Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, PO Box 1207, St. Helena Island, SC 29920, USA: Our contact is essential to all peoples of color of the world. Thus, we must forge on together. Please let me know again if you do not get response back from me because the mail may have been intercepted or not gone through the system. However, I will always reply personally.
Michael Tobin, President, International Dalit Support Group, PO Box 3226, River View, FL 33569, USA: Please accept my apology for taking so long to contact my Dalit Voice family members. Dalit Voice family members should be aware that a new form of state repression is being organised by the international racist, America. This new form of state repression will separate the tigers from the pussycats. It is better to have a room with a few tigers than a house full of pussycats. In 2003, I will be involved in some important meetings in Middle-East. Remember, the god is on the side of the oppressed, surely god is on our side. I love you all very much.
Naveed Hussain Hameed, 2425 Lark Drive, Montgomery, AL-36108, USA: I am with you in your effort. I have been in US for last 4 years and now I am looking for job and if I do not find one I will move back to India and there are things I could do there which I cannot do here in this slave country where people are slaves of liquor, drugs or dollar “almighty” and whose very life and existence is in hands of zionists. Their grip is as strong as the grip of Hindu nazis on the Dalits who have been hinduised to fight Muslims. We have to fight the local enemy, the nazis and the international enemy of the Muslims and Dalits, the zionists here. The zionists using their media have gone to the extent of mobilizing billions through deficit financing (printing of dollar bills) and by stealing money from social security (a form of provident fund for the Americans when they retire). All this tax dollars are being burnt to kill innocent Muslims. and subdue the “Spirit of Islam. Then the arrogance of the zionist moles in the US centers of power has reached such dizzying heights that they have gone to the extent of seizing/banning charitable Muslim organizations to weaken and starve the poor Muslims. The zionist have made billions in US by legalizing fraud and harassing the Americans through their crooked insurance scheme and have also robbed social security under the guise of giving medical aid to poor, corrupted and co-opted the weak and fickle-minded Americans here and have kicked out the revolutionary minds from prominent positions. They have also managed to dislodge Muslims from their jobs through their appointed managers (read slaves) and are imprisoning many under secret evidence. All these activities are done from back door under the advise of the Learned Elders (read learned elderly criminals) of Zion. Please read the book Zionist Arthshastra distributed by Dalit Sahitya Akademy and educate our people. I have distributed several copies to Black Americans here and will buy more once I find a job. I suspect I was laid of my job for speaking against the injustice done to Muslims in Afghanistan and I will continue to do so even if these people were to take my life. We should not be cowed down by the threats and backdoor manipulations being carried out by zionists. They need to be identified and its their billion dollars they made through liquor/drugs/gambling/insurance has to be seized so justice can be done to local American citizens (young and old) who suffer under the yolk of the zions and also this will help America pay of its debts to other countries and also compensation to Afghanistan and the Taliban for unjustly attacking them. It is the terrorist like Hindu nazis that have to be dealt with first (whatever Taliban did is nothing compared to what the Hindu nazi terrorists have been doing in India)… You could read many of my articles published in Dalit Voice Including the one on Pessismism. I agree with V.T. Rajashekar that pessimism sparks revolution. We should not get optimistic of the promises given by politicians which they give to buy time to win their own political battles and also form a coalition with cut-throats among our Dalit brotherhood. We should act swiftly and give no time to enemy. Any ideas will be highly appreciated.
