Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Dr. Ambedkar’s concept of Dhamma aims to address the chief source of conflict in human life and helps provide long-lasting solutions. It also aims to remove multiple obstructions created by human being against another human being. Thus, Dhamma proposes to ensure conflict resolution, ecological balance, social inclusion, material–spiritual gains, universal brotherhood and unity among global human. Emancipation is sought and assured in this life only. It does not talk of issues pertaining to life after death. The article tries to explain how Dr. Ambedkar makes an entirely novel interpretation of Religion whom he calls Dhamma. He exercises to discover and invent a Dhamma easily understood and acceptable to everyone globally. His biggest contribution was to liberate Dhamma from Religion— Mazhab narratives. He wanted to set Dhamma free from ignorance and blind faith. In the process, he aimed to unshackle Dhamma from the concepts of God, soul and absolute idea. His Dhamma is a means to realize the fullness of human life. It is ever changing, lively and full of hopes and aspirations. It generates inquisitiveness and yearning for knowledge. Dhamma is a complete programme of transformation and change. Dhamma is a science of spiritualism which can be perceived, felt and achieved in this life only.
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Determinants of Social Inclusion of Agricultural Labourers in Rural Haryana, India
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
In the discourse of the sustainable development goals, the idea of ‘leave no one behind’ has a critical role. Social inclusion is an important dimension in the discourse of sustainable development. This dimension ensures inclusiveness at various levels of society. In the Indian context, this concept is highly useful to understand the multi-layered problem of agricultural labour. The study’s objectives were to understand the status of social inclusion and evaluate the influence of socio-economic factors on social inclusion. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the ordered regression analysis method. The study was conducted in Haryana, and the total sample size was 401. Study found that agricultural labourers live in deplorable conditions and face significant social exclusion in society. They experience exclusion in the labour market, on the financial front, and on the social relations front. Furthermore, the study revealed that socio-economic characteristics play a central role in determining the social inclusion. Based on the findings, the study advocates that the multi-layered problem of agriculture can be understood by using the multi-dimensional concept. Government assistance at multi-level to agricultural labour force can ratify their empowerment and inclusion.
In the discourse of the sustainable development goals, the idea of ‘leave no one behind’ has a critical role. Social inclusion is an important dimension in the discourse of sustainable development. This dimension ensures inclusiveness at various levels of society. In the Indian context, this concept is highly useful to understand the multi-layered problem of agricultural labour. The study’s objectives were to understand the status of social inclusion and evaluate the influence of socio-economic factors on social inclusion. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the ordered regression analysis method. The study was conducted in Haryana, and the total sample size was 401. Study found that agricultural labourers live in deplorable conditions and face significant social exclusion in society. They experience exclusion in the labour market, on the financial front, and on the social relations front. Furthermore, the study revealed that socio-economic characteristics play a central role in determining the social inclusion. Based on the findings, the study advocates that the multi-layered problem of agriculture can be understood by using the multi-dimensional concept. Government assistance at multi-level to agricultural labour force can ratify their empowerment and inclusion.
Experiences of Scheduled Caste Community on Welfare Schemes: A Study of Ramai Aawas Yojana in Maharashtra
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The government has created numerous schemes for the benefit of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe populations, yet their lifestyles have not seen significant improvement. Policymakers frequently do not consider the opinions of the target audience when drafting schemes, which causes target audiences to suffer as a result of accessing such schemes. When any plans or policies are created, the opinions of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Communities must be taken into consideration. The major goals of this paper are to have a theoretical discussion on this, as well as to look at the rights-based approach in social work and properly comprehend its difficulty in practice. Housing schemes have been given considerable precedence in welfare programmes for disadvantaged people like Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes. This research report is based on investigations made to learn about the experiences of the Scheduled Caste Community with Maharashtrian welfare schemes like the Ramai Aawas Yojana. The study’s primary goals are to investigate the difficulties beneficiaries encounter when claiming benefits from the scheme and the changes they notice in their lives as a result. It will also look at the administrative framework for scheme implementation, such as municipalities. The article aims to examine the difficulties faced by the Scheduled Caste group and their perspectives on (a) the Ramai Aawas Yojana Welfare Scheme and (b) the difficulties they encountered in receiving the Scheme’s benefits. (c) How their lives have altered as a result of using the housing program’s advantages. It is founded on an exploratory research design and qualitative approach.
