competition for jobs and education seats reserved for STs. Second, the Constitution provides for a well-defined route to identify STs. To bypass that method is impossible. To accept the Gujjars as STs in the face of set benchmarks would be not just illegal, but could open a Pandora's Box. So what can Vasundhara and her Government do? Can the Centre entirely wash its hands of the business? In the beginning To understand the dimensions of the current political stand-off, it is necessary to delve into history. Article 342 of the Constitution empowers the President of India, in consultation with the Governor of the given State, to designate certain tribes or tribal communities (or identifiable groups within these communities) as ST. Following this procedure, the list of STs for Rajasthan was notified by the Government of India in September 1976. Twelve groups were included -- Bhil, Bhil Meena, Damor, Dhanka, Garasia, Kathodi, Kokna, Koli Dhor, Meena, Naikda, Patelia and Seharia. No amendments have been made to Rajasthan's ST list in the past 30 years, since the 1976 notification. Rajasthan provides for 12 per cent reservations for STs. On their part, Scheduled Castes (SCs) have a 16 per cent quota. After the recommendations of the Mandal Commission were put into effect, in the mid-1990s, 21 per cent was earmarked for OBCs. Other numbers are more telling. While there are 12 communities recognised as STs, 59 castes are deemed SCs and 82 castes/ communities make up the OBC category. What does this imply? While population figures for each caste/ community vary extraordinarily, the fact is there is more competition among the OBCs -- about four castes/ communities per one per cent quota -- than among the STs -- one tribe/ tribal community per one per cent quota. As such, if the Gujjars succeed in getting themselves redefined as STs, other OBCs or even SCs are likely to take their cue and demand to be called STs as well. This would make a mockery of how STs are meant to be identified. The tribal template To be successfully considered for ST status, a tribal community has to conform to five sets of characteristics. It has to: Provide indications of primitive/ aboriginal traits in its lifestyle Have a distinctive culture Live in relative geographical isolation Be diffident or shy in contact with the larger community/ society Be backward -- or unprivileged in terms of educational, socio-economic or human indices What happens if a State Government wants to amend its list of STs? For instance, what is the method the Rajasthan Government must adopt if it wants to declare a 13th community as worthy of ST status? Any such proposal must be mooted by the State Government. Next, it must be recommended by the Registrar General of India. The Registrar General also doubles as the Census Commissioner of India. His office is responsible for population enumeration and is the national repository of demographic data. At the third stage, the proposal has to be approved by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. Now the proposal moves into the ambit of the Central Government proper. It is sent for inter-ministerial consultation and discussed by the Union Cabinet. Once the Cabinet approves it, it goes to Parliament in the form of a Bill. After the Bill is passed by both Houses of Parliament, the necessary notification takes place -- and a new community is accorded ST status in the given State. Mindful of the delicate nature of traditional tribal societies, the process of amending or changing a State's ST list gives the local administration comparatively little autonomy. It is easier, for instance, to include new communities in the OBC
[ZESTCaste] Caste Manages Sports
http://www.countercurrents.org/chamaria051007.htm Caste Manages Sports By Amit Chamaria 05 October, 2007 Countercurrents.org Commenting that the games like football and volleyball belong to reserve categories like SCs/STs may sound silly. But if one goes by the conclusions of the Thorat committee's recent report, it is not far from the ground reality. The committee constituted under the chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC), Prof. S. Thorat has recently submitted a comprehensive report on differential and discriminatory treatment being meted out to SCs and STs students by the upper caste people in the country's premier institute like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The report carries details on how SCs and STs students are being given differential treatment in various echelons of the life that include sports too. Certainly, the discrimination against dalits at the level of sports is not a new thing but it has always been kept shrouded. The mythological story of Eklavya, the Adivasi archer with his Brahmin guru Dronacharya has enough evidences of the discrimination against dalits. As per some bits of the story, Guru Dronacharya refuses the request of Eklavya for making a chance of competition with less talented Kshatriya-disciple Arjun. Even the story of Karna, half brother of Pandavas in the epic Mahabharata, is deemed lowborn, echoes similar sound. Undoubtedly, sports are the vital part of life and entail the cultural aspects of society. Many dalit students have been quoted in the thorat's report alleging that they were excluded from the games like basketball and cricket. A bitter reality is that basketball, as a game, has been exclusively domain for the general category students in AIIMS's cultural events, christened as 'PULSE'. The report mentions that only 68 percent SCs / STs students participate in various capacities in the PULSE. Of them, about 80 percent participate as observers and volunteers and only 11 per cent as competitors and 7 percent as representatives in any committee. The reason, reported for the lower participation in the categories of competitor and representative is two fold. One is the lack of representation of SC/ ST on the organizing Committee and second is it's the unfair working. The committee works in a biased manner to ensure that the SCs/ST students are not given due participation. Broadly, the reach of dalits and rural society to the sports is almost synonymous. The games which are easily available and do not attach much paraphernalia are popular in the rural society and so as among the dalits. Interestingly, the game like football and volleyball never attract a mass appeal and not even due attention of the media. Even the government does not give proper care towards these games even the country has a great potential in it. No doubt, adivasi and dalit can truly excel in these games. Since the games like cricket and tennis are elite sports so they easily hit headlines in the media. Cricket manages a big market and also commands a far greater influence in the media. In India athletics, hockey, football and some others are physically intensive but deglamourised sports that invariably secure the participation of the people mainly from the under-privileged section. As situation prevails in the country, only upper class people can, truly, enjoy sports and Tendulkar and Sania Mirza like sports personalities can become icons and brand ambassadors for the products. The forgotten Indian archer, Limba Ram manifest such indifferences. It could not be characterized as a naïve comment that many dalits and adivasi can become icons in the events like archery if they were trained properly. India hardly manages a medal in this event in the Olympic games. Ironically, the sacking of Saurav Ganguly from the post of the captain of the Indian cricket team can rock the Parliament but the issues related to inaccessibility of a large promising population to the sports, hardly attracts any attention of the Parliamentarians. In the nutshell, the report of Thorat's committee is enough to display the prevailing caste bias in the field of sports too. And it should be highlighted to understand that if these types of biases are evident in AIIMS, what one has to say about rest of INDIA. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[ZESTCaste] Dalit Panthers to open doors for all communities (News)
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=509457 Dalit Panthers to open doors for all communities CHENNAI, OCT 7 (PTI) Inspired by the successful formula of BSP chief Mayawati who brought other castes and Dalits under one umbrella to win the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Dalit Panthers of India has decided to open its doors for all communities. DPI, an ally of the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, has already registered its name with the Election Commission as 'Vidulai Chiruthigal' (Liberation Panthers), in a move to accommodate other communities in the party. All the units of the party were dissolved at a meeting here on October two and a high-level committee, headed by its leader Thol Thirumavalavan, was appointed. Though Thirumavalavan had claimed that it was done to abide by the regulations of EC, the move was considered significant, as it could be to accommodate members from all communities as office-bearers. We are no more a Dalit party. We will enroll members from all communities and organisational polls will be conducted within next three months, he had said. Mayavati's experiment of bringing Dalits, religious minorities and Brahmins under one umbrella to win the polls has inspired us, he said. Thirumavalavan, who has also taken a new 'avataar' as a film actor, feels that it would also help his party to widen its vote bank.
[ZESTCaste] Verify SC/ST certificates
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6theme=usrsess=1id=172670 Verify SC/ST certificates, Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Oct. 6: The Centre has asked the state government to carefully scrutinise Scheduled Caste, Tribe and OBC certificates submitted by people while securing jobs in government offices after several cases of caste certificates being forged have been reported. The letter, issued by Mr R Ramanujam, joint secretary of the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions to the chief secretary, said stern action would be taken against officers who do not verify the caste status or issue false certificates. A senior state government official said instructions had been sent to all the district magistrates to ensure that SC/ST and OBC certificates are carefully examined by the appointing authorities in the district. He said during police verification of a candidate belonging to SC/ST or OBC, the caste certificate is not examined by police. Only certificates of the candidate's educational qualifications are carefully examined. Police personnel also visit the educational institution where the candidate had studied and his residence for inquiry. On the basis of police verification, a provisional appointment letter is issued and as there is delay in getting the scrutiny report of the caste certificate, the candidate receives confirmation in due course of time . He said it had come to the notice of the administration that particularly in Malda and Murshidabad a large number of teachers had got jobs by submitting forged certificates. They had obtained the certificate in collusion with unscrupulous employees. It has now been decided that all certificates submitted by the SC/ST and OBC candidates will be examined along with the certificates of qualification and within a month, a report will be submitted to the concerned department on the basis of which appointment letters will be issued
[ZESTCaste] A former government employee, Thirumavalvan headed DPI to help Dalits since 1992.
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=509430 DPI 2 A former government employee, Thirumavalvan headed DPI to help Dalits since 1992. He was drawn to politics by Tamil Manila Congress founder late G K Moopanar during 1999 Lok Sabha polls, when he formed a minority-Dalit front to contest the polls. Thirumavalavan resigned from the government service to contest the polls from Chidamabram. In the 2001 assembly polls, he forged an alliance with DMK and won from Mangalore in Cuddalore district on the DMK symbol. During the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, he resigned his assembly membership to unsuccessfully contest from Chidambaram. In 2006, he joined the AIADMK front and his party won two assembly seats, but later he shifted to DMK-led DPA during the local body polls on the plea that his party did not get due recognition from AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa. Thirumavalavan said that the present decision to throw open the party to all communities would help make it a stronger organisation. Now that we have decided to enroll members from all communities, we hope to rope in a major section of the society, he said.
[ZESTCaste] English made compulsory in Uttar Pradesh schools (News)
http://www.gulfnews.com/world/India/10158520.html India English made compulsory in Uttar Pradesh schools IANS Published: October 07, 2007, 00:05 Agra: The government of Chief Minister Mayawati has ordered children in all Uttar Pradesh government schools to learn English - a move aimed at increasing their employment potential. Mayawati has ordered English be taught from Class Two onwards at all state-run schools. All other subjects will continue to be taught in Hindi. The level of English language has gone down in the state, reducing the job-hunting capacity of the students, an official of the basic education department said. The department has also been directed to ensure students from Class Six upwards listen to English news bulletins on radio and read English newspapers. Teachers have been told to train students to speak in English before the class begins. Students should be encouraged to speak and converse only in English, the official said. The department, through its initiatives, hopes government school students will reach a standard similar to that of children studying in English medium schools, an education department official said in Agra. Equipped Schools are to have a separate room for English language teaching. It will be equipped with newspapers, radios, tape recorders and CD players. The walls will have names of household consumption goods painted on them with pictures, the official added. The introduction of English is part of the central government's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The books have been published by central agencies for Class Two and Class Three and they are really good, social activist Roller Singh said. Parents have long been demanding their children be taught English because growing job opportunities in the retail sector require good command of the language, added Hari Dutt Sharma, editor of School Prangan, a magazine for schoolchildren.
[ZESTCaste] Book Review: Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underworld (Poems 1972 – 2006); Selected, introduced and translated from the Marathi by Dilip Chitre
http://www.hindu.com/lr/2007/10/07/stories/2007100750020500.htm TRANSLATIONS Taste of freedom ARUNDHATHI SUBRAMANIAM Vigorous, high-voltage, bruising poetry on the festering innards of Mumbai. There is a tough and unsentimental quality to Dhasal's vision. It crackles with both rage and compassion. Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underworld (Poems 1972 – 2006); Selected, introduced and translated from the Marathi by Dilip Chitre, With Photographs by Henning Stegmuller, Navayana, Rs. 350. Both my individual and collective life have been through such tremendous upheavals that if my personal life did not have poetry to fall back on,…I would have become a top gangster, the owner of a brothel or a smuggler. It's a colourful range of choices. For most poets the alternatives are far more staid: academic, journalist, copywriter, perhaps, but that's about it. But then Namdeo Dhasal is not most poets. He is Maharashtra's leading Dalit poet with nine collections of poetry to his credit. He's also the only Indian poet to have received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sahitya Akademi. Spacious layout The first thing that strikes one about this book is its spaciousness. An elegant hardbound volume, it doesn't offer the dense maze of print to which poetry readers are accustomed. Although the content alludes to cramped, embattled urban chawls and brothels, the poems are allowed generous amounts of white living space on the page. This hospitality of approach extends to the book's agenda as well. It's not a mere book of translations. It offers instead a portrait — textual and visual — of the poet, his life, his times, his city. Dilip Chitre writes evocatively and passionately of his engagement — of close to five decades — with Dhasal's poetry, offering the perspectives of a fellow-poet, translator and friend. He speaks of his first meeting in the late 1960s with 'a young taxi driver who wrote cutting edge avant garde Marathi poetry in an unusual idiom'. The two have had their political differences over the years. But Chitre says he was riveted by the 'unique ethnolinguistic cocktail' that shaped the young man's poetics: the mix of Marathi, Urdu, Telugu and Kannada absorbed from a world of bordellos and opium dens, integrated with the Mahar dialect of his rural origins. This unique linguistic inheritance was then creatively processed by Dhasal to produce an original, multi-layered idiom — a fascinating archaeology of language. Chitre proceeds to share the frustration and euphoria attendant on his translation of Dhasal, offering a glimpse into the cultural and artisanal aspects of translation as well. The introduction also traces Dhasal's life — from his beginnings in the hamlet of Pur-Kanersar to his growing years in Dhor Chawl on the fringes of Mumbai's red light district; from the vigilante organisation, Dalit Panther, he founded in 1972; to his long-term struggle with myasthenia gravis; from his personal and political challenges to his growth as a poet (who fashioned his prodigious oeuvre from eclectic forms — ovi, bhajans, kirtans, varkari music, tamasha and modern European poetry). Power and fury Above all, there is the poetry — vigorous, high-voltage, sensual, associative, bruising. It flows with the power and fury of Mumbai's drains into the festering innards of the city. This is the city of the sex worker, the drug dealer, the daily wage earner. This is Mumbai without her makeup, her botox, her power yoga; the Mumbai that seethes, unruly, menacing, yet vitally alive, beneath the glitzy mall and multiplex, the high-rise and flyover. The Mumbai of the non-gentrifiable, the untamable, the non-recyclable. There is no doubt that the book's sledgehammer scatology — what Chitre terms the dominance of bibhatsa rasa — isn't for the fainthearted. Consider this extract: 'Man you should explode/…Jive to a savage drum beat/Smoke hash, smoke ganja/…Cuss at one and all; swear by him mom's twat, his sister's cunt/….Turn humans into slaves; whip their arses with a lash/ Cook your beans on their bleeding backsides…' Hypnotic tug But when does suspect testosteronal overdrive and sensationalism, it helps to remember that the work is clearly intended to flout what Dhasal sees as lily-livered bourgeois aesthetics. And whatever one's misgivings about this blistering rant, there is a hypnotic tug to this city-sewer perspective of the universe. 'I am a venereal sore,' says the poet in one of the book's most arresting images, 'in the private part of language.' It is certainly not a world of beaming communitarian outcastes and harlots with hearts of gold — and Stegmuller's city images testify to that. But neither is it a world of unredeemed bleakness. There is a tough and unsentimental quality to Dhasal's vision. It crackles with both rage and compassion. There is an acrid bitterness: 'Death is a better alternative to fear/Rather than get buggered, butcher them back'. But there is also what Chitre terms a
[ZESTCaste] Business and caste in India
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9909319 Business and caste in India With reservations Oct 4th 2007 | BANGALORE, CHENNAI AND DELHI From The Economist print edition India's government is threatening to make companies hire more low-caste workers Landov A 23-YEAR-OLD dressed in white pyjama trousers and a black over-shirt represents two worlds in India that know almost nothing of each other. One is fast growing, but tiny: the world of business. Strolling through the Californian-style campus in Bangalore that serves as the headquarters of Infosys, a computer-services company, she grins and declares herself glad. Her brother, she adds shyly, is so proud that she is an Infoscion. He is in the rural world where 70% of Indians reside: cultivating the family plot in Bannahalli Hundi, a village near Mysore. Life is less delightful there. Half the 4,000 population are brahmins, of the Hindu priestly caste. The rest, including the software engineer and her family, are dalits, members of a scheduled caste that was once considered untouchable. Sixty years on this is still the case in Bannahalli Hundi, says the young woman, who does not want to be named. She has never entered the house of a brahmin neighbour. When a dalit was recently hired to cook at the village school, brahmins withdrew their children. Has there been no weakening of caste strictures in her lifetime? I have not seen it, she says. The tale is in startling contrast to Infosys's modernity, and she is embarrassed by it. But it partly explains how she came to be hired by a company that is considered to be one of India's best. She is the beneficiary of a charitable training scheme for dalit university-leavers that Infosys launched last year. In collaboration with the elite Bangalore-based International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Infosys is providing special training to low-caste engineering graduates who have failed to get a job in its industry. The training, which lasts seven months, does not promise employment. But of the 89 who completed the first course in May, all but four have found jobs. Infosys hired 17. The charity was born of a threat. India's Congress-led government has told companies to hire more dalits and members of tribal communities. Together these groups represent around a quarter of India's population and half of its poor. Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, has given warning that strong measures will be taken if companies do not comply. Many interpret that to mean the government will impose caste-based hiring quotas. Quotas already apply in education and government, where since 1950 22.5% of university places and government jobs have been reserved for dalits and tribal people. In addition, since 1993, 27% of government jobs have been reserved for members of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs)—castes only slightly higher up the Hindu hierarchy. Promoting the wretched This is not enough for supporters of reservations. Since the introduction of liberal reforms in the early 1990s, public-sector hiring has slowed and businesses have boomed. Extending reservations to companies, they argue, would therefore safeguard an existing policy of promoting the Hindu wretched. It would almost certainly require changes to the constitution. But low-caste politicians are delighted by the prospect, so it could happen. The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, a dalit leader called Mayawati, has said 30% of company jobs should be reserved for dalits, members of the OBCs and high-caste and Muslim poor. Chandra Bhan Prasad, a dalit journalist, applauds this and argues that it would be in the interest of companies. It is in the culture of dalits that they are least likely to change their employment because they are so loyal to their masters, he says. It would also help them become a new caste [sic] of consumers. Businessmen are unconvinced. Government, in both its intrusiveness and its incompetence, is a hindrance to them. Caste-based hiring quotas would be just another burden. People given a right to a job tend not to work very hard. So, in an effort to avert Mr Singh's threat, many companies and organisations that represent them are launching their own affirmative-action schemes. The Confederation of Indian Industry has introduced a package of dalit-friendly measures, including scholarships for bright low-caste students. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry plans to support entrepreneurs in India's poorest districts. Naukri.com, India's biggest online recruitment service, with over 10m subscribers, anticipates that companies will soon actively seek low-caste recruits. It has therefore started asking job-seekers to register their caste. Basic training Infosys's training scheme, as described by S. Sadagopan, the IIIT'S director, is a Pygmalion undertaking. Meeting the parents of his dalit students, he saw almost an anger in their eyes. For the first month the students were unresponsive. Their
[ZESTCaste] Collector for speedy disposal of atrocity cases
Collector for speedy disposal of atrocity cases http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Staff Reporter ADILABAD: In order to speed up progress in cases under the SC, ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act, review meetings should be held once every quarter at divisional level, Collector Ahmad Nadeem said on Friday. He asked officials to work on the pending cases under the Act. At a review meeting of SC, ST cases, the Collector said Rs. 4.92 lakh was disbursed as immediate relief to 36 victims of atrocities. Another 35 cases were in different stages of progress. Mr. Nadeem asked officials to circulate details of the cases to members of the SC, ST panel so that they could prepare for the review well in advance.
[ZESTCaste] BSP mouthpiece to hit stands on Oct 9 (News)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/BSP_mouthpiece_to_hit_stands_on_Oct_9/articleshow/2433529.cms BSP mouthpiece to hit stands on Oct 9 6 Oct 2007, 0053 hrs IST,Subodh Ghildiyal ,TNN NEW DELHI: On the first death anniversary of mentor Kanshi Ram, Mayawati will announce the beginning of Maya Yug . BSP is set to hit the media market with its mouthpiece on October 9, in what is the Dalit leader's unique way to signal a complete change of guard of the Dalit movement-turned-political force. Though the magazine will be unveiled at a rally in Lucknow on the first death anniversary of the party founder, the title will be a statement of Mayawati being the presiding deity of the Dalit outfit. The magazine will replace Bahujan Sangathak , the wound-up mouthpiece which was launched by Kanshi Ram in the 1980s to mobilise workers and acquaint them with the fledgling party's ideology. Meant for sympathisers, it was an amateurish newsletter in black and white, and brought out on a low-quality newsprint. Maya Yug , however, will be different not just from Sangathak but will also represent an improvisation on political mouthpieces in circulation, be it Sandesh of Congress, Kamal Sandesh of BJP, People's Democracy of CPM or Organiser of RSS, which are staid and traditional in treatment of issues, and confined to the cadre. A news-monthly, Maya Yug will attempt to be part of the mainstream media, in what signifies the party's new-found confidence. Sources said it would be a commercial venture available on news-stands. Likely to be priced at Rs 25, it will be an all-colour glossy product running into 52 pages. What may set it apart is that it will be an advertisement-free product. Mayawati will be the chief editor by virtue of being the BSP boss but there will be two other partymen to run the magazine on a routine basis.
[ZESTCaste] Cells to deal Dalit issues (News)
Cells to deal Dalit issues http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Staff Reporter Focus on education, culture Cells to coordinate between aggrieved Dalits and the State SCs, STs to be sensitised on their privileges NELLORE: In a bid to address problems pertaining to Dalits besides empowering them on many fronts, 'SC and ST Ikya Vedika of Nellore', has set up various cells. With most of the Dalits being illiterates or semi literates, formation of a platform became inevitable to ensure educational, cultural, and economic empowerment of Dalits. Hence the Ikya Vedika, which is an apolitical association comprising educated and economically empowered Dalits, has taken the initiative of setting up different cells, 'SC and ST Ikya Vedika of Nellore' president Dr. A. Penchalaiah told reporters on Friday. Objectives Outlining the objectives of the forum, Dr. Penchalaiah said the grievance cell, for instance, would function as an intermediary, which would coordinate between the aggrieved Dalits and departments or sections of the Government concerned in a bid to address grievances. As a whole, the cell will make an effort to develop responsive and accountable attitude among officials to ensure that that there is no laxity in terms of fair deal with Dalits. At the same time it will also sensitise SCs and STs on the Constitutionally guaranteed privileges, Government schemes and other related aspects. The Ikya Vedika president said the Dalits across the district could bring their grievances to the notice of the cell, which has been functioning from Ikya Vedika's office premises at Aravinda Nagar, Nellore either personally or by phone (0861-2328281, 94402-78239) on Sundays. It will in turn takes up their problems or issues to the notice of the officials concerned on Monday. Cultural cell Meanwhile, the cultural cell comprising 'Kala Brindams' will tour each and every village to spread the message of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
[ZESTCaste] Immolation: Panel summons SSP (News)
Immolation: Panel summons SSP http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/400x60/0 Batala, October 5 Taking note of a news item published in The Tribune regarding immolation by a Dalit boy after allegedly being harassed by certain influential persons of his village and the police, chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes Buta Singh has summoned the SSP, Batala, and the Inspector-General of the border range. The commission has sought from the officials clarification on the alleged harassment of the boy and asked them to appear before the commission on October 11. It has been alleged that Sandeep Singh of Matholla village in the Sri Hargobindpur area, was driven to self-immolation by certain influential persons of the village and the police who believed he had stolen the mobile phone of his teacher. Batala SSP R.N. Dhoke said he had not received the summons yet. — TNS -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Ambedkar's statue desecrated, 4 held (News)
Ambedkar's statue desecrated, 4 held Tension grips Siwan Gate area of Kaithal http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/400x60/0 Our Correspondent Kaithal, October 5 Tension gripped the Siwan Gate area here last night after some miscreants allegedly desecrated a statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar at Ambedkar Chowk. The miscreants allegedly broke one arm of the statue, besides damaging some vehicles in the area. As word about the incident spread, people in large numbers gathered near the damaged statue. The police took four youths in custody for interrogation which helped ease the situation. Some persons noticed the desecration and raised the alarm following which the police was informed. SHO (city) Ravinder Tomar and Jagat Singh, inspector, CIA, reached the spot along with a police force. The situation became tense when the crowd that had gathered at the site started raising slogans. SSP Anil Kumar also reached the the site and assured the people that strict action would be taken against those behind the incident. However, the crowd laid a siege to the area and did not allow the movement of traffic. In the meantime, the police took in custody four youths identified as Balwinder of Patti Afgan, Rohit of Mahadev Colony, Mahesh of Subhash Nagar and Gagan Deep of Mata Gate. Protestors could be seen near the site of the incident this morning also. The four youths have been arrested and were produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate Rajnish Sharma, who remanded them in police custody for a day. Dalit leaders have condemned the incident.
