(with inputs from Mythri Prasad Aleyamma)
I admit, this title sounds sensationalist. But one can hardly avoid resorting to it when confronted with utterly stupefying news of attacks on dalit colonies almost next door to Kerala’s capital city and nerve centre of Malayalee politics, and that too, by a minor anti-political force that has a legacy of anti-South Indian hatred — the Siva Sena. And of course when one is confronted with the hard, stony silence of almost all sections of the media about this. The mystery of the murder of an elderly, innocent morning-walker in Varkala, a town close to Thiruvananthapuram (of which I wrote in an earlier post) still remains a mystery; the police story is so full of holes that it looks like a sieve. But the Guardians of our Free Press are still lapping police versions and not conducting independent investigation. Activists who have dared to do so have been heckled and hounded, even senior and respected human rights activists like B.R.P.Bhaskar, by the Siva Sena, and their protests have been ignored. Meanwhile violence continues to be unleashed against the supporters of the group that has been accused of murder, the Dalit Human Rights Movement (DHRM).
The title, then, is meant to shake up those (if any) who may be under the impression that the time of troubles is past now that the Chengara land struggle did win some concessions, and that peace reigns in this sweet season of Christmas and IFFK between the savarna gods and the people they have condemned to be sinners in God’s Own Country. In fact, the effort seems to be towards ensuring that the will of the dalits should be broken decisively — so that another Chengara may never threaten the savarna elite of Kerala.
Not that such repression is new. For some time now, we have seen the agents of new forms of urban crime take over the dalit colonies of Kerala and build close links with political forces, on the right and left, and this nexus has worked well to terrorise the inhabitants of these settlements, especially those who dare to question. This process was precisely what remained unseen when, a few years back, members of sex workers’ organisations were driven out of the Bangladesh Colony in Kozhikode city in northern Kerala. On the surface it appeared to be ‘moral cleansing’ but it was actually the eviction of those residents of the colony — sex workers who had gained a public identity through the sex workers’ organisation — who had dared to question the rise of dangerous crime and drug dealings there. There is also plenty of report (all this, strangely enough, is rarely converted into news) of violence against dalits in colonies all over Kerala where people have left the CPM fold to join the Kerala Pulaya Maha Sabha or the BSP.
But the violence being unleashed against the DHRM by the Siva Sena and the police differs because it appears to be a direct attack on the dalit effort to construct the dalit subject afresh in Kerala, breaking away decisively from the available dominant models in Kerala’s history of social reformism and political mobilization. Activists who have been regularly visiting the colonies where the DHRM has been working reported that the Ambedkarite and Neo-Buddhist-inspired DHRM has been seeking not only to end alcoholism and drug-consumption in these settlements, but also working to create new models of community and family life radically at odds with the highly individualized and atomistic nuclear family unit-model dominant in Kerala. From these accounts, it appears that the DHRM aims at nothing less than the transformation of dalit subjectivity, through an array of new practices, including a new dress-code and this separatism has provoked much violence. Their practice of group singing, cooking for each others’ family, their introduction of a unisex dress code of jeans and black t-shirts with Ambedkar’s image have led to the circulation of horrendous stories about sexual excess. In fact, the opposition to the dress code is strongly reminiscent of the savarna anger against lower caste women’s appropriation of the savarna upper-cloth in early-mid 19th century South Travancore! They have broken from models of marriage, refusing to call it ‘vivaham'(which is a sacrament) and referring to it as ‘cheral’ (joining); they view it as an instrument of breaking down inter-caste differences among the dalits. They also destabilize given caste identities, referring to members of the pulaya or kurava caste not with the usual ‘pulayanmar’ (the pulayas) or ‘kuravanmar’ (the kuravas), but as ‘pulayaraakkappettavar’ (‘those who have been made pulayas’) and ‘kuravaraakkappettavar'(‘those who have been made kuravas’). They have refused the dominant mode in which the dalits have been inducted into the present neo-liberal welfarist regime in Kerala — as the passive recipient of welfare informed by the ideology of self-help by remaining sceptical of the virtues of State-sponsored microfinance. No wonder that the panchayat, the police, the Siva Sena, and other major political forces, have all ganged up to strangle the DHRM.
