Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This article discusses the behaviour of the Dalit who hides their identity of being a Dalit and pretends to be a person who represents the other caste that is present in the caste hierarchy. To gain societal recognition, Yashica Dutt’s mother deliberately professes to be an upper caste for the society. Dutt does not want to reveal her identity because of the humiliation she had faced earlier. This identity crisis becomes a stigma and then she adopts the behaviour, nature and tradition of another caste.
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From Traditional to Modern Atrocities: Has Caste Changed in Independent India?
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Committing atrocities is as inherent to caste as caste is to Hinduism. Maintaining these values by enacting atrocities on castes lower in the strata, combined with socio-economic-political developments, has massively changed the essence of caste in independent India. These developments have led to a ‘de-ritualization of caste’, persisting as a ‘kinship-based cultural community’—still stratified but functioning around politics and economics. This transition is in contrast to the tradition-rooted practices and ideology of pre-and colonial India. However, have caste atrocities changed since India’s independence? This article will showcase these post-independence social transitions in anti-Dalit atrocities despite and due to legal provisions formulated during and immediately after the colonial-era, and the economic reforms in post-colonial India. I argue that the caste system has deteriorated post-independence with an increase in the number of atrocities and their gruesomeness. This is explained through Anupama Rao’s assessment of legal provisions, Smiti Sharma’s analysis of the correlation between economic status and caste-based crimes and their effects, and lastly, Anand Teltumbde’s analysis of transformations in the motivations of crimes, perpetrators and performance of atrocities. Quantitative data is used to illustrate the failure of legal provisions in preventing the rising violence against Dalits and the growing economic disparity between different castes as one of its causes. A qualitative analysis of these developments assesses the changing social attitudes of dominant castes that use violence against ‘Dalit assertion’. Unpacking the 2009 Khairlanji massacre is pertinent to my analysis of atrocity to reveal all these sides of caste violence and the contributions of state, civil society, media and other institutions in its wake.
Committing atrocities is as inherent to caste as caste is to Hinduism. Maintaining these values by enacting atrocities on castes lower in the strata, combined with socio-economic-political developments, has massively changed the essence of caste in independent India. These developments have led to a ‘de-ritualization of caste’, persisting as a ‘kinship-based cultural community’—still stratified but functioning around politics and economics. This transition is in contrast to the tradition-rooted practices and ideology of pre-and colonial India. However, have caste atrocities changed since India’s independence? This article will showcase these post-independence social transitions in anti-Dalit atrocities despite and due to legal provisions formulated during and immediately after the colonial-era, and the economic reforms in post-colonial India. I argue that the caste system has deteriorated post-independence with an increase in the number of atrocities and their gruesomeness. This is explained through Anupama Rao’s assessment of legal provisions, Smiti Sharma’s analysis of the correlation between economic status and caste-based crimes and their effects, and lastly, Anand Teltumbde’s analysis of transformations in the motivations of crimes, perpetrators and performance of atrocities. Quantitative data is used to illustrate the failure of legal provisions in preventing the rising violence against Dalits and the growing economic disparity between different castes as one of its causes. A qualitative analysis of these developments assesses the changing social attitudes of dominant castes that use violence against ‘Dalit assertion’. Unpacking the 2009 Khairlanji massacre is pertinent to my analysis of atrocity to reveal all these sides of caste violence and the contributions of state, civil society, media and other institutions in its wake.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Bhavans/Community Halls in Telangana: An Evaluation Study
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The question of the development of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and its analysis received considerable attention during the post-Independence period. The Central and State governments have been launching several programmes and institutions for the economic and social progress of the SCs as well as raising the consciousness of their rights. The Ambedkar statues and the construction of Ambedkar Bhavans/community halls are a platform for organizing the SCs to debate and articulate key issues and concerns; fostering solidarity among SCs is an important initiative of the government, across the country. The core objectives of the study are to examine the distribution of Ambedkar Bhavans/community halls in the districts and budgetary allocations and the expenditure incurred towards the construction of the halls. The other objective is to assess the utilization of Ambedkar Bhavans/community halls and the activities undertaken in them and their impact on the empowerment of Scheduled Castes in the selected districts. The empirical study highlights that the members of the community are making use of the community halls to debate the issues of their surroundings and the implementation of government schemes, besides organizing their social functions and economic activities. However, there is no rationality in allocating the budget for the land and the construction of buildings across the districts in the state.
