Duane B. Bradford, Pan-African Assns. of America, 2325-Laconia St., San Diego, CA 92114, USA: Heart felt ancestral greetings. It has been a while since my last correspondence with you. Since that time I have had more time to reflect on the content of the Dalit Voice and the issues that appear to be important to you. As a brother in struggle and one who has been around the issue of struggle for about 30 years, I remain somewhat confused about the underlying objective of the Dalit Movement (DM) within the context of liberation. Being a student of history, human behaviour and organization, I am concerned about the ability of the movement to project its clarity of purpose and its understanding that no movement of Black people can be successful without global interdependence, cross pollination of ideas and organizational stability and direction. Our global struggle and parochial struggles are meaningless against the forces of White supremacy if they are disjointed, fragmented and hysterical. The way DV is currently designed leaves little room for educating the Dalit people or anyone else about the history of global Black (African) struggle throughout time and geography. It does not cultivate their minds with new information that leads, directly, to self-empowerment and hope or provide them with any consistent examples of what a conscious DM should look like. There are one billion Black people (Africans) on this planet who have struggled against Aryan (White supremacy) in isolation for the past 2,000 years and with even more intensity in the past 500 years. The past 100 years of isolated struggle against White supremacy has evolved with distinct socio-political consciousness. These isolated struggles for national empowerment have some ways to attempt to link themselves together under the ideal and concept of Pan-Africanism. The struggle has only grown in power where it has been interlinked. The DM, in cultural, social and political isolation from the other global Black struggles, can never achieve liberation by itself nor while depending on the liberal support of Aryan-descended people in Europe or America. From where I sit, the DM continues to side step the issue of global White supremacy, choosing to focus only on Aryan issues in India. While screaming against Aryan control in India, its representatives out-side of India continue to court the seats of White supremacy in the US, UK and other places. How can it expect support and justice from those powers that have the blood of other Black people in the world on their hands? If Black people, globally, are to support each other in the struggle for liberation and self-determination, their leaders must abide by the principle of reciprocity, understanding that all struggles are equally valid and of equal priority. None of us is in a position to be charitable however we are all in positions to support each other in principle, exchange in formation and form formal collaborations. It is also critical for us to ask two questions of Black people who are constantly wanting to help with the DM. Are they already a part of an organized group and what is that group doing on their own front line? Charity be gins at home and you can’t help me if you’re not helping in your home. The two questions will determine the real value of those who write the DM from the US especially. Of equal importance what are the DM representatives doing to be of support to movements in other countries, when asking for support of the DM in India. As a fellow brother in the struggle for global Black (African) liberation who wants to see the rise of Black people in the Western hemisphere, Africa, India, Australia, Europe and the Polynesian Islands, I make the following recommendations to the format of the DV.
(1). It would be helpful for the DV to print a standard set of DM goals and objectives that keep DM members focused. This should be a standard policy of the publication. (2) Introduce readers to various global liberation organizations and what they are doing in other parts of the world. (3) Establish a focus on a grassroots DM member who is making a difference somewhere in India on a regular basis. (4) Provide readers with research on scholars who are able to interpret ancient Dravidian cultural philosophy and ethics that predate the arrival of Aryan elements. (5) Encourage DM members to join socio-political/cultural organizations in other countries where Black people are struggling for liberation. The cross pollination and networking will automatically benefit the DM at home. (6) Encourage international guest commentaries from leaders and intellectuals of other global Black liberation organizations.
These basic elements would add teeth to the Dalit intellectual and spiritual movement, bringing in perspectives to empower the DM in the 21st century. It is time that we develop an integrated system of struggle rather than isolated pockets of resistance. The answer is global collaboration that super cedes even local issues but which is always sensitive to the unique issues of each Black community in the world. The DV can become one of the major international links in the global process. It has the potential if there is the vision. Please consider these ideas in 1998 as loving constructive criticism. My only interest is in the empowerment of the Black people of India as part of one global Black family. May the Source of Universal Power grant you good health and a strong spirit. May our global ancestors bless you with continued wisdom, insight and compassion. And may the global African children of the future speak your name with reverence.
Thomas Mountain, 47/431, Hui Nene Street, Kannoe, Hawaii, 96 744, USA: The past two years have seen the two largest and most powerful political demonstrations in the history of the US. The first and largest was the “Million Man March” held in Washington D.C. in October 1995. Over 6,00,000 African American women attended, making it easily the second largest action ever held in US history. Yet the “Million Woman March” received much less publicity with the lead demand of the March completely “whited out” by the media. The “Million Woman March” was the work of a grassroots coalition of Black women activists who came together around a core leadership headed by US Representative Maxine Waters, also the chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus making her the pre-eminent Black elected official in the US. “Freedom of the Press” means those who own the press are free to “white out your demands, in spite of the enormity of the numbers of people making the demand How did this happen? To start, the owner of the Washington Post, Katherine Graham, (one of the papers to most fiercely attack the story) said in a speech:
“There are some things the general public does not need to know and shouldn’t. I believe democracy flourishes when govt, can take legitimate steps to keep its secrets and when the press can decide whether to print what it knows.”
In other words it is not in “the interests of democracy to expose certain secrets in the interest of the ruling class.
Mumtaz Hussain, Box 70, Doha, Qatar: French Muslim intellectual Roger Garaudy, who is the target of a fierce campaign launched by international zionism, arrived here on Dec.7 for a meeting organised to coordinate support for his case. His visit comes at the Invitation of the eight-member Qatar Garaudy Support Committee and is sponsored by the wife of the Emir Sheikh Mozah Nasser al-Misnad. The 84-year-old Garaudy is on trial in a Paris criminal court on fabricated charges of “supporting racism and anti-Semitism. He denies the charges. The unfair trial follows publication of Garaudy’s 1995 book, The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics, in which he questions the nazi “Holocaust” against the Jews in World War II. He denies that 6mn Jews were killed in the “Holocaust”. He argues that it was an exaggeration to call the Nazi crimes “genocide” or a “Holocaust”. He maintains that the victims included not only Jews but also others. Judgment on Garaudy’s case is to be delivered soon. Garaudy was formerly the general secretary of the French Communist Party. He left the part to convert to Islam.