And the Siva Sena is not alone; just the other day, savarna terror has been unleashed at Kattappana in the Idukki district. Here, a memorial had been erected many years back to Ambedkar by a dalit on a small piece of land he had received. Recently, dalit youth in the locality gathered to renovate the memorial which had fallen into disrepair in preparation for celebrations on December 6. The panchayat, however, claimed that the land belongs to it — and erected a barbed wire fence around it. Dalit youth broke through the fence on December 6 and garlanded the Ambedkar statue. The retaliation was swift: cases were slapped on several dalits including the wife and college-going daughter of the owner of the land, apparently on the complaint that dalits were squatting on government land. The CPM-run panchayat then demolished the memorial with a JCB, and carted off the Ambedkar statue in a waste-collection van before a watching crowd! It appears beyond doubt that the murderous enmity towards the dalits stems directly from their efforts to create cultural capital for themselves — and of course the dominant media is yet to find anything significantly newsworthy in this.
I think there are important lessons to be learned from these experiences. On the one hand, any serious effort to shape resistant subjectivities in Kerala that work against the dominant individualising logic of neoliberal welfare and depoliticisation, which do garner some success are bound to face vehement attacks. Dalit identity politics and dalit public intellectuals have managed to carve for themselves some space, however limited, in Kerala’s political public. It is important for movements like the DHRM to build active links with these forces — strategically, the effort to start from the scratch, which the DHRM has undertaken, needs the support of the existing sources of strength in Kerala’s oppositional civil society.
KAFILA - COLLECTIVE EXPLORATIONS SINCE 2006 
media and police introduced the word dalit extremism in the varkala context. mainstream media created stories against the dalit colonies and made platform to police and shivsena gundas to make attack over the dalits. police inquiry has no progress at all. Informal sources says that the person who is been killed is an ex-shivsena worker and shiv shena gundas killed him and put the charge to the dhrm people. how ever savarna conscious of our common sphere is been once again revealed.
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This write up by devika is plain loose talk. If a panchayat decides to demolish what it considers as an enroachment why invoke savarna there. Is DHRM active there.Her article does not say so. Yet she draws some conclusion linking everything to something to project a conspiracy theory.
‘There is also plenty of report (all this, strangely enough, is rarely converted into news) of violence against dalits in colonies all over Kerala where people have left the CPM fold to join the Kerala Pulaya Maha Sabha or the BSP.’
If that is the case why the human rights groups in Kerala have not investigated those incidents and write about them. That can be done without converting that to news.
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DHRM is based on Ambedkar’s teaching, where VIOLANCE has no place. DHRM cannot be compared to the role of SHIVA SENA or RSS which both are fanatic hindu cults.
Upper cast people lead by NSS – RSS Nairs don’t want to see dalit participation Kerala. They need dalits to be their permanent slaves. DHRM was the only organization in Kerala which tried to empower dalits by changing their life style. Kerala’s media is in the hands of some rich christians and NSS nairs. Both of these communities consider themselves as born brothers. They share their own business interests. Wealthy Christians need rubber tapping labourers and Hindu Nairs are in need of slaves for their home jobs. Traditionally dalits are serving both of these job categories. RSS- NSS and wealthy christian media want to hunt dalits using police forces.
The main stream left parties in Kerala is in the hands of psudeo leftists Nairs, who merely write and speak for communism but never practice it. They never allow inter caste marriages among party cadres. Dalits don’t have to keep any hope on these groups.
As a community, Dalits should organize themselves by joining hands with new leftists, dalit christians and back ward muslim groups and form a political alternative.
http://www.youtube.com/user/geedhageedha
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All human rights groups belong to hindu clan including communist.Hindus and hindu medias in India want dalits to be in hindu fold so they will get foot soldiers to fight against the muslims.time has come BSP and DS4 should support the DHRM.I would request Chumber and Dalit voice editor to look into matter and give moral support to DHRM who are teaching dr Ambedkar literature to dalit masses nothing else.