The government has created numerous schemes for the benefit of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe populations, yet their lifestyles have not seen significant improvement. Policymakers frequently do not consider the opinions of the target audience when drafting schemes, which causes target audiences to suffer as a result of accessing such schemes. When any plans or policies are created, the opinions of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Communities must be taken into consideration. The major goals of this paper are to have a theoretical discussion on this, as well as to look at the rights-based approach in social work and properly comprehend its difficulty in practice. Housing schemes have been given considerable precedence in welfare programmes for disadvantaged people like Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes. This research report is based on investigations made to learn about the experiences of the Scheduled Caste Community with Maharashtrian welfare schemes like the Ramai Aawas Yojana. The study’s primary goals are to investigate the difficulties beneficiaries encounter when claiming benefits from the scheme and the changes they notice in their lives as a result. It will also look at the administrative framework for scheme implementation, such as municipalities. The article aims to examine the difficulties faced by the Scheduled Caste group and their perspectives on (a) the Ramai Aawas Yojana Welfare Scheme and (b) the difficulties they encountered in receiving the Scheme’s benefits. (c) How their lives have altered as a result of using the housing program’s advantages. It is founded on an exploratory research design and qualitative approach.
Book review: Debi Chatterjee and Sipra Mukherjee (Eds and Trans.), Under My Dark Skin Flows a Red River: Translation of Dalit Writings from Bengal
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Debi Chatterjee and Sipra Mukherjee (Eds and Trans.), Under My Dark Skin Flows a Red River: Translation of Dalit Writings from Bengal. Samya Publications, 2021, 419 pp., ₹696.
Debi Chatterjee and Sipra Mukherjee (Eds and Trans.), Under My Dark Skin Flows a Red River: Translation of Dalit Writings from Bengal. Samya Publications, 2021, 419 pp., ₹696.
Caste, Religion and Otherness: Probing the Aporia of the Dalit–Muslim Question in Omprakash Valmiki’s Short Story ‘Salaam’ and Mohandas Naimishraya’s Autobiography Apne Apne Pinjare (Cages of Our Own)
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Dalit texts generally foreground the question of marginality in the context of caste-based discrimination, exclusion and violence. Interestingly, Mohan Das Naimishraya’s Apne Apne Pinjare (Cages of Our Own) and Omprakash Valmiki’s ‘Salaam’ go beyond the scope of exploring the dialectics of dominance and resistance by probing the complexity of otherness. The appropriation of the Dalit subject by the neo-Brahmanical forces us to rethink the notion of marginality. The aversion and hatred of Dalits against Muslims and the identification of Dalits as Hindus by Muslims obfuscate the power dynamics in a communal and casteist socius. The complex Dalit–Muslim relationship re-configures the power relations underpinning untouchability and propels us to re-interpret the troubled category of the ‘Other’. This article explores the epistemological and ontological uncertainty about the marginal categories which entail the historical experience of violence, disenfranchisement and oppression. The two Dalit texts problematize the identity of the Dalit as an ‘Other’ vis-a-vis the Muslim subject and thus highlight the liminality of the subaltern subject. This article seeks to decode the aporia of Dalit–Muslim question in the casteist and communally fractured social order.
Dalit texts generally foreground the question of marginality in the context of caste-based discrimination, exclusion and violence. Interestingly, Mohan Das Naimishraya’s Apne Apne Pinjare (Cages of Our Own) and Omprakash Valmiki’s ‘Salaam’ go beyond the scope of exploring the dialectics of dominance and resistance by probing the complexity of otherness. The appropriation of the Dalit subject by the neo-Brahmanical forces us to rethink the notion of marginality. The aversion and hatred of Dalits against Muslims and the identification of Dalits as Hindus by Muslims obfuscate the power dynamics in a communal and casteist socius. The complex Dalit–Muslim relationship re-configures the power relations underpinning untouchability and propels us to re-interpret the troubled category of the ‘Other’. This article explores the epistemological and ontological uncertainty about the marginal categories which entail the historical experience of violence, disenfranchisement and oppression. The two Dalit texts problematize the identity of the Dalit as an ‘Other’ vis-a-vis the Muslim subject and thus highlight the liminality of the subaltern subject. This article seeks to decode the aporia of Dalit–Muslim question in the casteist and communally fractured social order.