Raju Thomas, PO Box 2296, Madras-600 023: Boj ja Tharakam did not reply to my Letter on “caste identity”. I do not know if he is busy or deliberately keeping silent. However, being a senior Dalit leader, at least, he should have acknowledged my letter. If he is writing another article with new insights, then it is a good development. I am fully convinced that at the end you will come out victorious in this over one-year-long Debate on “caste identity. That is what people like Manjoor Gopalan say. But are you aware that some Scheduled Castes and their journals are spreading falsehood against your thesis? I learn that the Bahujan Vartha of the Kerala BSP had published an article in November last against your thesis. Manjoor Gopalan wrote to me saying that he had read the article. Some Dalits in Hindu nazi organisations are doing this work. But the point is not the question of your victory or the defeat of those who criticise and condemn you and your thesis. It is the question of intellectual honesty. When you have openly declared that you are always ready to tender a public apology if proved wrong, why these Dalit brothers are not writing directly to you? Genuine Ambedkarites cannot afford back-biting. Till today, no one has suggested the way to destroy the “castes”. Why? Everybody wants to either eliminate or annihilate or destroy caste. But how? Did Babasaheb himself show us the way to destroy caste identity? He had asked the Hindus to destroy the sanctity of their Vedas. Did he even ask us to annihilate our (avarna) jat/identity? Did Babasaheb at any time try to annihilate the identity of the Mahars? Did he ever say at any place that the Mahars are “above” any other Dalit jat? Will the critics of our Editor cite references to this effect from Babasaheb’s books? Who can destroy or annihilate the identity of the Dalit jatis? No one can do it in the whole world. And foolishly we are shouting at something which is impractical and impossible, Instead of wasting our precious time on such stupidity, we should engage in strengthening our jati. Except Dalits and BCs, all the jatis have already strengthened their identities. Look at the Nairs, Namboodiries, Syrian Christians, Elavas and even to some extent the Muslims in Kerala. They all have strengthened their communities, socially, eco nomically, educationally, culturally. Politically, they ar all strengthened and empowered. These communities have today become powerful forces in Kerala. After doing this they have conspired to get themselves divided into two Fronts the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Both the “Fronts” are led by the Aryans. Both the Fronts are engaged in a fake quarrel, and foolishly the avarnas (non-Hindus), who are the camp-followers of these two Fronts, fight and die. In all these Hindu nazi-marxist clashes on both sides the victims are either Dalits or BCs. The point is that unless the Dalits in Kerala strengthen their distinct caste identities they can never become politically a force. In the past 100-year his tory of Dalits in Kerala, no one had ever thought of such a vision to strengthen their caste identities. Even great Dalit leader Ayyankali did not have such a vision. He himself was enlightened by a Christian Sambava (Pariah). He got inspiration from Christianity and Western culture. He accepted many ideas form Christianity while as religion, he rejected it. (RSS and Hindu Nationalism, Dr. K. Jayaprasad, 1991 p.141). An other Dalit leader, John Joseph, was a close associate of Ayyankali and he had taken some initiative to strengthen the Dalits, He had a journal, Cheramar Doothan, but by the time the split took place between Christian Dalits and hinduised Dalits, John Joseph did oppose the separation of Dalits on the basis of religion. He argued that religion was like a dress but caste kulam-gothram was a reality which nobody can change through the change of religion. Here also we find community identity as permanent and unalterable. The Syrian Christians, the Nairs, Namboodiries and even the Muslims are ruling Kerala because in the past generations they had engaged in strengthening their identities. Even though the Elavas are the single largest community, they lost because they lost their jati identity. Until the Elavas start a jati identity drive, they will remain slaves of Hindus.
Prof. P. Thangaraj, HIG 2/15, Mogappair East, Madras-600 050: I suspect a conspiracy to include the Devendra Kula Vellalars in the Scheduled Caste list in Tamil Nadu. Such a list was preceded by the list of Depressed Classes (DC) published by the British Govt. on the basis of the Government of India Act of 1935, Each Presidency had its own list of DC but the yard stick adopted for the preparation of such a list was not widely publicized. The British attempt to “reform” Hindu customs and manners did not succeed. After the 185 up heaval, the British adopted a policy of “non- Intervention” in social problems. This helped caste and eligions fundamentalists to strictly impose caste rules. All disputes and crimes were tried and settled at village panchayats which promoted caste rituals and religious practices. The Congress Party demand to in- lude Indians in administration helped only Brahmins. Later, in the name of “non-Brahmins” only a handful of upper castes got opportunities. In the Madras Presi Jency, next to the British and Brahmins, some Mudaliars, Telugu Chetties, Kammas, Naidus, Reddis, Menons and Nairs managed to get govt. jobs. Except The Tamil Mudaliars, the rest were non-Tamils. They wanted to crush the Tamil original inhabitants a poli- ay adopted by the Nayaks for over two centuries. The Marathas, who ruled from Thanjavur for about 70 years, also adopted the same policy. One such method was imposition of caste and untouchability on the original inhabitants of Tamil country and the other was their inclusion under the DC list. In Madras Presidency. when the DC list was prepared, the Nadars also were about to be included. But some Nadar leaders like Soundarapandian of Pattiveeranpatty stopped it. He was a top leader of the Justice Party and also the first Legislative Member of the Nadar community. But for his timely intervention, the Nadars also might have been included in the DC list. The Devendras had no proper leadership then. The only leader who discussed this matter was Balasundararaj of Thekkampatty. S.C. Balakrishnan of Ayakudi also was not happy about the inclusion of the Devandras in the list. Balasundararaj along with Balakrishnan held discussions about the inclusion of the Devendras in the list. This was done with the ulterior motive to degrade the Devendras and to relegate them socially. The DC list was prepared during the regime of K. Venkata Reddi Naidu and was published when Rajaji became the Prime Minister. When T. Prakasam became the Prime Minister except M. Baktavaschalam all other 13 ministers in his cabi net were Telugus and Malayalis. The Devendras were very much worried about their inclusion in the DC list. Then came O.P. Ramasamy Reddiar in whose cabi net out of the14 only three were Tamils, For the first time, a minister (Kurmayya) was appointed for “Harijan Welfare” but he was a Telugu. The Kurmayya Committee headed by him submitted its report in 1947. Alarmingly the following statement was found in the report.
“The Pallas of Madura, Ramnad and Tirunelveli are far better than the rest except for the stigma of untouchability”.
The committee said the Devendras (Pallas) were neither poor nor suffered from untouchability. The reason for this bias against us was that the Devendras were aborigines of Tamil Nadu possessing the cultural traditions of Tamil civilisation. To crush the Tamilians, the Devendras were included in the DC and Scheduled Caste list.
P.M. Suresh Kumar, B/7-Telecom Quarters, PO Kuda- maloor, Kottayam 686 016: DV had published an article of Dr. P. Sivanandan from Trivandrum about the atrocities and persecutions of some “elite” Scheduled Castes. I prefer to call them “Scheduled Castes” because they are concerned only about their reservation, promotion, transfer, education of their children and appointment and finally retirement with a huge amount. (DV Feb. 16, 1996 p.13). Interestingly K.Ν. Kuttan’s name was also there. Dr. Sivanandan wrote that the constitutional involvement of the SC employees had been frustrated by their upper caste bosses. He had brought out the cases of a SC govt. employees to prove his point. However, our Editor had given a deserving reply to Dr. Sivanandan for which he had felt very sad. When I met Dr. Sivanandan he told me that the Editor’s Note had hurt all of those victims. The Editor’s beautiful reply, if there was anything offensive, deserves to be repeated:
Your members, belonging to the Dalit elite class, may be like those tame animals like pigs, cows, lambs which only are slaughtered and sacrificed during the yagas and yagnas. Ferocious animals like tigers, lions, bisons are never touched because they will kill the very fellow who tries to go near them.
Your members belong to the less than 3% of the highly privileged elite class among the Dalits. As beneficiaries of Babasaheb’s services, they should have fulfilled the elementary duty to render “community service” which they have totally forgotten. Not one of those kicked fellow has read Babasaheb’s books, not to speak of Dalit Voice. They remember us only when they get the well-deserved kick from their up- per caste bosses. The Kerala situation is alarming. We have no sympathy with cowards who do not fight back, suffer and sacrifice. We stand by the over the 97% of the uncontaminated Dalits who being “un-educated could not avail the reservation facilities. They are the torch-bearers of Babasaheb’s Revolution – EDITOR.