Brig. (Retd.) Usman Khalid, 15 The Hamlet, Champion Hill, London SE5 8AW, UK: The BJP-led coalition Govt. in India has no one but itself to blame for the situation India is in. It won two elections by kicking up hysteria over Babri Masjid and threat from Pakistan. It asked the people of India to discard Secularism and polarise afresh as children of god Rama against the children of Babar, the founder of the Mughal Empire. The people of India responded enthusiastically to its call. The children of Lord Rama won every battle-electoral as well as physical. Babri Masjid was demolished, Muslims were massacred all over India and Hinda nazis became the rulers of India with Vajpayee as the Prime Minister. But gains from intimidation do not last forever. India is in turmoil. Counter-measures, if any, might be too little and come too late. The question is, would the nazis relinquish its hold on power quickly and quietly enough to save India from disintegration? In the recent elections in four states (all with BJP as the ruling party in coalition), the BJP employed its tried and tested winning formula” – heightening tensions with Pakistan and exacerbating religious hatred. But it failed this time and the BJP lost power in all the four states. It appears India is paying a price for forgetting the lesson of history that when fascism triumphs riding the chariot of democracy, it leads to untold death and destruction that ruins countries and even whole regions and continents. Hitler and Mussolini won great electoral victories before they led their countries to destruction. The BJP is a Hindu nazi party that believes in the efficacy of war and strife to achieve its objectives; it ridicules objectives like international peace and internal harmony as hallmarks of weakness and appeasement. The BJP sacrificed harmony between religions without hesitation for its electoral interest. Its leaders did not only lead the campaign to demolish Babri Masjid, they have been encouraging their supporters to continue pogroms against Muslims and Christians. Vajpayee had been endorsing the right of puja on Babri Masjid site until a month ago. But the strategy did not work this time; the BJP lost the elections. Vajpayee now realises that he must obey the Supreme Court that has disallowed the puja. Having given a free hand to the nazis and other extremists for so long. Vajpayee may not be able to rein them in. The nazi elements in India may conclude that it was their restraint that was wrong; they might indulge in excess in the hope of decisive intimidation. Having lost in UP, it has taken to pogroms in the states where the BJP is in power. The sustained massacre of Muslims in Gujarat -where BJP is the ruling party – proves that the nazis may have embarked on the course of liquidation of ‘foreign faiths’ already. As Muslims in India become more helpless and afraid, and Pakistan is so evidently unable to stop their massacre, genuine secularists of India have a genuine cause. If they do accept the challenge, they could unite and win the next national elections and India may stay one country. If not, India would break up in the wake of a blood bath. The “threat” from Muslims or Islam may not be a credible cry to win votes; but the BJP may yet employ it as an excuse to continue its pogroms against Muslims and Christians. But the rest of the world is unlikely to accept that India has to liquidate minority religions in order to survive. The contrast between the arrogance and duplicity of Indian leaders with obsequious simplicity of their Pakistani counterparts is too striking. The pogrom against Muslims and Christians is one too many at a time when the trial of the architects of pogroms in erstwhile Yugoslavia is still underway. The events that began to unfold with the destruction of Babri Masjid have yet to run their course. The determination of nazis to build Ram temples in its place is far from being exhausted. Half a century of obduracy has convinced the world that it is fruitless trying to dissuade India from anything its right wing wants. India would learn from its own experience. At the outset, there would be little international impact of religious riots in India. But if riots continue and the death toll continues to rise, the world would raise its voice against bestial brutality of “kerosene can terrorism” practised by the nazis of India. Terror practised by the state or by minority groups can be contained and defeated. When terror has the approval of the majority given in free vote, the state cannot stop it. That is the way India is headed towards a popular bloodbath. The talk of more partitions of India is not empty rhetoric; it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. India is unable see the fault of its ways. Instead, it concentrates on getting the West to join its crusade against Islam. It sees great danger in the Muslim point of view being validated by experience. It wants the USA to endorse its policy to liquidate Muslims and make it an integral part of its own plans to deal with the “Muslim menace”. An Indian journalist, Inderpreet Singh, encapsulates the theme evolved to tie in the Muslims of South Asia with those of the Middle East, where India sees the USA to be fighting Islam. He wrote: A diabolic shift is very distinctly visible in Muslim community. Muslim intellectuals for the first time in India and Pakistan have been seen comparing the Kashmir issue with other Muslim struggles and blame the West for creating more confusion than solutions. They argue that the growing radicalization of Islam is a response to the intrusion of the West in every global Muslim conflict and criticize the West for seldom trying to solve the problem. It is hard to predict what course the USA would follow because it has been unmindful of its own interests in the design of its policies. But it does appear to be concerned that another Indo-Pakistan War may derail its efforts to consolidate its control over the Middle East and Central Asia. The nazis in India see the situation differently. They say, patronisingly, “The presence of United States troops in Pakistan is the only barrier between the two countries going to war.” That is not true. The two sides are too evenly matched to be able to get a decision. The military on both sides know it. The leaders of both countries also understand that the damage to the side that starts the war would be irreparable. Pakistan would not start the war; no responsible leader in India would start one either. However, nazis have not stopped hoping to get the USA to fight on its side. In any event, when faced with widespread bloodletting in consequence of its policies, India may invade Pakistan. Threat from Pakistan may have lost its appeal to get votes, but Pakistan is still a convement scapegoat for the failure of the policies of the BJP. As the hold on power of the BJP erodes, the influence of the military would increase. I hope it is able to restrain the BJP from the invasion of Pakistan. However, no one appears to be inclined or able to restrain the nazis in continuing their pogrom. At this time, India seems resolutely headed towards self-destruction. When India goes up in flames literally, some of the states would try to salvage peace and harmony inside their borders and some others may offer refuge to those whose houses, businesses and places of worship have been burnt down and who have been rendered homeless, penniless and stateless. India has always said that it is afraid it would breakup if it allowed the people of Jammu Kashmir their right of self-determination. That is not true. India could have saved itself from break-up by conceding self-determination to its many peoples. Countries do not break up in consequence of war, empires do. Empires break up when there is no central authority left to demand self-determination from. That is what happened in the Soviet Union and to Yugoslavia. That is now happening in India.