The question of the development of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and its analysis received considerable attention during the post-Independence period. The Central and State governments have been launching several programmes and institutions for the economic and social progress of the SCs as well as raising the consciousness of their rights. The Ambedkar statues and the construction of Ambedkar Bhavans/community halls are a platform for organizing the SCs to debate and articulate key issues and concerns; fostering solidarity among SCs is an important initiative of the government, across the country. The core objectives of the study are to examine the distribution of Ambedkar Bhavans/community halls in the districts and budgetary allocations and the expenditure incurred towards the construction of the halls. The other objective is to assess the utilization of Ambedkar Bhavans/community halls and the activities undertaken in them and their impact on the empowerment of Scheduled Castes in the selected districts. The empirical study highlights that the members of the community are making use of the community halls to debate the issues of their surroundings and the implementation of government schemes, besides organizing their social functions and economic activities. However, there is no rationality in allocating the budget for the land and the construction of buildings across the districts in the state.
An Empirical Analysis of Tribal Identity in Indian Literature
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Homogenizing the heterogeneous Indian tribes might be unfair. However, as large groups of tribal families are the subjects of study, the word ‘tribes’ was adopted as a grab for the underprivileged people, regardless of geographical location or cultural moorings. The current study analyse the significance of ethnographic novels that specifically evoke cultural experiences and the efficiency of their strategies in depicting people via the analysis of the two books such as Paraja (authored in Oriya in 1945) by Gopinath Mohanty and translated by Bikram K. Das in 2001, and Chotti Munda and His Arrow (Bangla title is Chotti Munda ebang Tar Tir, 1980) by Mahasweta Devi and translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in 2002. The current study emphasizes the shifting paradigms of centre–right binarism by using fictional works by well-known writers Mahasweta Devi and Gopinath Mohanty who have done literary works that spoke about the rights of tribal community.
Homogenizing the heterogeneous Indian tribes might be unfair. However, as large groups of tribal families are the subjects of study, the word ‘tribes’ was adopted as a grab for the underprivileged people, regardless of geographical location or cultural moorings. The current study analyse the significance of ethnographic novels that specifically evoke cultural experiences and the efficiency of their strategies in depicting people via the analysis of the two books such as Paraja (authored in Oriya in 1945) by Gopinath Mohanty and translated by Bikram K. Das in 2001, and Chotti Munda and His Arrow (Bangla title is Chotti Munda ebang Tar Tir, 1980) by Mahasweta Devi and translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in 2002. The current study emphasizes the shifting paradigms of centre–right binarism by using fictional works by well-known writers Mahasweta Devi and Gopinath Mohanty who have done literary works that spoke about the rights of tribal community.
Representational Space as Cultural Production in Dalit Text
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This article discusses how space works in the narrative world of a Dalit writer and how space is evolved for a writer to represent and register their perspectives. A Dalit writer’s representation can be evolved from recognition of themselves within their community and place. It happens in a particular period when the writer realizes their identity as Dalit. The cultural production happens through language when the experience is penned down. The fullest expression of the writer is so vivid when the narrative space is supple. This article involves Sharan Kumar Limbale’s Outcaste and Yashica Dutt’s Coming Out as Dalit. These two autobiographical novels talk about the spatial influence, importance, changes, and reproduction of culture through language, and their text is explained. Auto-narration is more important in the aspect of Dalit writing and it is being explained here the importance of it. The auto narrative of a Dalit writer gives an extended meaning to the text.
This article discusses how space works in the narrative world of a Dalit writer and how space is evolved for a writer to represent and register their perspectives. A Dalit writer’s representation can be evolved from recognition of themselves within their community and place. It happens in a particular period when the writer realizes their identity as Dalit. The cultural production happens through language when the experience is penned down. The fullest expression of the writer is so vivid when the narrative space is supple. This article involves Sharan Kumar Limbale’s Outcaste and Yashica Dutt’s Coming Out as Dalit. These two autobiographical novels talk about the spatial influence, importance, changes, and reproduction of culture through language, and their text is explained. Auto-narration is more important in the aspect of Dalit writing and it is being explained here the importance of it. The auto narrative of a Dalit writer gives an extended meaning to the text.