[ZESTCaste] Dalit rights: NGOs say more women coming forward (News)
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Dalit-rights-NGOs-say-more-women-coming-forward/224557/ Dalit rights: NGOs say more women coming forward Tarannum Manjul Posted online: Friday , October 05, 2007 at 12:00:00 Lucknow, October 4 Call it Maya or Metadata effect. With a Dalit woman leading the state, the Dalit population seems to have woken up to their rights. The women helplines in the state have started getting more and more cases from Dalit women, who are reportedly coming up with their smallest problems. According to helplines, the women are not just coming to them with detailed information about their case but are also asking for speedy justice. According to Nai Dishayen, one of the prime helplines in the state which runs with support from the Union ministry of Women and Child Development, since June, the helpline has got at least three to five cases from Dalit women almost every week. Said Pooja Mahesh, Chief Functionary of Nai Dishayen and Counsellor, The number since June is mind blowing. In fact, a number of women come to us from districts like Sitapur and Hardoi with complaints of molestation, domestic problems and even encroachment on their land. In July, the helpline got 22 cases from Sitapur, Lucknow, Unnao and Hardoi areas. Mahesh added, They knew that if the culprit is taken to task, they will surely get justice as they know a Dalit woman is heading the state. Lalti Devi, a widow living in Kasmand block of Sitapur, approached us as her neighbours were threatening to throw her out of her house. We first spoke to the neighbours and told them the punishment in case they continue to harass Devi, said Mahesh. When things got out of hand, the helpline referred the matter to the Sitapur DM. The helpline recently held an open meeting for women in Sitapur, where a number of dalit women reported their cases which were forwarded to the SP and the DM. Said Deepak Agarwal, DM Agra: We have been getting a lot of cases from the helpline and are trying to help in all possible ways. Another helpline, run by the Rashtriya Mahila Sansthan at River Bank Colony, too has reported that a lot of women are coming forward with their problems. Said Krishna Singh, a counsellor at the state-supported helpline, The Dalit women come in groups and discuss their problems. The NGO has received 10 cases in July, of which, five were referred to local NGOs, while others were forwarded to DMs for immediate action.
[ZESTCaste] Dalit Panthers observe Black Day (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/04/stories/2007100459610400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Dalit Panthers observe Black Day Staff Reporter BANGALORE: Demanding that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should not come to power in the State, members of Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) observed a Black Day on Wednesday. As a mark of protest against the BJP's ideologies, DPI leaders from the State led by their national leader Thol. Thirumavalavan trashed a model of the Ram Sethu bridge at the Town Hall. They shouted slogans against the BJP and pledged to uphold B.R. Ambedkar's values. DPI State unit president Dalit Nagaraj said that if the BJP came to power, atrocities on Dalits would increase. It is unfortunate that such communal parties do not think about the well being of other communities. After the Ram Mandir issue, the party is now creating the Ram Sethu issue. These are all attempts to come to power. But we Dalits will not allow that to happen, he said. On the Janata Dal (Secular)-BJP coalition Government in the State, Mr. Nagaraj said: The Government functioned under the black shade of the BJP's communal ideologies in the last 20 months. The political strategies being worked out by the coalition parties are damaging the State's political future. Elections are the best option now. Reiterating that no governments in the past worked for the welfare of Dalits, Mr. Nagaraj demanded that the accused in the Kambalapalli massacre should be hanged. The State Government should distribute sites to the homeless instead of auctioning the recovered land from encroachers, he added. Mr. Thirumavalavan and Lakshman, Jati Vinasha Vedike president, spoke.
[ZESTCaste] ‘War’ launched for uplift of poor (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/04/stories/2007100452940400.htm New Delhi 'War' launched for uplift of poor Special Correspondent Janhit Seva Sangathan for time-bound programme to eradicate poverty CHANDIGARH: Janhit Seva Sangathan, a social organisation, on Tuesday launched a Second War of Independence to liberate the poor and the downtrodden from the clutches of the exploiters. In a statement here, Janhit Seva Sangthan president and former Haryana Minister K.R. Punia said that even though his organisation does not work for a particular caste or creed or even religion, it was a harsh reality that people belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes form the lowest rung of society and are being criminally exploited by the rich and the powerful. He said his organization was not interested in a change in Government; it wanted a change in the attitude and perspective of the political and the administrative leadership so that the destitute could benefit economically. We are not targeting any one particular group or sect, but our goal is the uplift of the poor and Dalits through education and social mobilisation….We will create such a pressure group of enlightened citizens that the Government is forced to bow to the wishes of the people. Today we take a solemn oath and declare that the Sangthan will continue to fight for the rights of the Dalits and the poor and that the struggle will continue till the goal is reached, he added. Dr. Punia said the prime objective now was to bring about such a revolution at the grassroots levels, a mobilisation of the under-privileged masses that no matter which party was in power, they would have to be pro-people and pro-poor. The organisation had constituted core committees to identify families living below the poverty line in various districts of Haryana, he added. He demanded that the Government announce a time-bound 10 year programme to eradicate poverty and identify those living in abject poverty so that BPL ration cards could be issued to them without bureaucratic obstacles. Right to work should be declared a fundamental right and the Government should either provide employment or an unemployment allowance, he added. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Wizardry or dignity? (Kancha Ilaiah)
http://www.deccan.com/Columnists/Columnists.asp Wizardry or dignity? By Kancha Ilaiah My children's book, Turning the Pot, Tilling the Land: Dignity of Labour in Our Times, published by Navayana, was supposed to be launched at a famous bookshop in Chennai in the third week of August. But the manager postponed the launch saying, These are Harry Potter days and no other programme can be held now. It is obvious that the Indian elite prefer their children to read a book on fantasy rather than one on dignity of labour. The hype and marketing wizardry surrounding Harry Potter is so big that parents and teachers too get caught up in the wave and encourage their children to read it. A book on dignity of labour does not appear to inspire them. But the latter will cure a historical disease that India has been suffering from, whereas Harry Potter will not. The government is thinking of introducing compulsory sex education in schools. A furious debate is now on about its pros and cons. No doubt sex education is necessary to tackle the problem of AIDS and venereal diseases. But even though the whole nation suffers from the indignity of labour, no one ever proposes that every child should be compulsorily taught the dignity of labour. We have suffered a huge loss on the scientific front, and in terms of human efficiency and productivity because of inbuilt values that teach the indignity of labour. But this has never been an issue for any educationist in the country. Our public spaces are dirty, ugly and murky. No citizen has a sense of cleanliness. The houses of the rich, the middle class and the poor are all unclean because the householders themselves are not ready to clean their houses themselves. Either paid servants or the women are forced to clean the houses and the streets. Men, young or old, have the right to use the whole space at home and outside but never think that it is their duty to keep their living spaces clean. Imagine all our citizens contributing their mite to keep our villages, towns, cities and our environment clean. Thus we can save of lot of money which is now spent fighting contagious diseases. But the whole process of maintaining cleanliness requires the constant involvement of the people in the labour process. However, caste and gender discriminations built into the Indian ethos have always assigned such work to the lower castes and the women. Since no schoolbook teaches our children the dignity of labour, the so called educated children too are indifferent to all this. Even now, the educated lot is unwilling to get their hands dirty. Only the Dalit-Bahujan castes should get their hands soiled. What will happen when the children belonging to these castes too get educated? Who will do all the work? At one level, the problem of indignity of labour is universal, but India suffers from it more than any other nation. Even in the United States, the blacks and the Hispanics do much of the work related to cleaning and construction. But in everyday life, an average Euro-American, or the Chinese or Japanese, has more respect for labour than an average Indian. At homes, offices, in scientific laboratories, in industries, a person who considers every work to be dignified develops a different attitude to life itself. This is where we need to introduce sufficient reading material for children, but not merely in a narrative form. There ought to be a national debate on the issue of teaching dignity of labour. In fact, this is more urgent than the debate on sex education, since it has to do with the development of the nation. There can be a debate on when it should be taught and in what form. Several questions need answers, but the debate has not even started.
[ZESTCaste] Welfare schemes for SC/ST: ‘Role of local bodies vital’ (News)
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20071004023324Page=RHeadline=Welfare+schemes+for+SC%2FST%3A+%91Role+of+local+bodies+vital%92Title=KeralaTopic=0 KERALA Oct 5, 2007 Welfare schemes for SC/ST: 'Role of local bodies vital' Thursday October 4 2007 12:54 IST Express News Service Speaker K Radhakrishnan inaugurating the district-level solidarity week observation organised by SC/ST Department at Ezhikad Colony near Aranmula on Wednesday. K C Rajagopalan MLA, is also seen. PATHANAMTHITTA: Assembly Speaker K Radhakrishnan has highlighted the role of three-tier panchayats for the successful implementation of the welfare programmes for the scheduled caste/tribe people. Inaugurating the district-level solidarity week observation organised jointly by various departments of scheduled castes and tribes at Ezhikad Colony near Aranmula on Wednesday, Radhakrishnan said that wide disparity was seen in the allocation of funds and the benefits accrued for the targeted groups. He said that the local people should be taken into confidence before implementing the schemes. The grama panchayats should implement the schemes that are approved for the local people. Schemes should not be enforced on the people, the Speaker said. K C Rajagopalan MLA, presided over the function. District Panchayat president Appinazhikathu Santhakumari delivered the solidarity message. District Panchayat member Ashaben, Kulanada block panchayat president K M Gopi, K Jayasree, T V Stalin, G Raghunath, R Jayakumar and Prasad Verunkal spoke.
[ZESTCaste] Untouchable and unthinkable (Opinion)
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9905554 Indian business Untouchable and unthinkable Oct 4th 2007 From The Economist print edition Hiring quotas would not help lower-caste Indians and would harm business AFPBUSINESSES in India are used to bad government. Indeed, this hardship has proved perversely useful: through coping with rotten infrastructure, throttling labour laws and mutable investment policies, many world-class Indian companies have emerged. A proposal to force firms to hire more workers from the dregs of Hinduism's caste system (see article) would be different. It would be a disaster. India's long history of affirmative action springs from decent instincts. The caste system is possibly the world's ugliest social system. And it is sanctified by India's largest religion: according to the Laws of Manu, an ancient Hindu text, anybody from the lower orders who has the temerity to mention the name of a higher caste should have a red-hot nail thrust into his mouth; if he makes the mistake of telling a brahmin what to do, he gets hot oil poured into his ears and mouth. Fortunately, India has moved on a bit since then. But socially and economically the place is still sharply stratified. Upper castes get a far larger share of good jobs than do lower castes; dalits—or untouchables—get virtually none. Which is why, soon after independence, India's government used affirmative action to try to redress the balance; and why calls for that action to be extended to business are so loud. Affirmative action necessarily has a cost, both in fairness to those who in its absence would qualify for jobs and educational opportunities that they are denied, and consequently in efficiency. Still, if it went a long way to righting a big historical wrong, that might be justifiable. But that hasn't happened in India. Nearly a quarter of university places and public-sector jobs have been reserved for dalits and tribal people since 1950; and, in 1993, a successor government handed a further quarter over to other backward classes. Yet there is no evidence that this has made any difference to the fortunes of the lower orders. They have certainly been getting richer—but, over the past two decades, at almost exactly the same rate as the rest of the population. What's more, the policy has had dangerous side-effects. Cynical politicians promise their fellow caste members more jobs and university places. Reservation inflation has therefore been on the rise, infuriating the losers. As a result, battles over reservations have become a common source of riots, and politics has thus become increasingly polarised along caste lines. Extending into the private sector a policy that has been a disaster in the public sector is lunacy. This must be clear to India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh. As finance minister in the early 1990s, he started dismantling a system of industrial quotas, thus unleashing the economy. He should understand better than anyone the likely effect of introducing a quota on people. Yet he has been threatening to impose penalties on companies that don't hire more low caste workers. Don't blame business Reservations in companies would not just damage business. They would also distract attention from the real source of the problem. Responsibility for lower castes' lack of advancement does not lie with the private sector. There is no evidence that companies discriminate against them. The real culprit is government, and the rotten educational system it has created. Originally, reservations were supposed to be needed only for a decade. After that, it was reckoned, they would be unnecessary, because primary education would be universally available. Nearly six decades on, it is not. And the quality of much of India's higher education is execrable. By one reckoning, only a quarter of engineering graduates, the raw material of a booming computer-services industry, are employable. The government should concentrate on sorting out schools and universities, not piling new burdens on business. There's another effective weapon against ancient prejudices: growth. As Indians get richer, their caste biases fade. Middle-class urban Indians are less likely to marry within their caste than the rural poor, and less likely to wrinkle their noses at a dalit. Happily, the ranks of the middle class are swelling in a fast-expanding economy—for which India has its businessmen to thank. Hobbling them with quotas will only make it harder for them to help the country change. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change
[ZESTCaste] Dalits prevented from entering temple in TN village (News)
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=509036 DALITS Dalits prevented from entering temple in TN village MADURAI, OCT 5 (PTI) Dalits, led by CPI-M cadres, have gained entry into a temple in Dindigul District which remained out of bounds for them for 40 years but the party's programme ended in failure in a village in Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu following resistence by a forward community. Dalits and party cadre, under the CPI-M's state-wide Temple Entry Campaign programme, entered the Badrakali Amman Temple in Ayakudi near Palani in Dindigul District yesterday and offered prayers, officials said. The Dalits were not allowed into the temple for the past 40 years by caste Hindus. However, in Padali village in Virudhunagar District, forward Reddiar community members prevented about 700 Dalits and other community people, led by CPI-M MLA Nanmaran, from entering the Kannimar Kamatchi Amman Temple, whose ownership is in dispute, according to local CPI-M leader Venkataraman. The temple was locked under the RDO's orders for some time but the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had ordered officials to open it and allow Dalits a few years ago. A case over the ownership is pending before the high court. Despite the court order, Dalits could not enter the temple yesterday. About 150 police personnel were deployed in the village as the situation was tense with people belonging to Reddiar community and Dalits and others gathering there. There was also a scuffle between the two groups in which a few persons suffered minor injuries, officials said. Revenue Divisional Officer R Venkatesan, who intervened, persuaded both the groups to disperse and assured them that the issue would be resolved within a week's time. The 150-year old temple was built by then Zamindar of Padali who belonged to Reddiar community. From 1998, the community members were not allowing others, particularly Dalits, into the temple, officials said.
[ZESTCaste] Discrimination against cook continues (News)
Discrimination against cook continues http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Staff Correspondent Udupi: The discrimination against Jayalakshmi Bhovi, a cook in the Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School at Thombattu village in Udupi district, continues with students refusing to eat meals prepared by her. Jayalakshmi is a victim of a smear campaign by some vested interests that she is HIV positive. A related report was published in these columns on August 7, 2007. However, medical tests have proved that she is not HIV positive. Thombattu is a naxal-infested hamlet, 65 km from Udupi, in the Western Ghats. The branding of Ms. Bhovi, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste, as HIV positive and the subsequent boycott by the villagers has taken a toll on her family too. Keshav Koteshwara, head of Spoorthi Dhama, an NGO, who has been closely following the case, told The Hindu that only three of the 110 students of the school ate the food prepared by Ms. Bhovi. Though another NGO, Namma Bhoomi, on the directions of Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj, met the villagers and tried to convince them that it was false propaganda, it was of no use. The Karnataka Janapara Vedike has urged the State Human Rights Commission to take action. Vedike convener Sriram Divana urged the commission to take action against those spreading canards about Ms. Bhovi. Though I lodged a complaint with the commission, I did not get any reply, he said. Superintendent of Police A.S. Rao said that a case had been registered based on the complaint lodged by Ms. Bhovi. However, the accused had obtained anticipatory bail.
[ZESTCaste] They deserve to die, says Krishnaiah's wife (News)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/They_deserve_to_die_says_Krishnaiahs_wife/articleshow/2426940.cms They deserve to die, says Krishnaiah's wife 4 Oct 2007, 0143 hrs IST,SUSHIL RAO,TNN HYDERABAD: They deserve the punishment. No mercy should be shown to murderers, said Uma Krishnaiah, wife of Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah who was lynched by a mob 13 years ago. Uma, who now lives in government quarters at Kundanbagh in Hyderabad with her two teenaged daughters, had tears in her eyes when she recalled the fateful day on December 5, 1994, when her husband was killed. Being the son of a labourer and a Dalit, Krishnaiah was committed to welfare of the poor. He did not deserve to die. Even if the guilty appeal to the President on the death sentence, it should not be entertained, Uma said. A chemistry lecturer at Government Degree College, Begumpet, Uma wasn't even aware that the case was in progress until she read about it in the newspapers a couple of days ago. I cannot get my husband back, but this judgment should deter powerful politicians or ruffians from killing simple people, she said. On the fateful day, Krishnaiah woke up early, at around 3.30 am, to go to Muzaffarpur for a meeting. When Uma saw him walk out of the house without wearing warm clothes in the peak of winter, she asked him to take a sweater. But he refused saying, You should think about the poor who have no clothes. At least I have clothes to wear. When he was leaving, I asked him to return home early, if possible, she recalled. Later, she came to know what happened to her husband. He pleaded with his killers to spare his life as he had two young daughters. But they didn't listen. They killed him for no reason, Uma said. Krishnaiah and Uma got to know each other during their student days in Government Degree College at Gadwal in Mahbubnagar. He wanted to make a mark in life. His main concern was to clear the IAS. Also, he wanted to marry me and as my father was not encouraging, he pledged that he would come back to him only after achieving something, Uma recalled. Soon after Krishnaiah's death, Uma took up a job. One of her daughters is pursuing engineering and another is in college. Though I want them to get into the IAS, they aren't interested, she said.
[ZESTCaste] SC members allege insult by DCC chief (News)
http://deccan.com/Region/RegionNews.asp#SC%20members%20allege%20insult%20by%20DCC%20chief SC members allege insult by DCC chief Adilabad, Oct. 3: Alleged insult of dalit mandal parishad presidents (MPPs), zilla parishad territorial constituency (ZPTC) members and sarpanches at a function in Khanapur two days ago by District Congress committee president Ravinder Rao and Khanapur market committee chairman Laxman Rao, rocked the general body meeting of zilla parishad on Wednesday. Dalit MPPs and ZPTCs belonging to the Telugu Desam obstructed the proceedings of the general body meeting, seeking justice. They staged a sit-in protest in front of the podium, demanding action against Mr Ravinder Rao and Mr S. Laxman Rao and registration of cases under the SC, ST (prevention of atrocities) Act against them. They alleged that Mr Ravinder Rao did not break a coconut at the inauguration function of the sub-registrar's office in Khanapur on October 1, saying that he would not break a coconut after breaking of coconuts by dalits. Dalit MPPs and ZPTCs submitted a memorandum to minister for roads and buildings T. Jeevan Reddy seeking justice. Their fellow MPPs and ZPTC members extended support to the victims. MPP Lavanya, ZPTC Rathod Ramu and sarpanch Akula Srinivas of Khanapur told the ZP meet that they had lodged a complaint with Khanapur police against Mr Ravinder Rao and Mr Laxman Rao on October 1. They alleged that protocol was not being followed during government meetings and elected public representatives of local bodies were not being invited. Instead, Congress leaders were sitting on the dais even in government programmes, violating rules. They were being insulted whenever they asked for information about government programmes. Mr Jeevan Reddy instructed officials concerned to conduct an inquiry into the incident. He further said that action would be taken against government officials if they failed to follow protocol at government programmes. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Ravinder Rao refuted the allegations levelled against him by some MPPs and ZPTC members and said that he did not insult them with their caste name. He said that they had created a scene during the general body meeting to derive a political mileage.
[ZESTCaste] New rules to verify SC/ST certificates (News)
http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnewsid=8532 New rules to verify SC/ST certificates Chennai, Oct 4: The Tamil Nadu Government has formulated new rules to determine the authenticity of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe community certificates. A recent Government Order issued by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department outlined changes in the constitution and function of two committees-- state-level Scrutiny Committee and district-level Vigilance Committee. The Vigilance Committee, comprising District Collector as Chairman, District Adi Dravidar Tribal Welfare Officer as Member Secretary and an anthropologist, would examine certificates issued to SC communities. The Scrutiny Committee would examine certificates issued to ST communities. The Secretary to the Government, Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department, the Commissioner of Tribal Welfare and an anthropologist would be its members. Members of the SCs/STs seeking entry into educational institutions or apply for jobs should file their community certificates for scrutiny six months in advance. If the claim for social status was found to be suspicious, a report would be sent to the individual concerned, for a reply within 30 days. All false certificates would be confiscated, the individual prosecuted and the educational institution or appointing authority informed. --- UNI
[ZESTCaste] Internal quotas soon, says Kumaraswamy (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/03/stories/2007100358170400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Internal quotas soon, says Kumaraswamy Special Correspondent Chief Minister unveils statue of Babu Jagjivan Ram — Photo: K. Gopinathan A memorial: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy (right) and Deputy Chief Minister, B.S. Yediyurappa unveiling the statue of Babu Jagjivan Ram in Bangalore on Tuesday. Bangalore: Even as the fate of the coalition Government headed by him hangs in the balance, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said internal reservation (categorised quotas within the existing reservation system) would be a reality shortly. He was addressing a large gathering of Dalits, Scheduled Tribes and other poor communities after unveiling a statue of the former Deputy Prime Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram at the western gate of the Vidhana Soudha here. Stressing that he did not want to exploit the opportunity for political purposes, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the beneficiaries of internal reservation should work for the betterment of their communities. They should not allow politicians to exploit the issue for political profit, he warned. Cornered by a few The Chief Minister said that during his programme of staying overnight in villages, he had observed that the benefits of reservation had been cornered by a few. A majority of the people in rural areas did not even have proper clothing. Such issues should be addressed effectively to achieve social justice and equality, he said. The Chief Minister said there had been apprehensions whether the Janata Dal (S) and Bharatiya Janata Party coalition would be able to address the problems faced by Dalits and backward classes. It had effectively addressed those doubts by releasing Rs. 2,560 crore for the welfare of Dalits and Other Backward Classes, Rs. 1,035 crore for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Rs. 100 crore for minorities, he said. Commitment Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said the Government was committed to the welfare of Dalits and other oppressed sections. It had earmarked Rs. 3 crore for constructing Jagjivan Ram Bhavans on the lines of the existing Ambedkar Bhavans. Additional funds would be provided for the purpose. Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways K.H. Muniyappa applauded the efforts of JD(S) president H.D. Deve Gowda and the coalition Government in expediting the installation of the statue, which had been pending for over two decades. He appealed to the Centre to declare Jagjivan Ram's birthday a national holiday. Many Ministers, MLAs and MLCs were present. Minister for Industries Katta Subramanya Naidu presided over the event. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Caste discrimination in SVU?
Caste discrimination in SVU? http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Special Correspondent TIRUPATI: Sri Venkateswara University is caught in yet another controversy. The row this time is over the alleged caste discrimination shown against university Registrar C. K. Mohan Rao at a function organised by the university's Centre for Gandhian Studies to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti and the International Day of Non-violence. The Registrar's complaint was that the organisers who invited on to the dais university's Rector K. Sivasankar Reddy among others 'deliberately' failed to extend him the same courtesy just because he happened to belong to a Scheduled Tribe. Taking serious exception to the alleged protocol violation and 'humiliation', the Registrar reportedly left the venue in a huff. Meanwhile, the All India Students Federation strongly condemned the incident and said that it once against exposed the increasing incidence of caste-discrimination in SVU.