Untouchability, Caste and Supremacy of Hinduism: Rereading Swami Vivekananda
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Swami Vivekananda was a multi-faceted personality. Some of his primal ideas on India are timelessly resounding. One of the recurrent themes is Vivekananda’s agile efforts to revolutionize Hinduism. Hordes of literature emphatically explore Vivekananda’s profound views on Hinduism. Vivekananda is overwhelmingly credited as the towering figure who also spiritually revitalizes the vitals of Hinduism. At the same time, no sufficient attention is directed towards the question of untouchability and caste as presented by Vivekananda. Vivekananda’s whole body of ideas on caste and untouchability are largely left untouched, not least in the discourse on contemporary India. Are caste and untouchability interrelated according to Swami Vivekananda? Does Vivekananda consider caste and untouchability as the bane of Hinduism? Does Vivekananda call for the abolition of untouchability and caste? Does Vivekananda proffer the philosophical groundings about the supremacy of Hinduism? This article primarily attempts to dissect these immanent questions afresh.
Swami Vivekananda was a multi-faceted personality. Some of his primal ideas on India are timelessly resounding. One of the recurrent themes is Vivekananda’s agile efforts to revolutionize Hinduism. Hordes of literature emphatically explore Vivekananda’s profound views on Hinduism. Vivekananda is overwhelmingly credited as the towering figure who also spiritually revitalizes the vitals of Hinduism. At the same time, no sufficient attention is directed towards the question of untouchability and caste as presented by Vivekananda. Vivekananda’s whole body of ideas on caste and untouchability are largely left untouched, not least in the discourse on contemporary India. Are caste and untouchability interrelated according to Swami Vivekananda? Does Vivekananda consider caste and untouchability as the bane of Hinduism? Does Vivekananda call for the abolition of untouchability and caste? Does Vivekananda proffer the philosophical groundings about the supremacy of Hinduism? This article primarily attempts to dissect these immanent questions afresh.
Book review: N. Sukumar. Caste Discrimination and Exclusion in Indian Universities: A Critical Reflection
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
N. Sukumar. Caste Discrimination and Exclusion in Indian Universities: A Critical Reflection. London and New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis, 2022, 185 pp., ₹13,569. ISBN: 978-1-003-09529-3 (Hardcover).
N. Sukumar. Caste Discrimination and Exclusion in Indian Universities: A Critical Reflection. London and New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis, 2022, 185 pp., ₹13,569. ISBN: 978-1-003-09529-3 (Hardcover).
Intersectional Discrimination: Gender and Caste
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Patriarchy subordinates and subdues the fair sex on the basis of gender, a social and cultural construct to divide the two sexes (biological construct). The caste system is the hidden apartheid of ancient India which continues even in contemporary times. Apart from these, several other markers of identity like religion, class, economic position and geographical location also play an important role in discrimination. These interact with each other to give a unique experience of discrimination rather than a conglomeration of oppressions. The intersections of gender and caste in India echo issues of violence, coercion and infringement of basic human rights which can be explained through intersectionality theory. Cultural studies have facilitated the documentation of the petit narrative, thus bringing the subaltern to the mainstream. Literature thus portrays such marginalization, which sometimes challenges the status quo or at times negotiates its way around it. This article intends to analyse the English translations of Pawade’s Antahsphot (1981), Kamble’s Jina Amucha (1985), Sivakami’s Pazhaiyana Kazhithalum (1989) and Limbale’s Akkarmashi (1991) through the lens of intersectionality in the cultural milieu.
Patriarchy subordinates and subdues the fair sex on the basis of gender, a social and cultural construct to divide the two sexes (biological construct). The caste system is the hidden apartheid of ancient India which continues even in contemporary times. Apart from these, several other markers of identity like religion, class, economic position and geographical location also play an important role in discrimination. These interact with each other to give a unique experience of discrimination rather than a conglomeration of oppressions. The intersections of gender and caste in India echo issues of violence, coercion and infringement of basic human rights which can be explained through intersectionality theory. Cultural studies have facilitated the documentation of the petit narrative, thus bringing the subaltern to the mainstream. Literature thus portrays such marginalization, which sometimes challenges the status quo or at times negotiates its way around it. This article intends to analyse the English translations of Pawade’s Antahsphot (1981), Kamble’s Jina Amucha (1985), Sivakami’s Pazhaiyana Kazhithalum (1989) and Limbale’s Akkarmashi (1991) through the lens of intersectionality in the cultural milieu.