Displaced Dalits and Their Issues of Human Rights: A Case Study on the Stone Crushers of Balasan River Bed
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Human rights actually refer to those elemental rights which any human deserves to have honoured in order to survive, enjoy well-being and flourish or fulfil him or herself by virtue of being a human. But today, the wave of the new world order, exploitative attitude, consumerism and greed of a few are refuting the needs of many. In this regard, along with a number of factors, the issues related to the displacement of the population have emerged as major ones. Particularly due to this factor, the concerned people have to lose their permanent settlement and stable economic pursuit and they are forced to face severe inconveniences in every aspect of their livelihood. Ultimately, the different aspects of their fundamental human rights are being seriously violated. These issues have been observed among the stone crushers of Balasan river bed, who were displaced from their earlier settlement and are struggling for their common minimum livelihood.
Human rights actually refer to those elemental rights which any human deserves to have honoured in order to survive, enjoy well-being and flourish or fulfil him or herself by virtue of being a human. But today, the wave of the new world order, exploitative attitude, consumerism and greed of a few are refuting the needs of many. In this regard, along with a number of factors, the issues related to the displacement of the population have emerged as major ones. Particularly due to this factor, the concerned people have to lose their permanent settlement and stable economic pursuit and they are forced to face severe inconveniences in every aspect of their livelihood. Ultimately, the different aspects of their fundamental human rights are being seriously violated. These issues have been observed among the stone crushers of Balasan river bed, who were displaced from their earlier settlement and are struggling for their common minimum livelihood.
Seeking Space in Post-Partition Bengal: Reading Kalyani Thakur Charal’s Autobiography Ami Kano Charal Likhi through a Gender and Caste Perspective
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Volume 15, Issue 1_suppl, Page S127-S138, August 2023.
Space for Dalits is either hierarchically organized or publicly restricted or perpetually excluded from mainstream Indian society. The process of ‘Othering’ and abandonment of the outcastes for possessing a space, sanctioned by the laws of varnashrama, was subtly retained and manipulated by the new democratic Indian government during the rehabilitation process of the post-partition Bengal and thus enforced the Dalit refugees to adopt the identity of either vagabonds or delinquents. Spatial insecurity and its explicit exhibition through the emotions of the Dalit men usually suppressed the pain and suffering of the Dalit women that entailed their struggle for psychic space due to their inability to articulate their angst. This article aims to explore how both the Dalit men and women were struggling to seek a physical and psychical space and also discuss how the long-term consequence of the partition left an imprint of both the negative and positive impact on the coming generations of Dalit women with special reference to Kalyani Thakur Charal’s autobiography, Ami Kano Charal Likhi (2016) which effectively echoes the collective voice of her Namasudra community through the ‘inherited’ memory of the partition.
Space for Dalits is either hierarchically organized or publicly restricted or perpetually excluded from mainstream Indian society. The process of ‘Othering’ and abandonment of the outcastes for possessing a space, sanctioned by the laws of varnashrama, was subtly retained and manipulated by the new democratic Indian government during the rehabilitation process of the post-partition Bengal and thus enforced the Dalit refugees to adopt the identity of either vagabonds or delinquents. Spatial insecurity and its explicit exhibition through the emotions of the Dalit men usually suppressed the pain and suffering of the Dalit women that entailed their struggle for psychic space due to their inability to articulate their angst. This article aims to explore how both the Dalit men and women were struggling to seek a physical and psychical space and also discuss how the long-term consequence of the partition left an imprint of both the negative and positive impact on the coming generations of Dalit women with special reference to Kalyani Thakur Charal’s autobiography, Ami Kano Charal Likhi (2016) which effectively echoes the collective voice of her Namasudra community through the ‘inherited’ memory of the partition.