[ZESTCaste] Creamy layer exclusion equally applicable to forward class: K Parasaran
http://www.indlawnews.com/00D05E9B90A1B45A65C7F9DEF1A363A6 Creamy layer exclusion equally applicable to forward class: K Parasaran 3 October 2007 Senior counsel K Parasaran, appearing for Centre and Tamil Nadu state defending the reservation policy of the government, contended before the Supreme Court that the principle of exclusion of creamy layer should be made equally applicable to the forward class of society, as it is being applied in the case of OBC. Mr Parasaran told the five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan that the caste reservation was fully justified, as such policy is a must for removing unequality among people belonging to different castes. He, however, did not elaborate how the principle of exclusion of creamy layer can be applied in General category without there being a reservation for the upper caste. While defending the government notification providing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in admission to Centrally-run higher learning Educational Institutions, Mr Parasaran argued that in some cases OBCs and SC, STs are in majority and still they get lesser number of seats, while the upper caste minority gets larger share of seats. In Tamil Nadu, 69 per cent of seats are reserved for the SC/ST categories. Pleading for 100 per cent literacy and primary education to OBCs, he sought to justify that the quota policy is on the grounds of financial constraints and hence cent per cent literacy for OBC, SC, ST's is not possible. Therefore, education can be given to them only by providing reservation. Mr Parasaran also argued that OBCs must be offered some opportunities so that they may avail the same, citing the example of B R Ambedkar who according to him came up only when he was offered an opportunity through reservation. The Court, however, contested the claim of the counsel by saying that picking up a single case cannot be a justification for caste based reservation. The Court told the counsel that the reservation policy cannot continue indefinately; some time frame must be there to end the reservation after a particular period of time. Other judges on the bench were Justices Arijit Pasayat, C K Thakker, R V Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari. The government is defending its caste based policy on the grounds that the oppressed section of the society have become backward socially, educationally and economically due to the century-long exploitation in the name of caste. There was also some confusion whether Article 21(A) of the constitution, which makes Right to Education an integral part of Fundamental Right to Life. The arguments will continue tomorrow. (UNI)
[ZESTCaste] It wasn`t the Brahmins after all
http://www.business-standard.com/lifeleisure/storypage.php?leftnm=lmnu4subLeft=6autono=300047tab=r It wasn`t the Brahmins after all T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan / New Delhi October 03, 2007 This newspaper does not pay much attention to either religion or history, let alone a combination of the two. And while I have a lot of time for history, religion strikes me as a bore. Nonetheless, there is a very good reason for writing about this book in these columns. It is the Introduction to it by Irfan Habib. Let me get to the point straightaway. Prof. Habib says that it is wrong to blame Brahminism for casteism in India. ... It seems particularly doubtful if the evolution and spread of the caste system can be attributed primarily to Brahminical inspiration. Had anyone else written this, we could have dismissed it as self-serving nonsense. But since it is no less a personage than Irfan Habib, due attention must be paid to it, whether it is politically convenient or not. His starting point is his view that as far as the main Vedas are concerned, the varna system lacks the two elements that give it is a distinctive characteristic as far as jatis were concerned: occupational fixity and endogamy (marrying within your own caste). Indeed, he says, [T]he term jati itself has not been traced to in the Vedic corpus. He then goes on to quote from the Rig Veda to show that there was no notion of permanently fixed occupations. Nor did the Brahmins, when they saw a pretty wench, not marry her, never mind what her varna was. True, the Brahmins were enjoined upon to maintain a distance. But all in all, the amount of evidence about the need for keeping such excessive distance from the lowly is rather small. Habib also says that it is an error to take all that stuff about Brahmins coming from the head of Purusha and so on. … it is clear that this is a simple declaration of social hierarchy, the class of priests, warriors, the masses and the menials being placed in descending order. He says this description would have fitted any ancient or medieval society and that by itself hardly implied the existence of the caste system. So who was or were the culprits, if not the Brahmins? The Buddhists, it would appear, and the kshatriyas. Of the former he has this to say: The Buddha's own clan, the Sakyas, were so conscious of their unmixed descent that their ancestors, reduced to a set of brothers and sisters, married each other. And as to the latter, it seems the khattiyas (which is what the Buddha called them) would reject the offspring of the union of a khattiya youth and a Brahmin as absolutely illegitimate. The Brahmins, it seems, were less fussy. Habib concludes from this that it was not an overbearing and hugely infecting priestly ideology but internal social processes that led to whatever emerged in the form of fixed occupations and endogamy. It is perfectly possible that … the repression of large groups as lowly jatis arose in society first and and entered the Brahminical codes… only later. Some of the other contributors to the book are D P Chattopadhyaya, K M Shrimali, Suvira Jaiswal, Nupur Chadhuri and Rajat Kanta Ray (who was a columnist for this paper), Barun De, M Athar Ali (Islamic background to Indian history), Shireen Moosvi, Kamlesh Mohan (on women in Sikh discourse) and D N Jha. For those who are looking for a scholarly treatment of the subject, this is an indispensable reference volume. It is not easy-going but it is worth a dip from time to time, if only to remind ourselves that we should not believe politicians and other assorted fools. RELIGION IN INDIAN HISTORY Edited by Irfan Habib Tulika Books Rs 550; 291 pages -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Creamy layer not applicable for SC, ST reservation: SC told (News)
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=508889 SC-QUOTA Creamy layer not applicable for SC, ST reservation: SC told NEW DELHI, OCT 4 (PTI) The Centre today maintained before the Supreme Court that reservation was a constitutional promise for the upliftment of the backward classes and the concept of 'creamy layer' could not be applied to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Continuing with the arguments to defend the 27 per cent quota for OBCs in the Central Educational Institutions, senior advocate K Parasaran said SCs and STs have been defined in the Constitution which cannot be altered by bringing the concept of creamy layer. Hence, he said the concept of creamy layer was not relevant for extending the reservation for the SCs and STs. The senior advocate said that the 27 per cent quota for OBCs was a timely legislation as eradicating illiteracy will take time. When the five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan wanted to know what was the norm to help Parliament to place the law in place, Parasaran said there will be a periodic review of the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs). He said in the complexity of the modern society, Parliament was the best to control the situation. The Bench said while providing reservation for the SCs and STs it was clealry stated that it would be for the period of 10 years which has been extended over the period. It said if in the given case it was a blanket provision then it will have to go. While referring about reservations, the Bench said there are inbuilt mechanism in the Constitutional set up to take care of such situation.
[ZESTCaste] When Myths Compete (Opinion)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/LEADER_ARTICLE_When_Myths_Compete/articleshow/2423007.cms LEADER ARTICLE: When Myths Compete 3 Oct 2007, hrs IST It is tempting to read Karunanidhi's remarks on Ram and the Ramayana as a return to DMK's rationalist origins. In the heyday of the Dravidian movement, Periyar E V Ramasami Naicker, ideologue and mentor of the movement, singled out Ram for special treatment. He read the Ram katha as a political allegory that sought to preserve the social and political hegemony of Brahmanism. This critique of Ramayana, in itself a new mythology, was polemics at its best. It sought to undermine the sacredness of the text. Periyar was not merely criticising a sacred text, but he was attacking the cultural space of the ruling elite, the Brahmins. It was caste war as culture war. The battering of the Ram legend and worship was a small, but crucial, part of a larger political battle for radical social transformation. The politics that informed Periyar's critique of Ram is absent in today's Tamil Nadu politics. However, the rhetoric used by the likes of Periyar continues to shape the political discourse in the state. The form has been preserved, but at the cost of content. Karunanidhi, and most politicians in Tamil Nadu, are guilty of practising such politics. What explains Karunanidhi's attempts to join issue with the sangh parivar on the Ram issue? It is difficult to read the response purely in ideological terms because of DMK's record in dealing with the sangh parivar. The party had an alliance with BJP in the state and the Centre from 1999 to 2003. The Vajpayee cabinet included Murasoli Maran, a close relative of Karunanidhi who was also a key strategist. DMK ministers did not resign from NDA government even when the Gujarat pogroms took place. The alliance with BJP was explained as suiting DMK's interests. Self-interest could well have played a role this time as well. As M S S Pandian wrote in these columns, Ram does not arouse passions in Tamil Nadu. He is not central to the imagination of most practising Hindus in the state. Targeting Ram may not lead to a consolidation of Hindu votes against DMK and allies in the state. But Ram is central to the politics of BJP even in Tamil Nadu. Predictably, BJP is upset with DMK. As leaders fight a war of words, the Sethusamudram project has become the talking point. BJP stands accused of stalling a project that is beneficial to Tamil Nadu. The Sethusamudram project has been billed as the miracle solution for the economic development of southern Tamil Nadu. Can AIADMK, the main opposition to DMK in the state, share the platform with BJP on this issue of Tamil pride? Can it risk an electoral alliance with BJP in the event of a snap poll to Lok Sabha? Karunanidhi, with his calculated gambit, has set the agenda. Others are only reacting to DMK's moves.DMK's rhetoric is instructive about the nature of contemporary political discourse in Tamil Nadu. In some ways, it is derived from the practices set by the Dravidian movement, like the use of mass media and entertainment to get the message across. In the 1930s and '40s, street processions would be taken out to lampoon Brahmins and their gods. These were essentially political mobilisations and high on emotive content. So were the anti-Hindi protests during the 1960s when self-immolation seemed a legitimate form of dissent. These protests were ideological in nature — anti-Brahmanism and pro-regional nationalism — but they were essentially spectacles, not mere protests. The pattern of mobilisation has continued, but ideology has given way to irrational admiration for the leader. The dilution of ideology in Tamil Nadu politics began in the 1970s after DMK split. MGR as chief minister sought to live his screen image of the benevolent hero. He believed in populist gestures to shore up the base of AIADMK, the party he formed after parting ways with DMK. Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa have also endorsed the brand of patronage politics initiated by MGR. The inheritors of the Dravidian movement find it a convenient option because the non-Brahmin social alliance that emerged from the Dravidian movement has disintegrated. Backward castes are emerging as the new social and economic elite. Under the non-Brahmin umbrella, new caste-based parties pose a challenge to DMK and AIADMK. Dalits are organising themselves outside the dominant political set-up as they see the backward castes as oppressors in rural Tamil Nadu. DMK and AIADMK have failed to resolve these contradictions because they did not complete the political project initiated by Periyar. His self-respect agenda was not only about capturing political power, but also the creation of a rational and egalitarian society. The project was abandoned once DMK and AIADMK won office. The two parties have sought to contain the new divides in the polity, first, by building electoral alliances with caste-based outfits,
[ZESTCaste] Call For Papers: Dalit Agendas—Emancipation, Citizenship, Empowerment - Deadline: November 1, 2007
http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v54/n06/dalit.html Call For Papers: Dalit Agendas—Emancipation, Citizenship, Empowerment October 2, 2007, Volume 54, No. 6 Print Issue The Center for the Advanced Study of India and the Department of South Asia Studies at the University of Pennsylvania will hold a major conference on critical issues relating to Dalit Studies, on December 4-6, 2008 in Philadelphia to bring together academics and intellectuals from both within and outside of formal academic institutions, including the many organic intellectuals who have kept India's Dalit movement alive by following Dr. Ambedkar's injunction to educate, organize, and agitate. The purpose of the conference will be to evaluate strategies for ensuring that Dalit agendas are recognized by and incorporated into mainstream academic dialogue and to assess the various political and social agendas, both contemporary and historic, that have sought to improve the lives of Dalits. These include Dalit political formations; print media and literary movements; colonial and postcolonial governmental practices and policies; initiatives for social and economic empowerment; feminist struggles; critiques of nationalist and radical movements; and diasporic activism. The conference will result in the production of an edited volume that will bring various Dalit agendas into dialogue and examine the conditions and contradictions of Dalit social mobility in contemporary India. Proposals from all disciplinary, methodological, and ideological perspectives are welcome. Applications are welcome from independent scholars, postgraduate students, and those working within and outside of formal academic institutions. Further information can be found on the conference website: http://casi.ssc.upenn.edu. The author of each paper proposal accepted for participation in the conference will receive an honorarium of $500 to defray the costs of any additional research that will be conducted for the paper. Travel (international or domestic, as needed) to and from Philadelphia, meals, and accommodation will be covered for all conference participants, and each contributor whose paper is accepted for publication in the edited volume will receive an additional honorarium of $500 following the final submission of their paper. Deadline for paper proposals: November 1, 2007. Applications should include: (1) a three-page description of the research to be presented at the conference and its place within your larger work and goals (2) a two-page C.V. Send to Dr. Ramnarayan S. Rawat, Department of South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvania, 820 Williams Hall, 255 South 36th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2653. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] MP dalits live in shadow of terror (News)
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070028225ch=10/4/2007%207:21:00%20PM MP dalits live in shadow of terror Rubina khan Shapoo Thursday, October 4, 2007 (Shajapur) For the last two months, the dalits in Bapcha village in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh are living in fear. The pressure from the powerful is so strong that the dalits' plight is not reported by the media and the administration too remains a mute spectator. Manko Bayee's husband is on the run as the Yadav-dominated village wants him out. The family repeatedly complained to the police after their belongings were stolen and crops destroyed but nothing happened. Late last month their house was ransacked. ''Our life has become hell. They have threatened to kill both of us,'' said Manko Bayee, sarpanch's wife. It all began when a Dalit boy and a Yadav girl fell in love. Villagers objected but the lovers paid no heed. In August the girl's body was found in a well at the nursery of Alka Bayee, a dalit. The boy was arrested on charges of murder but the entire Dalit community paid the price. The nursery that had over 20,000 plants was destroyed, dalit houses were looted and several families fled in fear. Those like Ratan Lal who stayed back didn't dare to approach the police. The Yadavs' decided to impose a penalty of Rs 1000 on whoever interacted with the dalits. The local MLA and MP are dalits but none have ever visited the village. The district BJP President is an influential Yadav. Though an FIR was registered 10 days after the incident, no arrests have been made so far. ''They indulged in ransacking and vandalism. We have filed a case and now the situation is normal,'' said J P Ahirwaar, SP, Shajapur. They might be the most sought after vote bank by political parties but the ground reality is that the dalits remain perpetual outsiders. Fear and helplessness amongst the dalits clearly shows that Bapcha is far from normal.
[ZESTCaste] USA: 'Silent' Justice Outspoken on Affirmative Action
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3667079page=1 'Silent' Justice Outspoken on Affirmative Action Clarence Thomas: Job Search After Law School Left Him 'Humiliated' and 'Desperate' By ARIANE de VOGUE Sept. 30, 2007— Although Clarence Thomas has written his views on preferential policies in his Supreme Court opinions, the release of his book and his interview with ABC News provide an opportunity for the justice to explain, more thoroughly then ever before, why he thinks racial preferences are wrong and detrimental. His views have long vexed civil rights groups, but they also differ from the traditional conservative outlook and might re-shape the nation's debate over affirmative action. While conservatives often talk about leveling the playing field for society as a whole, Thomas focuses on the stigmatizing effect affirmative action has on those it is meant to help. Clarence Thomas's personal experience, living through segregated elementary schools and then transitioning to mostly white schools, gives him a starkly different perspective from that of white conservatives opposed to affirmative action. When you talk about affirmative action programs you talk about the benefits and the costs. says Roger Clegg of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a group critical of racial preferences. Thomas can talk about costs with a credibility you can't have if you are not a supposed beneficiary of affirmative action. When Thomas applied to Yale Law School, his race was taken into consideration. He wrote in his book, I asked Yale to take that fact into account when I applied, not thinking that there might be anything wrong with doing so. But Thomas says that after he graduated from Yale, he went on several job interviews with one high-priced lawyer after another and the attorneys treated him dismissively. Many asked pointed questions, unsubtly suggesting that they doubted I was as smart as my grades indicated. The fact that he couldn't get a job would shape his thoughts on affirmative action programs for years to come. Thomas wrote, Now I knew what a law degree from Yale was worth when it bore the taint of racial preference. I was humiliatedand desperate. In his interview with ABC News, Thomas said he was unable, even when he was nominated to the Supreme Court, to erase the stigmatizing effects of racial preference. Once it is assumed that everything you do achieve is because of your race, there is no way out. he said. it is irrebuttable and it is proved to be true. In everything now that someone like me does, there's a backwash into your whole life is because of race. Peter H. Schuck, a professor at Yale Law School and a prominent critic of affirmative action, says that the stigma associated with preferences has long been an argument of those opposed to the programs. But he hopes that Clarence Thomas's real life experience will help to broaden the debate. Says Schuck, The fact that he is who he is gives the argument a special force. But opponents of Thomas's position argue there is no real stigma. Levi Pearson, the Communications Director for the National Black Law Students Association, contends There are no special conditions once you get into law school. You are competing at the same level. Pearson says, Affirmative Action creates doors to be opened. At some point you have to have special access to be able to get in the door. Besides the stigmatizing aspect that Thomas sees in affirmative action programs, he also worries about young children being thrust into programs and situations for which they are unprepared. Says Thomas, So we'll expend huge amounts of energy over affirmative action, but very little over what's really happening in the classroom for the bulk of these kids. Thomas maintains children don't need all these theories and says they need people to actually help them. In the past, Thomas has gone after those who say that programs that are predominantly black might somehow be inferior. In a recent Supreme Court opinion striking down voluntary public school district plans to assign children to schools based on race, Thomas writes that scholars have differing opinions as to whether educational benefits arise from racial balancing. As evidence, he cited a study done by George Mason University professor David J. Armor. Armor, who opposed the school district plans for race-based placement in the Supreme Court argument, says actual achievement data, when corrected for the rate of poverty at the individual level, show that black students in majority black schools perform about the same as in integrated schools. In a 1995 case regarding judicial desegregation remedies, Thomas wrote, It never ceases to amaze me that the courts are so willing to assume that anything that is predominantly black must be inferior. After detailing his painful struggles in life, Thomas wrote he doesn't want other children to have to suffer like he did. You don't know what you're putting on these kids, he wrote. You
[ZESTCaste] USA: The Future of UC Affirmative Action?
http://nwlc.blogs.com/womenstake/2007/10/the-future-of-u.html October 02, 2007 The Future of UC Affirmative Action? by Fatima Goss Graves, Senior Counsel National Women's Law Center This week's NY Times Magazine has a lengthy piece on affirmative action(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/magazine/30affirmative-t.html?_r=1oref=slogin), with a particular focus on UCLA and what the author describes as the possible future of affirmative action. In the interest of full disclosure I feel compelled to reveal that I am a UCLA alumnae and was a student there both when the UC Regents, led by Ward Connerly, ended affirmative action in all UC admissions and when California passed Proposition 209, becoming the first state to effectively end affirmative action by statewide initiative. Since Prop. 209, Ward Connerly has made it his mission to spread anti-affirmative action initiatives around the country. - http://chronicle.com/news/article/2144/4-states-are-new-targets-for-bans-on-affirmative-action-preferences Back to the NY Times Magazine. Putting aside, at least for this post, some of the troubling comments made in this article — e.g., the author seems to credit Connerly's statement that achievement gaps between black and white students are largely self-imposed by black people— the article does acknowledge the marked decrease in minority enrollment since Prop 209. As it points out, Los Angeles has easily the largest black population west of the Mississippi River, making the decline in enrollment of minority students since 209 all the more shocking. Indeed, in 2004 only 218 out of the combined total of 7,350 freshmen at UCLA UC Berkeley were black. While these numbers alone are disturbing, the situation is even more extreme than the numbers reveal given that a significant portion of these students are athletes. Although athletics is important, even former(http://www.weshouldnotbetheonlyones.org/) UCLA athletes have protested that the black student population at UCLA should not be so limited. But a vast network of UCLA alumni and California corporations have stepped up to engage in outreach and recruitment to increase the pool of applicants of color to UCLA and the number of such students who select the university. They recognize that there is no reasonable proxy for race. And their efforts have paid off — the number of black freshman at UCLA alone is now up to 200, a significant increase in just one year. The alumni involved in these efforts are aware that opponents of affirmative action may challenge these practices. No court has said — or should say — that private, voluntary outreach and recruitment programs violate Prop. 209 or the U.S. Constitution. But my guess is that the usual suspects will look for ways to halt the progress these groups have made (indeed, affirmative action critic Richard Sander has already filed a public information request). Let's hope they don't – these programs need to be encouraged to ensure that California, and the nation as a whole, make diversity on campuses a reality and not just an empty promise. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Brahmins form BEM to take on Modi (News)
http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnewsid=8056 Brahmins form BEM to take on Modi Ahmedabad, Oct 2 : Taking a cue from the strong Patel community's show of strength against Chief Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot recently, the Brahmin community has united under the banner of ''Brahm Ekta Manch (BEM)'' in a bid to make a dent in the Modi regime. ''Over one lakh brahmins will attend the BEM meeting at Rajkot on October 7 to show their social, economical and political strength,'' BEM convenor Jagdishbhai Dave said here today. Mr Dave, speaking to reporters, said, ''The BEM meeting has been organised to provide a common platform to various organisarions of Brahmin community to come under one banner and show their strength and solidarity.'' ''Though Brahmins are not a winning factor in the political scenario, but the ruling BJP or opposition Congress should not take us for granted as in every assembly constituency our voting strength is over 10,000 voters and in the last assembly elections, the winning margins were only between 500 to 5000 in around 65 constituencies,'' Mr Dave said. He denied that the BEM had association with any political party or individual politicians. Mr Dave said the BEM wants a seven per cent representation in the state assembly as Brahmins constitute seven per cent of Gujarat's population. --- UNI
[ZESTCaste] Dalits build Gandhi temple in Sambalpur (News)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Dalits_build_Gandhi_temple_in_Sambalpur/rssarticleshow/2423260.cms Dalits build Gandhi temple in Sambalpur 3 Oct 2007, 0121 hrs IST,TNN SAMBALPUR: God is worshipped in many forms. And for Dalits of Bhatara in Sambalpur district of Orissa, it's Mahatma Gandhi, the messiah of untouchables. The Dalits in this remote hamlet have built a temple to worship their God, who brought succour to the lives of so many marginalised and backward communities in the country. This 39-foot-high temple really comes alive on Gandhi Jayanti. We have a big festival on October 2 and special prayers are held to worship the Father of the Nation, said temple priest Gokul Bag. We also offer special prayers on January 30, his death anniversary, the priest said. Shunned by upper caste people, these poor villagers decided to pray to a true God. Many a time, we are barred from entering temples. That is why we decided to build a temple where we could worship our own God, somebody who would listen to our prayers, said Narendra Kumar Bag, a Dalit from Bhatapara. And who can be better than Mahatma Gandhi, the messiah of Dalits? But unlike other places of worship, the chanting of hymns doesn't pervade this temple. Instead, worshippers sing Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram and other bhajans.
[ZESTCaste] Saharanpur resident gets Kabir Puraskar for saving lives of Dalits (News)
http://www.calcuttanews.net/story/287152 Saharanpur resident gets Kabir Puraskar for saving lives of Dalits Calcutta News.Net Tuesday 2nd October, 2007 (ANI) New Delhi, Oct 2 : The Centre today announced to confer the Kabir Puraskar, for the year 2007, on Saharanpur resident Khalifa Gufran for playing pivotal role in stopping many incidents of communal riots in his locality. He will be awarded with a cash prize of Rupees 50,000. Resident of Gali Halwaiyan, in Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Gufran helped in saving the lives of two Dalit youths in 2006 after Muslims and Dalits scuffled over a petty matter that soon took the shape of communal violence. The timely arrival on the scene by Khalifa Gufran with the district authorities stemmed further escalation of violence and saved both the youths from the clutches of the mob, a release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs that announces the award said. In March 2007 persons of Hindu and Muslim communities collected at Mohalla Jatavnagar and started pelting stones on each other. Here also Gufran helped the district authorities in restoring peace and normalcy. Kabir Puraskar is a National Award instituted by the Indian Government for recognizing the acts of physical or moral courage displayed by a member of one caste, community or ethnic group in saving the lives and properties of member(s) of another caste, community or ethnic group during caste, community or ethnic violence. The Award is given annually in three grades viz., Grade-I, Grade-II and Grade-III, carrying cash amount of Rs. 2,00,000; Rs.1,00,000 and Rs. 50,000 respectively.
