Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The concepts of caste discrimination and corporate social responsibility are not novel. They have existed for decades in social, political and academic discourses, albeit as separate concepts. Notably, how CSR engages with Dalit issues in India has not been explored, especially in mandated CSR. This article explores why corporates do not cater devoutly to the needs of Dalits in CSR projects. The article adopts a qualitative approach to interviewing participants from corporates, NGOs and external consultants from research and academic organizations. The author adopted the thematic analysis method and arrived at four major themes about the lack of a dedicated focus on Dalits in CSR projects. These are corporate boards’ caste-blindness, the design of CSR projects, the adoption of the umbrella target category—‘poor’ and the changing character of NGOs. These findings suggest larger structural issues with the way CSR projects are planned, designed and implemented, excluding the scheduled castes (SC). The findings underline a glaring gap and the need for corporates to understand the issues faced by SCs, resulting in inequality, poverty and socioeconomic exclusion. There is a crucial need for corporates to direct, design and implement their CSR projects with a dedicated focus on empowering the Dalit population.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Gram Sabha is the lowest functionary of grassroots democracy in India. An empowered Gram Sabha is the base for establishing a sound democratic system. The article highlights the Pathalgadi movement as a critical way of empowering Gram Sabha. A recent argument from Jharkhand High Court about tribal self-governance has raised the relevancy of local governance in fifth scheduled areas. Jharkhand High Court also obliges about the power of Gram Sabha from Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) of Jharkhand. The study’s rationale is to raise the concern of inclusion of tribal self-governance and the provisions of PESA Jharkhand in Panchayati Raj. The article elaborates on the historical background of the Gram Sabha, the empowerment of Gram Sabha in scheduled areas and its present status, analyses how PESA Act, 1996 and Forest Rights Act, 2006 have enabled democratic decision-making in Gram Sabha and the validity of Pathalgadi movement as a critical way of empowering Gram Sabha. The article concludes that government must not intervene with the rights of the indigenous tribes.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The Indian constitution forbids untouchability and caste or religious discrimination. Caste, on the other hand, is extremely important among Indians. India’s social system is ruled by the Hindu caste system. Even though we live in the twenty-first century, we continue to use the caste system. Each caste had its own set of rituals, customs and values. As a result of increased education, employment, urban growth, modernization and technological innovation, inter-caste marriages have gradually gained widespread acceptance in India. According to the 2011 census, 5.8% of the population throughout India, inter-caste marriages account for one-quarter of all marriages. For many years, however, Indians might have a conservative attitude towards inter-caste marriages. ‘Upper castes’ have viciously maintained the generational purity of blood by imposing endogamy and denying upper caste women the agency to marry outside their own castes. People are culturally conformist, so when their daughters or sons marry outside their culture, religion or language, it can lead to honour-related violence or honour killing. A total of 145 honour killing incidents occurred in India between 2017 and 2019 (Government tells in Lok Sabha in 2021). Furthermore, the majority of honour killings are misidentified as suicides.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The study examined and compared various demographic and human developmental indicators, especially education and its allied aspects such as literacy, enrolment, promotion, repetition, retention, dropout and transition rates of tribal children at various school education stages. And to assess these indicators, data have been collected from secondary sources. Census reports of India, Jammu and Kashmir and Ganderbal, 2001 and 2011 have been reviewed to obtain the data related to demography and literacy. The information related to various educational indicators has been collected from Unified District Information System for Education 2017–2018. Thus, the present study is a desk research. The data have been expressed in tabular and graphical forms. The study concluded that the tribals figure significantly below the overall population on educational parameters such as literacy, enrolment, gross enrolment ratio, promotion, retention, dropout and transition rates. Moreover, variations and gaps have been found among trials of India, Jammu and Kashmir and Ganderbal district. Gender disparities/gaps, prominent among females, raise question marks on the efficiency and management of the educational system as well as affirmative action and intervention policies of the government in mitigating disparities based either on gender, social category or location.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The complicated connections between nation-building, minority rights, and denotified communities in India are examined in this article. It offers an epistemological knowledge of the historical, political and social influences that have moulded these populations’ experiences, which are frequently left out of discussions about fostering national identity and minority rights. The study makes the case that nation-building initiatives in India frequently rest on a homogenized notion of national identity that ignores the varied cultural, linguistic, and ethnic identities of marginalized communities. This has led to the systematic marginalization of groups that have been notified and the violation of minority rights. This article adopts the library research method. The utilization of library research is a significant resource for the researchers seeking to acquire a more profound comprehension of a specific topic or subject matter. The methodology offers a methodical and organized strategy for collecting and evaluating data, which can aid scholars in discovering novel avenues for their investigations or contribute to advancing fresh concepts or principles within their discipline. This study addresses the issue’s cultural, social, and political elements and considers more inclusive and equitable nation-building strategies while drawing on multidisciplinary scholarship. In the end, it makes the case that in order to be genuinely democratic, society must place a high priority on recognizing and defending the rights of all of its members, especially those who have historically been marginalized and excluded.