Dr. Satinath Choudhary, 115, West 238 Street, Bronx, New York 10463, USA: I fully endorse your idea of jati-based parties. But under the electoral system such jati based parties would not win any seats. They will have to form alliances wherein all kinds of undemocratic and ugly manipulations take place. For the jati-parties to go into election without the compulsion to form any kind of pre-election alliance (and seat adjustments) we will need to switch to a Proportional Representation (PR) system of election. You have been kind enough to publish my articles on PR in the past. I will be sending you an article on a still more improved version of PR. I agree with you that under the present electoral system that unity of SC/BC/Muslims would never come about. But under a changed electoral system, just the way you have envisioned, caste-based parties will be born. Each caste-based party will get seats in proportion to votes it gets. There will be no need for elusive unity before election. If it gets 2% votes, it will get 2% seats, 4 out of 200 seats, under PR. After the election, with each caste getting equitable seats, they will all be equal. They can bargain like equals. They may still end up choosing a Brahmin leader from time to time. But they would not be subsurvient to a Brahmin. Each of the castes would have nearly equal chance of getting a leadership position. With 2-5% votes spread all over the state, no caste-based party can hope to get any seats under our current FPTP system. Proportional Representation (PR) will actualize your and my visions. Our dreams can come true. Under FPTP our fate is doomed. All countries that currently have PR started with FPTP but later switched on to PR later. We must do the same. Under Hindu nazism there can be no democracy. As long as there is any semblance of democracy, even decrepit FPTP, we can hope to make changes in the system. But the unfortunate thing is that under FPTP, BJP will always be the top dog with its worst elements in the lead. DV June 1, 2000 p. 15: “PR System of election will end Aryan hegemony over political parties”).
No doubt your suggestions are fine but theoretically. As the brahminical forces are having full monopoly over media, they will never allow the unity of the Dalits. MBCs and Muslims. Vaidiks are experts in the law of contradictions. They have made a deep study of the caste contradictions in Indian society and will not allow the unity of the oppressed. As we have no media, we can do nothing. The BSO is encouraging some Dalit leaders and writers to promote Dalit-Brahmin unity, Impressing that their enemies are BCs and not Brahmins. UP is chosen for this experiment. We will not be surprised if this experiment succeeds EDITOR
K. Mukundan, Peruvattur, Koyilandy, Calicut, Kerala -673 305: The Kerala Land Reforms Act has not been discussed thoroughly in Kerala so far. That is why people are ignorant on this Act. A lawyer who is sincere and honest to his profession can easily reveal the mischief behind it. But the fact is that no one has even tried to do it. No doubt, if we convince the Dalits and Tribals about the KLR Act, the very foundation of the manuwadi marxist party would shake in Kerala. Being a layman any explanations on this subject may have limitations. When I wrote on the KLR Act in Dalithakam monthly titled, “KLR Act: A historical document on the betrayal of the working class by marxists”, I received a warm welcome from the readers. It was reproduced by various magazines. Later in 1995, the Kerala Dalit Sahitya Academy published it as a booklet. So the Act was discussed among the Dalits throughout Kerala. Several articles have also appeared in the press. Besides, I had the opportunity to deliver speeches on the same subject. My feeling is if the Dalits and Tribals are convinced of the KLR Act and other anti Dalit-Tribal Acts, they will be forced to revolt against the upper caste marxists.