[ZESTCaste] A betrayal of democracy
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/09/23/stories/2007092350070400.htm Magazine A betrayal of democracy If democracy is rule with the consent of the governed, it is being betrayed in States like Rajasthan where far-reaching decisions regarding SEZs are being taken without consulting the people affected. ASEEM SHRIVASTAVA Economics of development: A SEZ coming up. Arre, arre chor aaya re, chor aaya re… SEZ laya re, SEZ laya re! So goes the rallying cry from performers playing alarmed villagers in a street play on SEZs and land acquisition. The corrupt neta, beaming greedily in his starched kurta-pyjama, is seen striking lucrative land deals over the backs of farmers with Uncle Sam's representative in a bowler hat. He sends firm messages over his mobile to his local cronies to organise the land for the company. After some hiccups and noises of protest from villagers, the deals go through. But the story has just begun, as farmers prepare for land battles with the company and the State… Immense participation The play has been put up in hundreds of villages of Rajasthan during the last few weeks. Organised by several different social action groups from the State, the Jan Adhikar Yatra concluded in Jaipur, after a 10-day padayatra of 300 villages in four districts (Alwar, Sikar, Tonk and Ajmer) around Jaipur by as many as 400 participants from around the State. Consider for a moment the possibility that in order for it to set up a Special Financial Zone you are asked by the government to vacate your luxury apartment in the city because the land on which the building stands is right next to the financial district. Not only is it valued very highly in the real estate market, it is pointed out to you that it is in the larger public interest to allow the SFZ to come up, hence making it possible for the government to invoke the Land Acquisition Act to take possession of your property. As compensation you are offered a sum equal not to the replacement value of your property, but to its current market value. In some cases, the compensation offered is even less. You have no voice in the matter, especially since a significant proportion of your neighbours in the building have agreed to the deal. Threatened lives This is the precise nature of the predicament in which hundreds of thousands of rural households find themselves today. Special Economic Zones are planned on their farmlands. The SEZ Act of 2005 is being invoked to acquire land from villagers. Till date, three SEZs, two near Jaipur and one in Jodhpur have become operational in Rajasthan. In addition, five others have received formal approval and 10 others (including as many as seven multi-product zones above 1,000 hectares each, five of them in Alwar district alone) await formal approval, having already acquired in-principle approval. The largest of these is the Omaxe SEZ planned in Alwar district. It is proposed to occupy as much as 6,000 hectares of land, a good 1,000 hectares above the legally permissible limit, as per changes announced by the Government of India in April 2007. The padayatra has focused its protest on six related issues: acquisition of land for SEZs, forced planting of jatropha for bio-diesel (on as much as six million hectares in the State, often on the village commons, falsely construed as wasteland), removal of restrictions on the sale of land owned by SC/ST groups, better implementation of the NREG and RTI Acts (for employment and information respectively) and social security for workers in the unorganised sector of the economy. The red thread connecting all these controversial issues is the fact that far-reaching decisions are being made without consulting affected people or allowing their political participation in any form. If democracy is rule with the consent of the governed, it is evidently being betrayed in States like Rajasthan. Big decisions are being made in a dangerously autocratic manner, with consequences all too easy to foretell. Land acquisition for corporations is being facilitated by the State by amending or breaking existing land laws. At the same time, the implementation of schemes like the Employment Guarantee Scheme (in which Rajasthan is leading the States in terms of employment generated) are being poorly implemented: workers are being denied the promised minimum wage of Rs.73 per day. There is opacity in a large number of government decisions. RTI applications are gathering dust in public offices: the 30-day time limit is routinely violated. Red tape is rife. Public information boards are missing from Panchayat offices. Corruption has not been brought to an end. And this in the State which birthed the idea of the people's right to information. High spirits I walked with the padayatris in Sikar district for a few days. The sun was fierce but spirits were high. There were 75-year-old farmers singing songs mocking the government administration. Puppets were used to attract people to the street play about
[ZESTCaste] Dalits seek mass transfer of teachers (News)
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20071001030649Page=KHeadline=Dalits+seek+mass+transfer+of+teachersTitle=Southern+News+-+KarnatakaTopic=0 SOUTHERN NEWS - KARNATAKA Oct 3, 2007 Dalits seek mass transfer of teachers Monday October 1 2007 13:28 IST ENS GULBARGA: A protest rally was taken out in the city under the banner of Dalit Employees' Joint Action Committee on Saturday, against the suspension of scheduled caste lecturer Arunkumar Naronkar. They alleged that the culprits in the alleged assault on a lady lecturer at the Government Degree College had been let scot-free, while an innocent has been made the scapegoat. The organistion refuted the allegations that Naronkar slapped a lady lecturer of the same college --Shivaganga Rumma. The alleged use of abusive language against her was also denied. Action committee president Shantappa Malli and general secretary Devendra Heggade claimed that BJP MLC Shashil Namoshi had played a major role in suspending Naronkar and principal S S Avaradi. Though an FIR has been filed against Shivaganga Rumma and Kannada lecturer Gurubasappa, who belong to the Lingayat community, on charges of atrocity against Dalits, no action has been initiated against them, they alleged. The committee has urged the authorities to order a comprehensive inquiry into the incident to ensure justice. They also sought a congenial atmosphere for students to pursue their studies by transferring the entire teaching staff, besides suspending Shivanga Rumma and Gurubasappa. They took out a rally to the Deputy Commissioner's office led by D G Sagar, representing KRSS and submitted a memorandum to the the Chief Minister.
[ZESTCaste] Various SC/ST organisations to begin massive campaign (News)
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=508510 Various SC/ST organisations to begin massive campaign KOCHI,OCT 3 (PTI) A campaign for safeguarding SC/ST reservation and also for comprehensive land reforms, organised by various organisations of SC and ST, will begin on October 7, top leaders of the organisations said today. Speaking to reporters here, M Geethanandan, General Secretary, Rashtreeya Mahasabha and C K Janu, President, Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha, demanded that reservation for SC and ST in medical and para-medical courses and engineering sectors,which was reduced to two percent, should be increased to 10 percent. Among other things, Geethanandan also demanded a legislation to guarantee reservation for SC and ST.The campaign will be organised after a convention which will be held at Thrissur on October 7, he said. Conventions and seminars will be organised in all the districts, he said. The convention will mainly discuss the uncertainty that existed in the self-financing education sector, Geethanandan said.
[ZESTCaste] CPI(M) to launch temple entry agitation on October 4 (News)
http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnewsid=8063 CPI(M) to launch temple entry agitation on October 4 Chennai, Oct 2 : The Tamil Nadu unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), along with Tamil Nadu Untouchability Abolition Front, would launch ''temple entry'' agitation on October 4 in three temples, in which Dalits were denied entry. CPI(M) State unit Secretary N Varadarajan, in a statement here said the agitation would be held in Agneeswarar Temple at Tamaraipakkam in Thiruvannamalai district, Kaliamman Koil at Ayakudi in Dindigul district and Kannimar temple at Bhavani in Virudhunagar district of the State. Mr Varadarajan said the agitation would be led by the district unit leaders and local party legislators and called upon Dalits to take part in the agitation in large numbers and make it a success. In other district headquarters on October 4, the party would organise demonstrations and picketing against untouchability, he added. --- UNI
[ZESTCaste] Dalits enter temple (News)
Dalits enter temple http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 KURNOOL: A group of Dalits entered Siva temple at Ponnapuram on the outskirts of Nandyal town on Gandhi Jayanti Day on Tuesday. According to reports, people belonging to the the upper castes beat up a Dalit a few days ago when he sat on the platform in their locality. Dalit organisations have been fighting for their rights in the village since then. Revenue Divisional Officer B. Sankar and Deputy SP Bala Muralidhar accompanied them. -Special Correspondent New Indpress
[ZESTCaste] DU seeks details of SC/ST appointments in colleges (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/02/stories/2007100257150400.htm New Delhi DU seeks details of SC/ST appointments in colleges Parul Sharma No compromise on Constitutional obligation Not enough candidates from SC/ST categories NEW DELHI: The Dean of Colleges at Delhi University has written to all the colleges asking them to send a copy of their post-based roster for appointment of teaching and non-teaching positions. He has also requested them to follow the guidelines with regard to ad hoc appointments against Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe vacancies. In a letter to all the Principals dated September 5, Nayanjot Lahiri wrote: A copy of your post-based roster for appointment of teaching and non-teaching positions is required by my office. This is because Delhi University from time to time has to answer questions from and meet the chairpersons of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as also answer parliamentary questions. It is my request to you to follow the guidelines relating to ad hoc appointments against SC/ST vacancies in your college. Against such reserved posts, it is essential to appoint SC/ST candidates only. I hope there will be no compromise on this Constitutional obligation, said the letter. Similarly, Prof. Lahiri had written a letter on September 6 to the heads of all departments seeking their cooperation in preparation of ad hoc panels of candidates against SC/ST vacancies in colleges. The University is conscious of the Constitutional obligations regarding appointment of SC/ST teachers. This is the law of the land and it has to be observed. As soon as I took over in September, the Vice-Chancellor asked me to do this on a priority basis. Different colleges have been sending their rosters. Once I get all of them, then I will analyse and examine all the data, said Prof. Lahiri. The Dean also said that a mechanism could be worked out whereby the panel for ad hoc teachers against SC/ST vacancies can be put on the University website. Some of the Principals have admitted that since there are not enough candidates from the reserved categories, they are forced to appoint those from the general ones.
[ZESTCaste] Dalit assaulted, Ostracised (News)
Dalit assaulted, Ostracised http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20071003032111Page=THeadline=Dalit+assaulted%2C+OstracisedTitle=Southern+News+-+Tamil+NaduTopic=0 Wednesday October 3 2007 13:42 IST ENS PERAMBALUR: A Dalit was allegedly assaulted and ostracised for taking bath in the village pond at Vadakadal in Udayarpalayalam taluk of Perambalur district. According to sources, Duraiswamy, a 58-year-old Dalit was attacked by Rajendran, a caste Hindu of the same village, for taking bath in the pond meant for caste Hindus on Wednesday last. Alarmed at the treatment meted out to him, Duraiswamy took up the issue with the village heads but in vain. Adding insult to injury, another Dalit was also assaulted, when he came in support of Duraiswamy. Subsequently, they preferred a complaint with the police, who took into custody Rajendran, though after three days. Duraiswamy was also threatened to withdraw the complaint or face dire consequences. Meanwhile, caste Hindus who convened a meeting headed by Samithurai, president of the adjacent Pookollai panchayat, decided to ostracise Duraiswamy, sources said. The Dalits were also told that they would not be able to board buses if the complaint was not withdrawn. Police are investigating.
[ZESTCaste] Dalit woman raped, murdered (News)
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/02/stories/2007100256340300.htm Other States - Uttar Pradesh Dalit woman raped, murdered Muzaffarnagar: A Dalit woman was strangulated to death by some unidentified persons here after being raped, police said on Monday. The body of the 30-year-old woman was found on Sunday in half-naked condition from a jungle near Alipur village, police said. Nobody has been arrested in the case.
[ZESTCaste] State in a fix over age relaxation for jobs (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/26/stories/2007092650420100.htm Front Page State in a fix over age relaxation for jobs New rule may make many 40-plus persons also eligible HYDERABAD: As the process of recruitment for over 8,000 posts in different departments has got under way, the State Government has landed in a piquant situation over age relaxation applicable to the aspirants for various posts. Against the norm of calculating 26 years as the base age for recruitment to gazetted and 28 years to non-gazetted posts, successive Governments relaxed the maximum age limit enabling those under 34 to secure jobs. The present Government has, in principle, decided to relax the upper age limit by four more years for fresh recruitments on the lines of the procedures followed in 1998 and 2003. Officials are now assessing the impact of the decision on candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Backward Classes, physically-handicapped and ex-servicemen categories. Under the normal course, five years relaxation over and above the maximum age limit is permissible for SC/ST/BC candidates, 10 years for physically-handicapped and three years for ex-servicemen and NCC candidates. This will result in a situation where SC/ST/BC candidates up to the age of 43 years and physically-challenged candidates up to the age of 48 can appear for the written examination and interview for recruitment. The situation turns more complex in cases where physically-challenged candidates belonging to SC/ST/BC communities claim relaxation under both the categories. According to the official, a decision on scrapping the ceiling would be announced shortly.
[ZESTCaste] The mall culture (Chandrabhan Prasad)
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Columnistfile_name=prasad%2Fprasad227.txtwriter=prasad The mall culture By Chandrabhan Prasad Catch any member of the CPI(M), or a Bajrang Dal activist, and say one good thing about the mall-culture, and see the look that comes with it. It feels as if a predator is going to pounce on you. Why are the two traditionalists - the former carrying the baggage of caste-Hindu spirituality, and the latter, the baggage of the caste-Hindu rituals, feel so threatened by the mall culture? For the past one month I have been visiting a shopping mall in east Delhi. It's a part of my ongoing research on globalisation and its impact on the caste order. What I have observed so far is that the mall on an average employ 40 sweepers. Of these only 12 were Dalits, the other 28 were Brahmins and Kshatriyas. Needless to say, all the sweepers irrespective of their caste, gender, colour, and age, work together on the same wage and employment conditions. One could see them laughing, smoking, and drinking tea together. There is also an American restaurant serving fast food in the mall. During the course of my research, of the 60 workers the food chain employs, 42 workers have studies in English medium school. I was a bit stunned one day when I saw the duty manager sweeping the floor. All the people in the restaurant are trained to do all the work. We all can cook and we do, we all can serve at the counter and we do, we all can sweep floor and we do, he said. At first he was reluctant to speak with me because he was not allowed to speak with the Press. However, after much coaxing he opened up. He said that he was a Bharadwas Brahmin - superior to other Brahmins. What if you have a Dalit guest in your restaurant - may be your garbage collector who accidentally came to your restaurant? I asked. I am paid more than an IAS officer. I have a job to perform and that is to serve each and every customer who comes to the restaurant even if he was my garbage collector. What times are you living in sir? I let lose the caste-society bomb. Will you serve food to the garbage collector who comes to your house in your locality? I asked him. For this he had no answer. So what we have is two set of people living in the society - those who live the mall culture and then there are those who live outside it. With my limited exposure to Europe and the US, I find cultures and societies inside the malls as the same as outside malls. If given a choice what kind of a society would India choose - the traditional society or the society as that is slowly evolving inside the malls. Can Brahmins, Kshatriyas/Bhumihars, Reddys/ Kanmmas, Jats/Yadavs, Gaudas/Lingayats, Thewars/Vanniyars, Marathas/Kunbs, Patels, Patnaiks, Jat- Sikhs, Nairs, and Basus sweep streets outside malls? Can any member of CPM, CPI, CPI(M), Bajrang Dal, RSS, VHP show us one instance where Dalits and non-Dalits clean toilets together for the same pay scale and working arrangements outside the mall society? Well, Sulabh is an exception, and Sulabh is part of the new culture. Here is what a mall culture does to a society: It provides a Europe like climate - centrally air-conditioned environment. There is a rare combination where the mall workers and the customers are treated alike. A mall deploys machines to redefine occupations. The cleaning staff are given uniform, shoes and socks, a cap, and modern tools to sweep. With such changes, the mall culture liberates traditional occupation from their caste identities. Additionally, they are paid well. The English speaking workers in the American food chain are trained to receive each visitor as their guest. Workers in the American food company are also consumers and must earn enough to shine individually. To them, caste arrogance becomes a liability. Despite the caste pressures, the mall culture is creating a tradition-neutral society. In other words, howsoever, unintended that may be, malls are creating a new society, an anti-thesis to the caste society. Forget what the traditionalists - the CPM the RSS aspire for, Dalits will have to make a choice - between the caste society and that of a mall society.
[ZESTCaste] Fwd: Silver Jubilee National Conference of IAWS- Call for Papers
-- Forwarded message -- From: sandali thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Oct 1, 2007 10:27 PM Subject: Silver Jubilee National Conference of IAWS- Call for Papers To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] It is my pleasure to inform you that the Indian Association for Women's Studies (IAWS) is organizing its Silver Jubilee National Conference in February, 2008, at Lucknow. The theme for the Conference is 'Feminism, Education and the Transformation of Knowledges: Processes and Institutions'. Kindly find attached the Conference Brochure for detailed write-ups on the sub-themes, guidelines for paper presentation and information on registration, membership, etc. For further queries, you can also mail me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Regards Sandali Conference Secretariat, IAWS @ Centre for Women's Development Studies, New Delhi -- Gajarpunni ki Jad Badayun Lalla Naam Layanso
[ZESTCaste] Ambedkar golden jubilee fails to reunite RPI factions (News)
http://www.indiaenews.com/politics/20071002/73199.htm Ambedkar golden jubilee fails to reunite RPI factions By Shyam Pandharipande. Maharashtra, India, 02:01 PM IST Even as the constitution drafted by Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar continues to guide India's destiny and helps keep the republic intact, his followers remain splintered. They will hold separate golden jubilee functions of the party of his dream here Wednesday. While the Republican Party of India (RPI) led by Bihar Governor R.S. Gavai's son Rajendra and claiming to be the 'original' RPI will celebrate the function at an obscure place in the city, the RPI-Athavale faction led by Member of Parliament Ramdas Athavale has organised a grand show at the Kasturchand Park here. Ironically, Ambedkar's grandson Prakash -- who leads the third major faction of the party styled Bharatiya Republican Party-Bahujan Maha Sangh (BRP-BMS) -- has said that he will stay away from both celebrations, declaring that the real Republican Party has long ceased to exist. The RPI was founded by Ambedkar's chosen lieutenants on Oct 3, 1957, -- 10 months after his death and a year after he embraced Buddhism along with thousands of his scheduled caste followers. An estimated 700,000 people had attended the foundation ceremony at Nagpur's Deeksha Bhoomi. The party was formed as per the blueprint that the Dalit icon had handed down to his political heirs, days before his death on Dec 6, 1956. Ambedkar's mandate was to set up a broad-based version of two parties he had earlier launched -- the Labour Party in 1936 and the Scheduled Caste Federation in 1942. Billed to be a big draw on Wednesday, the RPI-Athawale function is expected to be graced by a galaxy of national and state level leaders of Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), both the communist parties and those of some smaller secular parties. Athavale claims that 300,000 workers drawn from 30 states will attend the celebrations. In contrast, Rajendra Gavai's 'original' RPI has decided to keep its golden jubilee celebrations limited to the party loyalists. The young son of the Bihar governor talked deferentially about the senior leaders. 'I will gladly take a small seat in any corner of the dais offering bigger chairs to Athavale and Ambedkar should they deign to grace the 'original RPI' function,' Rajendra told IANS. But pointing to the Gavai-led party's alignment with the Congress, Prakash Ambedkar has dubbed it the 'Congress-RPI' while describing the RPI led by Athavale as 'NCP-RPI'. An embittered Ambedkar told IANS that the offer coming from an 'NCP serf' is not worth looking at. He also refused to have anything to do with the 'Congress satrap' -- meaning R.S. Gavai. Ramdas Athavale, recalling that he was unanimously elected president of the unified Republican Party in 1995, told IANS that he would initiate fresh unification moves immediately after Wednesday's function. 'I am willing to offer the pride of position of 'party leader' to Prakash Ambedkar, the post of secretary to Rajendra Gavai and make the People's Republican Party chief Jogendra Kawade the organising secretary,' Athavale said. 'I will, of course, be the president.' Referring to some RPI puritans who disapprove of the idea of opening up the party to communities other than Scheduled Castes, Athavale said a party restricted to Dalits could not have a political future. 'Dr. Ambekar had himself realised this when he lost the Lok Sabha election from Dadar in 1952 and a by-election from Bhandara,' Athavale said, adding that a combination of 40 percent Dalits and 60 percent non-Dalits would be right for the new party. 'We will take up major economic and developmental issues concerning the masses like increased irrigation facilities, a people-oriented Special Economic Zones policy and redrafting of forest related acts to safeguard forest dwellers' rights,' Athavale said. Referring to the growing clout of the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Athavale said he was going to move the Supreme Court to claim back the 'Elephant' symbol for the RPI that the BSP uses now. The RPI, which in 1967 won 12 percent votes in Maharashtra and had nine Members of Parliament and 29 members in different state legislatures declined in strength after forging an alliance with the Congress following the elections. Split in several factions, it lost the status of a recognised party. Following unification in 1995, the party won four Lok Sabha seats and regained recognition only to lose it again after the second split in 1999. The point of difference that caused the second split -- which persists even now -- was whether to be aligned with Congress or NCP. With the party remaining splintered, the division in the Scheduled Caste votes has helped other parties. The ego clashes and battle of supremacy among top RPI leaders are coming in the way of Ambedkar's party, and the party workers and followers, whose pressure brought about the short-lived unification in
[ZESTCaste] Gujjars to court arrest (News)
http://www.deccan.com/City/CityNews.asp#Gujjars%20to%20court%20arrest Gujjars to court arrest Jaipur, Oct. 1: Security has been beefed up in Rajasthan following the Gujjar community's call for a mass arrest campaign on Gandhi Jayanti. The government has made over 200 makeshift jails and executive magistrates have been posted in sensitive areas. We have made all necessary arrangements to maintain peace during the agitation, said Rajasthan home minister Gulabchand Kataria. We are ready to accept them if they offer themselves for mass arrest, but we will ensure law and order, said Mr Kataria. The Gujjar leaders claimed that over 500,000 Gujjars will present themselves at seven divisional headquarters on Tuesday to court arrest. Meanwhile, tribal leaders from all over India assembled in Jaipur and said they would not accept any division in the Scheduled Tribe list. The tribal leaders, including Central ministers, were busy on Monday drafting a Jaipur declaration on the tribal issue. The administration has acquired government buildings, like schools and offices, for use as makeshift jails. The administration also hired vehicles to transport the Gujjars. The Gujjar leaders assured us that they would maintain the peace. We hope the agitation will pass off peacefully, Mr Kataria said. It is on the government. If the government uses force to victimise us, it will be their responsibility, said rebel BJP MLA Prahlad Gunjal.
[ZESTCaste] Fwd: Job openings at The Centre for Alternative Dalit Media, New Delhi
The Centre for Alternative Dalit Media, New Delhi, is looking for a Documentation Officer and a documentation assistant. The latter may be part-time and may be pursuing higher education. The only qualification is good comprehension, reading and writing skills in English and a working knowledge of Hindi. The candidates should be based in Delhi. Please send your CV to Ashok Bharti - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[ZESTCaste] Inclusion in ST category a constitutional matter: Minister
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=508114 MINISTER Inclusion in ST category a constitutional matter: Minister JAIPUR, OCT 1 (PTI) Ahead of Gurjars' stir in Rajasthan tomorrow in support of their demand for a Scheduled Tribe tag, Union Minister P R Kyndiah today said inclusion of any caste or community in SC or ST category for reservation benefit was a constitutional matter. States should know proper rules and procedures before recommending any caste or community to the Centre for quota benefit, Kyndiah, Minister for Tribal Affairs, said. Any inclusion in the SC or ST category for reservation needs to go through the SC/ST Commission and the concerned Ministry, he said. Thereafter, an amendment in the Constitution was required, Kyndiah told the 14th National Conference of the All India Tribal Development Council here. He said the UPA government at the Centre had approved a bill on tribal land and forest rights and it would be notified shortly. A draft of the National Tribal Policy had also been placed before the Union Cabinet for consideration, he said.