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Since time immemorial, the caste system has been the fundamental institution of traditional Indian society. Among Indian castes and social classes, the design of this one-of-a-kind institution is highly visible. The caste system is not only followed by Indians, but it is also absorbed into their daily lives. Occupations and education are no exception, and both have a strong connection to this unique institution. However, modernization, globalization, and industrialization have had a significant impact on Indian castes/communities, their occupations, and education. It began during the colonial period, when India experienced a number of innovative changes in terms of occupation and education. As a result of these changes, a revolutionary system of adopting new, ‘caste-free’ occupations and modern education emerged. This research paper relies heavily on secondary data. The main aim of this study is to comprehend the ramifications of occupational and educational changes among Indian castes and communities. This attempt, I hope, would highlight the shifting linkages between caste, occupation, and education, resulting in a better understanding of the Indian caste system.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) care services mainly focusing on the utilization among tribal women in Empowered Action Group (EAG) states in India. For this study, the (NFHS-4, 2015–2016) data were used. Analysis was performed with 54,448 women aged (15–49) who, have a current child below 5 years of age by using bivariate logistics regression, chi-squared test and the Moran-I (Univariate) statistical techniques. Results show that only 11% of tribal women accessed full Antenatal Care (ANC), and 54% of women received Postnatal Care (PNC) in EAG states. More than one-third (34%) of tribal women delivered in their homes compared to institutional delivery (66%). Women with higher education are significantly more likely to utilize ANC and have institutional delivery compared to the women with no-education. Also, mothers from the most abundant wealth status are significantly more likely to receive ANC and PNC and have institutional delivery compared to women with poorest wealth quintile. Considering the inter-EAG states comparison, state like Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are performing poorly. Hence, out of all EAG states districts almost 3–7 districts from (low–high) and 8–11 districts from (high–low) groups show negative autocorrelation or outliers to received MCH care services. Despite continuous and improving efforts of the government, the utilization of MCH services is very low among tribal women in the EAG states of India.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The Tamil film Karnan calls for Dalits to rise up and resist against the caste system. The movie employed a number of metaphorical devices to illustrate how caste binds Dalits’ hands and feet. Additionally, it shows how the younger generation wants to rebel and fight for what has been denied for years, but the elder Dalit villagers are resistant to change and merely want to survive. The plot centres on Karnan (Dhanush) who rises to become the protector of his people. It also explores how tyranny may be sneaky and how the bureaucracy supports the oppressor and takes part in the oppression. The final takeaway from the film is that the only way to challenge oppression is through resistance.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Language is a prerequisite for quotidian human life. For the most part, it plays an instrumental role in defining national, ethnocultural, and caste identifications in a polyglot society like India. Language shapes our views and bestows meanings to our thoughts. However, the analysis of language’s roles, functions, and usefulness, especially in studies grappling with Dalits life in Kerala, has been considerably overlooked by vernacular Dalit scholarship. Against this backdrop, the present article attempts to delve into one of the Dalit languages in Kerala, the Parayans’ language. Drawing insights from two-year-long ethnographic fieldwork, this article sheds light upon the unfolding of Parayans’ everyday life and the process of self-identification besides explicating the ontic properties of the Parayans’ language. In a subtle manner, the article adopts the methodology of ‘linguistic turn’ and urges Dalit scholarship to attune itself to afresh conceptual orientation so that it can bring the linguistic question as the central a priori of discussions in relation to life, identification, and subjectivity of Dalit beings.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This article aims to examine the relationship between the caste background of the students and the school choice, access to cultural and educational resources, and the prevalence of caste-based discrimination within the schools in the Kushinagar District of Uttar Pradesh. Using mixed methods of data collection, the study finds that the share of scheduled caste (SC) students successively declines while moving from public to private schools, at the same time, it increases for the general category students. Further, although the access to capital/educational resources exhibits caste characteristics as it is skewed in favour of forward caste students, it is collectively the students from rural backgrounds who face the resource crunch underscoring the regional and class inequalities as well. As such, caste hierarchy and inequality continue to shape and determine inequality and unequal outcomes in school education in India.