Marriage and Disadvantaged People: A Qualitative Inquiry of Inter-ethnic Marriages Among Low-income Families
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This study employs a phenomenological approach to examine inter-ethnic marriages among low-income families in Srinagar, Kashmir, by looking at the factors that lead to these marriages and the ways in which they are negotiated. By doing so, the study’s goal is to put the spouses’ pre-marital experiences in context. Participants were recruited using snowball and purposive sampling techniques determined by theoretical sampling. The broader results of the study found that some males only seek such marriages when they fail to find a spouse from their own Kashmiri ethnic background because of their socially disadvantaged position like poverty, physical disability or being over-aged. Under these circumstances, the other option they consider is going for inter-ethnic marriages, which in the present context, entails seeking wives from outside mainland Kashmir belonging to other ethnic groups, while the reasons operating from the female spouse participants were widespread poverty and the desire to avoid dowry.
This study employs a phenomenological approach to examine inter-ethnic marriages among low-income families in Srinagar, Kashmir, by looking at the factors that lead to these marriages and the ways in which they are negotiated. By doing so, the study’s goal is to put the spouses’ pre-marital experiences in context. Participants were recruited using snowball and purposive sampling techniques determined by theoretical sampling. The broader results of the study found that some males only seek such marriages when they fail to find a spouse from their own Kashmiri ethnic background because of their socially disadvantaged position like poverty, physical disability or being over-aged. Under these circumstances, the other option they consider is going for inter-ethnic marriages, which in the present context, entails seeking wives from outside mainland Kashmir belonging to other ethnic groups, while the reasons operating from the female spouse participants were widespread poverty and the desire to avoid dowry.
Arivu’s Dalit Rap: Cultural Resilience and Harnessing Hip-Hop for Cultural Assertion
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The emergent pan-Indian phenomenon of Dalit rap is championed by Arivu and other Dalit rappers, such as Ginni Mahi, Sumeet Samos, Duleshwar Tandi and Vedan. They draw from the wellspring of Dalit musical traditions. These musicians are successors to pioneers who utilized music and poetry in the anti-caste struggle such as Jyotirao Phule, Savitribai Phule, Poykayil Appachan, Bhimrao Kardak, Gaddar and Vilas Ghogre. Arivu’s music utilizes the cultural capital that developed as forms of self-expression and those sustained as cultural labour in the Dalit communities for political activism, sensitization of the public sphere and asserting the Dalit identity. He reimagines art that had been deemed symbols of denigration by the dominant savarna sensibility as those of pride and protest. His lyrics and music generate a discourse of resistance that alters the equations of the casteist public sphere through wider acceptance via new media. Arivu engages in contemporary sociopolitical commentary through rap infused with the stylistics of folk forms such as oppari and gaana. He integrates hip-hop aesthetics and Dalit aesthetics to cure cultural amnesia, challenge epistemic injustice, expose cultural appropriation and assert the Dalit identity. Arivu employs hip-hop in building counter-narratives of Dalit pride, Dalit environmentalism, historical injustice and social justice.
The emergent pan-Indian phenomenon of Dalit rap is championed by Arivu and other Dalit rappers, such as Ginni Mahi, Sumeet Samos, Duleshwar Tandi and Vedan. They draw from the wellspring of Dalit musical traditions. These musicians are successors to pioneers who utilized music and poetry in the anti-caste struggle such as Jyotirao Phule, Savitribai Phule, Poykayil Appachan, Bhimrao Kardak, Gaddar and Vilas Ghogre. Arivu’s music utilizes the cultural capital that developed as forms of self-expression and those sustained as cultural labour in the Dalit communities for political activism, sensitization of the public sphere and asserting the Dalit identity. He reimagines art that had been deemed symbols of denigration by the dominant savarna sensibility as those of pride and protest. His lyrics and music generate a discourse of resistance that alters the equations of the casteist public sphere through wider acceptance via new media. Arivu engages in contemporary sociopolitical commentary through rap infused with the stylistics of folk forms such as oppari and gaana. He integrates hip-hop aesthetics and Dalit aesthetics to cure cultural amnesia, challenge epistemic injustice, expose cultural appropriation and assert the Dalit identity. Arivu employs hip-hop in building counter-narratives of Dalit pride, Dalit environmentalism, historical injustice and social justice.