Ms. Garda Gista, World Prout Assembly, USA: I don’t have your vast knowledge of India, but I am a journalist and I have read enough to know that the caste system is a blight on the face of the earth so it should go. We know it. However, I do not know how it should go. I do not know how to delete it. That is what I have to learn from you. You admitted it is very difficult. You said to destroy casteism, we have to destroy Hinduism. To me it is a logical idea. But how to “destroy” an entire religion? It is like trying to destroy Christianity or Islam. They are too vast or too widespread. So then, what is the alternative? What other step can be taken? In America, there were many radical Black intellectuals who lived in the cities like New York and Wash. D.C. but they could not get rid of the violence and segregation in the south. It was only when Rev. Martin Luther King went from small town to small town the even more rural areas that he could create some change in the society that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Perhaps the same is true of India. If Dr. Ambedkar said that the villages are cesspools of casteism, then they should be the focus of a movement to annihilate casteism. While Rev, Martin Luther King did not eliminate racism, he did create a tremendous change in the mindset of Americans. How do we do that in India? How do we change minds on a vast scale? During the 1960s there were many similarly naive idealistic students in America. However, the Blacks in the South made a unity movement with these students. Together they created a system called Freedom Riders, where students and local Blacks went from town to town protesting segregation of restaurants, drinking fountains, bathrooms, etc. and also exploitation in the rural areas of the Black people by Whites. So even the people in the cities who are progressive but naive can also contribute in the same way towards a Dalit Freedom Movement. I also do not support Marxism. Both capitalism and Marxism are centralized economies and in both scenarios the masses suffer from poverty. An example of “radical ideas” would be Venezuela president Hugo Chavez, who has created over 110,000 cooperatives across Venezuelan and created local village councils where the local people make decisions over their own communities, where they can take classes and study, where they can get free medical care. All these things were unknown before Chavez became president. As far as I understand, the word “caste” is actually a Portuguese and Spanish word. In Latin America, they
had a similar caste system whereby the indigenous
people were enslaved into a landless labourer class, like the Dalits. However, throughout Latin America there have been liberation movements that have succeeded to some extent. My question to you is, can something similar be done here in India? Why not? This is what I need to learn from you. I need to understand why attempts to remove casteism throughout history have failed, and I need to learn from you what will work. We have to give hope to the people, to the suffering humanity. We need to inspire the people with hope so that they have a purpose in revolting. I will read everything you have sent me and then write to you something great can be done to crush this scourge on the Indian subcontinent. Radical ideas means ideas which will change the mindset or the weltanschauung of the people. I want to say that we need a revolution in India-my question to you is, how do we start a revolution against the caste system. I do not know the answer. I am looking to you to give me answers.
Yousuf Irfan, Acting Director, SGRHF, Agarwal Ashram, 2 Court Street, Lower Mall, Lahore 54000, Pakistan: I read your Editorial, “Caste war in Punjab: When Sikhs hate Dalits…” (DV June 16, 2009). It throws interesting light on casteism among Sikhs. It reveals the facts in such a way that the present violence and unrest in Punjab can be easily comprehended. You have also pointed out the dangerous game of Brahminism and RSS (Rashtriya Sikh Sangat) to rewrite the Guru Granth and include Hindu gods and goddesses. It will be a great tragedy not only for Sikhs but for the people living in the whole region.
T.R. Azad, Gole Gujral, Jammu (abhitrazad@ hotmail. com): In collaboration with the Mollah Rajinder Nagar Welfare Committee, we organized the 5th competitive exam on the life and Mission of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at Dr.Ambedkar Bhawan Canal Road, Jammu. Total 16 students participated in the competition. Naval Thappa, 8th class student, secured the 1st position while Nandan Dhawan, 7th class student, came 2nd. Chandan Dhawan, 9th class, came 3rd. The answer sheets were evaluated by Sunita Azad, S.N. Banal and Suresh Kumar. The exam was conducted under the supervision of S.K Bangotra. The cash prizes and certificates of participation Distribution Function was presided over by Capt. (Retd) P.R. Bangotra and Master Dharam Paul, state president BAMCEF, was the chief guest. The first three winners were awarded Rs.100, Rs.75 and Rs.50 respectively.