I did not find anything offensive in the above comments. But Dr. Sivanandan is reported to have complained to Raju Thomas, Madras, when they both met at Palai at a seminar. It was indeed a deserving reply. Had any of those SC employees fought back the upper castes like our Brother N.T. Prabhakaran, Alleppy, who filed cases against those Hindu oppressors filed cases on the SC/ST Atrocities Act or at least taken direct action or at least shouted at those criminal bosses in their offices, definitely our Editor would have gone to their rescue. Our Editor is like a lion just like Babasaheb, and so he cannot stoop to the level of those tame animals and beg before the Enemy for mercy. No more begging and appealing. Kick those rascals who kick you: beat those blackguards who violate your rights. No body can insult you without your permission. No body can abuse you unless you allow him/her to abuse you. What the hell those Dalit employees were doing when they were humiliated and abused by the Hindus? They could have at least spat on their faces, It is shame to read such news in DV and that too from Kerala, the most literate state in India. Look at our Hero N.T. Prabhakaran. He has put the entire Indian Govt. machinery in trouble and he continues to hit. Most those Dalit slaves mentioned by Sivanandan are the elites in the capital city of Kerala and living like any other Hindu. They pretend to be Hindu, go to Hindu temples, put sandalwood paste on their foreheads, keep Hindu names. They are all bum-lickers of Hindus, communists or Congress Par- ty. Why they are not forming their own SC/ST trade unions? These “elite” SC employees are the parasites of the Dalit community. This is what our Editor was trying to convey. That does not mean he had no concern about whom Dr. Sivanandan had written. Certain people have to be provoked and then only they become conscious of their duty. The Editor was trying to make these Dalit officers angry. Babasaheb used to be equally harsh against those Dalit officers who had shirked their responsibility. Our Editor has writ- ten many times about Kerala. He also visited Kerala a number of times. He knows more about Kerala than. any Keralite himself knows. He knows each corner of India. The Aryan Hindu nazi party BJP is afraid of the Editor’s thesis of ‘caste identity”. Because, once you strengthen your caste identity, think of your caste identity, the concept of Hindutva gets diluted. It is in the name of Hindutva, Hindu unity and Hindu nationalism, the Aryan Hindus in India are systematically perpetuating their domination over the vast 65% of the Dalits and the Backward Castes. That means “Hin- du unity” will destroy India’s unity and integrity. So, to destroy Hinduism we must strengthen our “caste identity. This is the best weapon to totally annihilate Hinduism. We must love what Hindus hate and hate what the Hindus love. We must love our caste. Our identity is like our life and death. Our Editor’s thesis on “caste Identity” will be our ideology for the 21st century. Our identity itself is our ideology. The root of any ideology is the identity. Denial of one’s identity is an act of suicide. Not a single prediction made by our Editor has gone wrong. He had said that R.K. Hegde was the most notorious Hindu nazi, the most cunning, crafty and corrupt man in the country. Hegde has no other way but to go to his roots. Hegde’s mask is pulled out.
Good. As the chief minister of Karnataka he was convicted by three judicial commissions on charges of corruption and telephone tapping. (DV Dec. 16, 1996) We must congratulate this cunning Brahmin for joining the Hindu nazi party – BJP.
Nani Gopal Das, 17-Dattabad Road, Salt Lake, Calcutta 700 064: Ahmad Ali in (DV Dec. 1, 1997 p.19) has commented on the remarks of K.R. Malkani that as the Untouchable Puleya women of Kerala are not allowed to cover their breasts, the Puleyas must agitate that the Hindu women too must suffer the same punishment. I do not agree with this suggestion. The Puleyas must force Hindu women to go bare-breast.
Bro. M.L. Anthony, St. John’s Seminary, Ramanthapur, Hyderabad-13: I am becoming a Catholic priest in a year, now studying in a Hyderabad seminary. We are nearly 100 students, soon going to villages to render our service. But we are going to work among different castes. Some of us also want to demolish the castes and work for Dalits. So we wish to attend some seminar or courses on this subject. We don’t know whom to approach. As the Editor of the Dalit Voice, you are experienced and energetic to offer us a chance to attend some seminars. This course/seminar should be in May.
India’s ruling class has brainwashed us including Christians like you, to hate the caste and work for its destruction. But what did the latest Parliament elections reveal? These very people who ask you to hate the caste have admitted that this election, without any exception. simply caste-based. The party ticket including that of the Brahmana Jati Party (BJP) was given on caste, the candidate approached voters on their caste strength voting was held on caste basis and election-based violence too was on caste basis. Everything in india, from birth to death, is decided by caste. So, if anybody has told you that caste could be destroyed he was either ignorant of the Indian society or speaking a lie to mislead you. Caste (at) is your identity which none can destroy. Even Christians have the caste intact. Your own Christian church is caste-based. Bishops are selected on this basis The Dalit Christians are demanding reservations because of caste-based discriminations. We have launched a Debate in DV on this and you may go through that and come to our office for a final discussion with us in May. By then our book on “Caste Identity” will be also ready- EDITOR
Bhante Anand, Gen. Secretary, Buddha Gaya Mahabodhi Vihar All-India Action Committee, H.O. Indora Budha Vihar, Nagpur-440 004: S.M. Raju, District Magistrate, Gaya, was suspended on Feb.17 for an alleged indiscipline in connection with his election duties. But we Budhists know his services to the people demand his reinstatement. If the feelings of Budhists are ignored and he is not reinstated before March 15 1998, then the Buddha Gaya Mahabodhi Vihar All India Action Committee will start indefinite hunger strike before Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statue at Budha Gaya.
Bhikshu Prajnasheel, Superintendent, Mahabodhi Mahavir, Bodh Gaya: Ven. Karma Gopal Dronma, a Spanish, living in Scotland was a disciple of Ven. Lama Yeshi. She was to obtain higher ordination last week at the Budha Gaya International Full Ordination Ceremony here. She died on Feb. 19,1998 while praying under the sacred Bodhi Tree in the premises of Ma habodhi Mahavir Complex of Bodh Gaya.
Mahendra Kumar Behera, At Gopinathpur, PO Anakhia, J.S. Pur, Orissa 754 102: I am a Dalit very much impressed by your books which touched my heart. But in many parts of Odisha, your books are not available. Our people can become conscious only by reading your books and then only they can be res- cued from the brahminical mythology. Actually, our people are in deep sleep. You have opened the eyes of many of us. After reading your books, I have started “educating our people not to serve the upper castes, not to wash the clothes of Brahmins and not to worship their false gods. We have decided to go from place to place to make our people understand their ignorance and blind belief. I want your books in the mother tongue of the different states.
Manjoor Gopalan, Kanakkary PO, Kottayam 686 632: With a far-reaching vision, our Editor has introduced a Debate on “Caste Identity” to stimulate the oppressed and fight their enemies. But certain non- vaidik intellectuals are criticising him very vigorously creating misunderstanding among our own oppressed people. To such of them the words of Babasaheb are aptly applicable:
“The intellectual classes to whom the masses look for guidance are either too dishonest or too indifferent to educate them in the right direction. (Annihilation of Caste p.98).