Situating Democracy in Ambedkar’s Moral Discourse
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This article aims to look at the idea of moral democracy in Ambedkar and his reconstruction of democracy as a ‘way of life’. Much of the work on Ambedkar’s idea of democracy has been significantly understood within the context of social, political and economic democracy. This article asks a different question: what could be a moral foundation of democracy in Ambedkar’s thought? His engagement with democracy addresses the issue of caste and injustice in Indian society. A moral approach to Ambedkar’s thought may guide us to understand his path towards democracy. This article explores Ambedkar’s notion of everyday democracy, which is foregrounded in his last work Buddha and His Dhamma. For him, democracy is thoroughly grounded on the concept of Dhamma as a righteous relation between people in every sphere of life.
This article aims to look at the idea of moral democracy in Ambedkar and his reconstruction of democracy as a ‘way of life’. Much of the work on Ambedkar’s idea of democracy has been significantly understood within the context of social, political and economic democracy. This article asks a different question: what could be a moral foundation of democracy in Ambedkar’s thought? His engagement with democracy addresses the issue of caste and injustice in Indian society. A moral approach to Ambedkar’s thought may guide us to understand his path towards democracy. This article explores Ambedkar’s notion of everyday democracy, which is foregrounded in his last work Buddha and His Dhamma. For him, democracy is thoroughly grounded on the concept of Dhamma as a righteous relation between people in every sphere of life.
Social and Political Concerns of Lata Mangeshkar: An Ambedkarite Perspective
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Playback singer Lata Mangeshkar was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in many other countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh. This article is about her social concerns and political leanings. At the level of thought, she was close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is infamous for its Nazi-like ideology. Many incidents of her life show that she preferred communal politics over secularism. She also kept away from the Dalit issues.
Playback singer Lata Mangeshkar was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in many other countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh. This article is about her social concerns and political leanings. At the level of thought, she was close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is infamous for its Nazi-like ideology. Many incidents of her life show that she preferred communal politics over secularism. She also kept away from the Dalit issues.
Invention or Inversion? Revisiting the Question of Caste Tradition
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The main theme of this paper is to revisit the question of caste and the politics of/on traditions. We have explored the questions of mythology; how ‘we’, the lower caste people associate and (re)interpret the mythical characters as a process of social upward mobility. So, is it the invention of tradition or is it the inversion of tradition or both? Interestingly, we could be able to locate a distinct regional pattern in this case. Thus, we argue that in the Northern part of India, specifically in Uttar Pradesh, though it is the process called the invention of tradition, it can be framed as a little tradition under the grand Hindu tradition. On the other hand, in the Southern part of the country specifically in Tamil Nadu, it is rather the process called the inversion of tradition which is much more radically grounded in sub-national ethos. Based on these premises, this article further argues that Uttar Pradesh’s caste politics is based on the invention of a tradition model which can incorporate the lower castes’ little traditions within the larger ambit of the Hindu grand narratives. Thus, new Hindutva politics has easily appropriated them within their polemic. On the contrary, in the South, due to the inversion of the tradition model embedded in a pre-existing political tradition and sub-national ethos, Hindutva failed to get a proper hold in recent times.
The main theme of this paper is to revisit the question of caste and the politics of/on traditions. We have explored the questions of mythology; how ‘we’, the lower caste people associate and (re)interpret the mythical characters as a process of social upward mobility. So, is it the invention of tradition or is it the inversion of tradition or both? Interestingly, we could be able to locate a distinct regional pattern in this case. Thus, we argue that in the Northern part of India, specifically in Uttar Pradesh, though it is the process called the invention of tradition, it can be framed as a little tradition under the grand Hindu tradition. On the other hand, in the Southern part of the country specifically in Tamil Nadu, it is rather the process called the inversion of tradition which is much more radically grounded in sub-national ethos. Based on these premises, this article further argues that Uttar Pradesh’s caste politics is based on the invention of a tradition model which can incorporate the lower castes’ little traditions within the larger ambit of the Hindu grand narratives. Thus, new Hindutva politics has easily appropriated them within their polemic. On the contrary, in the South, due to the inversion of the tradition model embedded in a pre-existing political tradition and sub-national ethos, Hindutva failed to get a proper hold in recent times.