Chanchala Pati Dasa, Manager in Akshay Patra, ISCKON, Bangalore (chanchalapathi@isekon bangalore. com): We distribute food (Krishna Prasad) to at least 7 million poor (yes Dalit) kids everyday. This was pioneered by our organization ISCKON. Dalit kids are now growing into healthy happy citizens through this midday meal scheme. Big corporates are supporting us. I kindly ask Dalit Voice to support the Akshaya Patra scheme so that Dalits will be benefitted. Even Harvard University is supporting it
Some time back some ignorant and useless people wanted to introduce eggs in Akshaya Patra. This is completely against the philosophy of vegetarianism and nonviolence as depicted in the great epic Bhagavad Gita, the lord’s word. Our will finally prevailed and we give bananas to kids, not eggs. These useless people can comment whatever they want if they really want to serve people let them serve on their own. I am also pained by your insistence of Dalits to eat beef. Eating beef is maha papa, the most dangerous sin. Tomorrow someone will also ask us to serve pork. What will the Muslims do then. Pork, that too non halal. We have converted many Dalits into Hare Krishna and all of them have found happiness through chanting the maha mantra and eating satwic vegetarian food sans onion and garlic. I want Dalit Voice Editor to start chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and be happy. The good news is 7 million Dalit children have become Krishna bhaktas.
Some years back on your invitation we visited your Akshaya Patra kitchen. While commending your efforts, we took objection to your description of the food as Krishna prasad. The mid-day meal is being distributed by your temple as part of the state govt, scheme to provide free mid-day meal to “poor school children, mostly Dalits, who are not Hindu, and never Hindu, as stated by the Father of India, Dr. Ambedkar. At a time when Dalits wanted to join the Hindu “mainstream the Brahminical order kept them out. Now you are trying to hinduise (enslave) our people through such mid-day meal schemes financed by business people. Anything the Brahminists do they do it to promote their caste interests. Dalits are beef-eaters but you want to make them vegetarian to see that they become physically weak apart from being mentally weak. Brahminical order is In a desperate state and by using anything and everything including the ISCKON to see their crumbling in order lay not collapse. But none can save it EDITOR.
M. Naushad Ansari, E-8, Rekha Apts., Marathalli,Bangalore: Reservation is an instrument to correct social imbalances. It is necessary only to help in empowering un-empowered group. As social inequality is more visible among women, the unconditional reservation for women is more likely to increase the power gap between haves and have- nots. This may also result in further reducing representation of under- represented sections of society. Because of these reasons the venture, in present form, is being seen as a political maneuver by the upper castes to regain their over-representation in the House which they have steadily lost to other groups. There is also a demand to provide separate quota for Muslim women in proportion to their population and degree of backwardness, thus to bring substantial advancement in their status. Indeed, for decades Muslim women have been portrayed as an utterly neglected lot, having no role to play in policy making. There is always discussion on the deprivation of Muslim women. Now, such concerns for Muslim women are put to serious test.
Bhimraj Narayan Patrikar, at Injewari, Deulgaon PO, Armori tq, Gadchiroli dt. – 441 208: A new govt, is established after the unexpected victory of the Congress in the election. All the predictions of pundits proved wrong. Everybody from the 85% Bahujans blames the Brahmins for every problem in India. But at the time to fight against them they submit meekly and become spineless. Muslims died in thousands and many more thrown into jail only because of they do not understand the “Hindu Mind”.
Fearing BJP, they vote for the Congress which is the original Brahminical Party. Sikhs are another victims of Brahminism. From the Kanishka bombing which discredited Sikhs (being wrongly accused) to “Blue Star Operation” in which the Sikhs were killed in hundreds of thousands and the large scale killing of Sikhs in Nov.1984 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, they are being dumped. The Sikhs have forgotten all these with the clean chit given by the Congress Party and SC to Sajjan Kumar. The OBCS who are the greatest defenders of Hinduism are denied the reservation recommended by the Mandal Commission. They hate Dalits calling them sarkarche jawai (govt. service beneficiaries). But they have no courage to fight Brahminism. The struggle for political power has to go hand-in-hand with socio-cultural movement. But mere cultural movement or social awareness does not help achieve our denied rights. Because political power is the key to all progress. Non-Brahmin organizations like the Maratha Seva Sangh is not applying the thoughts of Budha, Phule, Shahu and Dr. Ambedkar. They are non-stop criticizing the Brahmins. But they cannot stand social transformation. What then is the use of only to hold conferences against Brahminism? Tribals are a totally confused lot. They simply fall prey to Brahminism though they are its worst victims. What to talk about Dalit movement or Ambedkarites in Maharashtra? “Go and write on your walls that our final goal is to become the ruling race”, said Babasaheb. But these very people vote for the Congress/communist and even BJP to rule the country. By making our enemy strong again what kind of social transformation we can bring? We the oppressed people continue to be beggars. We are neither “educated” nor “agitated” to “organize” ourselves. We have two eyes since birth and our great social reformers have provided us with a third eye i.e. knowledge (education thinking). But we are suffering through double blindness. Why to blame the Brahmins when we don’t know why and where to vote?
