M. R. Sohpaul, president, The SC Uplift Union, Delhi:
DV is doing the very work in which we are engaged since 35 years. We want to support DV and see that it reaches all parts of India, particularly to all Dalit employees unions. Our Union has 150 branches all over India, and they have been instructed to keep in touch with you.
A. Gopal, Gen. Sec, Bharat Earth Movers SC/ST Emp. Welfare Association , KGF:
We thank the Karnataka Dalit Action Committee for bringing Mrs. Savita Ambedkar here to inaugurate our Association. on Jan. 25. We assure our fullest support to DV.
P. L. Mimroth, Gen. Sec., Society of Depressed People for Justice, Delhi:
We have heard about DV and its work for educating the Dalits. We want to support it.
K. Thyagaraju, Amalapuram, AP:
We congratulate Mrs. Ambedkar for saying that when Akalis with a small population could ask for a separate state, why do we fight for Dalitastan?
Mrs. Devaki, A. R. Kamble, Bombay:
Congratulations to our Bengali Dalits for fighting Chief Minister Jyoti Basu’s anti-Dalit policies (DV Vol. 1, No. 23). How ever lofty the Marxist ideology may be, it can hardly succeed in caste ridden India. Blind imitation of Soviet or Chinese model will not do. As Marx himself had said the socio-economic peculiarities differing from country to country must not be lost sight of in determining the strategic approach to scientific socialism. Ambedkar was the only one who, with his penetrating vision, had fully grasped the devilish peculiarities of the social structure in India and initiated his historic mission to abolish untouchability and caste, and laid the foundation for scientific socialism. If socialism is the first step towards a classless, stateless society under Marxism, under the Indian context, Ambedkarism, is the first vital and essential step towards Marxism. But the arrogance and high caste birth consciousness of the Marxist leadership in India – dominated by Brahmins and Kayasthas – far exceeds their intellectual ability to analyse and grasp the elements of social transformation. When the hapless Namasudras (Dalits) were forced to abandon the atrociously mismanaged Dandakaranya Project and settled down in the uninhabited, tiger-infested island of Marinjchapi in the Sunderbans, they raised a 10ft. high barrier around it to prevent erosion by saline water and started building up the economy with fishing and coconut industry without any govt help but with their hard labour and toil, it was Com. Basu’s govt. which could not tolerate Dalit refugees marching towards power and prosperity and ordered 2000 police assisted by 30 launchful of CPM cadres who destroyed their hearths and homes, arrested, tortured their young men, raped their women, destroyed drinking water tube wells and bundled out thousands of Dalits back to the hell of Dandakaranya. So much for the Hindu Marxist sympathy for the dalits. DV is the only hope of Dalits. We appreciate the courage of the president of VISION USA, for moving the Human Rights Commission.
Brahm Perkash, president, National Union of Backward Classes, New Delhi:
The All-India Backward Classes conference on Dec. 6-7, 1981, formed the NUBC.
The first meeting of the ad hoc national executive of the NUBC was held during the Backward Classes Conference in Madras on Dec. 11-12, which you also addressed. You have been nominated to the executive. We need your support for the Buniyadi Sangharsh, a monthly in English and Hindi. The executive has included in the NUBC both SC/STs and minorites.
Address : F-8- Vandana bldg ., Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi-110 001.
Dr. Zakir Hussain Library, Jamia Millia, New Delhi:
The vice-chancellor has sent us a copy of DV and we found it as a very useful journal for our students and the faculty members.
D. P. Kanjiram, joint convener, Kerala Harijan Students Federation, Calicut:
We are holding the silver jubilee celebrations here from March 12. We were waiting all these days to invite you to Kerala after reading the DV which is doing a great service. KHSF is the agitational wing of the depressed classes of the State. During this conference we want to call a meeting of leaders of the Dalit students from all over India. Through DV, we want to invite them to the Calicut meet. The aim of the meet is to form an all-India Dalit students federation.
Contact: P. Bharatham, treasurer, D-57 NGO qrts ., Calicut, 673012.
S. H. Galiyal, Vadodara, Gujarat:
DV is giving us the best available and timely information about the problems of the Dalits and helps them not to get misguided. I am a reader of DV since one year and found it serving our cause very faithfully. We are all with you and wish you all success.
Syed Iqbal Zaheer, Damman, Saudi Arabia:
On seeing DV after a year, it took me by surprise and grief also as it reminded me the link between you and me which is no more (the late Prof. Mir Jaffer Ali). He was eager to unite the Dalits and Muslims, | carry the desire in me and back home, I shall offer my services in that cause.
Jamil Ahemed Qureshi, Bombay:
I am a short-story writer and also a Urdu poet. Interested in translating Dalit literature into Urdu and publish it in Shair monthly. I seek your guidance.
V. Sundarajan, Nagapattinam, TN:
I chanced to read DV and found it very informative. It is indeed the Voice of the downtrodden. I want to spread its message to other Dalits.
H. Punja, London:
I am thrilled at your work. DV is impressive and informative. Given our struggle here against racism, we would like to extend our solidarity with your fight against caste and Hinduism.
Raju Thomas, Madras:
Can Christian religion or any religion bring ideological or radical revolution? I believe no. Ideology is something entirely different from –olgies. I am losing faith in god, democracy etc.
Brother Jarlath D’ Souza, Decca, Bangladesh:
I am continuing to give wide circulation to DV here.
D Stephen, Advocate, Nagercoil, TN:
We thank you for your yeoman services to the Dalits. Your bold and courageous writings have woken us up. I was told that you were the only person to speak about the Dalits at the Trichy conference of the Dravida Kazagham.
H. Shreyaskar, Bheem Sena, Gulbarga:
The Times of India publications’ Hindi weekly, Dinman, (Dec. 26, 1982) has published a nasty article on you by one Aloha Mehta branding you as a Christian agent inspiring the demand for Dalitastan. It has extensively quoted from your books and speeches.
