Sherman Callier, No. 102302, Camp J. Shark 3L7, LA State Prison, Angola, LA 70712, USA: I got your address from the African Presence in Early Asia by Ivan Van Salima & Runako Rashidi (1988, Transaction Books) in which there is a chapter by you on the “Untouchables of India”. This is the first time I heard about such a people and my heart melted. As I read more about them not only to understand their persecution but I am an African- American Untouchable now in jail where harassment is the course of the day in the realms of oppression. In Amerika, there is also a caste system (racism) and I too am at the very bottom of the pile. Anyway, I didn’t intend on drawing any attention to my plight. However, I am writing to request of you all information you can forward me on the Buddhist religion because I am very much interested in it and wish to become a Buddhist. Africans and Untouchables have a common origin and you have beautifully argued this and won our hearts. So, all the Blacks must make headway throughout the world and learn the TRUTH and the history of our ancestors.
This is the first time we are getting a letter from a Black brother in an American Jall. That he is able to get the letter typed and post it from the jail idol proves that American prisoners enjoy at least this much of freedom denied in India. We don’t know what for our brother is lobbod in the jail but our Indian Dalit Support Group, headed by Dr. Velu Annamalai, PO Box – 842066, Houston, TX 77284-2066, USA, can probe and mobilise support – EDITOR.
Raymond Johnson, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, BP 1159, Conakry, Rep. of Guinea: Your article, “Catholic Churches’ Three Crimes against Christ” (DV June 16, 91 p.7), was a thoughtful piece of work. However, your eleventh paragraph, leaves much to be desired. The very Christians you praise when they first set foot on our sacred African soil, they used your very unfortunate phrase, “African jungle countries.” You owe the African and Dalit people, who have a common origin, an apology.
We appreciate that oven in such far-off Conakry, DV is seriously read and studied. The ruling class coins words, phrases and we unconsciously copy them. Our brother from Africa has pointed out one such glaring, grave error. While we withdraw this offensive remark with an apology, we request all our family members not to borrow from Aryan white racist words and images but to develop our own vocabulary – EDITOR.
Dr. Boyd H. Wilson, Associate Professor of Religion, Hope College, Holland, Michigan, US: I thank you for your assistance to me and my assistant, Jonathan, when we met you in Bangalore on June 26. We learnt a great deal on this short trip and your interview, and our experience will be presented at a conference on Asian Affairs at the University of low on Sept. 13-15. One thing that we learnt was that the Dalit question is complex. But our meeting with you made us far more knowledgeable than the vast majority of scholars and lay people in the US. My goal is to inform the west about the struggle of Dalits in India. I like Dalit Voice which is a fine journal,
even professors of religion like Dr. Wilson are making a mistake that Hindus are a “majority religion” in India. When we pointed out the facts with figures that over 85% of the Indians are non-Hindus and that only less than 15% are those claiming to belong to this religion, Dr. Wilson was convinced. Untouchables, (20%), Tribals (10%) and even the Backward Castes (35%) are pre- Aryan indigenous peoples. And representatives of these sections have already gone to the UN Human Rights Commission to establish this fact. Their testimony at Gonova appears elsewhere on these pages. A big job is there before us to spread the truth. Professors like Dr. Wilson should support us to know the truth so that truth shall liberate us. – EDITOR.
Harold C. Barnes, 2732 Bainbridge Ave., Apt.5J, Bronx, New York 10458 USA; I have developed a great liking for the Black literature you produce in Dalit Sahitya Academy and your powerful voice – DALIT VOICE. I have just completed reading DALIT – The Black Untouchables of India which tells me that India’s Dalits are the single largest Black group outside Africa and that Blacks as a whole have a common origin. These two things opened my eyes and now I have decided to study India’s Dalits who are also victims of Aryan racism.