Dr. K. Jamanadas, “Shalimar”, Main Road, Chandrapur-442 402: The Brahmin-Bania media is giving a great importance to Meira Kumar being made the Speaker of Lok Sabha. They consider it elevation; I consider that reduces her power as a minister. Now due to her seniority she could have claimed a senior ministry, if she had guts. But beggars would always be beggars. All describe her and her father Jagjivan Ram as “Dalit”. This is wrong. They and their progeny, in Maharashtra I know, Thaware, Tirpude, Borkar, Wasnik, Saroj Khaparde and many others were/are not “Dalits”; they are Harijans and should be treated as such. They tortured Dr. Ambedkar all his life and are doing the same after also. Jagjivan Ram got his cronies to throw stones in Babasaheb’s meeting arranged by Chandapuri in Bihar. On the basis of an unpublished diary of Jagjivan Ram’s wife, Arun Shourie wrote the False Gods denigrating Dr. Ambedkar. Meira Kumar cannot be a respectable Dalit, she is a Harijan. Babasaheb called such people agents or stooges. Kanshi Ram called them chamchas. Some of the modern sub-editors of Dalit newspapers like Mahanayak call them bhadve, i.e. pimps. Her only qualification is her being daughter of Jagjivan Ram. These days the ruling parties have decided to ruin the Dalits through the hands of Dalits like S.K. Thorat, Narendra Jadhav and Mungekar. And they also decided to kill the Adivasi-Naxal through the Adivasi police cadres. Now they brought Meira Kumar as the Speaker, they would try to pass Bills, which would be detrimental to Dalit Bahujans. There is a Bill of SEZ, used for land grabbing by rich industrialists. They would pass that and give lakhs of acres of fertile land to industrialists. Bill of Women Reservation is pending. It would be passed without any quota within quota, hot withstanding the threat of eating poison in Lok Sabha by Sharad Yadav. There is a great talk of disinvestments in the media. They would disinvest the profit-making PSUs, and not the loss making ones. There is old example of Maruti Motors. When the Govt. owned it, share price was Rs. 11. When some part was disinvested, it rose to Rs. 21. When controlling part was disinvested, it rose to real price of Rs. 600. See the loot by industrialists. The irony of all this is that they are selling the national assets not for creating new assets, but for adjusting the fiscal deficit. People have described it as selling your residential house for weekly ration. Meira Kumar, as a silent spectator or mute conniver, would have to help them achieve their goal. She would honestly perform her ancestral duty of chamchagiri and help them.
Gurdev Singh Gholia, VPO Dhilwan Kalan, via Kotkapura, Faridkot dt. – 151 204: This refers to your Feb. 16, 2009 Editorial, “Mayawati can become king maker if not being king herself after parliament elections”. Your prediction proved wrong. The upper castes hate the very name of BSP. In Punjab, the SC/BCs have no plan, no ideology not even self-defence. They are cutting the very tree on which they are sitting. I had many meetings with them to explain the real path of Babasaheb Ambedkar for the downtrodden, enjoying their slavery since centuries.
Even the educated Dalits have no sense. I worked hard during elections but none gave me helping hand. In my village, I was the only person to put up the election tent outside the polling station. Your prediction is absolutely correct that the “sun has set on the Dalit world”. I tried my best to explain our people the importance of vote, but they did not listen. Our people are just like sheep. They can be driven in any direction by the upper caste shepherd. I urged my BSP leaders to have alliance with any progressive party. But they rejected my request because they are also following the same corrupt path of Manu wadi parties. Except UP, not a single MP seat was won in the whole of India. BSP leaders in Punjab demanded money from the contesting candidates. In such a suffocating environment it is very difficult to lead the ignorant people. That is why I have decided to give up any further attempt in this direction.
