Kaye Stearman, Minority Rights Group, London:
We are happy to accept your offer to reprint in India our Document no. 26, The Untouchables of India, new edition, 1982. Such a reprint will be considerably cheaper than the British version and will also help reach a much wider group of people. Our best wishes to DV.
Pierre Mouterde, Quebec, Canada:
I came to India last year and met you twice. I was really interested by the militant work you were doing for the Untouchables. I had the project to write a book about my travels. Almost finished it, a kind of an essay where I try to explain to the Westerner how I discover India, the deep India, India of the oppressed people. One chapter is exclusively on Dalits and your point of view. I have profusely used your book, Apartheid in India.
Yunus Khan, Toronto, Canada:
I want to arrange display of DV in a number of shops, libraries. I think your voice should reach a wider readership. As we saw Gandhi film, thousands of Muslims were butchered in “non-violent” India. But the most shocking thing is the silence of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and of the mosques all over Canada and USA. Saudi Arabia wants to keep good relations with Mrs. Gandhi. Hence the all-round silence. All these centres will have to turn into revolutionary places. Keep up the good work. We salute the people at the DV.
Bruce Graham, (Acting Director) Pasadena, USA:
We at the Institute of Hindu Studies here are much interested in the 83+ million Dalits of India. Hence, we like DV.
Raghuvir Saha, Bombay:
Sant Bhindranwale and top Sikh leaders have said Sikhs are not Hindus and they are a separate nation. We Dalits are also a separate nation. Every caste is also a separate nation and India is a multi-national country. We admire the Sikhs for their courage to die for Khalistan. Until we Dalits also decide to die for Dalitestan nobody will be afraid of us. We salute the Sikhs. DV must come out in full support of the Sikhs and ask them in turn to support our struggle.
Prem Kumar Basu, Jhansi:
The word Hindu is not derived from the name of the Sindhu river as some want us to believe. It is derived from the Persian word, Honood, coined during the 9th century. It refers to non-believers, to distinguish between the Muslims, the believers of Islam, and the Indian non-Muslims considered non-believers. Prior to 9th century, there is no documentary evidence of the existence of the word Hindu. Honood means barbarians. Neither during the Vedic period nor during Buddha nor the “Golden Age of India” (Gupta period), the word Hindu was used. Not even the arch “Hindu” revivalist Shankaracharya had ever used this word. Will the owners of Hinduism, the RSS and the Vajpayees note this? Will our scholars comment on this?
Dr. (Mrs.) Savita Ambedkar, Bombay:
I had been to Jamnagar and addressed a meeting criticising the connivance of the police with the blessings of the Govt. in” perpetuating atrocities on Dalits. Vice president Hidyatullah was present. On May 8. I addressed a meeting of Dalits at Madras and met DK leader Veeramani who was laid up after an accidental fall and broken the ribs. We all agreed that Dalits, OBCs, minorities must join hands to stop our “vote banks” being looted by our enemies.