The critics argue that our Editor’s stand will put the innocent people into a state of dilemma. They say that he is opposing Babasaheb’s philosophy as propounded in the book Annihilation of Caste. Their allegations are absurd and baseless since they do not understand the mind of Babasaheb. This book was Babasaheb’s speech prepared for the Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal, a Hindu (upper caste) organisation of Lahore, in 1936. It was primarily intended for Hindus. He wanted to destroy the Hindu religion itself. The SC/ST/BCs are not Hindus and never Hindus. Those who come under the Chaturvarna are alone Hindus. The Untouchables are avarnas and hence not part of the Chaturvama The Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras alone are savarnas. They are Aryans and Hindus. The indigenous peoples of India are not Aryans and not Hindus. Babasaheb said:
“The Hindus observe caste not because they are inhuman or wrong-headed. They observe caste because they are deeply religious. People are not wrong in observing caste. In my view, what is wrong is their religion, which has included this notion of caste. If this is correct, then obviously the enemy, you must grapple with is s not the people who observe caste, but the shastras which teach them this religion of caste… The real remedy is to destroy the belief in the sanctity of the shastras… You must have courage to tell the Hindus, that what is wrong with them is their religion – the religion which has produced in them this notion of the sacredness of caste. (Annihilation of Caste p.62,63)
Babasaheb never wanted to destroy our castes. But he wanted to destroy the belief in the sanctity of shastras. He said “untouchability will vanish only when the whole of the Hindu Social Order, particularly the caste system will be dissolved” (W&S Vol.5, p. 102). The SC/ ST/BCs are not castes but Tribal and ethnic identities which can never be destroyed. “Every American White Christian including President Clinton is maintaining his ethnic identity” (DV Feb. 1, 1998). The oppressed people who get jobs on the basis of caste-based reservation want for destruction of castes because they want to hide their castes. This tendency cannot be tolerated. We should be proud of our jati identity. Vaidik “intellectuals” and their political parties are creating a good deal of confusion among the innocent Bahujans regarding the “caste identity”. All the political parties are doing this work of misleading the oppressed. The Congress is against “caste identity” because they want only “national unity”. The BJP wants destruction of caste because it stands for “Hindu unity”. The communists argue that the caste will be harmful to the “unity of working class”. The upper caste aim is to capture political power by creating disunity among the oppressed. Those SC/ST/BCs who oppose “jati identity” are merely stooges of alien Aryans. When we demand our reservation (human rights) these Aryans violently oppose us saying that we are dividing the “nation” on the basis of caste and hence caste should be annihilated. When they demand destruction of our caste they are actually refusing to surrender our caste-based share in services and politics. The upper castes became rulers by strengthening their caste organisations. We became slaves because we have not learnt to strengthen our caste identity. Casteism can be destroyed only by caste. The only remedy to destroy the caste system is by strengthening our caste identity.
Caste alone unites our people. Each subcaste of SC/ ST/BCs should be strengthened separately first and then their unity strengthened as a whole. Our Editor has compared the jati to a “nation”. In Tamil Nadu, his philosophy (caste as a “nation”) has proved correct.
“Brahminical forces have been conspiring to take over the TNMB (Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank) to destroy the Nadar identity. But Nadars have decided to resist this. To the ‘nation” of Nadars TNMB is part and parcel of their identity.” (DV Feb.1, 1998).
Strengthening of caste identity is the first step to maintain unity among the oppressed. When the “caste identity is strengthened, each subcaste of SC/ST/BCs will raise demands for “categorization of different castes and subcaste-wise quota. Population-wise quota will end conflicts within the same community. Strengthening of subcaste identity will also prevent exploitation by a stronger subcaste of the same community. Only when the different subcastes get their due share they will be satisfied. Dissatisfaction will generate rivalry and disunity among the subcastes. When every subcaste gets it due share rivalry will disappear. The Madigas of AP are unhappy because subcaste-wise reservations have not been given to them even though they fought for so long. As in the case of AP Madigas, the Kollans, (blacksmiths) in Kerala are also deeply worried because the Viswakarma quota has not been redistributed equally among the subcastes. The total Viswakarma population is about be 45 lakhs. The Assaries (carpenters) form 15 lakhs and the Kollans also form 15 lakhs. The Kollans say that a big chunk of reservation meant for the Viswakarma is being swallowed by the Assaries for want of subcaste-wise quota. Kollan intellectuals are preparing to form a separate caste organisation to establish their “caste identity”. They say that the existing jati organisations (VSS and AKVMS) are not protecting the interests of the Kollans. They are propagating the very philosophy (strengthening of caste identity) of our Editor because they know that only a subcaste-wise quota can protect their interests. I belong to the Vishwakarma jati and writing with my deep involvement in this movement.
T.K. Narayanan, “Vaishali”, Mythri Nagar, P.O. Thiru- mala, Trivandrum 695 006: The disappearance of Budhism from India has been a matter of great surprise and sorrow to every thinking person. But it now lives in China, Japan, Burma, Siam, Thailand, Indo- China, Lanka and part of Malaya. But only in India it met with death. Not only it has ceased to exist but the very name of Budha is forgotten. Before Islam came, Budhism was the religion of Bactria, Parthia, Afghanistan, Gandhara, China, Turkistan and the whole of Asia. In all these countries Islam destroyed Budhism.
Islam attacked brahminism also. The wonder is how brahminism (Hinduism) survived but Budhism perished. This is because (1) brahminism at the time of the Muslim rule had the support of the state but not Budhism. More important is this state support lasted even till Islam turned into a quiet religion and the flame of its original fury against idol worship died down. (2) The Budhist monks fell a prey to the sword of Islam, But the very same Islam could not annihilate the more dangerous brahmanic priesthood. (3) Budhist laymen were persecuted by Brahmin rulers of India and to escape their tyranny, Budhist masses embraced Is- lam. Muslim invaders sacked the Budhist University at Nalanda, Vikrama Sila, Jagaddala, Odantapuri, to mention only a few. They razed to the ground many Budhist monasteries. The monks fled in thousands to Nepal, Tibet and other places outside India. A large number of Budhists were killed outright by the Muslim commanders. The Budhist religious order was then completely annihilated by the inhuman Muslim invaders. Such was the slaughter of Budhism by Muslim invaders. By killing the Budhist monks, Islam killed Budhism itself. This was the greatest disaster that befell the religion of Budhism in India. Religion like any other ideology can be sustained only through propaganda. Without a propaganda a religion disappears. The sword of Islam fell heavily upon the Budhist monks and it perished or it fled out of India. There was none to keep the flames of Budhism burning. The greatest man ever born in India after the Budha was Babasaheb Ambedkar who embraced this liberating religion and once again revived Budhism. Hinduism has made the working people of India Untouchables, Unapproachables and Unseeables. The golden grains of rice and wheat produced by the labour of these Untouchables are eaten by the Hindus who came from the various parts of the body of their Brahma. Eat and be eaten is the law of the sky. Man is the wonder and glory of the world. The world’s misery is caused by stupidity and blind faith. Budha did not allow this. Knowledge was always stressed by Budha as essential to salvation. Departing from us, Babasaheb commended us to follow him and attain birth in the holy land of All-Englightened Budha where man’s inhumanity to man is abolished forever and never to come back. We promise Babasaheb that we will obey his command with credit. If winter comes, can spring be far behind? Budhism is the only hope of the working people of India sunk deep down in the mire of Hinduism. The so-called “In- dependent India” will never be a land of hope and aspiration unless the All-Enlightened Budha is brought back to the land of his birth. Budhism alone can make India a hallowed land of equality, fraternity and liberity. Hinduism alias brahminism is the No. 1 Enemy of this hallowed land of Indus Valley Civilisation.