[ZESTCaste] Dr Ambedkar and the Jaibhim Community in Hungary
http://www.fwbo-news.org/2007/10/dr-ambedkar-and-jaibhim-community-in.html Tuesday, October 02, 2007 Dr Ambedkar and the Jaibhim Community in Hungary For some two years now there have been growing links between the FWBO and the Romany gypsies in Hungary. This began when they discovered Dr. Ambedkar and became inspired by him and his followers in India. Roma gypsies in Eastern Europe live lives of extreme poverty and discrimination similar to the conditions experienced by Indian Dalits about 75 years ago, indeed, they describe themselves as the 'untouchables' of Europe. They realised Dr Ambedkar's 'Dhamma Revolution'(in which in 1956 millions of his followers renounced the Hindu social order based on caste discrimination and inequality and became Buddhist) was relevant to them too. By the time they contacted the FWBO they had already opened the Little Tiger Grammar School in Alsoszentmarton in south Hungary. The name comes indirectly from Dr. Ambedkar, who referred to education as 'tiger's milk'. More than that, they realised Buddhist ethical practice helped to develop confidence and self-respect, and that Buddhist conversion opened the door to social, economic, and personal development - thus, that Buddhism could be directly relevant to their problems. In addition to their feeling for Dr. Ambedkar, East European Roma/Gypsies are deeply conscious of their roots in India and many identify strongly with what happens there. Since the initial contact there have been several exchange visits to Hungary, mostly by students of the Dharmapala College, Birmingham. Mostly recently Manidhamma, an Indian Order Member, visited, together with Ashwin Gunaratna, an Indian mitra from Nagpur. Reports of some of thier previous visits can be found on the Dharmadhuta blog. One of the important events during this visit was the formation of the Jaibhim Community. This is an initiative by Janos Orsos and Derdak Tibor, two mitras from the gypsy community (there are now four in total). It will provide the organisational framework for Buddhist activities and the communication of Dr Ambedkar's vision in Hungary. The Jaibhim Community is linked to the FWBO/TBMSG and has adopted a modified version of Ambedkar's 22 Vows in its constitution. These are, in essence, a set of vows to practice Buddhism, to spread Dr Ambedkar's message and to reconstruct society to one based on Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Manidhamma and Janos together collected the registration document from the Charity Commissions' office in Pecs. The website contains several videos of their activities and Dalit programs in India – even a 'Jai Bhim' ringtone! Manidhamma and Ashwin were able to visit the Little Tiger School and meet students and staff. Manidhamma gave a talk on Dr Ambedkar's emphasis on self-help and his threefold injunction to his followers to 'Educate, Agitate, and Organise'. The school is very successful and has been taken as a model by the Hungarian government. A new similar school is being set up in northern Hungary at Tomor in association with the 'Bhim Rao Association'. Manidhamma also led a 3-day retreat at Uszo, a beautiful place in North Hungary, which 30 young men and women attended from different parts of Hungary. There were talks about Dr Ambedkar, Buddhism in India, meditation and discussion about the five precepts and vegetarianism. Ashwin and Manidhamma cooked delicious Indian vegetarian food and distributed gifts - Dr Ambedkar's photos, books, CDs, Indian saris, dhotis and cloths, Buddhist images, 'Jai Bhim' head-bands (as seen in the photo), necklaces, lockets, rosaries and vegetarian food-spices and sweets. They travelled visiting Romas/Gypsies in Budapest, Pecs, Komlo, Baksa, Manfa, Hidas, Harkany, Sayokaza and Ozd. The response was warm and welcoming and our connection with them seems set to grow. We are currently looking for English teachers able to go to Hungary and teach English to the gypsy community for four or five months at a time, if anyone is interested please contact email:[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Fwd: Screening of INDIA UNTOUCHED on 2nd October
on the occasion of the 138th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi Nazariya Drishti-Natarani Film Club Presents Stalin K's documentary film INDIA UNTOUCHED - Stories of a People Apart Winner of One Billion Eyes - Documentary Film Festival Award. After six months traveling to Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Madurai, the film is coming back to Ahmedabad. Date - 2nd October Venue - Natarani, Usmanpura Time - 8:15 pm About India Untouched 108 minutes/Hindi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalm with English sub-titles. This film is perhaps the most comprehensive look at Untouchability ever undertaken on film. Director Stalin K. spent four years traveling the length and breadth of the country to expose the continued oppression of 'Dalits,' the 'broken people' who suffer under a 4000 year-old religious system. The film introduces leading Benares scholars who interpret Hindu scriptures to mean that Dalits 'have no right' to education, and Rajput farmers who proudly proclaim that no Dalit may sit in their presence, and that the police must seek their permission before pursuing cases of atrocities. The film captures many 'firsts-on-film, ' such as Dalits being forced to dismount from their cycles and remove their shoes when in the upper caste part of the village. It exposes the continuation of caste practices and Untouchability in Sikhism, Christianity and Islam, and even amongst the communists in Kerala. Dalits themselves are not let off the hook: within Dalits, sub-castes practice Untouchability on the 'lower' sub-castes, and a Harijan boy refuses to drink water from a Valmiki boy. The viewer hears that Untouchability is an urban phenomenon as well, inflicted upon a leading medical surgeon and in such hallowed institutions as JNU, where a Brahmin boy builds a partition so as not to look upon his Dalit roommate in the early morning. A section on how newspaper matrimonial columns are divided according to caste presents urban Indians with an uncomfortable truth: marriage is the leading perpetuator of caste in India. But the film highlights signs of hope, too: the powerful tradition of Dalit drumming is used to call people to the struggle, and a young Dalit girl holds her head high after pulling water from her village well for the first time in her life. Spanning eight states and four religions, this film will make it impossible for anyone to deny that Untouchability continues to be practiced in India. Stalin K: Stalin K. is a human rights activist and award-winning documentary filmmaker. In recent years, he has become known for his pioneering 'participatory media' work with urban and rural communities, in which local people produce their own videos and radio programs as an empowerment tool. He is the Co-Founder of DRISHTI- Media, Arts and Human Rights, Convener of the Community Radio Forum-India, and the India Director of Video Volunteers. He is a renowned public speaker and has lectured or taught at over 20 institutions ranging from the National Institute of Design and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in India, to New York University and Stanford and Berkeley in the US.
[ZESTCaste] Mala employees to fight ‘victimisation’
http://www.siasat.com/english/index.php?option=contenttask=viewid=210855Itemid=63cattitle=Andhra%20Pradesh Mala employees to fight 'victimisation' Monday, 01 October 2007 Kadapa, October 01: Mala Mahanadu formed Mala Employees Association on Sunday to protect the interests of employees of the community in the movement against classification of Scheduled Castes, Mala Mahanadu State general secretary J.V. Ramana said on Sunday. Political forces were dividing SCs in order to bring about disunity and employees of Mala community were being victimised by their Madiga counterparts, Mr. Ramana alleged at a meeting here. Those demanding classification of SCs should foresee the threat of foregoing their constitutional rights, he cautioned. He charged political leaders with usurping crores of rupees earmarked for uplift of SCs. Administration's indifference to recognise Dalits in cases of atrocities against SC/STs and reluctance to issue caste certificates to genuine Dalits posed problems, he said. He alleged victimisation of Mala employees in the Treasury Department, suspensions, cut in increments and stoppage of promotions at the behest of Madiga employees. Madiga community should realise their folly in demanding classification of SCs, Mala Mahanadu district president R. Ramachandraiah said. Officials and upper castes subjected SCs to attacks and they would be countered, he said. Mala Employees Association district president D. Satyanand Babu announced election of a 39-member body for the association with K. Suresh Babu as working president, seven vice-presidents, six general secretaries, seven secretaries, four organising secretaries, five joint secretaries, a treasurer and six honorary advisors. --Agencies
[ZESTCaste] Dalit students battle prejudice and violence
http://koyatoor.blogspot.com/2007/09/dalit-students-battle-prejudice-and.html Sunday, September 30, 2007 Dalit students battle prejudice and violence Times of India Siddarth Varadarajan NEW DELHI: Vikram Ram, a Dalit student at the UniversityCollege of Medical Sciences (UCMS) in east Delhi, got a rudeshock when he sat down for his first meal at the hostel mess.``Bloody Shaddu'', he was told fiercely by a group of upper castestudents (using an abusive term for Scheduled Castes), ``youcannot eat with us''. Hurt and bewildered, he made his way to therow of tables where the Dalit students normally sit. According to the Dalit students, even the hostel has de factobeen ghettoised, with most of them on two floors. When RakeshKumar, an SC student, was assigned a room elsewhere, aneighbour said: ``We will not let you stay here, Shaddu. Yourkind of person cleans our toilets.'' Faced with the prospect ofconstant harassment, he asked to be shifted. When this reporter asked some upper caste boys at UCMSabout the term `Shaddu', they denied the word was ever used,except during arguments. After some prodding, one student,Anand Bakshi, said: ``It is only a pet name.''As for separate dining and living areas, the upper caste studentsthis reporter spoke to say there is no such policy. ``If at all theyeat and live together'', said Sudhir Kathuria, ``it is because theylike sticking to their own community''. Today, Vikram, Rakesh and several other Dalit students are ondharna. After years of discrimination, they say they have hadenough. The last straw was the violent attack on them by someupper caste students on February 22. UCMS authorities insist itwas a run-of-the-mill fight between students but the fact is severalDalits were badly beaten. The hostel PA system was used to asall `general category' students to assemble. The turban of DrJaswant Singh, a gentle, small-built Dalit, was pulled off and hewas punched and kicked. Another Dalit intern, Balwinder Bhatti,hid himself but the mob ransacked his room.When this reporter went to talk to the Dalit students, they weresuspicious. It was only gradually that their complaints poured out.Stubbornly, reluctantly. More than anything, it is the perceiveddiscrimination from the faculty that rankles. A tall, intensetwenty-something, Vikram had topped his school and had neverbefore experienced casteism. ``My parents say `thoda seh lo;but become a doctor at any cost','' he said, wistfully twisting hisstethoscope this way and that.The son of a driver, Vikram hasn't graduated despite being atUCMS for eight years. Like many SC students, he has frequentlybeen made to repeat exams. If the intake of reserved students is22, only four graduate on time.``We study as hard as anyone else but it is the faculty's casteismwhich is holding us back,'' said a Dalit student. Ram Das, a finalyear student, had just appeared in an exam. ``The first questionthe examiner asked was `Are you a bania?'. When I said no, hesaid `Then what? Are you from reserved category? What is yourcaste?'.``If an exam begins like this'', said Ram, ``we get demoralised,nervous. How are we supposed to cope?'' (The names of the students have been changed.)
[ZESTCaste] Dalit+OBC is Maya’s formula for Chhattisgarh (News)
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/222926.html Dalit+OBC is Maya's formula for Chhattisgarh Nitin Mahajan Posted online: Monday, October 01, 2007 at hrs IST RAIPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 After successfully wooing Brahmins in Uttar Pradesh, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Chhattisgarh has decided to engineer a social pact with OBCs and Scheduled Castes to make inroads into the state polity. The state unit of the BSP is preparing to replicate Uttar Pradesh's social engineering experiment in the 2008 Assembly polls through an alliance with SCs and OBCs. Chhattisgarh BSP President Dau Ram Ratnakar said the party was confident that the alliance would succeed. The party has decided to contest all 90 Assembly seats in next year's polls, he said. As OBCs are a majority in the state, comprising mostly Sahus and Kurmis, an alliance of Dalits and OBCs will be an advantage for us in next year's Assembly polls, Ratnakar added. With the total population comprising 52 per cent OBCs and 22.3 per cent SCs, the party is hopeful that the alliance will be invincible. To bring OBCs into the party fold, bhaichara committees have been launched by the BSP in each of the parliamentary constituencies. The committees have been entrusted with the task of organising constituency-level contact programmes for these communities, he said. In the last Chhattisgarh Assembly polls held in 2003, the party had contested 52 seats out of which it secured 2. However, polling on one of these seats — Malkharauda — was annulled by the High Court and a bypoll held for the seat was won by the BJP. The BSP in the last Assembly elections had secured a total vote share of 5 per cent by contesting on 52 seats. The party hopes to improve the vote share significantly once the alliance of the two castes is established. Party sources pointed out that upper castes only constitute about 4 per cent of the total population here, but the state has always been governed by them. Once an alliance between OBCs and Dalits is achieved, along with some upper caste leaders coming into the party fold, the state BSP hopes to make significant gains in next year's Assembly polls. As part of the party's strategy to woo the community, several OBC ministers from Uttar Pradesh will address mass rallies in various parts of the state. Also, the charge of Chhattisgarh has been handed over by the national leadership over to OBC leader Sewak Ram Sahu to prepare for next year's Assembly polls. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Are Madigas Behind Chiranjeevi?
http://www.humsurfer.com/view/are-madigas-behind-chiranjeevi Monday, October 1, 2007 Are Madigas Behind Chiranjeevi? Are madigas behind Chiranjeevi? This impression is rising as Manda Krishna Madiga's cutout was placed along with Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan in Machilipatnam region. How Krishna Madiga is connected with Chiranjeevi and the film? There is nothing, but the impressions are making rounds that the community is behind Chiranjeevi. It is true that Chiranjeevi is being considered the man of all now. This certainly wouldn't continue if he starts a party for himself. Chiranjeevi is worried only in that aspect. The first thing that happens to Chiranjeevi if he starts a new party is income tax ride by present government to threaten him. The next thing is lack of majority in elections as TDP would give tight competition. The next thing is chances for Congress to form government again as opposite votes would split into two between TDP and Chiranjeevi's party. The other thing is Chiranjeevi getting new set of enemies for the rest of his life. So, under these circumstances can Chiranjeevi dare to start a party? October 2nd is falling tomorrow. There was gossip that Chiranjeevi will be announcing his new party on the occasion of this Gandhi Jayanthi. But will he do that? There are no signals till now.
[ZESTCaste] BSP MLA shielding murderers of a dalit youth (News)
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7594 BSP MLA shielding murderers of a dalit youth Mon, 2007-10-01 03:02 By Bobby Ramakant Mayawati led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has been trumpeting the welfare of dalits, but in UP state of India where they are in power, one of their own Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) is allegedly shielding the murderers of a dalit youth. On the fateful morning of 1 August 2007, a dalit youth Chakrasen was brutally assaulted by two upper-caste men and murdered in Bhadevra village of Pratapgarh district, about 200 kilometres away from the state capital Lucknow. Ram Shiromani Shukla, local Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA, has been protecting the accused. On 30 September 2007, a fact-finding team went to this village in the morning, led by Magsaysay awardee (2002) and head of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) Dr Sandeep Pandey, retired Inspector General of Police SR Darapuri, and Dynamic Action Group activists Gyan, Sujit and Ram Kumar to strengthen community's voices for justice. Ironically this is yet another blot on BSP's claim to champion dalit's welfare in UP with BSP MLA and party workers shielding the alleged murderers of a talented dalit youth said Dr Sandeep Pandey. The deceased Chakrasen graduated from Allahabad University this year and had qualified for the State-level Engineering Entrance Examination. He came to the village a day before he was murdered, to meet his family before joining the Engineering College. On the ill-fated day of 1 August 2007, when he went out in the morning, Santosh Mishra and Akash Dubey allegedly started battering him. Chakrasen tried to escape to the nearby village Sudemau but Santosh and Akash followed him shouting 'thief'. In response to the false 'thief' alarm, some people from the Pasi community caught hold of Chakrasen. He was then tied up with a thick rope, beaten mercilessly, dragged, eyes were gouged with needles and beaten with rods and strangulated to death. Chakrasen's eyes held dreams of college and career. They didn't just kill him. They first punished him by smashing the eye that dared to dream of education. Santosh Mishra is a BSP party worker and close associate of Ram Shiromani Shukla, the local BSP MLA. On 11 August 2007, a fact-finding team of DAG members went to the said-villages, and met the members of the family as well as other villagers. Till then none of the assailants had been arrested. Surprisingly the role of BSP MLA was not protective towards the dalit community but instead BSP MLA kept the murderers in his protection and had pressurized the local administration not to arrest them. Dalit family members too were being threatened by BSP members to keep silent. The dreams to live with dignity fostered by dalits in the wake of the recent landslide victory for BSP in UP, are being thwarted by such unfortunate incidents. Chakrasen's grandfather Shiv Murat was distributing ration and kerosene in the village. Santosh and Akash made illegal demands for ration and kerosene. Chakrasen reportedly didn't allow them to take more ration or kerosene than the allotted quota. Santosh and Akash often used to fight with bhaiya for this, says his youngest brother Shaktisen. The family says they got even more upset when he got admission to the engineering college. One of the two accused, Santosh Mishra had threatened Shiv Murat by life. Shivmurat reported this death-threat to the local police 'thana' 10 months back but police did not pay any heed to it. Role of police in this case has been very dubious. When Chakrasen was being beaten brutally, the village pradhan Rammani Vishwakarma tried to call the police three times but all calls fell on deaf ears. Although the murder took place at about 6am on 1 August, the police registered a first information report (FIR) only at 7pm of that evening, due to mounting pressure from outraged villagers. The police first lodged the report under Section 304 i.e. culpable homicide not amounting to murder. It was only two days later, that section 302 was added. The police neither allowed the family of Chakrasen nor the villagers to go near the dead body. They took the dead body into their custody after reaching the spot. Panchnama was also not done. The family members of the deceased were called to the police station but the dead body was sent for post mortem before they could reach the police station. The family members of Chakrasen allege that the local police is trying to shield the accused and deliberately trying to weaken the case. For instance, police named Matadin as one of the main accused, who had died four years ago! The two main accused, Santosh and Akash, were arrested earlier on direct orders of Superintendent of Police, but later released on bail. After coming out on bail they had again beaten up the family members of Chakrasen. Let's hope dalit voices for justice are held in the current corridors of power in UP assembly and justice meted out at the
[ZESTCaste] Periyar An Iconoclast and a Reformer
http://www.chowk.com/articles/12637 Periyar An Iconoclast and a Reformer Shantanu Dutta September 20, 2007 I woke up to the news that in an apparent reaction to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's statements on Lord Rama and the Ramar Sethu controversy, miscreants pelted stones and hurled petrol bombs at his daughter's house near Ragigudda in J P Nagar. The Tamil Nadu CM had of course taken someheat of Sonia Gandhi and Man Mohan Singh by boldly claiming there was no historic proof of Lord Ram's existence. There was also no proof of Lord Ram having constructed a bridge and being an expert in engineering, he told a TV channel. It is one thing for an Italian born Sonia Gandhi and a Sikh Prime Minister to make such inflammatory statements and another thing for a born son of the soil Hindu to say so, albeit a rationalist and atheist. But the man who first said such things and more was not the current Dravidian Patriarch, Karunanidhi, but the original founder patriarch of the Dravidian movement, EVR Ramasami popularly known as Periyar. His birth anniversary was on the 17th September, just two days ago and unlike another social reformer, Vinoba Bhave, Periyar got his garlands and tributes. He remains an iconic figure in Tamil Nadu and unlike the Congress which seems to have completely abandoned its Gandhian legacy, as long people of Karunaninidhi's generation are active at least the legacy of EVR is safe. The first time that I had heard of Periyar was in the context of the Ravana Leelas that he and his organization, the DK used to conduct. This was as an answer to Ram Leela conducted in North. They would carry pictures of Hindu Gods garlanded with slippers and depict Hindu mythologies in obscene manner. In my childhood, I used to watch the Ram Leela but trying to imagine what the Ravana Leela might be like where the hero turned villain was exciting. Fortunately or unfortunately now the performances have now stopped having made their point about the trampling of the Dravidian identity by the Aryan one. But Periyar's contribution was far more than the eccentric and perhaps even offensive Ravana Leelas. He was initially a Congressman inducted into the party by Acharya Vinoba Bhave, C Rajagopalachari, Gandhiji and others. He passionately espoused Gandhian ideals, such as the use of khadi. However, he soon became disenchanted with the Congress and its indecisive ways when he brings up the issue of eliminating caste discrimination The Self-Respect Movement, founded by him in 1925, carried on a vigorous and ceaseless propaganda against ridiculous and harmful superstitions, traditions, customs and habits. He wanted to dispel the ignorance of the people and make them enlightened. He exhorted them to take steps to change the institutions and values that led to meaningless divisions and unjust discrimination. He advised them to change according to the requirements of the changing times and keep pace with the modern conditions. Self-respecters performed marriages without Brahmin priests (purohits) and without religious rites. They insisted on equality between men and women in all walks of life. They encouraged inter-caste and widow marriages. Periyar propagated the need for birth-control even from late 1920s. He gathered support for lawful abolition of Devadasi (temple prostitute) system and the practice of child marriage. In a sense Periyar and Gandhiji were contemporaries. Gandhiji was born in 1869 and Periyar in 1879. In many aspects they did or stood for similar things. But there were significant differences. Gandhiji's movement was deeply and irrevocably rooted in Hinduism, even if it was a kind of Hinduism that satisfied nobody. It did not satisfy the likes of Jinnah, who still thought of the Congress as a Hindu party and it of course did not satisfy the likes of Nathuram Godse and who thought that Gandhiji's Hinduism wasn't pure enough. Gandhiji did a lot to remove untouchability and was active in agitations like the temple entry movement but his stance on caste was ambivalent which made first EVR and later Dr. Ambedkar part ways with him. Some day it would be worthwhile to study the distance that both Dr. Ambedkar and Periyar covered in their journey away from Gandhi. Both were clear that the solution to the caste problem was not to be found within the boundaries of Hinduism but whereas Dr. Ambedkar found his answers in Buddhism, Periyar felt the answer lay in humanism and going down that route, he became progressively an atheist and a rationalist. I am not an atheist and believe that religion and a longing for God is firmly and deeply embedded in the racial memory of men and women because God created them in His image. But nevertheless, the anguish and pathos of Periyar in describing his experience as he looked at the dehumanization of life and God seemingly silent is best captured in his own words Men should not touch each other, see each other; and cannot enter temples, fetch water from the
[ZESTCaste] India's cotton fields: Over 4 lakh child labourers (News)
http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2007/sep/29cotton.htm India's cotton fields: Over 4 lakh child labourers More than four lakh children, mostly girls and under 18 years of age, are involved as child labour in cottonseed fields in India, a human rights report has said. Nearly 4,16,000 children below 18 years, almost half of which are even younger than 14 years of age are working in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the report said, adding that compared to the 2003-2004 harvest season, the total number of such children has risen. The figures only decreased in Andhra Pradesh because of local and international pressure, it said. The study titled Child bondage continues in Indian cotton supply chain, was jointly released by the India Committee of the Netherlands, the International Labour Rights Forum, OECD Watch, German Agro-Action and OneWorld Net NRW of Germany. The statistics, the report said, are based on field research and it has been authored by Dr. Davuluri Venkateswarlu, director of Glocal Research. ICN's director Gerard Oonk said: The report makes it chillingly clear that our cotton products are tainted with massive bonded child labour. The companies involved, both Indian and multinational, concerned governments and international organisations, should make every effort to get the children out of this pernicious work force and are admitted into school, Oonk said. Children, the report said, are made to work 8 to 12 hours a day and usually earn between Rs 20-30 daily. They are routinely exposed to poisonous pesticides in the fields and often trafficked as migrants from other districts and even states, it added. In Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, the report found that more than 80 per cent of the children are trafficked. For instance, North Gujarat receives tens of thousands of children from the neighbouring state of Rajasthan every year, it stated. These children often live in make-shift shelters and are very vulnerable to mental, physical and sexual abuse, the study said. The report contains a number of cases on the plight of children working in the cotton fields. These include horrifying details of two girls being raped, three children being killed due to pesticide exposure, children forced to leave school because of a drinking father and a loan to repay, and the dawn to dusk work schedule of a migrant child. The overwhelming majority of the children working in the cotton fields are either Dalits or tribals, it said. Around 13 big Indian companies and two multinational groups are involved in this modern form of child slavery, the report revealed.
[ZESTCaste] Does entitlement enrich?