U.I. Akpan, Gen. Sec., Workers Party of Nigeria, UK, 15 Carron Road, London SW8 ILJ, UK: I have got the books you sent and read them with great interest and found them very good and informative. It opened my eyes to really know and understand the problems which face India today. And this problem is much more serious than we thought, when I began reading your books. It gave clear ideas about the seriousness of the situation, especially racism preached and practiced by Hinduism. What surprised me (but of course, I am not surprised), the way the British mass media promoted India. It gave the impression that everything in India is rosy. It covered up the chaos for its own benefit. We think the Europeans especially the British are involved in creating this ugly situation in India today. British ruled India for 300 years and we could imagine the confusion and damage they caused in that country. The oppressed Indians and others must join hands and put an end to all the racists. That is the only way to save India. I was so surprised to read about the people of African origin in India. Most people in British do not know or realise that Black Untouchables and Africans had a common origin. Nowhere they can get this information. We have the same problem as India and all over Africa which is ruled by a wicked minority supported by the two evil powers Britain and America, the slave system must go. Since 1960 Nigeria has had eight govts., each lasting about three years. If asked which of Nigeria’s many govts has been the best, I would answer, None, because all have been bad, authoritarian, dictatorial or military – all having failed to improve most Nigerians living conditions. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and has the unique potential to ally with neighbouring West African peoples.
Sajan Kumar, Riyadh: I am working in a German firm here and belong to a Hindu (Zehavi) family. I read a book, O Hindu, You Awake. It contains full of truth and quotes profusely from your writings. This made me to know more about the truth from you.
The truth is that the Zehavi’s are also Untouchables, meaning India’s original inhabitants of non-Aryan indigenous people. Sri Narayana Guru was physically attacked and the temples built by him were demolished all over Kerala by the Aryans only because of the fact Zehavi’s are non-Aryans. It was only when the Zehavi’s as a whole threatened mass conversion to Christianity. the Aryans were silenced. Even our cross-thread Aryan Marxists of Kerala hate Zehavi’s and that is why after getting elected on Zehavi votes because of Mrs. K.R. Gowri, they refused to make her the Chief Minister of Kerala. A top Zehavi leader of Kerala, M.K. Raghavan, heading the Sri Narayana Trust, has declared that he is not a Hindu. The Aryans opposed reservations to Zehavi’s, launched their war and violence in 1990 and toppled the VP Singh govt. because the BCs like Zehavi’s are neither shudras nor Hindus – EDITOR.
Dr. E. Dada, Islamic Dawah Movement, Durban, S. Africa: Dalit Voice and your book, Dalit – The Black Untouchables of India, are found very useful to our Black Muslims. There is a great demand for Dalit literature from India.
Angela Dietrich, Gen. Sec., Sikh Human Rights Internet, 34 Flamed Rd., Reading, RG3, 1JX, UK: A delegation of five Sikhs discussed the violation of human rights in Punjab with Louis Joined, president, Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination & Protection of Minorities, at its 43rd session at Geneva. It was led by our president, Iqbal Singh of UK, S. Prithipal Singh and Darshan Singh from Switzerland. A big demonstration before the UN office was held. They met other officials of the UN and Swiss Govt.
M.S. Kumbhar, Rourkela, Orissa: When I joined the “Dr. Ambedkar Amar Jyoti” in Aug., I got many of your books and also DV. Alter a deep study and consideration, I am now convinced that I am not a Hindu. Now, I am teaching my family, relatives and friends that Untouchables are not Hindus and never Hindus.
Pramod Meshram, Ujjain, MP: On behalf of the DV Readers Forum here we have congratulated the MP govt., though run by the nazis, for having banned the hated Gandhi a humbug word, Harijan, from usage in all govt. departments. Harijan means bastard and this is how the mahatma showed his love for his beloved “children of god.”
Mrs. Sadhana Rangari, Nagpur: I thank the MP govt. for banning the term, Harijan. The entire Scheduled Castes of India had opposed this name but M.K. Gandhi never cared for our sentiments. Only one not knowing his father is called so. This word is popular in Gujarat where several Hindu temples practiced the Devadasi system, a religious prostitution sanctioned by the Aryan religion. Those born to the Devadasis are called Hansans. This name was first used by a Gujarati Brahmin writer, Narsi Mehta, and Gandhi copied it from him. Our Saviour, Babasaheb Ambedkar, protested this and asked our people to reject it. “If we are children of god what about Hindus? Are they children of devils? he asked. The MP Govt. deserves all praise.
That is why we say “sacred brahmins” are better than “socialist brahmins”. Open enemy is any day better than a closed one. The Congress, the original brahminical party of India of Gandhi, cheated the Untouchables. The Aryan nazis, who hate Gandhi and killed Gandhi, rightly rejected everything that is Gandhi an. The UP Nazi Govt. has also followed the MP model – EDITOR.
