We fully agree with Sister Bharati. We go round the country addressing meetings which are attended only by Dalit men. Even when our invitations specifically direct them to bring their wives, mothers, daughters, they come alone. When we ask them why they failed to heed our request their answer is:
“Who is there to prepare food when we go home?” Their women are reduced to a mere cooks. It is true that the upper caste society is more male-
dominated but their women get at least a chance to visit the temples which promote Brahminical supremacy. Our women have no such forum. When the male-dominated Dalit movement itself is in doldrums, when can we see the dawn of Dalit women’s liberation despite Mayawati heading the country’s most powerful Dalit party? The greatest weakness of the Dalit movement is it is male-dominated – EDITOR.