Prof. Indramohan Mandal, Dept. of History, Samsi College, Maldah, WB-732 139: This refers to the Letter of Brother Bimal Biswas, Editor, Adal Badal, Calcutta (DV March 1, p.23). It is much to be regretted that an editor of a journal only dances round the subject without penetration. He cannot appreciate that an offence is an offence all the same whether others can be prevented from it or not. That is why the Indian Penal Code passed in 1860 still holds its place and the state has to maintain force. As observed by A.D. Lindsay in the Modern Democratic State, (1947, Vol.I, p.206):
“There must be force because there are rules which have little value unless everyone keeps them, and force is needed to fill up the gap between most people usually and all people always obeying.”
It is really disappointing to find that Bimal Biswas betrays colossal ignorance of the facts of the partition of India and of Bengal and talks out of record. It seems he follows Joya Chatterjee’s Bengal Divided. It is astonishing to learn that Mountbatten “was very eager to become the first Prime Minister”. He brings in Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Radcliff to complete his cock-and-bull story. He is well advised to go to the primary source and read The Transfer of Power by V.P. Menon, the then Secretary of the Govt. of India in charge of the States portfolio. He wrote the books as advised by the then Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhai Patel. It is unfortunate that Brother Biswas combines ignorance with arrogance to refute the historical facts.
N.G. Das, 17 Dattabad Road, PO Bidhannagar, Salt Lake, Calcutta 700 064: The attention of DV family members is invited to the lecture of our Editor, at the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, on the Dec.6, 2001 (published on p. 19 of the DV Jan. 1,2002) under the heading, “How India became a laughing stock of entire world“. It is a marvellous piece and full of thought-provoking ideas on the greatest son of India, Dr. Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar, whose works and thoughts are quite unknown to the upper caste literate section of India. DV family members should read this lecture twice and make their friends and others also to read it to know what a great genius we have lost never to get back again. The speech has to be translated to all languages and printed as a pamphlet. DV will take up its sales.
Pradip Sethi, Atharnala, Puri, Orissa 752 002: The Bhubaneswar Book Fair (DV March 1, 2002 p.18) though late was a stead beginning as far as Dalit literature in Orissa is concerned. At last Dalit literature has raised its head amid heaps of brahminical garbage. Very many thanks to Rashmi Enterprises for popularising Dalit literature in Orissa. A significant development of the 18th Bhubaneswar Book Fair is an Untouchable bagged this year’s Book Fair award for his poetry, Asprusia (Untouchable). Dr. Basudeb Sunani of Maniguda, Nuapada dt., of Western Orissa, has poured the tears and sorrow, anger of Untouchables into a poem. Great work. Brother Basudev Sunani deserves our love and fullest encouragement from Dalits of Orissa.
Gurtej Singh, 742, Sector-8, Chandigarh 160 008: I am always willing to stand by the truth which is what Sikhism is all about. But firstly we must make an honest effort to discover the Truth. If Dr. (Mrs.) K.K. Sidhu feels that the Sikhs are not doing anything and have done nothing to break the caste shackles, she is deviating from the truth as widely as she can. Let her spell out her thesis consistently, cogently and let the matter be debated in the Dalit Voice. If she clearly defines the issues, I promise to join the debate. If she thinks that the Sikhs should help the Muslims and Sikhs do not seem to be doing so in her opinion and she comes to the conclusion that Sikhism is therefore dying or is dead, this can hardly be considered logical. Let us have a well ordered discussion on the subject so that we are nearest to the truth – which all of us can support.