Balwant Singh, Ex-IAS, A/215-Purana Avas Vikas Colony, Saharanpur-247001: In the columns of Dalit Voice too much of importance is being given to the differences between the Malas and Madigas of Andhra Pradesh. This is unfortunate. All the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in India have a common enemy, the Brahminical Social Order (BSO) and all of them have a common goal and destiny i,e. to liberate themselves from the Hindu social bondage and to lead a life of self- respect and dignity. Under the BSO, the graded social inequality has done incalculable harm to the coun- try. We should look beyond a particular caste. Unfortunately there is no inter-dining and inter-marrying among the various SC subcastes. Even in Maharashtra, the relations between the Mahars and Chamars are strained and the Chamars there regard Babasaheb. Ambedkar as a leader of only Mahars. This is to be condemned. Babasaheb fought for the liberation of all the oppressed masses in India. He belongs to everybody. But the Mahars feel that Babasaheb is their exclusive property because he was a Mahar. This has created resentment among the Chamars. The Mahars should be more liberal and accommodating. In North India, the Chamars are a dominant community constituting about 70% of the entire SC population. Socially, educationally, economically and politically they are on the top. The Malas and Madigas in AP suffer from educational disabilities at the hands of the up- per castes. So, we will have to eliminate the notion of Chamar, Mahar, Mala and Madiga and others if we to make the Dalit Movement powerful and purposeful. If we are true followers of Babasaheb, then we have to strictly follow his path. He adopted Budhism as his religion because that was the best approach. So, the Dalits of today are the rightful successors and inheritors of Budhism. Our salvation lies in Budhism. When all SCs embrace Budhism, the different subcastes like Mahars, Chamars, Pasis, Mala and Madigas will automatically disapper and as Budhists we will become a formidable political force. As different rivers mingle in the ocean and lose their identity, let us follow Budhism and all our subcaste differences will disappear automatically. The Dalit Voice is the mouthpiece of the entire oppressed masses of India and it can play a commendable and constructive role by bringing about social and emotional integration of the various SC subcastes.
Kashiswar Sarkar, 157/3-M.C. Garden Road, Calcutta -700 030: It is true that Kanshi Ram tried his best to liberate the SC/ST/BCs and minorities of India but due to various subdivisions created by the BSO they are not in a position to unite. S.S. Vaghela, Mulayam Singh Yadav are all divided. This is our tragedy.
K.C. Sulekh, Kothi No. 503-Sect. 15A, Chandigarh: I saw Arun Shourie on the Star TV on Dec. 19, 1997 answering Tavleen Singh. When asked as to what actually made him to malign so widely respected a personality like Babasaheb Ambedkar in his book, Worshipping False Gods, he simply fumbled for appropriate words and could hardly make a satisfactory reply. With expressions of inconvenience, confusion and uneasiness, writ large on his wrinkled forehead, instead of giving a straight reply, he preferred to take shelter in the silence. He said that since Kanshi Ram had not uttered a word to condemn the book, he saw nothing wrong in the book and that the people who raised “slogans” and “stampede” were doing so without actually reading the book. His book has already gone down the gutters, the public opinion be thanked. But the suggestion implied in the remarks of Shourie is quite embarrassing both for the public in general and the lovers of truth in particular. Will someone clarify?
Ashok V. Chowgule, Kanchanjunga, 72-Dr. G. Deshmukh Marg, Bombay 400 026: This concerns the two articles with the same heading, “Brahmanic socialism”, by Gail Omvedt (Jan.27) and P.V. Indiresan (Feb.7) in the Hindu. Omvedt calls the socialism fol- lowed in this country as brahmanic merely because the movement was led by born Brahmins and most of the top leadership is born Brahmin. V.T. Rajshekar, Editor of Dalit Voice, has written a book titled, Dialogue of the Bhoodevatas (Dalit Sahitya Akademy, Bangalore, 1993), which is a fictitious conversation between “Sacred Brahmins” and “Socialist Brahmins”. According to our Editor both the Brahmins have the same agenda suppression of the shudras and the religious minorities. Mrs. Omvedt could extend this argument further in her next article by reading our Editor’s book.
Pradeep Ku. Tandi, Otr No.21088/2, Type-II, Ph-ll, OFBL Estate, Badmal, Orissa-767 770: I am an Untouchable from a village. From my M.E. School career to this day I have been facing one after other atrocities from the Hindus. After matriculation, I got a clerical post and later I got married and have two children. In between, I did BA in history and pol. science. I am now 30 and in a perplexed condition. I want to serve my Dalit society and at the same time look after my family. Can you please guide me. I want to read your book, Why Godse Killed Gandhi?
If you think poverty is your problem, you are wrong. Poverty is the by-product of deprivation of your human rights. And human rights can be recovered through continuous struggle. And struggle will follow once you master Babasaheb’s “Three Commandments – Educate. Agitate Organise. To support you in this work we will send you a full set of our books and one year DV copies of Volume 16. Our readers in Orissa will directly contact you to help you out of your “perplexed mental condition”-EDITOR
Gobind Roy, Nanded, Maharashtra: This is with ref. to the Letter of Gurdial Singh of Ludhiana and our Editor’s comments therein (DV Jan.1, 1998 p.15 & 16). The Editor’s comments are thought-provoking and rational. He has described the elite Sikhs as “running dogs” of the existing system. In fact, these parasites are worse than even a dog. Dog at least is honest to its master. It has a sense not to pounce at a stone. Rather it attacks the person pelting such stone. The elite Sikhs mentioned by our Editor are nothing but the dishonest intelligentsia among Sikhs, responsible for the present mess in Punjab and making Sikhs and Sikhism a laughirtg-stock. The revelation of hidden. facts about Kohinoor (DV Feb. 1, 98 p.20) is shocking. A.K. Biswas has proved with documents that Shere Punjab had donated the unique gem to the Jagannath Puri temple. The Puri Brahmin pandas offered it to the British in 1708 AD, after the fall of Orissa to East India Co. The Sikhs, Maharaja Dalip Singh and Maharani Jinjhan need not be held responsible for this crime. There will be still more skeletons kept hidden in the cupboard of Sikh history, if honestly analysed further. But who will bell the cat? Honest intelligentsia among Sikhs is a rare commodity.
