Dr. Dorothy A Masters, P.O. Box 78, 59-High St. Southampton – S014 2GA-UK: I read Dalit Voice and your book, DALIT: The Black Untouchables of India. I was most impressed by your erudition. So much passion and anger come through your writings. Keep up your great work-and the historic movement to save India from racism. Fr. Luigi Paggi, GPO Box.59,Khulana-9000, Bangladdish: Sincere greetings from Bangladesh. {am a Christian Catholic missionary priest from lately. I have spent almost 25 years in Bangladesh working for the uplift of the Mochis, a group of our Bengali Dalits. A couple of years ago I used to receive your very interesting magazine, Dalit Voice, regularly. Then my subscription ended. I tried to renew it through Achintya Biswas from Calcutta. I like your magazine very much and I find it very useful for my work. All the best for your precious work. Abdul Latif Lutfi, secretary-general, Indian Islamic Council, P.B. 106, Head Office, Hail, Saudi Arabia: We came to know that through your magazine, Dalit Voice, the real teachings of the Universal Religion i.e. the unity of God, the brotherhood of mankind etc., are being disseminated to help the oppressed community. We express our heartiest congratulation and support to all your righteous efforts. Michael Tobin, 745-Forrest St., 87, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri – 65473-USA: A meeting about Dalit cause will be held this summer. Even the Nation of Islam has start- ed taking interest. I want to visit the racist India. I am impatient for this family reunion. I love my Dalit Brothers and Sisters very much.
Before Brother Tobin comes for India, he should meet Brothers Vielle Annamalai and Runako Rashidi for get a first-hand briefing on the racism in India. Since the entire print and electronic media in India is owned by these racists, it’s not possible for reach the Truth for the victims off racism – over 85% of the population. Hence the urgent need to have our own “Media Centre” in Delhi. Within two years offsetting up such a Centre, we can expect the victims to challenge the racists. “Tall the slave he Is a slave, he will revolt,” said Dr Ambedkar. To tell the slave, he ls a slave we need a “Media Centre” at any cost. Brother Michael should himself inaugurate his “Media Centre’. – EDITOR.
Arthur Bonner, 130-East, 17th Street, New York, NY – 10003-USA: It has taken a long time but your Collected Works and bound volumes of Dalit Voice are finally in the New York Public Library. While announcing be sure to specify that your literature is in the Oriental Division of the 42nd Street, New York Public Library, which is the research branch. For a while, the more people who apply to look at your works the better. If you put a note in Dalit Voice perhaps every other month for about six months it would help.
P.P. Lakshman, 11-Fort George Hill, Apt.9G, New York, NY-10040-USA: A record crowd of over 500 attended a program-packed five-hour ceremony in New York on April 20, 1997 at Dr. Ambedkar’s 106th birth anniversary. It was a joint effort of the International Bahujan Organization (IBO) and the Guru Ravidas Sabha at their recently constructed temple in Queens borough adjacent to Manhattan where Babasaheb spent three formative years studying at Columbia University. Om Prakash, secretary of the Sabha, in his welcome speech said that the “Ambedkar Era” had arrived. Dyal Chand Karra, president of the 1BO, said that no leader before Dr. Ambedkar had exposed social injustice in India and the hypocrisy of many of its leaders as Babasaheb had done so painstakingly. His views, his insight and his teachings needed to be popularised. Pl Karra praised V.T. Rajshekar, Editor of Dalit Voice, for carrying on the Ambedkar crusade fearlessly. It was a 1 shame that the Editor had been denied his passport. IBO would take up the case of his passport as well as other Dalit matters and bring them to the attention of the new Prime Minister Gujral. Satnam Singh Kainth, the BSP leader and former leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, was the keynote speaker.
C. Gautam, London: A function organised by the Federation of Ambedkar and Buddhist Organisations UK commemorating the 106th birth day of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, was held on April 14 at the Indian High Commission, London. Present for the occasion were the Lord Mayor of Leicester and the Mayors of the London Boroughs of Ealing, Camden, Lewisham, Hounslow and Islington, as well as the Mayor of Slough. Kanti Bhai Solanki, Social Welfare Cabinet Minister from Gurjar at, also participated. Dr N. Srinivasan, Federation’s Vice-president, welcomed.
Thomas C. Mountain, Hawaii Black History Committee, 47-431-Hui Nene St., Kaneohe, Hawaii-96744- USA: With the uncertainty over Phoolan Devi’s US visa application due to problems with sections of the Indi- an Govt. and the imminency of final examinations and the summer vacation schedule in the US Universities, we would like to propose a new schedule for her US, Canada and UK in mid-November. She will launch the Dalit Liberation Day (Dr. Ambedkar Celebrations) in North America. I have sent a fax to Ram Vilas Paswan, indie’s Minister of Railways, on behalf of the officers and directors of the Dr. Ambedkar Journal, inviting him to deliver the keynote address at our inauguration of Dalit Liberation Day (Dr. Ambedkar celebrations), dusting Oct.10-25, 1997 in the US. We have also expressed our condemn over the continued human rights abuses being committed against both a Member of Parliament and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Phoolan Devi, and Editor of Dalit Voice and Founding Director of the Dr. Ambedkar Journal, V.T. Rajshekar’s case. We find it outrageous that such a prominent Indian intellectual should continue to be denied his passport / freedom to travel.
Dr. Laxmi N. Berwa, 7700-Old Branch Ave, Clinton, MD-20735, USA: India is celebrating its 50th birth anniversary as an “independent nation”. For some it is an occasion of great exhilaration but for a Dalit like me it is a time of remembrance that even though the Article 17 of the Indian Constitution abolished the practice of untouchability, but in a cattiest Indian society, Dalit heads continue to roll at the behest of social order of castell do not deny the role reservation has played but for how long are we going to be acting like beggars? When are we going to stand on our feet to compete with the upper castes, Parises, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs and Buddhists, etc.? At a seminar organized by the Oxford University on Nov. 8, 1996, Dr. Anand Teltumbde said, “out of the total Dalit population of 138 million, the number of Dalits in services falling in the domain of reservations does not exceed 1.1 million, a mere 8%”. That means 92% of the Dalits are not benefitted by reservations. But Hindus always want you in the Hindu fold in the name of reservation because it keeps the Hindu census high, claiming Dalits as Hindus. It is my urgent call to all Dalits to get out of the mud of Hinduism for the very reasons Dr. Ambedkar cited in his speech to Mahar Conference in 1936. We. must fight for our own liberation even if it involves fist fight, exchange of swords, bullets and ballots. Hindus will do anything to keep us in their fold. Don’t listen to their slick arguments and try to dissuade you from be- coming Buddhist. Our solution does not lie in remaining in the Hindu fold but become Buddhist.