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Dear Kumarpushp ,
It is true that the ‘ All human rights groups belong to Hindu clan including communist.’ But we can join them to be human beings and get the human rights for ourselves . It is also true ‘ Hindus and hindu medias in India want dalits to be in hindu fold so they will get foot soldiers to fight against the Muslims .’ At the time of partition of India in 1947 A.D. , our Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar stood for the creation of Pakistan which harmed the democracy in India . He wrote book ‘ Thoughts on Pakistan ‘ and its revised edition was ‘ Pakistan or partition of India .’ He not only wrote book but he also advised the SCc leaders of Punjab and Bengal to vote for Pakistan . Baba Mangu Ram Muggowalia of the Adi-Dharam Mandal , Punjab rejected this idea and he also rejected the offer of P.M. of Pakistan if he and his M.L.As. voted for Pakistan . But Mr. Joginder Nath Mandal of Bengal liked Dr. Ambedkar`s idea and voted for Pakistan . He became the first ever Law Minister of Pakistan . Later he resigned and fled away to India. He criticized Dr. Ambedkar for the idea of voting for Pakistan . Your good self may read in details my ‘ Resignation letter of Joginder Nath Mandal first ever law minister of Pakistan ‘ being flashed in the http://www.ambedkartimes.com .
Next you wrote ,” time has come BSP and DS4 should support the DHRM.I would request Chumber and Dalit voice editor to look into matter and give moral support to DHRM who are teaching dr Ambedkar literature to dalit masses nothing else. ” It is for your kind information that DS4 and BSP have been debunked as Mayawati betrayed from the Bahujan theory . As far as my concern is , I always support to all humanist activities based on equality , equity , quality , liberty , fraternity and justice .
At last , we must understand that Dr. Ambedkar`s teachings and actions were modified as per the situations required . We must modify our selves in implementing the constitution of India . The constitution is our religious book which has the moral as well as the legal support . Thanks .
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Dear Chumber,What I wanted to tell on above mentioned matter that we should give moral support to DHRM who are the son of Dr Ambedkar .DHRM is a social organisation and teaching Dr Ambedkar literature in dalit colonys and asking people not to drink alcohol so all political party become affraid of DHRM including Kerala chief minister .the guy who was killed had a relation with siva sena and now they blamed the DHRM without any proofs.Police told to high court that they are investigating the terrorism links. congress had told about Kanshi ram that he is CIA agent and police is going to arrest him.SIMI was banned on the same grounds because they had challenged the hindus and their hindu led government.DHRM members are the son of Dr Ambedkar who had left behind from other parts ,this is our moral and social responsibility to support the DHRM to defeat the hindu led government in Kerala.
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Dear Kumarpushp ,
I had already replied ,” As far as my concern is , I always support to all humanist activities based on equality , equity , quality , liberty , fraternity and justice . “
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Dear Kumarpushp
You wrote ” the guy who was killed had a relation with siva sena”
Thats a real stunner which could alter the course of narrative. Please provide some evidence for the same. We can take that up and show the world the truth behind varkala incident.
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Dear Naveen, Person who was killed belong to ex member of Siva sena ,same people had killed the poor guy and blamed the DHRM.Hindu maha sabha ,abhinav Bharat who were invoved in bomb blast in mosque but they did not arrest their foffice bearer.DHRM is a social organisation in Kerala and organising dalits in name of Dr Ambedkar.problems with hindus and their hindu led government they get itch in name of Dr Ambedkar.every body telling the story the same guy killed and blamed the DHRM.SIMI was banned on the same ground because they had stand in front of hindus and their hindu led government.Dalit panther was banned in UP on same ground by congress.Hindu medias are writing one side story,they never taken interview or openion of DHRM office bearer,this is possible only in India only.