Dr. Bhagwan Singh Sandhu, 2/2, Chandigarh: After the attack on Muslim “terrorists” following their Sept. 11, 2001 attack on America, after the attack on Indian Parliament and the American Centre in Calcutta, the Indian Govt. has found another handle to malign, degrade and publicise Sikhs as extremist elements abroad. One such example is myself. I had gone twice to England before Sept.11 and returned safely but was treated like an A Class terrorist when I recently tried to enter Canada with a valid visa on Feb.13. I was arrested by the immigration authorities at the Vancouver airport on arrival on Feb.12 and handcuffed. The Indian High Commission did not bother about my arrest. The Canadian police and intelligence started interrogating me without any proof of my involvement in any terrorist activity or my links in India or abroad. I was a leader of the Sikh Students Federation and this was enough for them to persecute me. I was given two options either to leave Canada for India or be sent to interrogation center in Canada as I was dubbed a hard-core terrorist. I was. locked up in a small cell of 7feet by 4 feet with a cement bench to lie down. They forcibly took my consent to go back and was sent back on Feb. 13 to London where the same exercise was repeated. I was arrested by the British authorities, interrogated and sent to a London jail where I spent one night. On Feb. 14, I was put on a flight to New Delhi where I was detained for six hours at the airport and then only allowed to leave. All the papers relating to my arrest at Vancouver and London were seized by the Indian authorities. All these have badly affected my health. I met the Chairman of Punjab Human Rights Organisation, Justice Ajit Singh Bains, and sought his help.
T. Franklin Caeser, Bethel, Soosaiyapuram, New Street Manakkal, Lalgudi PO, Tiruchirapalli dt- 621 601: In our hamlet mostly Christian and “Hindu” Paraiah community people are living. We had applied to the state govt. asking free house sites to Dalit Christians who come under the Backward Class. The owner of the land agreed to handover the land to the govt. but a tenant, Casmir (Udaya community man), St. Mary’s Church, Manakkal, refused to vacate creating more problems to Dalits. Another Rev. Father Sundar (Paraiah) is always mum. We need the support of the Christian church and DV Editor.
S.M. Mir, 67/68 Varcha Mansion, Opp. Noorbagh, Bombay 400 009: I am a reader of DV since 15-16 years though not regular. My father. S.M. Mir (Syed Muzaffar Mir) president, Sarwajanik Library, Bhusawal, used to write in your prestigious magazine. Now after surgery he is taking rest. I will request DV readers to pray for his health. What I wanted to say in my previous letter is that publishing an English magazine will not serve the purpose. I knew that you failed to start a “Media Centre”. Never mind. If you want to reach the Dalit masses, you will have to make them understand that they are not Hindus. Majority Dalits think they are Hindus. You must hold conferences in different parts of India like the Jamate-Islami, Tablighe-Jamat, SIMI and SIO do. These gatherings should be held in all the corners of the country repeatedly. Don’t get disappointed by poor attendance in the start. Make the masses understand that their awareness may change the history of the country. No doubt, you are alone but you will have to do it. Nobody is there to do it after you. DV may have small readership. Moreover our readers are shy of spreading it. Some how we will have to penetrate the masses.
We know your father very well and wish him speedy recovery. You have shifted the responsibility of Impressing the Dalits that they are not Hindus on us. But you must know that all village-dwelling Dalits, kept outside the village limits, know this fact. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had also said this. But the Hindu nazis have invested billions and billions of dollars to hinduise the Dalits. And their work has been going on for the past 100 years or so with great devotion. sincerity and in high speed. The culmination of their decades-long work is capturing power in Delhi. But what are the Muslims doing? They ruled India for 800 years and constitute 15 to 20% of the population and possess a revolutionary religion. They are also found in every part of India. Why did they abdicate their responsibility to impress Dalits that they are not Hindu? Why did they refuse to obey the dictates of Quran which tells them to fight on behalf of the Mustadafeen and if necessary die? When the Hindu nazis can be so dedicated in their destructive work of enslaving our people, why can’t the Muslim display at best half that dedication for a noble work of saving Dalits from the jaws of nazis? Your 15 years of reading DV is of no use when you have failed to understand the “Spirit of Islam” on which DV has been writing so much. (Curse of Allah, DSA-1997) – EDITOR.
Mir Assadullah, Human Rights Division, Institute of Kashmir Studies, Jamaat Building, Batamaloo, Srinagar, PO Box No. 725, Kashmir-190 009: The events recorded in our 10-page report show some glaring cases only and many more go unnoticed and unrecorded. The Indian security forces, the Jammu and Kashmir police, the Special Operations Group (SOG), the Special Task Force (STF) and the Special Police Officers (SPO’s) of J&K police are involved in gross human rights violations. The events recorded show that there is an increase in the violence. Those interested may write to us for copies of the report.
