Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The present article aims at analysing the revolutionary function of love in Marathi filmmaker Nagraj Manjule’s (b. 1978) selected feature films. The first two of Manjule’s feature films are set in a society ingrained in the vicious circle of the caste system. Fandry (2013) portrays the one-sided love story of a boy, and Sairat (2016) is based on the heart-rending story of Honour Killing in a realized love relationship between a lower-caste boy and an upper-caste girl. In contemporary India, the unprivileged people, whom the four-tier caste system addresses as untouchable, have been conditioned to eat, wear, work, and form human relationships in a particular manner that serves the purpose of casteism. The article will further explore how falling in love works as a constructive vehicle to carry forward the rebellion of both the protagonists against the inhuman norms of the destructive system. To discuss the nature of love in the films under discussion, the article takes the philosophical background from In Praise of Love (2009) by Alain Badiou, and The Radicality of Love (2015) by Srec´ko Horvat, at the same time, it takes its arguments against casteism from the ideas of Jyotirao Govindrao Phule (1827–1890), Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (1891-1956), and other alike thinkers in this line.
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Book review: Yogesh Maitreya, Water in a Broken Pot: A Memoir
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Yogesh Maitreya, Water in a Broken Pot: A Memoir. Penguin Random House India, 2023, 312 pp., ₹499 (Hardcover). ISBN: 9870670095186.
Yogesh Maitreya, Water in a Broken Pot: A Memoir. Penguin Random House India, 2023, 312 pp., ₹499 (Hardcover). ISBN: 9870670095186.
Book review: Ashok Gopal, A Part Apart: The Life and Thought of B.R. Ambedkar
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Ashok Gopal, A Part Apart: The Life and Thought of B.R. Ambedkar. New Delhi: Navayana Publishing Pvt Ltd, 2023, 864 pp., ₹999 (Hardback). ISBN: 9788195838516.
Ashok Gopal, A Part Apart: The Life and Thought of B.R. Ambedkar. New Delhi: Navayana Publishing Pvt Ltd, 2023, 864 pp., ₹999 (Hardback). ISBN: 9788195838516.
Book review: Mukul Sharma, Caste and Nature: Dalits and Indian Environmental Politics
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Mukul Sharma, Caste and Nature: Dalits and Indian Environmental Politics. Delhi: Oxford Academic, 2018, 336 pp., ₹1,100. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199477562.001.0001
Mukul Sharma, Caste and Nature: Dalits and Indian Environmental Politics. Delhi: Oxford Academic, 2018, 336 pp., ₹1,100. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199477562.001.0001
Book review: Raj Kumar, Dalit Literature and Criticism
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Raj Kumar, Dalit Literature and Criticism. Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan, 2019, 159 pp., ₹250.00 (paperback). ISBN: 978-93-5287-532-0.
Raj Kumar, Dalit Literature and Criticism. Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan, 2019, 159 pp., ₹250.00 (paperback). ISBN: 978-93-5287-532-0.
The Making of Two Intellectuals: Caste, Epistemology and the Question of Dissent
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Caste has an unspeakable presence in the ‘Kerala model’ development discourse. Over the years, Dalits have countered the upper-caste imagination of Kerala. The discontent with the popular imagination of Kerala started to gain momentum in the 1980s and 1990s. By then, the less privileged groups, such as women and Dalits, found reasons to contest the false promises of a modern secular society and the principles of socialist ideology. The study focuses on the intellectual engagements of two Dalit intellectuals from Kerala. K. K. Kochu and M. Kunjaman trace their epistemological framework through dissent and disagreement. Their discontent creates a rift in the hegemonic discourses produced by upper castes, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala and other power structures. K. K. Kochu’s Dalithan (Dalit) and M. Kunjaman’s Ethiru (Dissent) are two autobiographical accounts that map out the intellectual life of these two prominent public figures.