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The media should report the facts so that the people may know about the reality . The government also act constitutionally , otherwise the people will revolt non-violentally or violentally like Punjab . We lost two prime ministers due to their mismanagements . The people especially the Sikhs can not be pacified by nominating a Sikh as PM having no political roots .
I just visited Pune and I found that the same quality of apple is for sale at the double rate in Punjab . There is no control of the constitutional government . The anti-social elements are challenging the constitutional norms .
A person injured a foreign country`s PM by blows . The same can be repeated in India .
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hi all,
pls see an interesting piece by B R P Bhaskar on DHRM and Varkala issue
Monday, December 14, 2009
Commission proposes, government disposes
B R P BHASKAR
Gulf Today
The fate of a set of proposals sent to the Kerala government by the State Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission illustrates how the political establishment scuttles efforts to address the problems of the weaker sections.
The commission, headed by PK Sivanandan, a former IAS officer, received on Oct.6 a complaint from VV Selvaraj, chairman of Dalit Human Rights Movement, alleging police atrocities against the organisation’s supporters in Varkala. It also received a petition signed by 536 Dalit women containing the same allegation.
The commission forwarded the complaints to the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police and the Secretaries to the Home and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare departments. It received no response from any of them.
Varkala was the scene of a dastardly murder on Sept.23. The victim was a person named Sivaprasad with no known affiliation. Within hours of the murder, the police said DHRM members had killed him to proclaim the organisation’s strength.
Police swooped on Dalit colonies and arrested many DHRM workers. However, it has still not filed a charge-sheet in the murder case.
On Oct.21, the commission visited Varkala and gathered evidence directly from all concerned. It went to the Dalit colonies and spoke to both supporters and opponents of DHRM. It found the police version of events suspect and the testimony of DHRM supporters credible.
In the report, approved on Oct.29, the commission specially drew attention to the evidence of two women. One of them was a pregnant woman, who said police had taken her in a jeep and abandoned her on the roadside. The other was the mother of Das, DHRM organising secretary. She said the deputy superintended of police (DySP), Attingal, had taken her son to the police station and tortured him after a magistrate had remanded him to judicial custody.
The commission referred to the high-handed action of the circle inspector in locking the house of an arrested person and walking away with the key, denying his mother and sister access to their dwelling.
The key was returned to the family a day before the commission’s visit after the chairman took up the case with the superintendent of police.
During the visit to the Thoduve colony, noting the prevailing tension, the commission’s chairman directed the police superintendent to set up a picket there to prevent anti-social elements from taking advantage of the situation.
The report pointed out that if the police had taken adequate security measures, the clash on Oct.27 in which several women were injured could have been averted.
To put an end to the continuing strife, the commission suggested a visit to the colony by a high-powered government team, preferably under the leadership of the Chief Minister. It also proposed the formation of a committee comprising officials and elected representatives at the local level to maintain constant vigil.
The commission asked the government to order an impartial inquiry into the charges against the police, keeping the DySP and the Circle Inspector and Sub-Inspector of Varkala away.
The commission noted that many residents of Thoduve were living in tenements put up on government land. It proposed that they be given preferential treatment under the EMS housing scheme and rehabilitated.
Seven weeks have passed since the report was sent to AK Balan, Minister for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare, with copies to the Chief Minister, the Home Minister and a host of officials. So far there has been no action on the basis of its recommendations.
Inquiries have revealed that Balan, who is himself a Dalit, turned down the proposal for a visit to Thoduve by a team headed by the chief minister, saying it was impractical. He termed the proposal for rehabilitation of the colony residents also as impractical. He effectively killed the proposal for an impartial inquiry into the police conduct by referred it to the DGP.
The government’s inaction reflects the ruling establishment’s callous attitude towards the problems of the Dalits, who have been victims of discrimination for centuries. Since DHRM has been propagating the view that all established parties have betrayed the Dalits, it has invited the enmity of the entire political spectrum.