Fr. Anand Muttungal, (franand@mpcatholicinfo. org): India’s 20% population of the country major minority communities are not sufficiently represented in the decision-making elected bodies in the country. A UPA Govt. survey said there are 69 districts in the country which are dominated by the minorities. It does not include the North-East and JK. We must ask for a constitutional amendment along with the Women’s Reservation Bill to include the minority communities into the reservation. It would be nothing new but revocation of the right, the minority communities had till the new constitution of India was approved by the Indian parliament. It is right time that we ask for our rights to have sufficient representation in the elected bodies including the parliament. The minorities are represented only from a few pockets in the country. In India, people are very much divided over their religion and caste. So in many cases the minority candidate from the political parties does not get elected. The voting is polarized along majority-minority lines. So, only if separate seats are reserved for the minorities or if special constituencies are drawn for the group, will minority voters succeed in electing minority representatives. Currently certain number of parliamentary seats are reserved for SC/ST’s based on their population. In total, there are 79 seats for SC and 41 for ST. A similar provision must be made for minorities. The Christian minority group is not geographically concentrated in most of the constituencies. As a result major political parties do not see any vote bank in them. They are being neglected. The Muslims being the biggest majority it is being pampered by all major political parties. They are given many welfare schemes. We have some countries that made such special provisions to ensure that racial, ethnic or religious minorities are represented in the legislature. They are Croatia, Fiji, Mauritius, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palestinian territories. Papua New Guinea. Singapore and the USA. Ever since independence all the political parties stand together in isolating the minorities from the decision making process. The minorities must ask for their right to have sufficient representation. Let us hope that our minority leadership wakes up to the need of the hour. Only this can put an end to political isolation and mindless attacks.
Cherman Perumal, Bangalore, (address withheld): Manu wadi comrades are the most dangerous enemies of Dalits. Comrade Ayyan Kali’s criticism of Dalit Voice and our Editor is highly provocative and unwarranted. The prefix “Comrade” used in Ayyan Kali’s name is an insult to great liberator of the Cheramar caste, the single largest Untouchable community in Kerala. The prefix invites the memory of our deadly Manu wadi Marxists who are violently and cunningly defending BSO and implementing the same in their party. See the CPM PB configuration. The battle against BSO and all inhuman ideologies are continuous social phenomenon which is very difficult to carry out in India. This is the only country where the slaves are enjoying the slavery and faithfully doing the foot soldiers job without raising a finger against the oppressors. Centuries old repression by the BSO converted the Dalits into one of the most obedient slaves. In this atmosphere, an instant solution and revolution suggested by Com. Ayyan Kali has no meaning but mere jargons of a frustrated mind. The so-called educated Dalits are busy trying to imitate the BSO and marrying upper caste girls and hence the example and symbol of living insult. Concealing the basic facts and indulging in verbal jargons is no use. It is a naked truth that the centuries of oppression made Dalits a cowardly people and it clearly established in their day to day life. It was demonstrated in the recent Orissa violence. Hundreds of Dalits were killed and their little property destroyed and their women raped by BSO using most ignorant Adivasis as foot soldier. As a Dalit, I have seen when Dalits hamlets were attacked and women raped instead of defending the attack, the Dalits men always were to hiding and approaching BSO-controlled police for protection which is never given to in “Hindu India”. Advising such type of cowardly people to carry out revolution is utter nonsense. It is our duty to “educate” our people in the thoughts of Babasaheb and Budha. We miserably failed in this aspect and indulging in emotion and verbal exercise. Please remember we are fighting against the most ruthless, cunning and heartless enemy devoid of any human value. As predicted by our Editor right strategy and tactics alone will win this war. Comrade Ayyan Kali’s observations against Mayavati reflects the words of BSO. In a political battle any type of tactics is fair to keep the interest of the Bahujan Samaj. Some times tactical cooperation with a section of the enemy is needed to fight with the most cunning and ruthless BSO. Mayawati is fighting a lone political battle against heartless BSO. Have you heard in history BSO allowed women especially Dalit women to dictate terms and forced to accept the hegemony? Com. Ayyan Kali’s criticism proves his manuwadi Marxist intention. In this world, India is the only country where girls are butchered in the womb to avoid expenditure in future. This BSO-controlled society showing ultimate cruelty to their daughters. Can you expect the same people to show any humanity to Dalits which their gods condemned as nasty creatures? As our Editor said right strategy and tactics alone will bring victory-not the numbers. The BSO clearly proved it in the Mahabharata war. Krishna’s deadly tactics and cheating ensured the victory of Pandavas. Remember Com. Ayyan Kali, we are not fighting against any individual but fighting an ideology of inhuman culture. No personal hatred.
A.L. Rawal, Associate Professor, Delhi University, 48/12, GF, Backside, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi -110 008: This refers to the article, “Dr. Ambedkar -Gandhi clash on Poona Pact”, by Dr. Bharat Jhunjhunwala and the Editor’s comment on it (DV May 16, 2009) in which the author says:
Clearly, Poona Pact, has proven ineffective to ameliorate the economic conditions of Dalits. And, economic deprivation has overflowed into social deprivation” (p.26).