Caste has an unspeakable presence in the ‘Kerala model’ development discourse. Over the years, Dalits have countered the upper-caste imagination of Kerala. The discontent with the popular imagination of Kerala started to gain momentum in the 1980s and 1990s. By then, the less privileged groups, such as women and Dalits, found reasons to contest the false promises of a modern secular society and the principles of socialist ideology. The study focuses on the intellectual engagements of two Dalit intellectuals from Kerala. K. K. Kochu and M. Kunjaman trace their epistemological framework through dissent and disagreement. Their discontent creates a rift in the hegemonic discourses produced by upper castes, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala and other power structures. K. K. Kochu’s Dalithan (Dalit) and M. Kunjaman’s Ethiru (Dissent) are two autobiographical accounts that map out the intellectual life of these two prominent public figures.
Environmental Movements in Odisha: A Perspective on Mining
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This article attempts to discuss various protest movements especially issues related to mining in Odisha. Although Odisha is a mineral-rich state, the article only discussed the environmental movement interlinked with mining in Odisha. This article also focuses on the nature, strategies, outcomes, and situations of different environmental movements in Odisha. The important environmental movements interlinked with mining issues are discussed such as the Kalinganagar movement, the anti-POSCO movement, Kashipur (UAIL) movement, the Niyamgiri movement, and the BALCO movement of Odisha.
This article attempts to discuss various protest movements especially issues related to mining in Odisha. Although Odisha is a mineral-rich state, the article only discussed the environmental movement interlinked with mining in Odisha. This article also focuses on the nature, strategies, outcomes, and situations of different environmental movements in Odisha. The important environmental movements interlinked with mining issues are discussed such as the Kalinganagar movement, the anti-POSCO movement, Kashipur (UAIL) movement, the Niyamgiri movement, and the BALCO movement of Odisha.
Eco-caste Migrants in Kerala: A Posthumanist Reading of Veyilmarangal
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
With hundreds of people losing their houses and properties, climate change and its related disasters have changed the face of humanity. This has had a considerable impact on popular visual media such as film as well. From the conventional romanticized portrayal of nature in Malayalam films, a few contemporary Malayalam films have sensitized the ecological issues and the predicaments of its victims. This marks the shift from the idealized portrayal of landscape to the depiction of the fury of nature on human beings. Taking cues from a Posthumanist theoretical perspective, this article considers the Malayalam film Veyilmarangal (2020) directed by Dr. Biju Damodaran to analyse how caste divisions in the society surface during the climate catastrophe. To analyse the nuances of climate change and its posthuman turn, this article takes its insights from the domains of environmental casteism and climate displacement to explain what is used as ‘eco-caste migrants’ in this article. The term signifies the role of caste hierarchy among human and non-human entities during the ecological crisis, especially focusing on the experiences of the Dalits and other caste subalterns. The article also attempts to find parallels between the non-human group and sub-human group hierarchies in society and, thereby, analyse the intersectional casteism from the vantage point of Kerala society through the representation of eco-caste migrants in the film.
With hundreds of people losing their houses and properties, climate change and its related disasters have changed the face of humanity. This has had a considerable impact on popular visual media such as film as well. From the conventional romanticized portrayal of nature in Malayalam films, a few contemporary Malayalam films have sensitized the ecological issues and the predicaments of its victims. This marks the shift from the idealized portrayal of landscape to the depiction of the fury of nature on human beings. Taking cues from a Posthumanist theoretical perspective, this article considers the Malayalam film Veyilmarangal (2020) directed by Dr. Biju Damodaran to analyse how caste divisions in the society surface during the climate catastrophe. To analyse the nuances of climate change and its posthuman turn, this article takes its insights from the domains of environmental casteism and climate displacement to explain what is used as ‘eco-caste migrants’ in this article. The term signifies the role of caste hierarchy among human and non-human entities during the ecological crisis, especially focusing on the experiences of the Dalits and other caste subalterns. The article also attempts to find parallels between the non-human group and sub-human group hierarchies in society and, thereby, analyse the intersectional casteism from the vantage point of Kerala society through the representation of eco-caste migrants in the film.
