Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister invoked the National Security Act against 16 Muslim youth who are accused of attacking Dalits residents of Sikandarpur Aika village in Azamgarh district. The accused would gather at the village tube well and pass lewd comment on the…
This is an anthology of my personal loss, love, and hope in my time in a medical college. I had stolen a chair from the front gate of my hostel and had gone to Gandhi Market to buy a rope a day before. I remember it was the morning of 4th September 2017. I stepped on the chair, I was anxious and was out of breathe because I was not able to go through this system anymore and was also unable to pay my fees. I did not know anymore how could I rub the title of ‘Bahujan Doctor’ from my forehead.
Draupathi a Tamil movie released in February 2020 is the worst movie of all that I have watched. However, the movie has found appreciation from Tamil Nadu BJP leader H.Raja and PMK leader Ramdoss. Then certainly one should know that it is against treating women equally and against love marriages. Both have appreciated and congratulated the team. I couldn’t watch for more than 10 minutes of the movie. I should also point out that this movie has received ‘good’ applause from the so-called larger public and the reviewers.
In the past it’s rare to see dalits in leading role in mainstream cinema. Things in recent times are changing and we see dalits in different leading roles and salutes to the emerging dalit directors who are stirring the existing caste system in the film industry.
Recently I watched an amazing Telugu movie Palasa 1978 on Amazon Prime. The movie is said to be a real story happened in Palasa village around the year 1978. Palasa is a small town in Srikakulam district. It is the same town where in 2012, 4 dalits were massacred to death in Lakshmipetta by the dominant Hindu caste Kappus. Just imagine what would have been the situation of dalits in 1978 in Srikakulam district.
The events following the fall of untouchability wall on December 2nd 2019 in Mettupalayam has shocked many like me. In Mettualayam, the activists, mostly Arunthathiyars, gathered to demand justice for the 17 deaths. All of them died while sleeping, with the sound from the fall of the 20 feet wall the neighbors ran to the spot to help. They called all officials, who came only after 15 bodies were removed by the neighbors. To put in perspective, fire service is 1 km away, police station 3km away, municipal office 1 km away, but all came very late…
The ‘untouchability / caste wall’ that was illegally constructed by a textile shop owner belonging to the dominant caste, collapsed in the wee hours of 3rd Dec, leading to the death of the 17 Dalit people. NAPM has written a letter to NCSC seeking stringent action against those responsible for the collapse.
400 scholars, academics, activists from 16 countries have signed an International Statement of Solidarity against “caste-discrimination and institutional harassment” of Dr. Subrahmanyam Saderla, an associate professor at IIT Kanpur’s Department of Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Saderla belongs to a Scheduled Caste community.
Why should it divide two communities? If it is there to divide, then we don’t need it at all no? Now that it is not needed, the government, law has given a judgement in your favour to break the wall.
The Paraiyars claimed that land as theirs and constructed a wall to stop Chakkiliyars from entering the land. The latter complained to the DC Sahayam about this. The DC informed the Paraiyars that they cannot prevent access to public land. But the wall remained.
Pictures from protest at Trivandrum