P.M. Suresh Kumar, B-77, Telecom Quarters, P.O. Kudamaloor, Kottayam 686 016: This refers to the Letter of Shailaja Shende (DV Jan. 1, 198 p. 17) on K.N. Kuttan’s Letter (DV Dec. 1, 1997 p.16). Kuttan wrote. about the beating up of a disabled Dalit near Trivandrum. Two years ago at Quilon two Dalit boys were beaten up and paraded after shaving their heads and the father of one boy who had protested against this uncivilized attack was forced to eat human excreta. A similar incident took place at Trivandrum a few weeks after this incident. Shende said that her blood started boiling when she read about such dastardly acts on Dalits. Mere presentation of such atrocities on Dalits in various forms was not enough. She warned that DV readers are not supposed to be mere mute spectators. They have to appropriately react. Kuttan being a lawyer did not secure justice to the affected Dalits. This was her point. She wanted a direct action. Here is an incident which took place in the richest country of America. At Los Angels (1993) a Black brother, Rodney King, was brutally beaten up by White policemen and the culprits were set free unpunished. All the US cities went up in flames as a reaction. The entire Black population in the US came out on the streets and protested against the unjust judicial order of the White American biased judiciary. The Blacks not only in America but all over the world are like an wounded tiger. They are determined to die for their human rights. Our Editor tells us that only those who are ready to die have the right to live. Those who know the art of dying are only entitled to live. Great declaration indeed. Babasaheb Ambedkar wrote that “We must sacrifice our present pleasures for a great future” (Dr. Ambedkar Life and Mission, 1981, p.465). Are the Dalits ready to die? Kerala is the highest literate state in India but has the largest number of crimes against the Dalits (National Crime Records Bureau, Govt. of India, Indian News, March 1997 p.11). A former Dalit minister, M. Pandalam Sudhakaran, told a public meeting of the PRDS (Feb. 18, 1995) that Dalit govt. employees here are the most persecuted in the whole country. There is a large number of un-reported crimes against Dalits in Kerala and yet our highly “educated”, elite Dalits are unable even to shout at their enemy oppressors. Why they swallow all such persecutions and insults? Why they are silent? Why they do not go for direct action? Why such silent suffering? Nowhere in the world slaves enjoy their slavery as the Dalits in India. But why? Kuttan himself was a victim of the alien Nairs and Namboothiris while in the govt. service in Kerala. He was forced to retire by the Hindus. His promotion was denied. He was insulted and abused. But he swallowed everything as an obedient slave. He never uttered a word against the Hindus. He did not have the courage. I know that he still is a faithful Hindu, worships Hindu gods, celebrates all Hindu festivals, his children are brought up as good Hindus, married in Hindu temples. And at the same time, he exhibits all the volumes of Babasaheb in his showcase, he writes books on Babasaheb, he reads Dalit Voice, and writes for Dalit Voice. And yet he complains that Dalits are persecuted by the Hindus in Kerala. Have you heard of such a thing any where in the world? This is what our Editor has been repeatedly warming us about India’s “slaves enjoying their slavery”. Who can help such slaves? Who can liberate such unconscious dumb-driven slaves who did not even know that they are slaves? Even when they are told that they are slaves they will not revolt. Babasaheb has proved wrong in the case of Dalit slaves of India. They will never be able to revolt because Hindus and their Hinduism made the Dalits impotent. The sense of self-esteem and self-respect are crushed in the sub-conscious mind of the Dalits. Kuttan is the standing example of such a slave. But N.T. Prabhakaran had revolted against the Hindus and he continues to revolt. He is an angry Dalit because he is an Ambedkarite. There is a world of difference between the one who is a Harijan, Scheduled Caste, and Dalit and Ambekdarite. Kuttan is a Harijan not even a Scheduled Caste. You cannot buy a rupee worth of courage form a provision store. A courageous Dalit is a source of inspiration to all Dalits. But these Kuttans are a curse to the entire Dalit community. Let me clarify:
“A movement of the Untouchables must mean an open war upon the caste Hindus”. (Babasaheb W&S, Vol.5, 1993 p.344).
Will Kuttan agree? He is in the company of the Hindu nazis. A Hindu nazi leader, P. Parameswaran, writes the “foreword” for his books. His articles appear in Hindu nazi journals like the Kesari (Kesari Annual, 1997 p.105 to 109). How Hindu nazis publish his articles? That means they like him. In one article he wrote about the vanavasis. Who are they? Vanavasi is a name used by the nazis for the Scheduled Tribes. Ambedkarites and Dalits in Kerala, beware of such Hindu nazi agents who are more dangerous than the Hindus themselves. Kuttan must come out openly. whether he is a genuine Scheduled Caste or a Hindu nazi agent. We have every right to suspect his integrity and honesty. In all his writings he never condemns the brahminical Hinduism and its creators, the Aryans. Why? He himself is a practising Hindu. Has he ever identified the alien Aryan Hindus as the real enemy of the Dalits, the BCs, the Muslims, the Christians, the Sikhs and the Budhists? I do not want to write more about an individual. Our concern is neither an individual nor an event. Small minds discuss individuals, average minds talk of events but great minds discuss ideas. So let me switch over to ideas. Let us go back to the Blacks. We are aware of the recent “Billion Men March” and the “Billion Black Women March” which shook the US. The Blacks are a revolutionary people because either they are Muslims or Christians. Had the Blacks been Hindu like the Un- touchables of India, they would never have been able to revolt against their enemy. So, this is a clear indication that as long as the Untouchables of India re- main in Hinduism they will never, ever be able to re-volt against the Hindus. DV must have a debate on this also. As long as the Untouchables remain as Hindus they have no moral right to call Babasaheb as their Messiah. Only those Dalits who go for conversion to any other religion are genuine Ambedkarites. Whether we like it or not every Scheduled Caste and even the Backward Caste is Hindu unless and until he/she becomes a non-Hindu. He is a Hindu until he becomes something else. “SC/ST/BC liberation only by quitting Hinduism” (DV Jan.1, 1989 p.18). Some SC/ST/BCs might be reading Dalit Voice but what is the use of such reading if they do not follow what they read? Let them first Quit Hinduism and then there is a hope for them and their children. The second point is about marxism. The main problem with the Dalits in Kerala is that they are addicted to this opium of marxism. They have swallowed this poisen so much that they think in terms of “class” struggle. Their thinking got conditioned because of “class and class struggle” and consequently they lost the sense of their own caste/community consciousness. But did the Brahmins, the Nairs, the Syrian Christians and Muslims and even the Elavas, who are also marxists, denounce their caste/community? But the slavish Scheduled Castes forgot their identity and then their consciousness. Most of the SC govt. employees are in the company of “marxists”. Both marxism and Hinduism transformed the Untouchables into obedient slaves of Hindus. Marxism strengthened Hinduism in Kerala. Marxism enslaved the SCs. Marxism made its cadres as the most immoral and unethical fellows. Their chief minister himself had recently justified sex-racket and prostitution… “The list of immoral comrades in the marxist party is long… And their sexual anarchy is a proof, a living example”. (K.V.Pathrose, Kunthakka ranum Baliyadum, 1986 p. 117). Why the marxist comrades have become immoral? Because the entire Communist Manifesto does not speak a single word on ethics and morality. No body can build a society without ethics and morality. To conclude, Dalits in Kerala must unitedly reject both marxism and Hinduism. They must strengthen their own caste/communities. But even then the issue of quitting Hinduism remains the main task before every self-respecting Dalit. Let them go to hell but should not remain in Hinduism. They must learn to hate Hinduism the most. This is what Babasaheb asked the Dalits to follow. He said:
“As long as the conscience of a slave does not burn with hatred against his slavery there is no salvation for him (Dr. Ambedkar Life and Mission, 1988 p.60).
Let there be an open debate on this issue. I am ready to face any challenge from anybody on this issue of conversion and Dalit liberation.
