Profile of Kancha Ilaiah
Today, Prime Minister Modi invoked Ambedkar. But shockingly, today a respected Dalit intellectual was also sent to jail. The arrest of Anand Teltumbde makes a mockery of Babasaheb's rights-based Constitution, writes Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd.
The true riddle of Ambedkar is: why did he consider himself a Hindu at all, despite having seen the ugly side of discrimination and his trenchant criticism of the religion?
Mamata, Jagan, Anna Hazare, KCR, Baba Ramdev, Telangana, it’s all been managed. What next?
Brings out the ideological hang-ups that encourage manual scavenging and needs to be read by every civilised citizen of India.
Without understanding the implications of the Hindutva project of weapon distribution other parties are aping it...These weapons can in no way empower the Dalit-Bahujans and the poor.
Indian nationalism is not only the property of Hindus. It is the property of Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Sikhs as well.
The BJP made serious efforts, much more than other parties, to include and accommodate the OBCs so as to provide Hindutva its muscle power.
They killed five Dalits for skinning a cow... At least now the whole nation must stand up against this kind of spiritual and political nationalism.
The BJP is making a show of empowering the Sudra/OBC forces within... But how will the Sangh Parivar resolve the caste contradictions within Hindu religion?
Abdul Kalam has to ensure that his being President is not misused to serve the Hindutva agenda.
Muslim intellectuals must learn from Christian missionaries and work among Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs so that a relationship of trust is established.
The contemporary Shudras\OBCs have not developed a philosophical discourse of their own.
The OBCs are a directionless social force available to be used by the Hindutva forces as muscle power.
In the cultural realm, globalisation seems to have opened up a new channel of hope for the historically suppressed masses.
All the intellectuals of India seem afraid that a proposal for discussing the question of caste at a UN forum might make it into a global talking point...