‘Breaking Barriers: The Story of a Dalit Chief Secretary’ (original) (raw)
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Green Wave Publishing of Canada, 2023
This scholarly article extensively explores Karpoori Thakur's leadership abilities, carefully examining his crucial role as a steadfast protector of Dalits and marginalized communities. Through thorough analysis, it reveals Thakur's steadfast determination and unshakeable resilience in tackling significant systemic challenges, thus showcasing the profound transformative impact of his leadership during difficult times. By closely examining Thakur's decisions and tactical approaches, this research provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of social reform, illustrating the ongoing struggle for justice and equality in its most severe forms. Thakur's unwavering dedication to the cause serves as evidence of his firm resolve and principled stance against entrenched injustices. Through detailed scrutiny of his methods, this study reveals the strategic prowess and forward-thinking vision that formed the foundation of Thakur's leadership, offering guidance for future initiatives in the relentless pursuit of social justice.
Historical Deprivation to Panchayat Leader: Comprehending the Saga of Dalit Women in India
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This paper aims to comprehend the journey of Dalit women from deprivation to being a Panchayat leader and also tries to analyse their role and experience in the PRIs. Their oppression on the grounds of caste and gender has affected their political participation significantly. Gradually the constitutional remedies and amendments started strengthening the participation of Dalit women in the Panchayat Raj Institution. One group strongly feels that the PRIs lead by women has had a productive impact on the grassroots. On the other hand, one group also points out various problems which the women need to face in the internal processes of Panchayat. There have been also several instances where Dalit women leaders have to establish their strong political identity through PRIs. They have redefined the ideals of women-hood and marching towards the reconstruction of community, society, and nation. Two major facets are responsible for this radical transformation. First is the impact of the thoug...
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Practices of Change, Addressing Equity and Inclusion for Dalits in South Asia
This compilation of good practices from South Asia showcases some of the key strategic government and civil society initiatives to eliminate caste based discrimination and advance Dalit rights in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. It presents efforts by governments to eliminate caste-based discrimination and untouchability through the implementation of constitutional, legislative and other measures; and highlights ongoing efforts by affected communities and civil society organisations. In particular, it presents several good practices in which governments have collaborated with civil society organisations, schools and other institutions to safeguard and promote the rights of Dalits. This compilation would be useful for policy makers and civil society organisations across South Asia to understand the wide spread of actions possible to eliminate caste based discrimination and create more equal and socially cohesive societies.
THE LIFE OF DALITS IN COLONIAL TELANGANA: AN INTERPRETATION
ISSN : 2347-7180 , 2023
The present paper probes into the life journey of Dalits, particularly during the period of colonial, in the region of Telangana, India. The study presents a discussion of the life of Dalits under the rule of feudal landlords, the nature of landlords towards Dalits and vice versa, the socio-cultural practices or norms of the time and its impact on the day to day life of Dalits. The purpose of this investigation is to explore the malicious relationship between feudal landlords and submissive Dalits. The paper aims at studying some of these attempts by drawing attention to Dalit writings. The text chosen for study is My Father Baliah (2011), a life narrative of a Dalit family of Telangana region, written by Dr. Y.B. Satyanarayana.
From the Margin to the Centre: The Journey of the Indian Dalit Woman
New Academia: An International Journal of English Language, Literature and Literary Theory, 2020
The aim of this paper is to locate the journey of a few aspirational women from the Dalit community, the most persecuted group in India, from the fringes of society to its centre, carving for themselves a life of dignity and prosperity.In fact, it may even be argued that the Dalits of India have suffered a similar fate with that of the Afro-American community, living for centurieswithin the 'margins', being an unacknowledged and derided part of society as the 'unwanted insiders'. As Bell Hooks observes in her seminal work Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (1984):'To be in the margin is to be part of the whole but outside the main body.'In current sociological and literary epistemology, Dalit Studies has emerged as a new, interdisciplinary mode of assessing and situating the Indian Dalit community. In this respect, this paper takes a few short stories from the Rajasthani Dalit writer Ratan Kumar Sambharia as frameworks to assess the Dalit woman's situation in India and her constant struggle to form a narrative alterity. The Dalit woman faces the double-whammyas a sociological 'other', not only because she is a Dalit but also because she is a Woman. The Dalit woman is under constant pressure to abide by the set social praxis and follow a preordained trajectory, the transgression of which unleashes a multitude of challenges along her path. Therefore, it is important to look at the Dalit Woman as a separate entity, with struggles unique to her social reality. This paper takes a look at some of these pressing issues that have plagued Indian society since generations.
Out of the Cheris: Dalits Contesting and Creating Public Space in Tamil Nadu
Dalits (ex-untouchables) in Tamil Nadu, as in many other places of India, have historically resided in cheris or settlements set apart from the village or oor. Cheris often lack amenities like schools, ration shops, health centers or panchayat buildings and are set off the main road down poorly lit and surfaced roads, revealing the significance of space and the spatiality of social relations to the caste system. As Dalits in Tamil Nadu have mobilized politically, they have challenged the hierarchical nature of social space in the face of much backlash, seeking to create meaningful public spaces that are open to, and representative of, all castes. This article concerns the Dalit contestations over space and the wider ramifications of such struggles in the sociopolitical sphere, and argues that the process of democratization requires alterations to social and well as political spaces and institutions. The Tamil blockbuster Madras (Pa Ranjith, 2014) has all the ingredients of a popular Tamil film: fight sequences, song and dance routines, and a troubled romance. What sets it apart, is its foregrounding of an emergent Dalit political culture in the state. The hero, stereotypically, is bold and fearless. Unusually, however, the protagonist is a Dalit (formerly untouchable) youth with links to politics and a desire to empower others through education. The film revolves around disputes over a stretch of wall that political parties use to advertise candidates and events. The upshot is an intense power struggle which takes both spatial and political forms. At the heart of the film are two social processes that form the focus of this article: first, a resurgent politics of caste in which Dalits are key players; and second, the central and continuing significance of social space to caste. The notion that everyone knew and accepted their place in caste society (cf. Moffatt 1979) has never mapped onto reality. Protests against caste have taken multiple forms, including migration or flight (Adas, 1991). These strategies foreground the importance of space, but " the constitutive role of space in the institution of untouchability and in Dalit political mobilization " (Rawat 2013, p. 1060) has been understudied. This omission is surprising given that the regulated nature of caste-based habitation and interaction has helped naturalize caste