Upendra Nag, At/PO Boden, Nuapada dt., Orissa- 766 111: The history of India says the name “India” came from River Sindhu. The ancient Persians called that river Hindu. In course of time the name Hindu was used to call the people and their land. The ancient Greeks called the Sindhu river as Indus. Like the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans also called the land as Hindu. Swami Sivanand in his book, All about Hinduism, says the Persians pronounced the word Sindhu as Hindu and called their Aryan brethren as Hindu. So, Hindu is only a corrupt form of Sindhu. Bhakti Vedant Swamy in his book, Atma Vigyan, says that Hindu is not a Sanskrit word. The Muslims pronounce S as H. They called Sindhu as Hindu. Swami Vivekanand says in his book, Yaga Yuva Sakti, (Oriya) that ancient Persians pronounced Sindhu as Hindu. S becomes H in Sanskrit. As such, Sindhu becomes Hindu. Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Iswariya Vidyalaya in their Weekly Study Course booklet say that the Hindu word is a corrupt form of Sindhu. That means both history and sanatists say that India is not a land of Hindu.
R.U. Rangari, MSEB Colony, 10/10, Vasa: Rd., Thane Dt.-401 202: This refers to the Debate on S.R. Talukdar’s Letter “Strengthening of each caste will bring political unity (DV Jan. 1, 98). His argument that “by strengthening caste identity, caste differences will automatically disappear among them”, is not correct. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar said: “Caste is nothing but brahminism incarnate. Therefore, strengthening of caste identity is nothing but strengthening of brahminism. If this strong and united brahminism is allowed to come under Bahujan Samaj, it will not strengthen the Bahujan Samaj but it will weaken it. Brahminism is the enemy of Shudras and Untouchables”, he said while addressing the Dalit Railway Worker’s Conference at Manmadan, Feb.12, 1938. The strengthening of caste identity without realising the danger of strengthening brahminism may lead to a situation like UP where 12 BSP MLAs defected to BJP. The statement of Talukder that unless we get political power in our hand we cannot bring social unity among the different avarna castes, seems to be partially correct. For getting political power a strong social movement is necessary. During such social movement there will be numerous common meeting points between different avarna castes on the basis of common sufferings. Babasaheb says:
Generally speaking history bears out the proposition that political revolutions have always been preceded by social and religious revolutions. The political revolution led by Chandragupta was preceded by the religious and social revolution of Buddha. The political revolution led by Shivaji was preceded by the religious and social reform brought about by the saints of Maharashtra. The political revolution of the Sikhs was preceded by the religious and social revolution led by Guru Nanak. These will suffice to show that the emancipation of the mind and the soul is necessary preliminary for the political expansion of the people.
Talukder has said that we should bring caste differences to zero level but when caste is brahminism incarnate, how we can bring the caste differences to zero level. It is only possible when all avarna castes start the struggle against brahminism. Talukder says that members of a caste should develop the feeling. that they are not inferior to any other caste. When caste is brahminism-incarnate how then it is possible for any caste to develop the feeling of non-brahminism i.e, that all are equals? If every caste has got all the elemants of becoming a “nation” as stated by Dr. Ambedkar then the problem is how to create that “nation” without brahminism. The statement of Talukdar that “caste consciousness alone is not enough, consciousness of one’s caste rights and the rights of Bahujan Samaj must develop simultaneously” is correct. To develop this Bahujan Samaj consciousness. a strong social movement as a long term strategy and strong political movement as short-term strategy are required.
- Nasimuddin, Gaiwal Bigha, Gaya 823 001; In Bihar, I have shown DV to several people. They like DV. I keep shuttling between Gaya and Delhi. I have observed that people have no idea, barring a very few persons, about such an electrifying journal (DV) being published from Bangalore. I would be the happiest man to see DV being read by more and more people in Delhi and Bihar. The Hindu nazis, of course. read it regularly because the Enemy is always on the track to find out dangers coming from which direction and they are fully aware of this formidable danger coming from the South in the shape of DV. Delhi is’in the grip of Hindu nazis and I wish to see it liberated from their clutches as early as possible. They are also apprehensive about it. The next Assembly elections (Sept. or Oct.) they would be thrown out of the Assembly. See what happened in UP. The Hindu nazis have no quality in themselves. Hence they are doomed now or later. We have to keep up our efforts to achieve this goal. Keep on telling Dalits and BCs to publicly denounce Hinduism and seek conversion without any further loss of time. I am unable to understand how they have tolerate this for over 5000 years.
Syed Kamaluddin, c/o Shastri School (PCC), At: Piparpanti, PO: Sherghati, Gaya dt. – 824 211: Violence is growing throughout the country. The recent violence in Coimbatore, Ajmer and Ferozabad have been targeted only to defame the Muslims. Several times upper caste leaders and officials have charged the Indian Muslim of being in league with the ISI of Pakistan. But such people must note who actually is anti – national a Brahmin or a Muslim. Take the example of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Narmbi Narayanan. The former always strengthened the defence system of India while the latter was arrested red-handed for selling defence secrets to Pakistan. Reservations must be given on the basis of the population of Dalits and Muslims. Dalits and Muslims must get 250 seats out of the 545 seats in Parliament. What a tragedy that the Election Com- mission has persecuted a Dalit DM of Gaya, a Dalit city SP of Patna and a Muslim DM of Patna. The Election Commission is bent upon crushing Laloo Prasad. Certainly the results will come in favour of the Bihari Tiger Laloo and he will teach a lesson to these enemies of Dalits and Muslims.
- Rahman, Govt. Middle School, Etalien via Roing. Arunachal Pradesh: I have been transferred here a few days back as headmaster of this school. This part of Arunachal is full of hilly terrain with no postal ser- vices within 50 kilometers and no transport facilities. Ration and other essentials are only dropped from time to time by the Indian Air Force helicopters. As pointed out earlier, my personal copies of DV together with other literature and valuables are lost. So, I want all back copies of DV from 1995. I may again be transferred from this school soon. I am going to establish an Ambedkar Foundation at Bandardewa, the gateway to Arunachal, especially Itanagar. Land will be purchased in March/April. A local bookshop at North Lakhimpur has been contacted to act as agency to distribute DV in the whole of North-East.
K.S. Faiyaz Pasha, Professor and Head, History Dept., Govt. Arts College, Krishnagiri-635 001: DV is considered a better Muslim journal than many others run by Muslims themselves. Here are few samples of your masterpiece: “Muslims can stop nazi bid to divide India” (DV Edit Jan.1, 1992), “Western White scholar defends religious fundamentalism” (DV March 16, 1995), “Why Muslim leadership is refusing to heed DV warnings” (DV Sept. 16, 1993), “Muslims must right away identify their friends and enemies” (DV Edit March 1, 1993), “Babri Masjid blast was Curse of Allah on Muslims” (DV March 16, 1994), “How to exterminate Muslims in India” (DV Edit May 16, 1985), “Will clash of Cross and Crescent lead to Third World War?” (DV Sept. 16, 1996), “Muslims compromised on interest-based banking” (DV Jan.1, 1997), “Islam believes in no compromise with the Enemy (DVFeb.1, 1997). DV would have definitely written articles on the anti- Muslim riots of Coimbatore towards the end of 1997. Muslim property worth about Rs.700 crores was destroyed and many innocent Muslim lives were lost. This was not given coverage either in the TV or in the newspapers. Dalit Voice alone would have had the moral courage to publish articles on the anti-Muslim riots in Coimbatore.
Dr. S.A. Hannan, Imarat Shariah, Phulwarisharif, Patna-801 505: It is shocking that 3.70 lakh natives of Assam have been debarred from voting on the false ground of their being not nationals of India although they were genuine voters in the last elections. A majority of them are Muslims which is a clear indication of discrimination. Assamese Muslims are most poor and illiterate. The Hindu nazis tried to extradite these Muslims of Assam and tried to denationalise Indian Muslims. But our secularists are silent on this malicious and mischievous move.
