Arthur Bonner, 40 West 106th Street, New York, NY 10025: My trip to India last spring and summer was a total disappointment. I spent over two months wandering in the South the most advanced part of India and found nothing to inspire confidence. What are seen as national highways are rutted two-lane roads with bikes and pedestrians outnumbering autos and trucks. I first knew Bangalore and Madras 30 and 40 years ago. They were clean and full of vigor. Now garbage is piled in the streets and it is difficult to walk on the sidewalks with the dirt and the encroachments. My short stay in Delhi was worse. This is only surface impressions. It was the lack of hope that depressed me. I had planned to write another book on India but gave it up. I cannot write something entirely negative. The only bright spot I found was the unsparing efforts of the Catholic Church principally Jesuits and nuns in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in trying to improve the lives of Dalits and inspire them to greater efforts to break the shackles of caste. A main focus of my trip was your belief that justice for Dalits will come only if each caste improves itself. That is historically true. Whatever progress has taken place within the caste system consists of the efforts of each caste, working independently, to build schools and develop work opportunities. But it will never destroy the caste system. I found nothing that could be called “Dalit consciousness”. There was no effort to build bridges between individuals and communities. You make a comparison with American Blacks but I believe your analogy is wrong. Blacks in the US see themselves as brothers and sisters across family and regional groups and across color shades. They perceive sameness, not difference. At one point I asked a Dalit university student if he ever thought to bringing young men and women from major Dalit castes together simply as human beings. I suggested they might sit on a mat (emphasizing equality) and drink tea and talk of poetry or music. He had no answer. The concept was too novel. Instead he talked about capturing “political power” among young people of his own caste. Compare this to how African-Americans meet to celebrate and enjoy togetherness, in dance, music, literature. They are united by much more than exploitation. I no longer am interested in India. Please stop sending me Dalit Voice. I regret ending our long relationship but when I get an issue of DV nowadays I have no interest in even opening it.
Bother Bonner paints a pathetic picture of India and Dalits in particular. But what he says is true and Truth is bitter. Bonner is a White American journalist and a noted writer specialising on India. So, his remarks have to be taken seriously because they are exactly on the lines of our March 1 DV Edit, “Sun is setting on the Dalit World“. The problem with our Dalit leaders. political or otherwise, is that the BSO has corrupted and co-opted them with some minor exceptions. Having tasted some crumbs of bread and thrown away bones and skin, they want to remain as the loyal slaves of the ruling upper castes (BSO). Such an entrenched leadership has been created by the BSO from top to bottom-even at village level. So if we want to find honest, genuine Ambedkarites, we have to bypass this leadership and go below their level. How to reach such a level? We have no media of our own. The entire media is with our Enemy spreading poison. This Dalit leadership hates DV for speaking out the Truth Genuine Ambedkarites and the suffering Dalits yearning for social change are in millions. They are hungering for Truth and fresh air. How to reach this grassroot? Have we cadres like the Hindu nazi RSS? We have neither the media nor the cadres. It is a super-human task. Our country is so huge and language barrier is too strong. These are the two big obstacles. As an expert Brother Bonner may support us in setting up a media center and also creation of a cadre to reach the grassroot. Please continue your association with DV though we fully share your pessimism. Pessimists alone help promote revolution – EDITOR.
Dr. Dorothy Anne Masters, Anthropologist, 11-Avenue Ingres, Paris-75116: A friend mailed an article of the Sunday Times. It was about South Africa. I liked it very much. The expression I did not like, however, is when it describes South Africa as no longer being a “pariah state”. The word “pariah” comes from India. It is used to describe the most wretched beings on earth. The pariahs of India are also called Untouchables. Do you like to be described as Untouchable? You would be so vile, so unclear, so disgusting that you are Untouchable. The only crime these people had committed was to be born in the wrong bedroom. Murders of Untouchables by upper castes (Hindus) is a daily occurrence. They have no human rights. They are segregated from the Hindus into hovels. They cannot use the wells belonging to the Hindus. They are largely illiterate. They have no one to speak for them. Gandhi was supposed to be the great saviour of the Untouchables. But he was only interested in the amelioration of the conditions in which these people lived and continue to live. I lived in India for 14 years. These people loathe being called pariahs. There are 140 million of them almost three times the population of Britain. Nigger is a most offensive expression. So is the word “pariah”.