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1124348 Sunday, September 30, 2007 3:41:00 AM Does entitlement enrich? R Jagannathan Microview One fact that has been much commented upon in India's recent victory in the World T20 Championships is the composition of the team. With several small town lads playing big-time cricket, they fought like tigers and took risks. Harbhajan and Irfan, who had been out of favour for a while, also did well because they, too, had something to prove. To themselves, at any rate. Lesson: Achievement depends on motivation, not entitlement. This column is not about cricket. I would like to use the above idea to make a broader point about how easy entitlement to jobs or college seats robs the poor and disadvantaged of the opportunity to excel and achieve. Entitlement, on the other hand, demeans. Nobody, but nobody, likes to feel beholden to benefactors for their success. Unfortunately, that's precisely what politicians want to encourage. It is also why they are so keen on inflicting quotas on favoured constituencies –– whether it is Dalits, OBCs, Muslims or women. Mayawati even wants to include poor Brahmins in this quota system. God forbid. That would be the surest way to make them useless and unemployable. Brahmins were on the cusp of economic decline when the DMK came to power in Tamil Nadu and started increasing education and job quotas for the backwards. Once they fell from grace, though, Brahmins were a transformed lot. Most Brahmins in Tamil Nadu worked harder to succeed, since they knew the state system would be tilted against them. Many moved to other parts of India, and many migrated to the US and Europe. Today, Brahmin soft power has never been higher. Even Mayawati courts them. Lesson: Adversity stokes performance, not easy entitlement. A few days ago, DNA published a story suggesting that women are increasing their share of organised employment at a time when men are slipping. One reason for this is, no doubt, the willingness of women to work for lower wages than their male counterparts. They also bring skillsets that are more appropriate to the modern workplace –– easy adaptability, ability to communicate, networking skills, et al. But I daresay the most important reason is that they are more eager to succeed than most men are. Most employers I know prefer women employees, and not because they are poor things that need a helping hand from men. They deliver. Lesson: Attitude, as the cliché goes, is important for altitude. In Tamil Nadu, which has had the oldest and deepest system of reservations in education (60-80 per cent), an interesting thing seems to be happening. An increasing number of OBCs, and a sprinkling of SC/ST students, prefer to compete not for the quotas, but for the open merit seats. They are succeeding. According to PV Indiresan, a former IIT, Chennai, director, and vocal critic of the reservation system, OBCs are almost on par with so-called forward caste candidates when it comes to 'merit-based' admissions in medical colleges in Tamil Nadu. Quoting an August, 2004, report in The Hindu, he points out that the lowest marks secured by SCs choosing to compete for open merit seats was 287.5 against 295.74 for the forward castes (FCs). The backward castes were right behind the FCs –– at 294.13. Quite clearly, reservations are not the only reason why the disadvantaged have begun to compete so strongly. The 'X' factor that works is likely to be their tremendous will to succeed. As against this, even after 60 years of independence, the presence of SC/STs in the upper reaches of government is insignificant. Could it be because such SC/ST candidates are actually underperforming because of the acute loss of self-esteem that comes from knowing you wouldn't have gotten in through the front door? As though policy-makers haven't done enough damage already, they now want to include Muslims in this system of undeserved entitlements –– through quotas and special favours. I believe that special treatment for any group is counter-productive and self-defeating. Secondly, it engenders a false sense of hope in the 'favoured' community that it will get benefits without effort. True achievement needs an atmosphere of empowerment, not entitlement. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] USA: The New Affirmative Action
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/magazine/30affirmative-t.html?_r=1oref=slogin Application The New Affirmative Action Tierney Gearon for The New York Times Two decades ago, Frances Harris would have been a shoo-in for a place in U.C.L.A.'s class of 2011. But the political landscape changed, and with it her chances for admission. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This Print Share DiggFacebookNewsvinePermalink By DAVID LEONHARDT Published: September 30, 2007 In another time, it wouldn't have been too hard to guess where Frances Harris would have ended up going to college. She has managed to do very well in very difficult circumstances, and she is African-American. Her high school, in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento, was shut down as an irremediable failure the spring before her freshman year, then reopened months later as a charter school. Midway through high school, her father developed heart problems and became an irritable fixture around the home. She also discovered that he was not actually her biological father. That was a man named Leroy who, when her mother took Harris to see him, simply said his name was George and waited for her to leave. In Harris's senior year, her mother lost her job at a nursing home and the family filed for bankruptcy. Harris somehow stayed focused on teenage life. She earned an A-minus average and she distinguished herself as a debater. Her basketball teammates sometimes teased her for using big words, but they also elected her co-captain. As she led me on a tour of her school and her neighborhood one day this summer, she introduced me around with an assured ease that most adults can't manage, even if her sentences are peppered with like, you know and Oh, my God. Her bedroom in the bungalow she shares with her parents is a masterpiece of teenage energy, the walls covered with her prom-queen tiara, her purple-and-white basketball jersey (No. 3) and photos of her friends. The hardest part of high school, she says, was to be smart and cool at the same time. She decided her dream college was the University of California, Los Angeles. Ten or 20 years ago, Frances Harris almost certainly would have been admitted. Her excellent grades might not have even been necessary, because Berkeley and U.C.L.A. — the jewels in the U.C. system — accepted almost all of the African-Americans who met the basic application requirements. To an admissions officer, Harris would have seemed like gold: diversity and achievement, wrapped up in a single kid. But in the early 1990s, the elite campuses began to pull back from their aggressive affirmative-action policies, and in 1996, California voters passed the California Civil Rights Initiative, also known as Proposition 209. After that, race could no longer be a factor in government hiring or public-university admissions. The number of black students at both Berkeley and U.C.L.A. plummeted, and at U.C.L.A. the declines continued throughout the next decade. The reasons weren't entirely clear, but they seemed to include some combination of the admissions office taking Proposition 209 to heart and black students falling further behind in the academic arms race. (Harris, for instance, scored a 22 on the ACT test — slightly above the national average and well below the U.C.L.A. average.) The changes on U.C.L.A.'s campus were hard to miss. In 1997, the freshman class included 221 black students; last fall it had only 100. In the region with easily the largest black population west of the Mississippi River, the top public university had a freshman class in which barely 1 in 50 students was black. A U.C.L.A. graduate named Peter Taylor, a 49-year-old managing director at Lehman Brothers in Los Angeles, remembers picking up The Los Angeles Times outside his house on a Saturday morning in June of last year and reading that piece of news. Taylor, who is black, is a third-generation native of the city and one of U.C.L.A.'s most active alumni. Within days of reading about the latest decline in the number of black students, he began a campaign to reverse it. At a reception to honor U.C.L.A.'s new acting chancellor, a law professor named Norm Abrams, he greeted Abrams with a big smile and said, Well, Norm, you're stepping right into it, and you've got to deal with it. Abrams soon named Taylor to lead a task force of students, faculty, alumni and outsiders from places like the Urban League and the First A.M.E. Church. It spent the next year trying to get more black students to apply, more black applicants to be admitted and more black admits to enroll. In essence, Taylor's group was trying to figure out how to bring a student like Frances Harris to U.C.L.A. without breaking the law — or at least without getting caught. What they have achieved may well show us the future of affirmative action. Peter Taylor's office on the 25th floor of the MGM Building in Century City looks out over the Fox movie lot and a golf course; in the distance downtown Los Angeles
[ZESTCaste] Fear haunts Khairlanji Dalits (News)
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/29/stories/2007092961981500.htm National Fear haunts Khairlanji Dalits Meena Menon Last year on September 29 four Dalits were murdered in the Maharashtra village KHAIRLANJI (Bhandara district): We are terrified of living here, says Shamkala Meshram. Hers is one of the two Dalit families still living in this village in Maharashtra. Last year, after the murder of four members of the Bhotmange family on September 29, the Meshrams, along with the family of Durvas Khobragade and his sister Panchshila Shende, had asked the government to rehabilitate them somewhere else. However, the district administration forwarded their request to the Director of Social Welfare in Pune in December 2006, but nothing has happened since then. Shamkala and her husband Vinod own 2.5 acres of land. Most of the time they work as daily wage labourers. On the day of the incident on September 29, the Meshrams were away and returned in the evening. We saw nothing. The police took our statement and that of my three sons since they were at home. But they too saw nothing because it all happened near Bhotmange's house which is further away, she said. We stay like second class citizens here and we don't talk much, she said. Their family is related to the Bhotmanges and the incident deeply affected them. I am worried about my three sons. What about their future? Anything can happen here, she added. Her eldest son was in the same college that Priyanka Bhotmange attended. The village is dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and now it is playing politics with the two families. The Meshrams are upset that in the panchayat elections, a member of the Khobragade family, Jayshree, contested with the help of the BJP. She has already been elected unopposed as the seat was reserved for women of the Scheduled Caste. Keys handed over The District Collector Sambhaji Sarkunde on Friday handed over the keys of a flat in the low-income group colony built by the State government to Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange, the only surviving member of the Bhotmange family. Mr. Sarkunde told The Hindu that since Bhaiyyalal had refused to pay a portion of the money for the house allotted to him earlier this week, it was decided to give it to him free of cost. On Saturday, Bhaiyyalal will offer shraddanjali to his family at Deulgaon where the burial took place. A small ceremony is also planned at Khairlanji. Other meetings have also been organised in Bhandara and Nagpur to mark the first anniversary of the killings. About 20 policemen have been stationed at Khairlanji since last year. Now a platoon of the State reserve police has been added and prohibitory orders have been imposed. Bhotmange's house in Khairlanji is almost falling apart. It remains locked and the single room remains as it was when the family was dragged out and killed on September 29. The courtyard and the cattle shed are overgrown with weeds. A police picket is still stationed outside and every visitor to the village has to make an entry in the register. Normality Things seem to have returned to normal in the village. In the evening, men stand around chatting and you can hear the sounds of television. The five witnesses in the trial here have been given 24-hour protection. Two of them have asked to be relocated. Panchshila Shende, who is an anganwadi sevika, says that on the surface there is no tension but we can sense the hostility. She lives with her brother Durvas Khobragade who owns 10 acres of land. After this incident, it is very difficult to get labour. People don't come to work for us. We have to wait till the work is over on everyone else's fields. Then we get labourers and that too we have to pay extra, says Shende. Both Panchshila and her sister-in-law Kausalya remember the Bhotmanges. The village never let him build a pucca house. The sarpanch refused to give a letter saying that he was a resident of the village. They kept saying this was public land and a house can't be built on it, says Shende. She keeps saying that she wants to work in another village. I was the only one who has done Montessori training in the village but I got a job as an anganwadi sevika. I wish to work elsewhere. Here my helper is siphoning off the food supplies and putting the blame on me. I am fed up, she says. Police claim The district administration did receive a request for rehabilitation from the Meshram family as well as the Khobragades and Shende but no action has been taken. However, Superintendent of Police (Bhandara) Suresh Sagar said that in a meeting with the Collector, these two families were asked if they wanted to shift out of the village and they had said 'no'. There are over 100 houses in Khairlanji and the majority communities are Kunbi and Kallar, which belong to the Other Backward Classes. In 2006, Bhandara reported 52 cases of atrocities against Dalits. This year there are 30 registered cases, according to Mr. Sagar. After the
[ZESTCaste] Nepal: Dalit NGO Federation on the caste discrimination incidents in the Farwestern region
http://nepaldalitinfo.net/2007/09/27/331/ Dalit NGO Federation on the caste discrimination incidents in the Farwestern region Kathmandu, 24 September 2007. Dalit NGO Federation has submitted a memorandum to different ministries and parliament head on the caste discrimination incidents that occured in the Farwestern region. Dalit NGO Federation has seriously drawn attention on the two incidents of caste discrimination in which two ladies in different districts of Far-western regional namely Baitadi and Doti are severely beaten by local non datis. In the incident of Baitadi that occurred on 27 Bhadra 2064, the 18 years old Dalit girl named Manisha Nepali was severely beaten while she was bathing in the public tap by local non dalits. The reason was only that she belonged to Dalit. Surprisingly, it has come in the national daily news papers that there was direct involvement of Parliament member of Nepali Congress (Democratic) Mr. Narendra Bam in this incident. It is also mentioned that this incident was happened under his leadership. However, it is yet to be proved. The fact finding team from DNF and HRTMCC has headed toward Doti to find out the real facts. In the another incident, the 13 years Dalit lady was also severely beaten by two local non Dalit women in Doti that occurred on 26 Bhadra 2064. The lady was beaten while she was dancing in the dancing party of her neighbor house at their invitation to celebrate Teej festival. In the Nepalese culture, there is custom to organize regular dance parties during the Teej festival. It has come in the national daily news papers that there was involvement of mother of Sopan Bohora in this incident who is the district president of Nepal Student Union affiliated to Nepali Congress. Two Dalit women who were also invited on the occasion severely beat the Dalit girl blaming the place was unclean because of her presence as she belonged to Dalit. Today (24 September 2007), after consulting with its member organizations, Journalists, Human Rights activists, Intellectuals and Dalit Students, DNF has jointly submitted the memorandum to different ministries drawing the attention take action against culprits provide justice, medical care and compensation to the victims immediately. The ministries include Home Ministry, Peace and Reconstruction Ministry and Agriculture Ministry respectively. The delegation team also drawn the attention separately about the incidents in fornt of honorable parliament head Mr. Subash Nembang to raise these incidents in the parliament session in front of all the parliament members to create exert pressure for taking necessary action to the real culprits. All the Ministries have assured the delegation team that the incidents will be investigated by the government soon for taking the action against culprits and provide justice and compensation to the victim from their own. The delegation team was under the leadership Mr. Krishna Bishwokarma from DNF Mid-central Regional chapter, other members in the team were Dhana Maya Bishwokarma DNF,Mr.Tirtha Bishwokarma, DNF, Suman Poudel, DNF/SAMATA Nepal, Sushil B.K, journalist Kumal Nepali, FEDO, Tulsa Gautam, DHRO, Hari Prasad Rasaily, CUDC and Arjun Bagale, DNF/DDL Nepal respectively. Please find the attached memorandum for your information and necessary action. DNF has also drawn the attention of National Human Rights Commission, National Dalit Commission, National Women Commission and OHCHR for taking necessary action from their own. Report by: Suman Poudel Kamalpokhari, Kathmandu DNF
[ZESTCaste] Dalit massacre to be commemorated (News)
http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20070928/72506.htm India Friday, September 28, 2007 Dalit massacre to be commemorated From correspondents in Maharashtra, India, 09:30 AM IST Dalit groups in Maharashtra are to pay homage Saturday to a Dalit family massacred a year ago by a group of Hindus who wanted to teach them a lesson for taking them on in a criminal case. A Dalit group will hold a public meeting in Nagpur while similar functions will be organised in neighbouring Bhandara district. On Sep 29 last year, a group of non-Dalit villagers attacked the house of 50-year-old Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange and beat to death his wife Surekha, young daughter Priyanka and two sons Dilip and Roshan after dragging them out. Bhaiyyalal managed to escape moments before the slaughter in Khairlanji village. The attackers were mostly from the 'other backward classes' and were angry with the Dalit family for testifying against 12 of their community members in a case of attack on their family friend Siddharth Gajbhiye. Bhotmange's daughters Surekha and Priyanka had testified in the case. The villagers were furious for not bowing to their caste 'superiority' and accepting their demand not to give evidence. The massacre had triggered widespread protests in Maharashtra and elsewhere in the country. Police arrested 47 people, 36 of whom were discharged for want of evidence. The remaining 11 are facing trial in a special court. The government suspended three policemen and a medical officer for dereliction of duty and handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Bhaiyyalal was given a government job, a house plot and money to buy farmland. Bharatiya Republican Party and Bahujan Maha Sangh (BRP-BMS) president Prakash Ambedkar, Dalit Panthers chief Jogendra Kawade and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat are slated to attend the rally in Nagpur. Social activists have been invited for the meeting in Bhandara. One of the organisers, Ashok Saraswati, said that the Saturday function would be used as a launch pad for the formation of a militant youth organisation of Dalits.
[ZESTCaste] Scindia demands action on atrocity against Dalit woman (News)
http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnewsid=6616 Scindia demands action on atrocity against Dalit woman Bhopal, Sep 28: Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia has said he did not expect justice from the Madhya Pradesh Government over registering of a police case against him. However, action must be taken against the legislator, who insulted a Dalit woman. Talking to UNI, Mr Scindia said Rashtriya Samanta Dal MLA Harivallabh Shukla has insulted a Dalit Congress woman worker and attacked another Congressman. He said action must be taken against Mr Shukla. He said he was ready to go to jail in connection with the case registered against him. Replying to a question, Mr Scindia said he did not have any discussion with any representative of the government in connection with the case registered against him. Mr Scindia said the case was registered against him as a part of a planned conspiracy. --- UNI
[ZESTCaste] There's no end to Maya's maya
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Theres_no_end_to_Mayas_maya/articleshow/2413148.cms There's no end to Maya's maya 29 Sep, 2007, 0243 hrs IST,Bharti Jain, TNN NEW DELHI: Iving up to her political stature, Mayawati now not only figures among the country's richest politicians, but has officially become the highest tax-paying people's representative. The UP chief minister and BSP supremo has, between July and September 15 this year, paid a whopping Rs 14 crore as advance income tax for the assessment year 2008-09. While she paid Rs 1.5 crore as advance tax in July, an additional Rs 12.5 crore was deposited by her on September 15. This may be only a percentage of the total tax to be paid by her for the assessment year. Till September 15, assessees need to disclose only 40% of their income and the remaining 60% can be declared by March 15. In an affidavit filed along with her nomination papers for the UP Assembly polls, this year Ms Mayawati had declared an income of Rs 52 crore. The Dalit icon, who rose from humble beginnings as the daughter of a lowly clerk of the government and worked as a school teacher before BSP founder Kanshi Ram initiated her into politics, incidentally, continues to face a disproportionate assets case alleging that she had, over the period 1995-2003, declared her income at Rs 88.70 lakh when her known sources of income totalled Rs 1.12 crore. The latest status as the highest income-tax paying politician may only help Ms Mayawati legitimise her huge wealth acquired over less than a period of three years, when her declared income grew from barely Rs 1.67 crore — as recorded in the affidavit filed along with the nomination papers for 2004 Lok Sabha poll — to Rs 52 crore this year. By paying tax on a declared high income, Ms Mayawati hopes to weaken the CBI's disproportionate income case pending against her. The BSP leader has been claiming that the assets amassed by her are contributions from ordinary party workers as well as well-wishers. She, in her affidavit filed with her nomination papers for this year's state polls in UP, had declared her property at Rs 37.82 crore, cash worth Rs 50.27 crore, deposits in banks, financial institutions and non-financial institutions at Rs 12.88 lakh, gold and diamond jewellery at Rs 49.75 lakh, silverware at Rs 1.12 lakh and murals worth Rs 15 lakh, which are among her assets totalling Rs 52 crore. She even found a convenient explanation for her newly acquired wealth: donations from her supporters after the BJP upped the ante with false cases like the Taj corridor against her. Property accounts for the largest chunk in Mayawati's wealth. She owns prime commercial properties in Connaught Place as well as Okhla, besides a palatial house on the posh Sardar Patel Marg and another mansion on Nehru Road, Lucknow. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Khairlanji survivor is a lonely outsider as Dalit groups fight (News)
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/222483.html PAGE 1 ANCHOR Khairlanji survivor is a lonely outsider as Dalit groups fight Vivek Deshpande Posted online: Saturday, September 29, 2007 at hrs Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange was the rallying point of Dalit organisations, today he is not even invited to their rallies. BHANDARA, SEPTEMBER 28: A year ago, he was the rallying point for the deeply divided Dalit groups of Maharashtra. As Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange revisits his Khairlanji village tomorrow to pay homage to his wife Surekha, daughter Priyanka and sons Sudhir and Roshan, killed by a mob on the same day last year, he is a lonely outsider. Bhaiyyalal has not been invited to a rally in Bhandara, the district headquarters, organised by Dalit leader Shyamdada Gaikwad. Nor will he be in Nagpur, where the Khairlanji Action Committee has organised a shraddhanjali rally to be attended by CPM leader Brinda Karat and Prakash Ambedkar. Bhaiyyalal will first visit Khairlanji and later Deulgaon, where his in-laws stay, to return to Warthi, where he has been staying with local NCP Dalit leader Dilip Uke. So sharp are the divisions among the Dalit protestors that they don't see eye-to eye today. Rajan and and Siddharth Gajbhiye, with whom Bhaiyyalal addressed his first post-Khairlanji press conference under the aegis of the Khairlanji Action Committee, are today the target of his wrath. Siddharth is responsible for what happened to my family. I had warned him not to come to the village so often, but he didn't listen. Now, he and Rajan go to Mumbai, Delhi and everywhere and use my name to become leaders, Bhaiyyalal says hurling expletives. If the villagers would have found him, my family would haven't been killed. And now how they are telling the media they are the eye-witnesses? he asks. The Khairlanji Action Committee blames Uke for appropriating Bhaiyyalal and brainwashing him. Uke says his being NCP leader has nothing to do with his solidarity with Bhaiyyalal. He is a Dalit and that's why I am with him, he says. I don't have any axe to grind like many of his relatives. All have an eye on his money, he alleges. Convenor of Khairlanji Action Committee Milind Pakhale says, True, Bhaiyyalal had become a rallying point but is no more one. I am also confronted with this question and have no ready answers to give. Republican leader Prakash Ambedkar, however, says: There was never a sense of unity in the Khairlanji protests. I never had any such illusions. For tomorrow's occasion, we have appealed to all Dalits to congregate before the Ambedkar statue and pay their respects to the victims. What Bhaiyyalal says about anyone isn't an issue before us at this moment. We are now concentrating on the legal case and waiting for justice, he says. Siddharth Gajbhiye, a police patil from the neighbouring Dhusala village was Bhotmange's family friend. Owner of 50 acres, he would employ people from surrounding villages on his farm. Early in September last year, he had a tiff with a landless labourer. Siddharth had allegedly beaten him up, resulting in anger among villagers, some of whom thrashed him severely. Bhaiyyalal's wife Surekha and daughter Priyanka had testified before the police against the alleged assaulters, who were arrested. When they got bail, they set out to teach Siddharth a lesson. When they couldn't find him, they returned to the village and vented their ire at the Bhotmanges. While Bhaiyyalal fled the spot after seeing the mob, his family was wiped off in the attack, leading to nationwide outrage and Dalit protests. Then, everybody seemed to be reaching out to Bhaiyyalal. The government rushed in with aid, cash and kind, worth over Rs 13 lakh and the job of a security guard in a government school for Rs 5,000 a month. Two days before the incident's anniversary, on Wednesday, the government gave him a house in Bhandara. Now, no one comes to visit Bhaiyyalal. I know how I am living, he says. He hasn't yet thought about beginning his life afresh. That's for later. First, I want to see all the killers hanged, he says. He isn't happy with the slow pace of the case in a fast-track court in Bhandara. There have been 24 days of hearing so far, covering only 12 of the total 78 witnesses. They should be completing at least 4-5 witnesses in a month. I had demanded a special court that would have been able to do that. The government hasn't given it, he complains.
[ZESTCaste] Is it better to be a poor Brahmin or a well-to-do Dalit?
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=298b636c-da66-4320-b9ba-21ca1f05fd11Headline=Silly+arguments%2c+again Hindustan Times September 27, 2007 Silly arguments, again Is it better to be a poor Brahmin or a well-to-do Dalit? Your answer will determine on which side of the reservations debate you stand. 'Backwardness', whatever politicians might make of that much-abused term, is a condition from which communities, like individuals, want to move away. The argument is that to help such a process, the State must provide a 'leg-up'. Once a time-bound 'de-backwardisation' process is complete, the community will hopefully be like the fortunate others outside the SC/ST list. Unfortunately, the matter of such a time-bound process with its accompanying inspections does not exist in India's great affirmative action policy. 'Backwardness' has become a much sought-after tag that brings with it benefits that the lucky unlucky refuse to give up once — and if — they're asked to forfeit it. But for politicians, including those in the central government, to admit that the backward tag that makes one eligible for quotas may not have a sound correlation with real (read: economic) backwardness means to set off on the road to political suicide. Which is why we have been hearing Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati over the last few days defending the Centre's legislation allowing 27 per cent quota to OBCs in admissions to educational institutions before the Supreme Court. Mr Vahanvati insists that caste is the starting point for determining a community's backwardness. Which, to our mind, sounds like stating that the starting point to determining womanhood is wearing a sari. The Centre's counsel seemed to also have got his Caesarean nuances wrong. Mr Vahanvati states that the 27 per cent quota legislation is, like Caesar's wife, above suspicion. Once again, the cart has been placed before the horse, for a legislation must be above suspicion, not automatically deemed so just because it is a law. Mr Vahanvati also seems to be protesting too much when he says that reservations are not about 'vote-bank politics' — as if doing the right thing and playing vote-bank politics are always at odds with each other. But what exposes the lack of logic in the quota policy is the response to the charge that the government neglects its commitment towards universal primary education because of its obsession with quotas: that dramatic results have been achieved by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). Exactly. And that's because the SSA is free of quota politics. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Land After Thirty Years Of 'Entitlement'
http://www.countercurrents.org/rawat270907.htm Land After Thirty Years Of 'Entitlement' By Vidya Bhushan Rawat 27 September, 2007 Countercurrents.org Story of Land Reclamation of Dalits in village Rupchandrapur Mutuna's face was expressionless even after the greatest event of her life when she entered her field of one acre for the first time after 1976 when her husband Furtidin was given land entitlement by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. She never knew about the place as since then they tried to occupy their land but the powerful neighbors wont allow them to map. In fact, Mutuna's issue reflect the dilemma of India's farmers movement which not only remained caged in tainted caste structure of the powerful upper castes but highly violent also. On August 11 th August, 2007 when I witnessed the whole thing, many memories of the past reminded me how the land issue would always remain violent and volatile as it affect the local power equations, unite the oppressed and give them dignity and self respect. It also shows how the powerful communities try to circumvent and subvert the due process of law by delaying and disturbing the entire process. Ramchandra, eldest son of Furtidin informed me how the local powerful people are still creating hurdle. On the first ay when the land was being measured, I personally asked the women to take control over the land immediately as they would be trapped in saying 'come tomorrow'. Do not wait for another day, I said to them. But the question was that the local Yadava (a powerful farming community of northern India) family which has illegally grabbed that land had maze crop over the land. Now, there was tension in the area as the Dalit families wanted to occupy the land immediately while the Yadava was taking shelter under the maze crop. Immediately, all decided that Yadava must get away with this. The Dalit women asked Yadava family to collect his maze crop or face its destruction. It was an amazing site to see when a powerful exploitative family cutting their crop and behind them were Dalit women leveling the land and making the boundary wall of their portion. It was a great show of how things change if the administration is with you. When the Lekhpals and others in the village were mapping the land, there was deliberate taunting by the upper caste Hindus and the powerful people. Virtually abusing to provoke the Dalits, they would claim that the Dalits are lazy, as they never aspired to get land. ' We have tilled this land, made this concrete to a workable land, said a local Thakur. But when the land at the Yadava family's backyard was being measured, the issues, which often comes was that right now there was a maze crop and it would not be good to destroy the crop. This time, the Dalits knew it very well that such pretensions of the powerful people in the village in front of the officials results in further complicating the issue. Ramchandra, migrated to bigger town as a labour has now decided to remain the village and cultivate his land. I am very happy to look after my land as my two other brothers would remain in cities to earn for themselves but I will help my family and my mother.' This story is being written over a period of one month. The gap was deliberate. Having worked in deeply crisis driven condition, I know how the official switch their loyalty and the poor has to run from pillar to post for every small thing. Once the initial work was done and the official gone, we all know, power elite will start creating the same hurdle. After all, how many times, we will come and monitor the situation. But this time around, the villagers were determined come what may and their strength were doubled by some of the outstanding workers of Bharatiya Jan Seva Ashram, Badlapur. Ms Renu, the fire brand women leader of the Ashram actually faced some of the toughest questions of her life right from the officials to rural power folks but she remained un-relented. In those trying time, her determination yielded result and now people's control over their land is complete, of course, there are certain problematic areas for which the community, the individuals have decided to go to the court. Rupchandrapur village, which falls under Badlapur block of district Jaunpur in Eastern Uttar-Pradesh witnessed this historic land acquisition. This village is dominated by the Thakurs, the upper caste Hindus claiming to hail from Kshatriya i.e. warrior clan. It also reflect how 'efficient' our administrative system is which despite legal validity and by its own standard, it does not follow rules of the law. In 1976, the then prime minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi went for a massive sterilization programme and one of her issues was to give land entitlement to not only Dalits and Muslims but also to those who opt for the sterilization process thus adopting government's family planning programme. 74 people were given land
[ZESTCaste] Atrocities on SC/STs: 128 cases registered in Kadapa district (News)
Atrocities on SC/STs: 128 cases registered in Kadapa district http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Staff Reporter 44 cases are pending disposal since January Of these charge sheets filed in six cases KADAPA: One hundred and twenty eight cases were registered under Atrocities Against SC/ST (Prevention) Act in Kadapa district since January this year and 44 of them were pending disposal, Kadapa Superintendent of Police Y. Nagi Reddy said on Thursday. Of the 44 cases, charge sheets were filed in six cases, three proved to be false and two cases were pending in court, the SP said in a video conference addressed by Social Welfare Commissioner R.M. Gonela. In the remaining 33 cases, 20 cases were disposed off and 13 were pending for want of land records and caste certificates, he said.