- Iqbal, 228-Bismillah Manzil, Gandhinagar, Ratlam -457 001: I am an MA in history and have good contacts with Ambedkarites. I have participated in many Dalit meetings. I am also the secretary of Dr. Ambedkar Sanskritik Chetna Manch. I was much impressed by your views on the “Spirit of Islam”. I launched a “National Association of Muslims” with branches in West- ern MP and northern and central Rajasthan. It is a cadre-based association. Its main objectives are: 1. Seperate education institutions, separate settlement and separate organisation. I will come to Bangalore in April to meet you.
Isa Haque, Vill-Madhupur, PO Hoerah, WB-712 147: This has ref. to Prof. Rahamatullah’s article “Jamate- Islami leadership is upper caste & hence pro-Hindu (DV Dec. 16, 1997 p.7). The article, characterised by a high-degree of objective analysis, is informative and interesting and deals with the role of this Jamat in the context of the current political situations prevailing in the country with special reference to developments in which various religious denominations, the Muslims in particular, have to set their agenda and programmes of action vis a vis those of the “majority” community. His assessment about this cadre-based organisation’s activities as also its service to the Muslim community is realistic and therefore very useful and educative. In any ideological struggle identification of the Enemy is a must for the sake of its successful end and there is no denying that a fierce ideological struggle is on between the secular and non-secular, between progressive and obscurantist forces and we are happy that the secular, progressive forces have rightly identified their Enemy the Hindu nazism. Here is a very pertinent question for this Jamat: When all other forces have identified their Enemy and chalked out a pro- gramme of action to fight this Enemy, has the Jamat, claiming wholesale representation of the Muslims, ever taken any pains to identify its own? If not, why? Why is it fighting shy of calling the spade a spade and for whose interest? Under the cover of “cultural nationalism”, the danger and threat of cultural aggression of the Hindu nazism against the very identity of Muslims, their life and property has enormously increased. It is these that are sought to be destroyed systematically. But strangely, the Jamat, instead of recognising this force as the Enemy and giving a call for jihad, in pursuance of the dictates of the Koran, is hobnobbing with the very same Enemy. Not stopping there, it has even gone to the extent of closetting with this Enemy to strike a deal even at the cost of the identity of the whole Muslim community. May we ask: for whose interest this Jamat is doing this? Is it for the interests of the Muslims? The Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha are missionary and service organisations with excellent service records. But the Jamatis stuck to the morass of dry ritualism, meaningless religious niceties devoid of imagination and foresight. It is far away from the hearts of Muslim masses and is disliked rather than being loved. The Jamat has no tears for the Muslim underdogs when they need these most. We are not therefore surprised to find the Jamat as also other Muslim organisations absent and abstained from taking part in the identification and rescue operations of the air-crash victims of the Saudi plane with Hajis aboard in Haryana. To talk of duty here on the part of the Jamat is irrelevant. “Service to man is service to god” may be a motto with the R.K. Mission or Sevashram Sangha but not with the Jamat because it seems to be out of the pur- view of this outfit. May we ask the Jamat, if humanitarian activity such as one already referred to has no place on its agenda then what else this organisation has been constituted for? The Jamat is only a tiny part of the Muslim community and not the whole of it and yet it is speaking on behalf of the whole community in talks held with the Hindu nazis responsible for the demolition of Babri Masjid and spilling of Muslim. blood in riots engineered by them. The Jamat has no such authority because, firstly, the Ashraf Muslims, do not recognise it as their leader on account of its being more concerned about the interest of handful elites and high-borns and secondly, for its clandestine link with the nazis. Before plunging in such an adventure, the Jamat should have taken the endorsement of the community by holding statewise mass conventions. That would have been the proper course. to adopt. But the Jamat has preferred to avoid it. At this juncture when the Muslims are in ordeal, the Jamat should spell out its programmes, policies and strategies in view of the emergence of Hindu nazism that threatens the very unity of India. Going over the over all performance of the Jamat, we are sad and disappointed. It cuts a sorry figure, presenting are dismal picture. Because of its failure to fulfil the aspirations of the Muslims it is hopelessly inadequate, more so in the question of its dealings with its anti-thesis.
Iqbal Ahmad Sheriff, Advocate, Bangalore: For the first time, the word “Dalit” came on the lips of a VIP of Pakistan, a retired army general, Lt.-General Hamid Gul, when he said, “we shall liberate Indian Muslims too and even the Dalits there, (Times of India, Sept.2, 1997). While we are not enamoured of his feelings, we are pleased to know that at least one person in Pakistan has recognised the Dalit factor in the Indian scenario, at least after 50 years of separation. Pakistanis after the 1947 partition not only forgot the Indian Muslims but also the Dalits. They were very successfully cheated both by Hindu nazis and the Muslim elites that Indian secularism would take care of the Muslims. But the Babri Masjid demolition opened their eyes but it is too late. The earlier generations of Muslims were definitely on the side of Dalits. It was the Muslim support in the Round Table Conference (1931) that had enabled Babasaheb Ambedkar to effectively assert for the rights of the Dalits. Gandhi had done his best to break this support and even offered the bribe for accepting all Muslim demands on condition of their withdrawing support to the Dalits, But the Muslims refused to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Aga Khan was the Muslim leader then. Babasaheb revealed all the facts and said:
“It must be said to the credit of Muslim delegates that they refused to be a party to such a black act, saved the Depressed Classes from what might well have developed into a calamity for them as a result of the combined opposition of the Mohammadans and Mr. Gandhi”. (Dr. Ambedkar on Poona Fact, p.80, Bheem Patrika Publications, Jalandhar),
This Muslim concern for Dalits continued. Qaide Azam Jinnah in 1943 said:
“How is it possible for any man who has got any ementary idea of honour, of integrity, of fair play, of justice, to agree to this that these 60 millions who are the biggest blot, on the fair name of India, should be kept as Untouchables at the mercy of Sanathanists, Mr. Gandhi being one. I assure you in the name of humanity I care more for them than for Muslamans. After all, we Musalmans, are capable of giving and taking”. (Recent speeches and writings of Mr. Jinnah, Sh. Mohamad Ashraf, Lahore, 1943 p.462).
The same trend continued when in the formation of the 1946 interim govt. Jinnah took a Dalit, Joginder Nath Mandal, as the Law Minister in the Muslim League quota, until he resigned after Aug.15, when he opted to come back to India. Subsequently. Muslims and Dalits lost their leaders and superimposed Hindu show boys like Moulana Azad and Jagjivan Ram who were projected as their leaders, and Babasaheb was poisoned. For the present, every Ambedkarite is working on Dalit-Muslim unity and thinks of repaying the debt of gratitude of Dr. Ambedkar with interest, but the Ambedkarite movement has ignored the propaganda abroad of the Dalit plight, might and right Even the closest neighbours like Pakistan and Lanka are not informed of your plight, might and right. Only Dr. Velu Annamalai and Barrister Fazlul Huq are doing some work in this field in US and Britain and Bangla Desh. We have to concentrate on propaganda abroad Will Kanshi Ram open the foreign affairs wing of the Dalit movement?