A campaign waged by DHRM has weaned away a large number of Dalits away from liquor and drugs. It has endeared the organisation to Dalit women but earned it the wrath of the drug mafia and those in its pay.–Gulf Today, Sharjah, December 14, 2009
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Is it possible for you to allow us at THE VERDICT – of the reader for the reader, tabloid English weekly to reprint the above article with due credit to kafila and the writer?
pls confirm
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Muraleedharan, Sure, you are free to reprint the piece (or any piece from Kafila) with due credit…All materials here are non-copyrighted but we appreciate proper credit/ acknowledgement.:)
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Dear Kumarapushp,
Your comment brought in a lot of light in the incident. I think, considering your inputs, the person was killed as a result of some squabbles within sivasena.
But that now leaves another problem. The person in the teashop, who was also attached that day but not killed, has identified some perople who apparently belong to DHRM. How can we explain that. He even saw the same guys attaching the killed person.
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Dear Naveen,give some mony to people and he will tell that I had seen that DHRM people killed poor man.about two months is over but police did not have any proofs or forensic evidence against the DHRM.we are living in 21 st centuary where you can identified people DNA with the small hairs .it is all hindu cow shits .Hindus donot want that dalits should get educated or wear jenes and t shirts because they would not get free slaves in India.dalits are moving inch by inch towards the self determination without any media supports dear naveen.
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Kumarpush
You should pick up a gun and start shooting at the Hindus.
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Dear lamudar,I think you are very fond of guns,but I would like to tell you that 175 million dalits are born buddhist but unfortunately made untouchable by dwarf adi shankra charya.Dr Ambedkar had told the dalit masses that follow the buddhism that why dalits are are believing in indian costitution because it was writen By Dr Ambedkar.I think you and your intellectual class might have got the answer why dalits are not taking guns.Hindus had tried their level best to annhilate the Buddhism by guns but still Buddhism is standing firm on dalit lives dear lamudar.
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My dear Mr Kumarpushp,
I first address to Mr Lamudar with an humle appeal, as also to Mr Kumarpushp, it is a wise idea to be polite and kind. Simply shedding adrenaline and reaching no where on the road to conclusion makes the whole exercise self defeating. Then the
whole purpose is lost in wilderness. This is a debate only, meant for exchange and addressal of our problems. Adrenaline is the last requirement.
Mr Kumarpushp, I have full concurrence to the cause of not just the ‘Dalits’, but all those including without “Baba-Chaachaa-Bhatijaa-Beti-Betaa-and etc” clans. You are, rightly or wrongly, very critical of ‘Hindus’. I say, but the ‘Hindus’ themselves are no more in majority, kindly think for a moment calmly. See it for yourself.
I quote here Ranju herself (I hope I am not mistaking the gender), A K Balan, being a Dalit and is acting against the cause of Dalits themselves if you look into her comment carefully. I am avoiding a needless repetition by quoting in the same post.
I, with a profound sense of admiration and respect to Dr. Ambedkar, and in concurrence with Mr C L Chumber, if you again go in the life and conduct of Baba Saheb, what good did he do to the cause of Dalits. He converted to Buddhism at the last hour of his death, only to satisfy his personal ego and expiate his anger against the dissatisfaction of treatment recieved from the so called upper class. He is said to have to have converted the 300,000 other Dalits too, but did that conversion over night changed their life style; is the big question in front of me. If
it did, then fine, but it didn’t. Then what good did it do. I have no quarrel with The
Religion as such, but with the politicking of it.
Ms Mayawati keeps repeating that she will convert to Buddhism once she is elected the PM of India. Do you think she is sincere to the cause of “Dalits”? I am not quite sure. The last election coalition of her various castes, if any, is a good indicator of her crocodile tears for the “Dalits”. She wasted so much of money on erecting so many statues, I thought the money could have been utilised a little better otherwise. As I think.
I give you my own example, I am a person from “Marwari” community who are traditionally a business class. They were less inclined in any other professions. When I started my career in Bihar in medical college, I remember (though painfully) the sarcasms, e.g. ‘Aadami hai yaa marwari hai’, ‘Are marwaria’, and such pejorative exclamations were common place, though now very rare. I am sure you are aware of it. What could I do?