Muata S.A. Nkosi, 1327 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009: Greetings to you and to all of those with whom you labor for Dalit liberation. I am a 26-year old student, writer, lecturer and Pan-Africanist. I learned of the Dalit plight through a lecture given by Runoko Rashidi here. And thereafter purchased your book, Dalit -The Black Untouchables of India. I have also made the acquaintance of Dr. Laxmi Berwa, another Dalit activist. I need not tell you that I was stunned by the revelation of over 100 million Blacks in India. After learning that there were people of African descent in India, I decided to work feverishly to connect the Dalit with the African-American on a very grassroots level. How? Presently, I am organizing a citywide forum, “Race and Resistance: The Persecution of India’s Black Untouchables”, to be held on Jan.27, 2000 here. This forum is designed to bring Hindus, Indians and Blacks face to face to confront both the Dalit plight and the horrors of the Aryan racism. I have noticed that many Indians wish to keep such discussion within Indian circles alone. This forum, which is one of many community strategies, will help to make that an outdated mode of thinking. I also plan to travel to India in March of 2000. I would consider it an honor to meet and speak with you, for I share your sentiments regarding the internalization of the Black liberation struggle. I earnestly seek your counsel regarding issues of particular interest to Dalits, suggestions for the involvement of those here in the US including your thoughts on strengthening the relationship of Dalits and African-Americans. You can e-mail me a m_nkosi@yahoo.com or write me at the above address.
We received Brother Nkosi Letter late as we shifted back to Bangalore from Delhi. The problems of India’s Black Untouchables is much more serious than that of yours. You have at least identified the Enemy. Here we have not. If you want to see the slaves enjoying their slavery. you have to come to this “world’s largest working democracy that is India – EDITOR.
Benjamin Chinnappan, 503-North 21st Street, Camp Hill, PA, 17011, USA, <bchinnappan@hotmail.com>: You do not know me but I have heard about you and read your book, The Black Untouchables. I have heard about your journal Dalit Voice. I myself got graduated from Bangalore. I was there in Bangalore from 1979 to 88. At the time, I did not hear about you. You are doing a lot of good work to promote dignity and equality for all Dalits. I have published a webpage to insist that Dalits must not be discriminated on the basis of religion. My site address: www.dalitchristians.com. I am not dividing the Dalits but speaking on behalf of Dalit Christians whose situation is exactly like other Dalits. Keep up your good work.
Mohammad Sulaiman, PO Box No: 10254, Doha, State of Qatar (AG): Recently, my friend, Mumtaz Hussain, from Mangalore gave me your book, Why Godse Killed Gandhi? and it give me a great sense of anti-minorities approaches, policies and works of RSS in India. On the other hand I also came to know that you are playing a very important and historical role by exposing these forces through your writings. I think it will be more proper to call and brand these forces as “anti-India” because they are working against those Indian only, who have no design against any Indian on the basis of caste, creed, region and religion. An Arab friend has also gone through your said book and he wishes to translate it in Arabic with your kind permission. You are requested to grant him permission in writing at your earliest, so that he can start the work for the same. The permission can be granted to Abdul Aziz Al Zubi, a Jordanian national, who is staying here in Qatar in connection of his job. Mumtaz Hussain has your other books with him here, and I will be going through them one by one to establish my own further thoughts and to understand your views more clearly.
Brother Abdul Aziz Al Zubi may take this as our written permission to go ahead with the translation of our book, Why Godse Killed Gandhi? But he must ensure that our English book is the third revised edition published in 1997. If he is not having this latest edition we can send him one. Please join our Dalit Voice family world-wide – EDITOR.