[ZESTCaste] Khairlanji: the trial still drags on, a year later
Khairlanji: the trial still drags on, a year later http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/28/stories/2007092855751500.htm Meena Menon Bhandara (Maharashtra): A year after the Khairlanji massacre in which four members of his family were brutally killed, Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange is in the centre of a different storm. On September 29, 2006, Bhotmange's wife Surekha, his daughter Priyanka and sons Roshan and Sudhir were stripped and bludgeoned to death in Khairlanji village in Bhandara district by a mob which dumped their bodies into the Pench canal. The killing of the Dalits sparked off violent protests all over the State prompting the government to order a CBI inquiry. An ad hoc sessions court in Bhandara is conducting the trial since May and 12 of the 68 witnesses have already been examined. However, the case is not proceeding on a day-to-day basis as no special court has been appointed. Bhaiyyalal, the surviving member of the family, is a changed man today. After initially refusing to take up the job the government offered, he now works as a peon in the Babasaheb Ambedkar boys' hostel in Bhandara with a salary of Rs. 5,300 a month. He has disowned his relatives with whom he used to stay in Varthi near Bhandara and has taken up residence since January with Dilip Uke of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a local panchayat member. Acrimony This led to much acrimony between him and his relatives and his former neighbours from Dusala village apart from activists who had supported him after the incident occurred. Activists like Milind Phuljale say that the NCP is keeping Bhaiyyalal under its wing so that he does not expose the real people behind this massacre. Mr. Uke on the other hand says that Bhaiyyalal's relatives are grabbing his money and he does not trust them anymore. I have suffered a lot for letting Bhaiyyalal stay with me. People are saying I am a government agent. I am only helping the poor man, he said. This unseemly tug of war with Bhaiyyalal in the centre has been going on ever since the massacre happened. Bhaiyyal, who demanded a house from the government, has just refused it. According to official sources, he was allotted a house from the Chief Minister's quota. The Social Welfare Department had set aside Rs.1.10 lakh for a house for Bhaiyyalal. He had written to the government saying he wanted a house in Bhandara since he was working there and was willing to put in the remaining amount. According to the government, he had to pay Rs.1.13 lakh more which would be collected in monthly instalments of Rs.1,300. However, when the Collector called a meeting to hand over the house to him earlier this week, Bhaiyyalal refused to pay the remaining amount and said that he must get the house free of cost. The Collector had now made a fresh proposal to the government with this demand. At the boys' hostel in Bhandara, Bhaiyyalal's name is on the black board listing the names of employees. He was first appointed as a chowkidar but after protests, he was re-designated a peon. He has a personal security guard. Asked why he took up the job, Bhaiyyalal said, I did not want to sit idle. I cannot live in Khairlanji and I needed to do something, he said. He has given his land at Khairlanji on contract for Rs. 12,000 a year. The government did not set up a special court for the trial. The trial is proceeding very slowly, he said. Some of the real accused have not yet been caught and all those arrested should not have been discharged, he alleged. He also launched a personal attack on his nephew Rashtrapal Narnavre, with whom he used to stay in Varthi before he moved to Mr. Uke's house. He now accuses Mr. Rashtrapal of withdrawing money from his bank account and using it for his personal gain. They are after my money. I have nothing to do with these people, he said. Apart from disowning Mr. Rashtrapal and his family, he is nasty about Rajendra, an eyewitness to the incident, and his brother Siddharth Gajbhiye who were once friends of the family. Surekha Bhotmange and her daughter Priyanka were witness to an assault on Siddharth by villagers from Khairlanji who resented his frequent visits. They also gave the names of the attackers to the police who arrested them. It was on September 29 morning that these arrested villagers were released on bail. They decided to take revenge on Siddharth and his brother Rajendra and went looking for them. They came to Khairlanji when their fury was directed towards the Bhotmange family. Now Bhaiyyalal blames them for the entire incident. If it was not for them, my family would be alive, he said. However, it was at Siddharth's house at Dusala that Bhaiyyalal hid that night when he ran away fearing for his life. It was the Gajbhiye brothers who called the police too. Rajendra is not on the list of witnesses the CBI has submitted to the court.
[ZESTCaste] SC/ST hostel students go on an indefinite fast (News)
SC/ST hostel students go on an indefinite fast http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Staff Reporter Demand better infrastructure and sanitation For a better deal: Students observing a fast at Adi Dravidar Boys Hostel in Tuticorin on Thursday. Tuticorin: Inmates at the student's hostel established by the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department near New Bus Stand on Tuticorin-Ettayapuram highway for SC/STs started an indefinite fast here on Thursday. They were protesting the infrastructural weaknesses on the premises. The students said that despite repeated representations made to the officials concerned, hygiene and sanitation needs were not taken care of properly. No proper toilets According to them, only two toilets were available on the premises for a total of 69 inmates lodged at the hostel. Both these lavatories were in bad shape for the past few months. All our pleas to repair the facilities had been cold shouldered, they said. They added that similarly, septic tank was in a bad shape and the sewage from nearby areas was found mixing with the water in the open well situated on the premises from where water was drawn for cooking. Hence, we are in a danger of contracting dreaded diseases, the youth said. Besides, food was not cooked under hygienic conditions and drinking water was supplied to the hostel only once in a week. The agitators said that they would continue their struggle till the infrastructural gaps were filled. K. Prabhavati, District Adi Dravidar welfare officer, said that four more toilets and a borewell would be established soon, to address the grievances of the students.
[ZESTCaste] More Lok Sabha seats: Panel proposes, Govt set to dispose (News)
More Lok Sabha seats: Panel proposes, Govt set to dispose http://www.indianexpress.com/story/221534.html RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 26: Redrawing of India's constituency map as per change in population has pitted the Delimitation Commission against the Government. The commission has completed its final notification for reorganisation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in 25 states — based on the 2001 Census — but the Government is now trying to find ways to get around this. Reason: the commission has reserved 13 new Parliamentary constituencies and 73 Assembly seats as SC/ST seats. This has affected virtually every political party and a host of important leaders. Stepping on the gas is commission chairman retired Supreme Court judge Justice Kuldip Singh. Underlining the fact that the Rs 20-crore exercise was conducted after three decades, he told The Indian Express: The immediate implementation of these reserved seats is the need of the hour. The next general elections should be held on the basis of the formula decided by the Delimitation Commission and notified in official gazettes of 25 states. My job is over. Now the Government has to explain the delay...It is the politicians who are making the delimitation exercise to be a controversial one, not us. Justice Singh said he wrote three letters to the Ministry of Law to get the Presidential nod and inform him about the date of implementation but there has been silence from the government. The next general elections should be held on the basis of the formula decided by the Delimitation Commission and notified in official gazettes of 25 states. (The remaining states are locked in legal battles over the 2001 Census). My job is over. Now the Government has to explain the delay, Justice Kuldip Singh said. It is the politicians who are making the delimitation exercise to be a controversial one, not us. His views are echoed by Chief Election Commissioner, N Gopalaswamy, an ex-officio member of the Delimitation Commission. We need just four months to prepare the new electoral rolls on the basis of the readjustment done by the Commission, he said. My predecessor has informed the Government in writing that six months time was needed about a year ago but there is no word from the Government. Despite such reminders, the UPA Government is in no hurry to implement the readjustment. It first set up a high-level group of Secretaries to scrutinize the Delimitation Commission's report and then on September 13, discussed the issue at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA). Sources said now a Group of Ministers (GoM) will step in. UPA Ministers and PMO officials say that the GoM will go beyond the commission's findings and assess proposals laid before it by the Committee of Secretaries (CoS). These include identifying the increase in population of minorities in several constituencies, delimiting them as general category constituencies and shifting SC/ST seats to adjoining constituencies. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Lara's mother hurt in attack (News)
Lara's mother hurt in attack http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/400x60/0 Sonepat, September 26 Mother of the dalit youth, Rakesh, alias Lara, whose murder sparked tension in Gohana town last month, was allegedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons by a youth today, the police said. Shakuntala was on way to her house at Gohana, 35-km from here, when a youth hit her by a bicycle and allegedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons. She sustained serious injuries and was immediately rushed to the community health centre at Gohana town. Later, she was referred to a hospital at Rohtak for treatment. She has named one Dharampal of the Balmiki Basti, Gohana, for the attack. The police is investigating the case. However, no case has been registered so far. Meanwhile, a Dalit woman, Renu, sustained bullet injuries when she intervened in the clash that took place between two rival groups at Prahladpur Kirohli village, about 20 km from here, last night. The injured woman was rushed to the community health centre at Kharkhauda town. Later, she was referred to a hospital at Rohtak for further treatment. The police has registered a case against three persons. — PTI -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Crown doesn't pinch
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070926/48/6l8xe.html Thu, Sep 27 Crown doesn't pinch By IE Thursday September 27, 01:53 AM There is talk of anti-incumbency in the air in Gujarat. Caste and community groups like the Patidars, Kolis, Tribals, OBCs, Brahmins, Muslims, Dalits as well as Sangh Parivar outfits like the VHP, RSS, and BKS are seen declaring their resentment against the Modi-led BJP dispensation. Analyses in the electronic and print media show that the BJP's dominance in Gujarat is shaken and declining. How realistic is this scenario? The CSDS conducted a countrywide opinion poll, interviewing 18,750 voters in 18 states in the first week of September 2007. This survey was sponsored by The Indian Express and CNN-IBN. In Gujarat, a total of 1,075 voters in 48 polling stations of 12 assembly constituencies were interviewed. When asked about their being satisfied or dissatisfied with Modi's rule of the last five years in the state, 66 per cent reported being satisfied and 19 per cent were dissatisfied. Besides, 38 per cent voters in Gujarat have chosen Modi instead of Vajpayee, Advani, Jaitley and Rajnath Singh as the BJP leader for the next LS poll. When asked to name one leader from different parties as prime minister of the country, Modi was the second highest choice of 23 per cent Gujarat voters as against Sonia Gandhi who ranked at the top with 24 per cent. These, by any measure, are formidable ratings for an incumbent leader and party. The overall gap in the vote share between the BJP and Congress, which had narrowed in the 2004 Lok Sabha poll by 3 per cent, has once again expanded to its earlier decade-old position of 10 per cent. Secondly, the answers to the question: ... if polls are held tomorrow, which party will you vote for... yielded some interesting revelations. The BJP's strongest social support group, comprising of the Patidars, has not only remained intact but their support has increased from 82 per cent for the BJP in the post-Godhra 2002 poll and 75 per cent in the 2004 Lok Sabha poll to 83 per cent as reported in this survey. Also, the much hyped threats of withdrawal of support to the Modi-led BJP by the coastal Kolis and Brahmins are not supported by the survey data. Actually, it is the tribal voters who have changed their party preference in a big way. In the 2002 assembly poll, 34 per cent tribals voted for the BJP as against 49 per cent for the Congress. In the 2004 LS poll, 48 per cent tribals voted for the BJP as against 46 per cent for the Congress. The present survey shows that the tribal support to BJP has slid, as only 27 per cent will vote for the BJP and 69 per cent for the Congress. The OBC vote share of the BJP which slipped from 57 per cent in 2002 to 40 per cent in 2004 has been retrieved by the BJP and it stands today at 60 per cent. The Dalit, Bania, Rajput and Muslim vote shares are withheld from the analysis due to their small numbers. This political sociology of Gujarat voters' preferences places the BJP in a comfortable position. The rebellion, factionalism, and leadership crisis in the BJP are apparently only skin deep. The overall pre-poll picture shows that while the Congress's total vote share has marginally declined from 45 per cent in 2004 to 43 per cent now in 2007, the BJP has raced ahead from 47 per cent in 2004 to 54 per cent now. The anti-BJP and anti-Modi mood, it seems, is superficial. One caveat is in order: pre-poll surveys usually contain a pro-ruling party bias. But on the whole, this survey shows that the BJP under Modi continues to dominate the electoral contest in the state. The writer is professor of political science at MSU-Baroda, and is the Gujarat State Coordinator for Lokniti Research Programme, CSDS, Delhi
[ZESTCaste] Dalit labourer dragged by tractor over refusal to work (News)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Dalit_labourer_dragged_by_tractor_over_refusal_to_work/articleshow/2404265.cms Dalit labourer dragged by tractor over refusal to work 26 Sep 2007, 1322 hrs IST,PTI MORENA: Refusal to plough a field proved costly for a Dalit labourer, who was allegedly tied to a tractor and dragged till he was injured by two persons in Murdav village of Morena district. The incident occurred yesterday when Lalsingh Jatav refused to plough the field of Kadamsingh Kushwaha and Ball Singh, saying he was sick and will do it later, police said. Angry over the refusal, the duo abused Jatav and tied him with a rope to a tractor and dragged him in the village, leaving him injured. Some of Jatav's sympathisers also pelted stones on the duo while they were dragging him and they also sustained injuries. Police have registered a case against Kushwaha and Singh and also against Jatav and his supporters, based on complaints from both sides.
[ZESTCaste] Future of Dalits safe under leadership of Sonia: DPCC chief (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/26/stories/2007092654710400.htm New Delhi Future of Dalits safe under leadership of Sonia: DPCC chief Staff Reporter Congress has always protected their interest NEW DELHI: Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president J. P. Agarwal on Tuesday said that Dalits had always extended unstinting support to the Congress and expressed confidence that the party would win the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections next year for the third time in a row riding on their support. Addressing a convention at Rajiv Bhavan here, Mr. Agarwal said his party had always protected the interests of the Dalits and the community in return had reposed full faith in the party for its efforts towards their growth and uplift. He said the Delhi Government had been taking new initiatives for their welfare and the efforts had helped a great deal in protecting the interests of the community. The future of Dalits is safe under the dynamic leadership of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the dreams of Father of the Nation Mahatama Gandhi and Bharat Ratna B. R. Ambedkar will be realised under her stewardship, said Mr. Agarwal. Hailing the appointment of Rahul Gandhi as All-India Congress Committee general secretary, Mr. Agarwal hoped that his young and dynamic leadership would help the Congress grow. Senior party leader Yogendra Makwana exhorted the Dalits to unite under the Congress flag and fight for their own uplift and betterment of the country as a whole. The Congress alone can serve the community well and help it accomplish its objectives. Karol Bagh MP Krishna Tirath claimed that the party had been working tirelessly to provide food, shelter and employment to the community and the efforts had brought about visible changes in the condition of the community. AICC Scheduled Castes department chairman Lal Chand Chandelia said Ms. Gandhi had laid much emphasis on improving the lot of the poor and downtrodden and the community would continue to strengthen her hands by extending firm support to the party.
[ZESTCaste] Start admissions without OBC quota: Govt (News)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Start_admissions_without_OBC_quota_Govt/articleshow/msid-1965407,curpg-2.cms Start admissions without OBC quota: Govt 27 Apr 2007, 1319 hrs IST,PTI NEW DELHI: After days of uncertainty, government on Friday issued a directive to all Central educational institutions to commence admissions for General and SC/ST categories asserting every constitutional and legal measure will be taken to ensure the OBC reservation. The directive to 64 Central government funded institutions, including IIMs and IITs, came after UPA allies and Left parties gave a go-ahead to the government to allow admissions to general, SC and ST categories for the coming academic session without the OBC quota for the time being. ... the offer of admissions to the ensuing academic session in Central Educational Institutions shall, until further communication, be limited to the approved intake that existed during the academic session 2006-07, said the directive. The directive also made it clear that no offers of admissions shall be made until further communication in respect of seats that are proposed to be expanded during the ensuing academic session. HRD Minister Arjun Singh told reporters on Friday that notwithstanding the order, the commitment of the government to the principle of reservation to OBCs is irrevocable. We shall explore every constitutional and legal procedure by which to ensure it, said Singh. Asked about CPI(M)'s suggestions for a fallback option in case the Supreme Court does not vacated the stay on 27 per cent OBC quotas, Singh said all kinds of options were voiced. Obviously, that is not the manner in which we can function. When the situation comes we can see. To a question whether the government was hopeful of a positive outcome, he said the court will have to take a decision and we are waiting for that. Government has made no decision on that. Pressed further on the options before the government, Singh said: There is always an option for everything but we should not start thinking about options even before the time has arrived.
[ZESTCaste] 24 residents of same village selected as VAOs (News)
24 residents of same village selected as VAOs http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200709270324.htm Madurai, Sept. 27 (PTI): As many as 24 villagers from Dalit-dominated Pazhaya Ayakudi village near Palani in Dindigul district have been selected as Village Administrative Officers in a test conducted by Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission recently. According to officials, the 24 candidates, including a couple, from one village getting selected is a unique feat, as 5,51,834 candidates had written the examination for the recruitment of 2,500 VAOs. More than 60 per cent of the 6,000 residents of the Pazhaya Ayakudi were Adidravidars. We are more happy as 17 persons from one street were able to make it, a villager said. The village has already produced IAS and IPS officers besides several doctors and engineers. The candidates attribute their success to the coaching given by village elders, who had constituted a People's club.
[ZESTCaste] BSF For Action Against Corporate Colleges (News)
http://www.siasat.com/english/index.php?option=contenttask=viewid=210130Itemid=63cattitle=Andhra%20Pradesh BSF For Action Against Corporate Colleges Thursday, 27 September 2007 Hyderabad, September 27: Demanding action against the corporate colleges in Telangana region for charging extra fees illegally, the Bahujan Student Federation (BSF) on Thursday organised a rally from Narayanaguda to Basheerbagh. The BSF twin cities President, Perika Krishna, who led the rally, has alleged that the corporate colleges are refusing to give admissions to the students of SC, ST, BC communities, who have passed tenth standard in compartment. In order to make aware the students, the BSF organised awareness classes at Ambedkar Junior college, Saint Francis, Jahanavi Degree college, Reddy Women's College and other colleges. BSF City General Secretary B. Ambedkar, Secretary A. Srinu, Saidulu, Kalyan Rao, V. Srinu, Sanjeev and others participated in the rally. (NSS)
[ZESTCaste] Cong plays caste card in UP (News)
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2theme=usrsess=1id=171449 Cong plays caste card in UP Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, Sept. 25: The Congress knows that it cannot prosper unless it becomes a challenge in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. And with Mr Rahul Gandhi now in the big league, he needs a well knit organisation in UP. The party has embarked upon its own form of social engineering in the state. It has replaced Mr Salman Khursheed, a Muslim, with Mrs Rita Bahuguna Joshi, a Brahmin, as state party chief. That Mr Khurseed would be replaced in the aftermath of the disastrous Assembly polls, was obvious. The change has been synchronised with the party reshuffle. As the Congress was losing its support base, particularly to the BSP, the counter efforts, apart from bringing Mr Gandhi to centre-stage, are nominating a Brahmin and a woman as party chief and making Mr Digvijay Singh, a Thakur, as organisational in charge of the state. The focus thus is on the upper castes. The leader of the legislature party, Mr Promod Tewari, is also a Brahmin. The BJP has a Brahmin chief and Mr Satish Mishra is the Brahmin face of the ruling BSP. The restructuring of the Congress organisation is designed to meet the challenge from caste-based regional forces. In the Assembly polls, the Congress remained on the margins, despite Mr Gandhi being in the picture. People decided in favour of Miss Mayawati as a strong alternative to Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party. In the process, the Congress won less than 25 seats. The tally could have been worse had Mr Gandhi not been to electioneering. Mrs Joshi's recent track record has been poor. She was a loser in Allahabad South Assembly constituency. However, her nomination as party chief in the state has been met with a chorus of approval. State level leaders have declared that the appointment will recharge the party. Mrs Joshi is the daughter of the late chief minister Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna. However, she has hardly been active in the mainline politics of the state and her detractors say she belongs to the same breed as Mr Khursheed ~ more active in Delhi than in Lucknow.
[ZESTCaste] 'Caste discrimination cause of suicide' (News)
'Caste discrimination cause of suicide' http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Special Correspondent 'Anti-Dalit attitude' led to IISc student's extreme step, say parents and SSD SSD inquiry found that some professors were harassing Dalit students IISc denies discrimination and says independent report is due Bangalore: The suicide of Ajay Srichandra, a Ph.D. student of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on July 28, was a result of caste-related harassment, the Dalit boy's parents and members of Samata Sainik Dal (SSD) have alleged. Speaking to presspersons here on Tuesday, M. Venkataswamy, President of SSD, said that they would hold a protest in front of IISc on September 28 against the anti-Dalit attitude of some professors in the institution. Mr. Venkataswamy said that Ajay, a student of integrated Ph.D., had not committed suicide in his hostel room due to depression as made out by the police. Members of SSD had conducted an independent inquiry and found that some professors of IISc were harassing and discriminating against Dalit students, he added. B. Chennakrishnappa, Bangalore District President of SSD, said that other students were in the know about it but were not willing to openly admit it. Ajay's father Ravindra Kumar, who was also at the press conference, alleged that his son's suicide note had been tampered with. I was first told that my son had written a suicide note running to two or three pages. But some pages had been removed by the time I reached here from Hyderabad, he alleged. SSD has demanded that criminal cases be booked against professors and an independent inquiry conducted into the case by University Grants Commission. An official at IISc told The Hindu that there appears to be no harassment of any kind. The institute has formed a committee to look into the matter, the official said. A committee was formed immediately after the death of the student. The independent report should be coming through in a few days.
[ZESTCaste] AIIMS faculty member cries caste bias (News)
AIIMS faculty member cries caste bias http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Times_of_India/400x60/0 25 Sep 2007, 0131 hrs IST ,Dwaipayan Ghosh ,TNN NEW DELHI: An assistant professor of the radiotherapy department, Dr Suman Bhasker has written a letter to the SC Commission alleging caste discrimination by her colleagues. She has alleged that junior doctors refused to cooperate with her accusing her of practising ''discriminatory behaviour against the upper caste resident doctors.'' Sources in the commission said that her complaint was received in the third week of July. ''The commission has already summoned some of the administrators of AIIMS in this connection. These included the director, P Venugopal and the department HoD Dr G K Rath. On Monday, the commission sat for its third hearing and decided to give AIIMS a last chance to look into the matter so that the complainant's grievances can be properly addressed. Upon Dr Rath's suggestion, we decided to ask the HoD to accompany Dr Bhasker once she goes on her rounds from Tuesday. The next hearing has been scheduled for October 22,'' said an official of the commission. Speaking to Times City Dr Bhasker said that her trouble began towards the end of May this year when she was identified as a sympathiser of the pro-reservation group. ''On June 2, which was a half day, I was told verbally that an inquiry committee has been constituted against me. Nothing in written was passed to me. I was told that there were two charges against me - of not attending work and of discriminating against upper caste resident doctors.'' She added: ''When I went to the hospital the next day, I was gheraoed by sloganeering resident doctors. After that they stopped cooperating.'' Dr Bhasker alleged that her repeated requests to senior administrators to solve the issue fell on deaf ears. Dr Rath, HoD of radiotherapy department, said that a decision on the issue would be taken only after a high level meeting on Tuesday in the institute. Institute spokesman Dr Shakti Gupta said: ''I know there was a hearing today but I don't know what happened.''