With the above background, I now would like to point out that the leadership in India today, you talk of caste, or religion, or language, or any other concept, they all are worth the garbage bin. Take latest example of Mr Madhu Goda, how do you think these leaders are going to do anything for the people. The word “Nation” is a
dying and nebulous concept. All these leaders are busy in staking the money in the
Swiss Bank – the height of anarchy, mutiny, rebellion and sedition against the country.
That is why, I call it a DEMO(N)CRACY – “Of the Leaders, For the Leaders, and By the Leaders”. The people are lost in the mellee of “Bhai-Bhateezaa-waad” and the same people condemn this practice who are the benefactors of this rogue system. There is no point in calling names. You know them all more than me. Babu Jagjeevan Ram, Sri Seeta Ram Keshari, Mr Ram Bilas Paswan and so on, you can fill the pages, but they are all politicians of the same corrupt breed and hue.
What I feel and I shall tend to agree with Mr Chumber, better to stay in the system. In stead of finding a fault, try to work in the system; of course raising voice against the wrong practices. I shall always support the right cause irrespective of any hue. Remember, the wildest animal is the ‘Man’, be it a Hindu or a Muslim or a Brahmin, or even a Dalit (Bigwig). You can trust a dog, but not a ‘Man’. He is even worst than a beast. Religion today, itself has become a business, it is no more a “Spiritual”organisation. Probably, to be very careful of.
Lord Macaulay quoted Lord Bacon (I think wrongly), “nine/tenth of human problems are due to a combination of high intelligence with low desires.” I agree with its spirit, even though I have failed to get a verification of its veracity.
With my loving regards to all of you,
Dr. O. P. Sudrania
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Dear Dr. O. P. Sudrania ,
Your good self took my notice as below for which I am thankful to you . I do not struggle to reform this system .I want to create a substitute of this unethical and unconstitutional system .:
” I, with a profound sense of admiration and respect to Dr. Ambedkar, and in concurrence with Mr C L Chumber, if you again go in the life and conduct of Baba Saheb, what good did he do to the cause of Dalits. ”
” What I feel and I shall tend to agree with Mr Chumber, better to stay in the system. In stead of finding a fault, try to work in the system; of course raising voice against the wrong practices. “
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Dears Kumarpushp and Lamudar ,
First of all , I wish to tell that Hinduism difficult to define and who he is Hindu . The Brahmins , Rajputs and Banias never claim to be Hindus unless they want to get benefit of being Hindu politically .
Dr. Ambedkar witnessed to the Simmon Commission , Lothian ( Franchise ) committee and the three Round Table Conferences at London that the ex-untouchables were not the Hindus . He also wrote two chapters ‘ Are not the untouchable a separate elements ? ‘ and ‘ Poona Pact- A mean deal ‘ in his Book ‘ What the Congress and Gandhi have done to the untouchables .’
The Buddhism is not the ancient religion of the aboriginal Indians as it is 2560 years old only . The established all religions can not annihilate the caste except the implementation of the constitution .
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Dear Chumber,Hindus and Lambudar donot want that dalits should think about dalit holocaust in India.we are the son of Dr ambedkar who had taken 22 vows.It is correct that buddhism is not a aboriginal religion but I am talking about Ambedekerite buddhism , where you are not bound to any pagamber or gods.it does not matter for dalits whether hindus want to keep caste or not ,it up to them to solve their problems but dalits are not ready to take any more shits from hindu itellectuals.