P.K. Mahanandia, Kroksjoas Gard, 51695 Malsryd, Sweden: I am extremely sorry to tell you that we could not manage to reach New Delhi this time. There were many reasons why I cancelled our trip to New Delhi. We were eager to meet you. The main reason that we all got disappointed to receive a letter from the Deputy Press Secretary to the President of India refusing permission to our filming inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In the mid-70s I had the opportunity to draw a portrait of President Fakruddin Ali Ahmed (live) in the Rastrapati Bhavan. To include this event in the Indo-Swedish film project, I wanted to revisit the Rastrapati Bhavan. However, our film team has done a marvellous job in my home district. My people greeted me enthusiastically with flowers, music and tribal dance. I was permitted to have an exhibition on Orissa in the Swedish Parliament a few years ago. Swedish TV interviewed as an artist and cultural ambassador again and again and I have been accepted by the people here. I cannot stop them calling me cultural ambassador though I do not believe in any superficial title. A few Indian officials have been upset about it.
Brother Mahanandia is an Oriya Dalit and our good old family member living in Sweden. But his home state of Orissa has no respect for his people. In the recent cyclone about 1 lakh SC/ ST/BCs were killed but the upper caste rulers of Orissa (not even 10%) never bothered about this death and destruction. A small caste of Khandayats who are not even 5% of the state population has been permanently ruling the state totally enslaving the rest of the indigenous Oriyas. Mahanandia may live in comfort in Sweden but his people back home are groaning under slavery. Individual happiness is no happiness. Only if the whole community is happy, the society can be happy. We had repeatedly appealed to Mahanandia about his duties towards his people. Even now it is not too late though the “Sun has started setting on the Dalit world-EDITOR.
Dalit moderator <Dalit-owner@onelist.com>: Welcome to the Dalit E-Forum. We are a newly formed, international community of Dalits and sympathizers/well-wishers with the sole aim of promoting the social, educational and political awareness, welfare and upliftment of the Dalit community. We are connected via Dalit@onelist.com. This email community was setup in Dec. 1998 and has since grown into a network comprising roughly 160 members (at the last count). The Forum was originally initiated by Niranjan Waghmare and Raju Kamble and is currently being coordinated by Sashikanth Chandrasekharan. Our aims and objectives are as follows. Needless to say, they will, without doubt, continue to evolve with the passage of time as we take into account the ideas, needs and aspirations of all our members. (1) To work towards the upliftment of the Dalit community in India in accordance with Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s doctrine to Educate, Agitate and Organise. (2) To bring together world intellectuals and well-wishers interested in the advancement of our community by making use of information technology. (IT) To connect each one of them and their family members in India through voice mail/video conferencing etc. (3) To devise, evolve and execute plans of action for the upliftment of our community to see that education, self-employment, entertainment and all the benefits reach the poorest of the poor in villages. (4) To act as a platform for discussion on topics of interes to Dalit and Bahujan Samaj advancement. (5) To act as an international body representing the needs of the Dalits and Bahujan Samaj community. (6) Το act as a fund-raising body for projects aimed at helping Dalits and Bahujan Samaj in India. (7) To provide members with news and views on a variety of subjects pertaining to the Dalit and Bahujan Samaj community. Some suggestions for the members to keep in mind, while communicating with the forum: (i) Do not use offensive language, (ii) avoid making sexually or racially prejudicial remarks on this forum. (iii) Do not send attachments. If it’s a must, upload it in www.onelist.com shared files. (iv) If anyone wants to critize other members views, please try to be civil and polite. (v) Try to be brief and to the point in your letters. If you have several points to make, split your letter or article into several parts with appropriate headings to make it more readable, and so that people may be able to pick and choose what topic they want to read. (vi) In the interest of inculcating better habit, and to make your own letter more readable by other members, you are requested to write in a standard word- processor so that you can easily and quickly do spell- check what you write. After the spell-check please do read your letters. You would be surprised to find many changes you want to make when you read your own letter or article. (vii) We should work towards peace and happiness for the entire universe. (viii) We should try to practice universal metta, maitri and self-discipline, keep our mind calm and quiet, and avoid defilement of our mind with the feelings of anger, hatred, jealousy, etc.