Livelihood Challenges in Handicraft Industry: A Qualitative Study on Poverty and Exploitation of Women Artisans in Srinagar
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This study was framed to gain an in-depth understanding and first-hand experiences of women artisans of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). Purposive and snowball sampling were employed in conducting the study. In this study, 20 Kashmiri women artisans were interviewed. Face-to-face interviews based on open-ended and descriptive questions were probed. Several interpretative and specific questions were also asked during the interview process to ensure thoroughness. The collected data were read multiple times to achieve familiarization and then compared with other data sets and interpreted thematically. The following themes emerged from the data set by application of descriptive phenomenology (a) financial hardships, (b) exploitation of women artisans in handicrafts sector under different agents, (c) exploitation in the form of low wages, (d) impact of conflict and (e) livelihood challenges and pathways to sustain women artisans livelihood. The findings also reveal that artisans had suffered dramatically due to two lockdowns: the lockdown imposed because of the removal of Article 370 of India’s constitution, which guaranteed special status to citizens of J&K, and the lockdown imposed as a result of Covid-19.
This study was framed to gain an in-depth understanding and first-hand experiences of women artisans of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). Purposive and snowball sampling were employed in conducting the study. In this study, 20 Kashmiri women artisans were interviewed. Face-to-face interviews based on open-ended and descriptive questions were probed. Several interpretative and specific questions were also asked during the interview process to ensure thoroughness. The collected data were read multiple times to achieve familiarization and then compared with other data sets and interpreted thematically. The following themes emerged from the data set by application of descriptive phenomenology (a) financial hardships, (b) exploitation of women artisans in handicrafts sector under different agents, (c) exploitation in the form of low wages, (d) impact of conflict and (e) livelihood challenges and pathways to sustain women artisans livelihood. The findings also reveal that artisans had suffered dramatically due to two lockdowns: the lockdown imposed because of the removal of Article 370 of India’s constitution, which guaranteed special status to citizens of J&K, and the lockdown imposed as a result of Covid-19.
The Beggars During the COVID-19 in India: Marginality, (In)visibility and the Role of Civil Society
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
A sizable number of beggars are visible on Indian streets and public places, but because they hardly have any bargaining power, the administration appears reluctant to assist the beggars to build their capacity. As a result, beggars are largely invisible in discussions on public policy. Since beggars from lower castes and Dalits make up a bigger percentage of the population than beggars from upper castes and since they cannot raise their voice against their marginality, the case of beggars may also be viewed through the lens of Dalit and subaltern perspectives. Even though the Delhi High Court decriminalized begging in 2018, it still carries a negative social stigma. The COVID-19 lockdown in India put the lives of beggars in danger. The governments mostly failed to offer social security to beggars throughout the lockdown, notwithstanding certain efforts that had been made. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which are a part of civil society, have had more success than the governments in resolving the tragic situation of beggars. Despite the fact that both the government and NGOs must build up their infrastructure, the government has a greater obligation to ensure the well-being of beggars.
A sizable number of beggars are visible on Indian streets and public places, but because they hardly have any bargaining power, the administration appears reluctant to assist the beggars to build their capacity. As a result, beggars are largely invisible in discussions on public policy. Since beggars from lower castes and Dalits make up a bigger percentage of the population than beggars from upper castes and since they cannot raise their voice against their marginality, the case of beggars may also be viewed through the lens of Dalit and subaltern perspectives. Even though the Delhi High Court decriminalized begging in 2018, it still carries a negative social stigma. The COVID-19 lockdown in India put the lives of beggars in danger. The governments mostly failed to offer social security to beggars throughout the lockdown, notwithstanding certain efforts that had been made. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which are a part of civil society, have had more success than the governments in resolving the tragic situation of beggars. Despite the fact that both the government and NGOs must build up their infrastructure, the government has a greater obligation to ensure the well-being of beggars.