[ZESTCaste] Untouchability finds new forms (News)
Untouchability finds new forms http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Bageshree S. Bangalore: The appalling practice of untouchability seems to only assume new and less obvious forms after it is exposed and causes public outrage. The situation in Kadkol village of Basavanabagewadi taluk in Bijapur district, where 80 Dalit families were imposed social and economic boycott by caste Hindus on July 25, 2006 for daring to draw water from a tank till then reserved for caste Hindus, is a case in point. According to Chalavadi Ramanna of Karnataka Mula Asprushyara Manava Hakkugala Rakshana Vedike, the tank which is at the centre of the controversy, is now not barred to Dalits. However, in a strange reversal, it is shunned by caste Hindus who allegedly spare no opportunity to pollute it. They routinely leave their cattle to splash around in the tank, which is a source of drinking water, he alleges. What is even more shocking is that one year and two months after the incident was reported, the authorities are yet to book anyone for practising untouchability and imposing boycott. The police say it has to be handled by the Civil Rights Enforcement Cell. The cell says that it does not have adequate staff to conduct an inquiry and the police should do it, says Mr. Ramanna. As a result, those responsible for the act, including a member of the taluk panchayat and president of Gram Panchayat, are walking free, he said. In the meanwhile, the practice of untouchability, banned by the Constitution, continues in various forms. A local barber will not give a Dalit a haircut. This is not typical of Kadkol. This is the most normal thing in many villages in north Karnataka, says Mr. Ramanna. The demands put forward by Karnataka Mula Asprushyara Manava Hakkugala Rakshana Vedike for rehabilitation of the 80-odd families which faced boycott are yet to be fulfilled, barring the demand for housing. Seventy-three people have been identified for giving housing sites. Local political and caste Hindu interests, Mr. Ramanna alleges, diverted the loans sanctioned meant for victims to those who did not face social boycott. The other demands, including sanction of lands and creating job opportunities, are not even under consideration at the moment. The vedike submitted a memorandum with nine demands to the Deputy Commissioner on October 10, 2006. The Government has an obligation to rehabilitate people who face social boycott under sections of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, which was enacted in 1955. The sad part is even the victims of atrocities are often not aware of this, says Mr. Ramanna.
[ZESTCaste] Fast track courts to take up Dalit cases (News)
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070924/32/6l5fp.html Tue, Sep 25 Fast track courts to take up Dalit cases By HT Tuesday September 25, 01:18 AM WITH THE National Scheduled Castes Commission headed by Buta Singh accusing the Mayawati government of ignoring the interest of the community, principal secretary (Law) SMA Abdi today said that fast track courts (FTCs) had been set up in 56 districts to take up cases of atrocities against Dalits. During his recent visit to Lucknow, Buta Singh had raised accusing fingers at the government for diluting the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and rising crime against Dalits in the state. However, Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh had strongly rebutted the charges. Neither there has been any dilution of the Act nor rise in crime against Dalits, Shashank Shekhar told newsmen last week. The government had also took out data about decline in crime against the community as compared to 2005 and 2006. The fast track courts would effectively deal with the cases under the Act, Abdi said and added these courts would dispose of the cases speedily.
[ZESTCaste] Busts of Marx, Periyar, Ambedkar opened (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/19/stories/2007091953220300.htm Tamil Nadu Busts of Marx, Periyar, Ambedkar opened Special Correspondent TINDIVANAM: Several leaders participated in the function organised by the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) for unveiling the busts of E.V. Ramasamy Naicker, B.R. Ambedkar and Karl Marx at its political training centre in Thailapuram on Monday. Union Minister of State for Textiles E.V.K.S. Elangovan, general secretary of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) Thol. Thirumavalavan and national secretary of the Communist Party of India D. Raja unveiled the busts respectively. PMK founder S. Ramadoss said he hit upon the idea of installing the busts as there were no statues for Periyar and Karl Marx in Tindivanam. Mr. Thirumavalavan said regardless of the political situation and alliance, the VCK would remain with the PMK to uphold the ideology of social justice. Mr. Elangovan said the function focussed on the striving of these leaders to realise the dreams of the triumvirate. Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said the coming together of the PMK and the VCK had caused fear among those who were fishing in troubled waters. Mr. Raja said the SCs/STs and OBCs should work together for a new social order. Union Minister R.Velu, MPs E. Ponnuswami was present.
[ZESTCaste] Periyar echo in DMK lines (News)
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070925/asp/nation/story_8357620.asp Periyar echo in DMK lines M.R. VENKATESH Karunanidhi Chennai, Sept. 24: M. Karunanidhi's statements on Ram are not a sudden burst of BJP-baiting by a former scriptwriter for Tamil films. They are statements typical of a stalwart of a political tradition based on iconoclasm that has for decades targeted Brahminical heroes such as Ram and Krishna. The Tamil Nadu chief minister's party, the DMK, feeds on Periyar's atheistic Dravidian movement that has defined Tamil Nadu politics since the pre-Independence era. Karunanidhi's remark about Ram being a fictional character is almost a throwback to Periyar's statement that he who created god was a fool, he who spreads his name is a scoundrel, and he who worships him is a barbarian. In his days in the movie industry in the '40s and '50s, Karunanidhi pushed the Dravidian anti-Brahmin agenda by pioneering a new genre of screenplay for films championing social reforms. For instance, in Paraskathi, he penned a dialogue for Sivaji Ganesan that went on to become a classic: We are not against temples, but we don't want temples to become havens for immoral goons. He wrote similar lines for M.G. Ramachandran, who became his ally in politics before parting ways to form the ADMK. After the 1962 Chinese war, the DMK under C.N. Annadurai dropped its separatist agenda and toned down its anti-Brahmin rhetoric. But since Annadurai's death in 1969, Karunanidhi has never fought shy of mining Periyar's more hardline legacy if he thought it politically expedient. He had once remarked jocularly Vendraal, Anna vazhi; thotral, Periyar vazhi, implying he would follow Annadurai's moderate line if the DMK won an election, but would return to Periyar's stridency if the party lost. However, as with the we are not against temples dialogue, the politician in him would temper the rhetoric to keep an escape hatch open. Our attack is not against Brahmins, it is only against Brahminism and what it stands for, he would say. When the DMK had to cohabit with north Indian parties in the post-1989 coalition era, he declared: We are not against Hindi as a language but its imposition. His remarks now reflect that astuteness. He has pointed to Ram's enjoyment of alcohol, but has been careful to attribute it to Valmiki, adding that there's nothing wrong in factually narrating what has been said about someone. In support of his denial of Ram's existence, he has cited how Jawaharlal Nehru had described the Ramayan as a piece of fiction portraying an aspect of the age-old Aryan-Dravidian conflict. In this, he has occupied the middle ground between Annadurai and Periyar, who had organised a march with a picture of Ram garlanded with slippers and destroyed the portrait in public in 1956.
[ZESTCaste] ‘Pune pact should be re-examined’ (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/25/stories/2007092561650800.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad 'Pune pact should be re-examined' HYDERABAD: A majority of leaders from various political parties on Monday felt that the Pune pact between B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi in 1932 on providing political reservations for Dalits should be re-examined. The leaders were participating in a round table conference to discuss the topic of '75-years of Pune pact - Experiences and Lessons' organised by the Centre for Dalit Studies at Madina Educational Centre, Nampally, on Monday. Drawing parallels with current times and the opposition of Mahatma Gandhi towards reservation for Dalits during the signing of the Pune pact, Dalit intellectual U. Rajasekhar observed that opposition to the Pune pact by Mahatma Gandhi and other Hindu leaders still troubles the present-day Dalit leaders. I feel because of this, the Dalit leaders of today are unable to perform to their potential, he said. Associate Professor of Osmania University, G. Krishna Reddy, felt that apart from voting rights, the general public should also be given an opportunity to elect the person who belongs to their own community. State BJP President Bandaru Dattatreya, TDP leader T. Devender Goud, CPI (M) State Secretary B.V. Raghavulu, CPI general secretary K. Narayana, BSP leader Vidyasagar Reddy, Congress leader P. Venkat Rao and others were present at the round table conference.
[ZESTCaste] Polls in mind, state teams rejigged (News)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=75619ac5-15b2-48ef-8ee0-b97dc8621f9dHeadline=Polls+in+mind%2c+state+teams+rejigged Polls in mind, state teams rejigged September 24, 2007 Saroj Nagi, Hindustan Times New Delhi, September 25, 2007 Along with revamping the AICC, Sonia Gandhi has started restructuring the organisation at the state level to meet challenges from regional forces and caste-based parties. On Monday, the Congress president began the exercise by appointing four new Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs — Rita Bahuguna Joshi (Uttar Pradesh), Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Punjab), C.P. Joshi (Rajasthan) and Yashpal Arya (Uttarakhand). At the heart of it is an effort to strike a social combination to woo different sections of society. With the Congress's upper caste-SC-Muslim support base hijacked by the BJP, BSP and the SP in UP, the party has in the last few years sought to woo them back by handpicking PCC chiefs from different castes — Sri Prakash Jaiswal (Bania), Jagdambika Pal and Arun Kumar Singh Munna (Rajput) and Salman Khurshid (Muslim). This time, Sonia has tried out a Brahmin face by choosing Joshi, daughter of the late Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna. Helping Joshi in this task is state in-charge Digvijay Singh, a Rajput. In Rajasthan, Sonia is testing a Brahmin-Dalit combination with working president Parasram Mordia, an SC, supporting C.P. Joshi. Joshi is said to be a good orator and Mordia a good organizer. The CLP leader is likely to be a Jat. In Punjab, a Jat-Dalit combination is on offer with Bhattal as PCC chief and Mohinder Singh Kaypee as working president. With Bhattal's appointment, the state is likely to get a new CLP leader. There are several more states that require Sonia's attention. West Bengal has had a working president since Pranab Mukherjee quit as PCC chief more than a year back but needs a full-fledged president. Sonia has made a start by appointing veteran leader Mohsina Kidwai as AICC general secretary in-charge of the state. In Chhattisgarh, she brought V.C. Shukla, Arvind Netam, Dilip Singh Bhuria and Mohammad Baloch back into the party fold. A signal has been sent to Bihar with Minister of State Dr Shakeel Ahmed inducted as one of six party spokespersons. -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[ZESTCaste] Youths clash in police station (News)
Youths clash in police station http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chandigarh/Youths_clash_in_police_station/articleshow/2399959.cms 25 Sep 2007, 0224 hrs IST ,TNN JALANDHAR: With clashes, that shook Haryana's Gohana district after Dalit youth Rakesh was allegedly killed by Jat youth after being acquitted in the murder of a Jat youth, still fresh in mind, 12 persons were booked on Sunday for attempt to murder after a violent clash between the two communities in Punjab's Jamsher village. Five were reportedly injured, including four from the Jat community. According to the police, Sukha of Jamsher village and Deepa of Bhode Sarpai village were at logger heads and following a dispute, they were called to Jamsher police chowki for a compromise, where they again had an altercation. When Dalit sarpanch Bujha Ram's driver was driving back the Dalit community to the village to avoid further tension, the other group attacked the vehicle near the police post gate and they clashed within chowki premises, said a police official. The youths reportedly attacked each other with swords and other sharp-edged weapons. Chowki in-charge Om Parkash was transferred for failing to control the situation.
[ZESTCaste] ‘Dalit MLAs, MPs stooges of politicians’ (News)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/25/stories/2007092555190500.htm Karnataka - Bangalore 'Dalit MLAs, MPs stooges of politicians' Special Correspondent 'Those amenable to 'upper caste' interests have been given tickets' 'Budget allocation to SC/STs is regularly diverted' Bangalore: Elected representatives from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes fail to speak up for the cause of their communities because their political survival depends on upper caste votes, said Bojja Tarakam, Dalit leader from Andhra Pradesh and President of the South India cell of the Republican Party of India. Speaking at a function organised by the Federation of SC/STs Employees Welfare Associations to mark the 75th anniversary of the Poona Pact, he said MLAs and MPs being at the mercy of upper caste Hindu votes was the sad legacy of the agreement between Gandhiji and B.R. Ambedkar in 1932. Ambedkar had demanded separate electorates for Dalits, a demand rejected by Gandhiji. Ambedkar, he added, was forced to sign it because Gandhiji had threatened a fast unto death if a separate electorate was given to Dalits, arguing that the depressed classes were not a minority, but part of the larger Hindu fold. Though there are reserved constituencies for SCs and STs, only those amenable to upper caste interests have historically been given tickets by all political parties since the first election, argued Mr. Tarakam. This was the reason why MLAs and MPs had never spoken up for the rights of Dalits even when people of their communities were massacred, as in Karamchedu in Andhra Pradesh and Kambalapalli in Karnataka, he added. Elected representatives do not speak up even though money allotted for SCs and STs is regularly siphoned off, pointed out Mr. Tarakam. Though 15 per cent of budget allocation is reserved for SCs under Special Component Plan and six per cent for STs under Tribal Sub-Plan since 1975, the money is always diverted. MLAs and MPs from reserved constituencies were reduced to being stooges of political parties as a result of the electoral equation drawn up by the Poona Pact, said Mr. Tarakam.
[ZESTCaste] Dalits to organize ‘Dhikkar Rally’ to mark 1 year of Khairlanji incident (News)
http://www.indiadaily.org/entry/dalits-to-organize-dhikkar-rally-to-mark-1-year-of-khairlanji-incident/ Dalits to organize 'Dhikkar Rally' to mark 1 year of Khairlanji incident Pratyush | 3 hr. ago On September 29, several Dalit organisations across Maharashtra have planned to organize a 'Dhikkar rally' in Bhandara just to mark the 1st anniversary of the murder of four members of a Bhaiyalal Bhotmange at Khairlanji village. On September 29, 2006, four members of the dalit family were reportedly massacred in Kherlanji village in Bhandara, near Nagpur in Maharashtra. The incident was reported first in some Marathi daily and the mainstream media did not provide any space to this incident till October first week. Some political parties had organised a protest but it remained a mere ritual. DNA had reported about the incident on October 7 that Surekha, 44, and her daughter Priyanka, 18, were beaten and gang-raped in front of villagers for an hour before they fell dead. According to the report, Surekha's sons, Sudhir and Roshan Bhotmange, were murdered in the same incident on September 29. Bhiyyalal, the head of the family, had managed to save his life when his family was attacked. Later, online media exposed the matter that led it to the nationwide protests. [1], [2] Now, several Dalit organisations has decided to hold a rally in Bhandara and more than 30,000 people are likely to attend the gathering on September 29. According to the report, a a Dalit cultural front from Mumbai is the main organiser of the rally. The Khairlanji incident had even given a chance to the various divided Dalit groups to be united against the state government's poor action taken in this matter. Later, Naxalites had even taken keen interest and even issued warnings to deliver justice to the perpetrators of the crime. At present, a fast-track court in Bhandara is hearing the case. Bhandara District Collector S M Sarkunde said that he was unaware of any proposed rally. He said: We get to know about it only through newspapers. Protests may be held, but we do not think there is any reason for additional security.
[ZESTCaste] Police fail to address our complaints, say Dalits (News)
Police fail to address our complaints, say Dalits http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 T.S. Ranganna National Human Rights Commission issues notice to police for failure of action Bangalore: Chikka Alaghatta village in Chitradurga taluk has 300 families, of which 100 are Dalits, most of them belonging to the Madiga, a sub-sect among the Scheduled Castes. They were nursing a desire to have a primary school under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Rangaswamy, who had a stint as a primary school teacher, got elected to the Alaghatta Village Panchayat and obtained sanction to start a school for Dalits. This reportedly upset a section of the upper caste families. In March 2006, some of them attacked Mr. Rangaswamy. Attacked They allegedly attacked him again when he got a job for a Dalit in the panchayat. Gangamma Hemachari, a gram panchayat member belonging to Vishwakarma caste, had invited him for tea when a group of people belonging to the upper caste threw stones at him. The member said that some villagers had declared Rs. 1 lakh reward for his head. He is afraid of going back to the village. Santhosh S. and his mother, Lakshmamma, of Kankenahalli colony in Magadi taluk complain that two villagers had assaulted him two years ago for refusing to work in their fields. Mr. Santhosh lay unconscious in hospital for 21 days. The Kudur police have not arrested the accused persons and instead are allegedly forcing him to strike a compromise with the attackers. Hotteppana Halli in Challakere taluk has been witnessing unrest between Madigas and Gollas for 50 years. The Gollas are allegedly preventing Dalits from carrying on unauthorised cultivation on Gomal lands. Shanmukhappa alleged that his brother Jagadish was killed in the presence of the police. But, the Challakere police failed to act. H.N. Shivamurthy, district in-charge of the Dalit Liberation Human Rights Forum-Karnataka, demanded that Hotteppana Halli should be declared a Dalit village and the Dalits be given land.. The list of atrocities on Dalits goes on. Barbers reportedly refuse to shave Dalits, numbering around 700 in Kestur village in Yelandur taluk. Hotels serve food on paper to them. R. Manohar of the South India Cell for Human Rights, Education and Monitoring alleged that the Superintendent of Police, Bangalore Rural District, had failed to reply within four weeks to the notice issued to him by the National Human Rights Commission on July 19, 2007. The notice was issued for police failure to act on the cell's complaint that Dalits in Narayanaghatta, Muthanallur, Halechandapur, Singena Agrahara and Yedanahalli in Attibele police station limits were assaulted by the upper caste in July.
[ZESTCaste] Eroding tradition(Chandrabhan Prasad)
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Columnistfile_name=prasad%2Fprasad226.txtwriter=prasad Eroding tradition By Chandrabhan Prasad While inventions by James Hargreaves, Richard Arkright, Samuel Crompton and James Watt are duly accredited in triggering the march of machines in England, not much is attributed to Adam Smith author of the magnum opus Wealth of Nations (1776), and birth of the London Stock Exchange (1801). The final quarter of the 18th century was the launching pad for the industrial revolution. That phase witnessed battles between handlooms and powerlooms. The triumph of machine was facilitated by many factors, crucial being the intellectual umbrella hoisted by Adam Smith, and financial discipline administered by the London Stock Exchange. Indisputably, as the earliest philosophical-mentor of capitalism, Smith in his book wrote about the socio-economic rational for a capitalistic order society. The London Stock Exchange accorded capital an institutional authority. Thus, without Adam Smith and the London Stock Exchange, all discourses on the industrial revolution would be out of place. Without either of them, the machine on its own lacked any inbuilt vision. Self-mesmerised Luddites on the other hand, had their well thought of goals. They fought the machine with a purpose. Jonathan Katz, an American journalist and author, reflects upon the ideological mood of Luddites in the online magazine HotWired //www.wired.com// in following lines: The Luddites were fighting for their way of life in the most literal sense. For centuries, they had lived in small villages in ancient valleys, using simple machines that could be operated by individuals or families. Big mills and factories meant an end to social custom and community, to personal status and individual freedom. Having worked independently on their own farms, they would be forced to use complex and dangerous machines in noisy, smelly factories for long hours, seven days a week, for slave wages. Their harvest and agricultural rituals, practiced for centuries, would perish. Fathers could no longer be with their wives and children. This new kind of labour changed notions of time and introduced concepts like work schedules and hourly wages. It despoiled whole regions, including Sherwood Forest. In other words, the march of the machine was opposed not only on grounds that handloom workers would loose jobs, but essentially because of the fear of industrial culture where their traditional social customs and community-life might wither away. As Europe soon realised, machines did eliminate Europe's tradition. In other words feudalism was defeated by capitalism, and monarchy defeated by democracy. Even Karl Marx welcomed that epoch march of machine in his Das Capital. As a matter of fact, that march of machines over tradition, march of the capitalism over feudalism, march of democracy over monarchy are inseparable. Adam's capitalism deployed machines to enhance profitability. In its own interest, capitalism began to destroy agrarianism. There was no way agrarianism and industrialisation could go together. What if machines win over traditional India? What if India's social customs and the community lives are eliminated by capitalism? What if India's agrarianism is defeated by industrial revolution? What Spinning Jenny, Water Frame, Spinning Mule and Steam Engine were to Europe 250 years ago, malls, nuclear propelled electricity, and the mass capital are to India. In other words, what machines did in the late 18th and early 19th century in Europe, the new age machine is doing in India. It is preparing a funeral ground Manu's social codes. To Manu, the untouchables, or the out-castes, or Dalits, were to live outside the settlements, and serve the society. With a machine based economic activity, Dalits-Brahman-Kshatriya-Vaishya-Shudras are seen working together for the same amount of reward. Has anyone seen Dalits and non-Dalits working together in tradition based economic activities? it is strange that the CPM and RSS are resisting the march of the machines which is fighting Manu's social agenda?
[ZESTCaste] Tension in village after murder (News)
Tension in village after murder http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/24/stories/2007092457090300.htm Muzaffarnagar: Tension prevailed in Budima village here following the alleged murder of a Dalit as villagers blocked the Panipat-Khatima highway for several hours after the incident. Earlier, the body of Inderpal (40) was found in the jungle. The body bore injury marks caused by some sharp-edged weapons, police said. The irate villagers did not allow police to hand over the victim's body to his relatives and blocked the highway for several hours, police said.
[ZESTCaste] Nepal: DALITS, JANAJATIS AND MUSLIMS-THE MOST NEGLECTED
http://telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=2015 NEPAL: DALITS, JANAJATIS AND MUSLIMS-THE MOST NEGLECTED TGW The Dalits, Muslims and the Janajatis were more affected by rampant poverty in the country, a three-year interim plan approach paper prepared by the Nepal's National Planning Commission has freshly revealed. 46 per cent of dalits, 44 per cent of Magar, Rai, Gurung, Tamang and Limbu in the Pahadi-Janajati category and 41 per cent of Muslims living in the country have been found living below the poverty line, says the NPC report further. These groups have negligible share in the State apparatus, overall resources and the production as well, says the report. Poverty in the country is widespread and is showing an upward trend as compared to the average 31 per cent in the recent past, the report adds. Similarly, the paper also declares that the participation of Dalits, Janajatis and Madhesis are negligible in the Government bureaucracy. The major objective of the interim plan is to scrutinize earlier plans and to develop strategies to rectify past errors by increasing participation of the marginalized groups in the county, the report concludes. 2007-09-23 08:40:41
[ZESTCaste] No FIR in Dalit immolation case (News)
www.tribune.com No FIR in Dalit immolation case Bipin Bhardwaj, Tribune News Service Batala, September 23 Even after 24 hours of recording the statement of Sandeep Singh, alias Sonu, a Dalit boy, in the presence of a judicial magistrate, the police still has not registered any case against the suspects who forced him to set himself ablaze in Matholla village yesterday. In his declaration, Sonu, who is struggling for life in Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar, has said his master Sawinder Singh, alias Kala, Rattan Singh, Bira Singh and certain others had been harassing him over the a missing mobile phone. They charged him with stealing the phone and even threatened him. Sucha Singh, father of the victim, alleged that Sonu took the extreme step following harassment and threats by village sarpanch Raghubir Singh and his master Sawinder Singh, alias Kala. Batala SSP R.N. Dhoke said, I have asked the area DSP to register an FIR against the persons who have been named by Sonu in his declaration after proper investigation.
[ZESTCaste] Dalits still living in fear in Karnataka village (News)
Dalits still living in fear in Karnataka village http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Hindu/400x60/0 Staff Correspondent MYSORE: Fear has gripped the Dalits of Chikka Ankanahalli village in Srirangapatna taluk in Mandya district, who were targeted by upper castes on Friday. Eerie silence An eerie silence prevailed in the Dalit colony, and despite the presence of police platoons the fear among the victims is palpable. The deployment of forces has not helped in banishing fear among the Dalits, who say the culprits are freely roaming in the village and that the police are only promising that the accused would be arrested soon. So far, the police have arrested only nine persons. The persons who were injured have returned to the village, after treatment at K.R. Hospital in Mysore. Speaking to The Hindu, Superintendent of Police, Mandya, Seemanth Kumar Singh, said the situation was fully under control. Two cases had been registered against the upper castes for throwing stones at the police and attacking the Dalit colony. According to Mandya Deputy Commissioner Manjunatha Prasad, the district administration has given compensation of Rs. 10,000 each for 10 Dalits injured in the incident and repair of houses damaged has commenced. Because of the 'tension' in the village, Dalits do not want to pass through the area dominated by 'upper castes' to procure foodgrains. In view of this, they will be given 25 kg of rice on Monday, he said.