Satinath Pasi <satichou@yahoo.com>: I am so thrilled to have you on this Dalit E-Forum. I just cannot tell you how happy I am. I hope you would be able to find some time to interact with us. I am going to separately send you a copy of the PR-Forum-digest-1 which you missed. Thank you so much for accepting our invitation. We feel very honoured to have you. We would like to invite all who believe in proportional representation of all segments of the society in all power structures and institutions of the society. Won’t it be nice if none of the segments of the society were oppressor and none were oppressed? So, come and let us join hands in PR-forum@onelist.com in the eradication of inequalities of different segments of the society.
Jai Dalit <jd@dalitstan.org>: I am pleased to inform you that the Dalit Voice magazine is oneline at www.dalitstan.org. We are still working on a permanent solution for DV on Internet, but meanwhile you can pay visit to DV and kind enough to give us suggestions. Dalits will be always Dalits as long as they live among the wretched Hindus be it USA/West or even moon/ mars.
S.A. Raqeeb, 16-Engadine Street, London SW18 5BH: It was indeed very nice to have met you and some others during my recent visit to Delhi. My stay was very short and hectic hence our meeting was too. Our discussion ranged from Dalit Voice to the DV family to the Muslim situation in India and elsewhere, to the condition of the SC/ST and to the situation of India in general. I remember Kargil and the change of govt. in Pakistan also came under our discussion. These two issues were the current matters then. I realise we glossed over a wide range of topics in our short meeting. I only wish we had more time to cover the issues in more details but it was not possible due to your ensuing engagement. In Patna, where I spent most of my time, I was lucky to have contact with S.P. Singh with your help. Singh is an elderly gentleman and a very nice one as that. We had many, many meetings at each others places and I might add, had occasions to have meals together. Singh is a man of great intellect and learning. He has an impressive collection of books and other materials in his library in both English and Hindi languages. I only wish I could read Hindi in order to learn more about his Hindi collection. Recently I met Prof. Akbar Ahmad and have mentioned about you and what you had asked me to. I will let you know of any positive outcome in due course.
M.M. Satpute, A/1-Dinanath Coop Hsg., Near RTO, Andheri (W), Bombay-400 053: Ven. Shankaranand Shastri’s death (DV March 1, 2000 p.8) is a sad news. I was present at his bedside as he died. He was saying that Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar desired that the capital of India should be shifted from Delhi to Nagpur which was in the middle of India. A great Ambedkarite has disappeared. No newspaper reported it. Nor any RPI leader visited his place. Though he was my brother- in-law he was like my father. He never bent before anybody except Lord Budha and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Though he was born in Karnataka, he grew up at Lahore, Delhi, UP, Punjab and Haryana. I am thankful to you because only DV reported his death.
S.K. Biswas, president, Dalit-Bahujan Intellectual Forum of India, 387-A, J&K Pocket, Dilshad Garden, Delhi-110 095: The Second Dalit History Congress will be held in Augst. The exact date, venue and detailed programme will follow. The report on the 1st Dalit History Congress is being published.
Bhadant Arya Nagarjun Shurei Sasai, President, Buddha Gaya Mahabodhi Vihar, All-India Action Com., Indora Budha Vihar, Nagpur-440 004: A Budha Gaya Bachao Jan Sansad Sammelan will be held on April 13 and 14 at Sansad Bhawan, New Delhi, Budhists in thousands from all corners of the country will participate in the programme.
Gama Ram, A-2/4, Paper Mill Colony, Nishat Ganj, Lucknow – 226 006: With ref. to my Letter published in DV of Nov.1, 1999 regarding Babasaheb Ambedkar’s speech on the occasion of Diksha Samaroh at Nagpur on 14, 1956 wherein he had said:
“As different rivers flow in various countries and they have their separate identity. But as soon as these rivers fall in the ocean they lose their separate identity and become a part of the ocean. Bauddh Sangh is also just like ocean and once joining the Sangh all are one and equal”.