J.R. Atwal, chairman, Federation of All-India SC/ ST P&T Employees, New Delhi: Your edit on Chundur was impressive (DV Sept. 1,91: “Chundur proves non- Hindu Dalits can’t live with Hindus: Separate electorate and settlement as solution”), You are fully right in reverting to Babasaheb’s good old demand for separate electorate. I have alerted all my branches to take up this demand.
R.L. Yadav, Allahabad: There was a report that some pro-Bihar CM supporters held a dhamma under Babasaheb Ambedkar statue at Patna and those opposed to the CM brought Ganga River water to clean the statue “polluted” by the touch of CM’s Dalit supporters. Such an action clearly comes under the Civil Rights Protection Act and all those who committed this offence of untouchability are liable for non-bailable arrest and imprisonment.
Anand Mitra Mahathir, Sangha Nayak, All-India Ikshu Sangha, Buddha Alli, Isnapur, WB-733 144: After reading your books and the Dalit Voice I was so happy. I am 84 and have no money to help you though | commend your services to all lovers of humanity.
D. B. Bendle, Hinganghat, MS: I read a review of your book, Ready Reference to Revolutionaries, in the Lokanukampa, a noted Marathi Dalit literary journal published by Dr. Yogendra Meshram from Nagpur. This review inspired me so much I have decided to order all your books and also Dalit voice.
Ashok Manav, State Bank of Patiala, Longwall, Punjab: The debate on the “Three Commandments” of Babasaheb: “Educate, Agitate, Organise,” going in the DV has created so much of interest, I have decided to reprint the same. It is only your research that has brought out the truth and established it. I will bring out this as a pamphlet and distribute it to my Punjabi people.
N. Ramnath, “Sital”, Sant Sona Rd., Belgaum-590 001 Karnataka: I am a regular reader of Dalit Voice and its thought-provoking articles inspire me. As an active RSS worker, I am sending you a Rakhee to remind us that we are all one and together we can build the Rashtra.
We often get letters from RSS and other nazi party members mostly threatening and rarely praising us. Those great heroes who threaten to Ki us, burn our house and what not never give their addresses, not even their names, such is their bravery. But those who wile us seeking clarifications and sometimes praising us, give their names and addresses, Following the anti- Mandal war and violence launched by the nazis, quite a number of nazi party members belonging to the SC/ ST/BC groups have started understanding that they have been duped by the Aryan aliens. This Aryan leadership of nazi parties says that “we are all Hindus” but when it comes to the question of conferring our human rights (reservations) as recommended by the Mandal Com. these Aryans do no think that SC/ST/BCs are Hindus – EDITOR.
Md. Zainul Abedin, Salem, TN: DV has given me a new vision, you have taken a very bold step. A religion that doesn’t treat all sections of its population as equals is no religion at all. These people oppose killing of rats and dogs but do not hesitate to kill Dalits in dozens. How can such a people be called humans? Prophet Mohammed treated a slave, Zayed, as his own son and elevated a Negro slave, Bilal, above the well-known Quraishi community. You are doing a great service to humanity.
Mushtaq Mallik, Convener, South India Muslim Shaban Conference, Nabi Khan Akber, Patel Chowk, Hyderabad: We are having our conference here on Oct. 11-13. We want you to be our chief guest as we want to discuss the latest Chundur massacre of Dalits by Hindus, persecution of Muslims, Sikhs, BCs and tribals, you say the persecuted peoples of India are over 85% and all of them are victims of the same Aryan oppression. You also say that this 85% is persecuted because they are non-Aryan, meaning non-Hindu. We all have been very much impressed with this theory and that is why only you are competent to be the chief guest.
Thomas Mathew, Dy. Secretary, Dr. Ambedkar Centenary Office, 25-Ashoka Rd., New Delhi: I have written a book, Dr. Ambedkar: Reform or Revolution, 1991, Segment Book, E-256 Greater Kailash-1, New Delhi-66, pp. 145. A copy of the book is posted separately.
The book was announced in our Aug. 16 issue p.24. The chapter on Babasaheb’s Three Commandments: “Educate, Agitato, organise” may be published as part of our debate on the same subject. We are flooded with books from all over India and outside but we are not finding competent persons to do the book review. – EDITOR.