It is wrong to say that Poona Pact was ineffective. If we accept the argument then we are saying that reservations itself have proved ineffective. The fact is that reservations have ameliorated the lot of Dalits. Reservations is social justice, affirmative action. Absence of reservations is injustice, social injustice and political aggression upon the most vulnerable sections of the society. Reservations are a protection to the nascent plant of social justice planted by Babasaheb so that it is not eaten up by the ferocious animals masquerading as “upper castes”. The Editor is right that Brahmins will never, ever allow the caste system to be destroyed because it is the very foundation upon which they are standing. Remove it and their high social position is gone. They kept themselves above the law by saying that no one can punish the Brahmin. Today they have reserved the media for themselves and do not admit others even with the highest qualifications. Parashuram, their god, did not want to give education to non-Brahmin students. When Karna managed to get it, Parshuram came to know that Karna was not a Brahmin and cursed him. They have been following this since then. They give mountains of marks to non-Brahmins but no knowledge. When a Dalit student, over confident with the feeling of having scored highest marks, takes the competitive exam, he fails. It is this competitive exam which is the real battle for him. And he finds betrayed in the middle of the battle. So we should not accept Brahmins as teachers for our children. They discriminate on every count. Even physical exploitation of non-Brahmin females in the field of education is rampant. I lodged three complaints with the CBI and the Ministry of Women and Child Development. No action. Renuka Choudhary was the Union Minister then. Dronacharya also wanted to impart his knowledge to a Kshatriya only. When he came to know that a non-Kshatriya had acquired that knowledge he preferred to destroy that talent of Eklavya which the latter had acquired without any assistance from the former and after his refusal to impart the knowledge. Brahmin knowledge is their own meant for them and theirs. They want to imprison knowledge within the four walls of their caste. This is like asking the sun to shine within the walls of a small house. Go to any library, pick up any book of international standard. No need to read the whole book. Just go through the index or the bibliography at the back. You will hardly find an Indian name in it. It proves that their contribution to human knowledge is a big zero. Their merit? My foot. You cannot imagine the nadir to which universities have sunk. A university is a place where the future of any country is built. This is the reason why the Marxist mullahs -the CPM cadres – are taking over by hook or by crook. They do not need a Marxist revolution because Marxism is the philosophy of the downtrodden but the manuwadi Marxists have robbed Marxist revolution of leadership. They want to block revolution and bring it to naught. That is why the Brahmins have joined Marxist parties. This country is suffering only because of their intellectual dishonesty and lack of patriotism. The greatest patriot of the 20th century India appears to be a false god to them.
Dr. V. Swaminathan, Suvetha Nilayam, 58-P&T Nagar, Madurai, TN: I read in the June 2009 issue that our Editor was disappointed to know that the elite Muslims were misguiding the masses and blocking unity with Dalits (DV June 1, 2009, p.5). It is true that over 60% of Indian Muslims are converted from Dalits. Conversion blessed them a lot and they have become landlords, business magnets, educationists, parliamentarians, local leaders who decide village issues, presidents of panchayats, municipalities and corporations and rich men who run educational institutions on par with other affluent people. Once they earned economic status they got everything including the social status which was once a dream to their forefathers. Today the elite Muslims have learnt the art of keeping their vote bank intact to bracket big bones. They do not want to dilute their strength and bargaining power by associating with Dalits. Secondly, the elite Muslims are trying to
forget untouchability, at any cost. They are afraid of untouchability. They do not want to say that they are the children of yesterday’s Untouchables. These are the reasons why elite Muslims discourage Dalit-Muslim unity. If we understand that Muslims and Dalits are two separate identities, we will not get disappointed.
Dr. Ram Parshad, 1564, Phase-5, Mohali – 160 059: After reading the title of the book by Gurnam Singh Aqida, Patarkar-Di-Maut, in Punjabi language, I was anxious to know who the journalist was. Where was he murdered? When and why? Aqida narrates the socio-cultural conditions that created the media power. A villager Antu’s house was destroyed by the panchayat, although it was built legally. It was demolished due to personal enemity because of Antu’s role in panchayat elections. In another case Karam Singh wanted to get the news published in the media by bribing the journalists by giving them drink and chicken. Aqida himself suffered after becoming a journalist. V.T. Rajshekar is also a victim of such a corrupt journalist society. He was dismissed from the Indian Express for no offence.