If we insist on separate identity of various castes, then unity among Dalits and Backwards will remain a mirage. The theory of keeping separate identity of castes is against the basic principles of Babasaheb’s mission to unite all the Dalits. You say Brahmins have subcastes and each has its own guru and its on jati association. This is wrong at least in the North and Central India. Brahmins have titles like Tiwari, Dubey, Chaturvedi, Pandey, Mishra, Joshi, Upadhyaya, Ojha, etc. but it does’t indicate their separate jati. They are one and there are marriages among them. Even among the Vaishyas there are marriages between Agrawals, Bansals, Kansals, Rastogi, Garg, Goyel etc. Similarly there is no such discrimination among the Kshatriyas. But similar unity is not seen among the BCs and Dalits. Intercaste marriages are not possible between BC castes like Yadav, Kurmi, Gujar, Lodh, Mallah etc. or between Dalit castes like Mahar, Chamar, Mang, Balmiki, Pasi, Dhobi, Dhanuk, Khatik etc. Due to their separate “jati identity“, the BC and SC castes can never be united like Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. You say Budhism could not unite the RPI in Maharashtra. Religion has nothing to do with politics. Here they look to their self-interest. You can find Brahmins in various political parties like the Congress, SP, CPI, CPM, BJP and even in BSP. In Maharashtra and elsewhere, you will soon find the Dalits under Budhism as a united force. Atrocities on Dalits in Maharashtra have been checked to a great extent after conversion to Budhism. You demand reservation of various subcastes of Dalits according to their population. The upper castes and also powerful castes like Yadav, Kurmi, Naidu, Reddis etc. are also trying to divide the various Dalit subcastes through such a reservation policy. You say that in UP Kanshi Ram has given preference to Chamars but this is wrong. He became popular and came to power due to the solid support of Chamars but in formation of ministry he always neglected the Chamars and gave preference to the most Backward Communities and Muslims. In UP Chamars constitute over 50% of the total Dalit population and they outnumber other communities in services. The Valmikis who are mostly in cities are financially better off but do not pay attention to education. You say that unity among Yadavs came due to “jati identity”. Only due to “caste identity’, prominent BCs besides Pal, Murao, Rajbhar, Mallah, carpenter etc, could not be brought on single platform. “Jati identity” will only benefit the Manuwadis, specially the Brahmins. The “jati identity” is so deep rooted that Periyar E.V. Ramaswami fought for unity among the Backwards and Dalits but failed.
In UP, 80% of the atrocities on Dalits are by the BCs, mainly Yadav and Kurmi. If we shed the “jati identity” and form a united front of Dalits, Backwards and minorities we can capture the Centre and the states. Your magazine is a very popular and you are an able writer. You are doing much for the mission of Babasaheb. I am sure your magazines and books will help fulfill the mission of Babasaheb.
R. Anbarasu, K3/44F, BHEL Township, Kamarajapuram, Tiruchi-620014: Our organisation, Dr. Ambedkar Youth Front, organised a public meeting and the opening ceremony of Dr. Ambedkar Memorial, Library, Budhist centre at Peelvadi village, Perambalur dt., on Jan. 19 last. Upper caste rowdies led by Kamalakannan and Chinnappa removed the garland put on the Budha statue and when Dalits questioned their rowdism several Vanniyar youths attacked us with deadly weapons. Many Dalits were badly injured. The main culprits are Kamalakkan, s/o Nallaperumal, and Chinnappa, s/o Periyathami.
P.R. Kedee, President, Dr. Ambedkar Study Circle, Dr. Ambedkar Bhawan, Sector 37-A, Chandigarh: A meeting of all SC/ST organisations of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh was held on Feb.23. The issue of restoration of reservation and review of the Constitution was discussed. We constituted the “Arkashan Bachao Sangharash Samiti to protect the constitutional rights of Dalits under the presidentship of Amar Nath Sarhadi.