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Dear Kumarpushp ji ,
I am also a son of Dr. Ambedkar . I am the biological son of late Mr. Punjab Rai Chumber M.A. ( Eco. ) and Diploma in Russian whose junior colleagues retired as the Dy. Secretaries in M/O Defence . He unluckily died in 1968 A.D. My father purchased a residential plot in 1956 A.D. in Delhi and Saib Kanshi Ram did his B.Sc in 1956 A.D. Shahid-e-azam Sahib Kanshi Ram was his junior fellow in M/O Defence and they both had cordial relations . Sahib Kanshi Ram used to come our house before 1968 A.D. I left the college study and met him 0n 26th June , 1975 in Delhi . I did a job at Connaught Place , New Delhi for e few months and in February 1976 I joined as the Tehsil Welfare Officer at Tarn Taran district Amritsar( Punjab ) . But I left that job in October , 1979 A.D. and joined his movement whole heartedly . I was the office secretary of the BSP`s North India Zone and I contested election as BSP candidate in Punjab assembly election in February , 1992 . During Punjab assembly election 1997 A.D. , I was the the resident editor of the Bahujan Samaj Bulletin weekly of BSP . I was offered the General secretaryship of Punjab and a ticket for assembly election 2002 but I did not accept for the sake of party’s interests . At last , I was the national spokesman and national general secretary of the Sahib Kanshi Ram Bachaao Sangharsh Committee .
I am to say that we must act on what we preach . I admire Dr. Ambedkar’s 22 vows but Mayawti the so called disciple of Baba Sahib not only killed Kanshi Ram ji but she also betrayed from the principles of Baba Sahib and Sahib .
The Buddhists and other religious socities have no agenda to eliminate the caste . There is no differences among all the religious socities on casteism . On 14th June , 2005 , I addressed a Bamcef meeting at Jalandhar City . I requested the Maharashtrian chief guest in my speech to find a Maharashtrian groom for my M.B.A.( U.K. ) passed daughter working in Maharashtra but in vain . But I succeeded performing inter caste marriage of my daughter on 28/29 November , 2009 . My daring and visionary wife always encourages our children for intercaste marriages . We have three other highly qualified and well placed children .
Mr. Kumarpushp ! you know very well that I am very much against the rapist , racist and fascist Hindu Gods . I challenged the Hindus in the http://dalitnation.wordpress.com that if they said ‘ Ambedkar was a false God ‘ , we might say ‘ Your Gods were rapists , racists and fascists .’ We must be rulers not only through legislature but also through executive and judiciary . We must be deserving and desiring . We must assert constitutionally . I AGAIN ASSERT THAT THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION IS OUR FOREMOST RELIGIOUS, HUMANITARIAN AND LEGAL BOOK . LET US STRUGGLE HARD TO IMPLEMENT IT PEACEFULLY AND LEGALLY .
At last , I admire Mr. Kumarpushp for his humanistic sentiments .
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Dear Sudraniaji, Your general philosophy of life is quite inspiring, I must say but may we request you to please keep your comments short and to the point. Not that long comments are not entertained – we have done so in the past, in your case and in other cases as well, but they should not generally be about your view on life but about the post and the debate therein.
And by the way, Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism is as much a matter of politics as your insistence that it would make sense only if it ‘benefited the dalits’. It is not for you or for anyone else to decide whether he was right to convert – alone or with 300, 000 other dalits. If he felt and even today dalits feel suffocated within the Hindu fold, then it is entirely upto them to walk away, whenever they please – irrespective of whether that benefits them or not. You or anybody who wants to dictate whether or not they should have the right to leave should see the absurdity of this claim if you are made to forcibly sit in a place where you feel suffocated. Just try doing it as an experiment!
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Dear Aditya Nigam ji ,
Your good self wrote rightly ,” You or anybody who wants to dictate whether or not they should have the right to leave should see the absurdity of this claim if you are made to forcibly sit in a place where you feel suffocated. Just try doing it as an experiment ! ” Your views are rational and commendable . I endorse your views .
I am sorry to say that Baba Sahib Ambedkar diverted the movement from politics to religion . Whichever he gained for his people was due to politics and by the religion . He admitted many times in writing that he had did a blunder mistake by signing a pact with Mr. M.K. Gandhi on 24th September , 1932 at Pune ( Maharshtra ) . Sahib Kanshi Ram started the political movement to nullify the Gandhi-Ambedkar pact which is known as the Poona Pact.