Brother Keede’s “Arakshan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti comes too late when SC/ST/BC reservations have been already killed by the ruling Aryans who have also decided to replace the Dr. Ambedkar’s Constitution with their own constititon, Manudharma Shastra. This tiny 15% Aryans could do all this because your “Dr. Ambedkar Study Circle” has committed the fundamental mistake in printing on the top of your letterhead a distorted version of Babasaheb’s “Three Commandments: Educate, Agitate, Organise. That is the order. We are sorry to note that despite our 20-year-long campaign to correct this distortion, you are preferring to follow the distorted version sold by our Aryan enemies. What a shame that the “Dr. Ambedkar Study Circle” does not know the “Three Commandments” of Dr. Ambedkar. This grievous unpardonable error on your part has led to the existing crisis. We are very sorry that no one even bothered to correct you. We have only a couple of copies of the reprint of our 1989 Editorial (pages 14) on the Three Commandments. Are you ready to meet the cost of reprinting 2.000 copies of the same? – EDITOR.
Iqbal Ahmed Shariff, Advocate, 94/1-Tank Garden, Jayanagar, Bangalore-560 011: The Civil Procedure Code (CPC) is a great book of law, framed by the most judicious minded judges to see that every opportunity is provided to the litigants to place their cases before the court. All plaintiffs and many proplaintiff judges, particularly in higher judiciary, think that it is heavily loaded in favour of defendants and are angry with it because it causes delay in disposal of cases. While this allegation is unjustifiable, still it is arguable that the defendants are generally from the weaker sections of the society, both class-wise and caste-wise. The defendants are generally borrowers from banks and moneylenders and are landless/ house-less tenants. Being beggars, they are not choosers, and are compelled to sign all sorts of documents while transacting. Being poor, they either do not possess documents and are compelled to obtain collateral documents of secondary value after long struggles to defend their cases. Since it is the rich and the powerful, who are generally the plaintiff, they choose their own time to file cases. Entire time is at their disposal. On the contrary apart from the defendant being weaker, he is surprised by the timing of the filing of the case and requires time to collect facts, documents and witnesses. The CPC, as it is provides ample opportunities. This is not to the liking of the multinational companies, who want to monopolise all Indian trade through corporate business. The Indian Bania exploiters’ old grouse against CPC suddenly got the support of the multinational giants, and without giving any reasons the govt. has amended the CPC compelling the parties to file documents along with the plaint and objections itself, which are never to be amended any time later. Whatever the reasons, and no more than three adjournments (3 months in total) to be given for the collection of facts, documents etc to the defendants. Big commercial institutions and rich individuals can afford to meet these requirements but poor businessmen, and individuals are certain to get decrees against them within 6 months. Whom are the proposed amendments helping? Offering of security to get injunctions is another anti-poor provision. How can footpath vendors, hawkers, coolies, barbers, butchers, fishermen to name a few petty professionals afford to offer security when their professions and professional places are sought to be destroyed by the municipal and other government authorities and the treacheries of rich neighbours. What will ensue is a pure police raj. Might becomes the only right. Dalits, BCs and the poorer sections of the minorities will be worst victims. If these amendments are allowed, we will see very soon, court bailiffs with police standing to attach the properties of all these defendants. While the entire lot of lawyers (barring the pro-BJP pones) are opposing the move, the silence of the High Court and Supreme Court judges is highly intriguing. Law, litigation and justicing has already become an intellectual aberration and pure technicality totally devoid of good conscience, morality, humanity and common sense. Manu is reigning supreme in India. Bahujan leaders must be very careful whenever a law is made or amended.
S.M. Mir, president, Sarwajanik Muslim Library, Bhusawal, MS: Your “retreat” from Delhi has pained me very much. It proves that not only Muslims but even our Dalit brothers and leaders are running mad after political power even after sacrificing their own “identity and community”. For instance Ranvilas Paswan, Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav etc. What a disgrace on our Dalit and Muslim leaders?