I ask the Ambedkrites if they want to melt the shackles of their slavery , They must be extremely active in politics , business , judiciary , army , higher study and feminist movements .
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dear sundraniaji,
few points: whatever i posted was a piece written bt veteran journalist BRP Bhaskar. For me, the reference to minister A K Balan should seen in the context of his being part of CPI M and CPI M’s indifference to the ‘Dalit Community formation’ vis-a-vis DHRM. not only CPI M, all other mainstream parties may not like the idea of the marginalised getting away from their sympathetic fold.. Kerala’s conservative savarna society and its police machinery ha unleashed terror upon Dalits and We still feel proud to live in 21st century. tragedy !
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There is no doubt that there exist many forms of discrimination against Dalits in Kerala society. It is also true that Dalit people are still economically backward. However, DHRM’s philosophy and activities do not appear to solve the problem. If anything, they help only in widening the communal gap – just like other communal organizations such as RSS, Siva Sena Bajrang Dal, and SIMI do.
For example, Siva Sena had been a dormant organization for some time in Varkala. The recent incidents in fact made them more popular – ironically even among Dalits. For example, a unit of Siva Sena was started in Thoduve Colony a few weeks earlier.
Also, it is not for the first time DHRM has run into problems with another organization. In Valiyavila colony near Kaipatti Mukku, Attingal, there had been clashes between DHRM and another Dalit organization called KPMS. Even now, some local Dalit leaders accuse that DHRM indulges in militant activities.
Let me add something about the murder. Nobody has seen the murder. It seems there is no video recording of the incident either. So, the main witness is Mr. Ashokan, a tea-shop owner, who was also attacked on the same morning. He has identified the second and third accused, who are still in police custody. It is not sure that the two people belong to DHRM and whether they are the same people who killed Shiva Prasad. But the police case has been strengthened by the confession of Adv. Ashokan, who is the legal adviser of DHRM.
I would be really really surprised if the arrested guys escape from a court of law without any punishment.
People who know Shiva Prasad say that he was quiet person who was not very socially active person. Nobody is sure whether he was a follower of Shiva Sena. However, everybody I talked with says that he had never been a visible activist of Shiva Sena.
I would also like to comment on two points in the original article.
1. “… the Ambedkarite and Neo-Buddhist-inspired DHRM has been seeking not only to end alcoholism and drug-consumption in these settlements”.
I know three colonies where DHRM has been active: Valiyavila colony, Kattumpuram colony (both near Attingal) and Thoduve colony (near Varkala). Please visit these colonies or adjoining areas in the evening, any day. You can see for yourself whether alcoholism has ended or even subdued.
2. “… their introduction of a unisex dress code of jeans and black t-shirts with Ambedkar’s image have led to the circulation of horrendous stories about sexual excess. In fact, the opposition to the dress code is strongly reminiscent of the savarna anger against lower caste women’s appropriation of the savarna upper-cloth in early-mid 19th century South Travancore!”
I have not seen anybody with the above-mentioned uniform, except in some protest marches of DHRM (I live and work in these parts). It seems that DHRM activists do not wear black Jeans and T-shirts in “normal life”. (To provide contrast, many Muslim women wear Parda whenever they go out). I talked with some woman DHRM activists a few weeks ago. They were wearing sari and “matching” blouse, like many other Kerala women do.
What I wanted to say is that nobody had been aware of this uniform before the violence started. So, attributing their dress code as a reason for the violence is far-fetched. Also, I do not understand why such a dressing style should ignite the so-called Savarna anger. Upper caste people have been making fun of dressing preferences of Dalits for ages, the same way Chennaites make fun of Tamil film actor Ramarajan’s dressing style. I do not think they would be provoked by this Jeans and black T-shirt uniform.
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Dear Niji,Can dalits trust Cobra and sleep with them.dalits are suffering in india from 3000 years.i would advice you please go and read 22 vows of Dr ambedkar then only you will know the DHRM.DHRM is dalit human right organisation which is for dalits and from dalits.
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