Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 31.07.11
Dalit woman raped, one arrested- The Times Of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Dalit-woman-raped-one-arrested/articleshow/9424041.cms
Dalit girl raped in UP- Hindustan Times
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/uttarpradesh/Dalit-girl-raped-in-UP/Article1-727512.aspx
Dalits prohibited from using public well- The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/30/stories/2011063065180300.htm
Tirumavalavan faces caste bias from MPs - IBN Live
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tirumavalavan-faces-caste-bias-from-mps/171707-60-118.html
Dalit literature? What's that, asks Maharashtra government- DNA
The unexpected rise of dalit millionaires:- The Economis Times
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/columnists/swaminathan-s-a-aiyar/the-unexpected-rise-of-dalit-millionaires-swaminathan-s-anklesaria-aiyar/articleshow/9429337.cms
The Times Of India
Dalit woman raped, one arrested
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Dalit-woman-raped-one-arrested/articleshow/9424041.cms
GHAZIABAD: A 20-year-old
Dalit woman was raped in Bahadurgarh on Saturday. Cops have arrested the rapist, identified as one Kalua of Badarkha village, and are looking for one Shahid, who had also tried to rapeher. The woman had a tiff with her family and left home for Hapur on Friday in a fit of anger. She spent the night at the railway station. On Saturday morning, she took a bus back to Garhmukteshwar, her hometown.
"She met Shahid on the way, who offered her a lift back home on his motorcycle. Shahid took her to Badarkha village and tried to rape her in the fields," said a cop. Kalua saw them and chased Shahid away. But he himself forced himself upon her. The woman somehow managed to reach the Bahadurgarh police station where she filed a report, cops said. Kalua was arrested, while hunt for Shahid is on. A case of rape and attempted rape has been filed and the two accused have been booked under the SC/ST Act.
Hindustan Times
Dalit girl raped in UP
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/uttarpradesh/Dalit-girl-raped-in-UP/Article1-727512.aspx
Muzaffarnagar, July 30, 2011
A 16-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by two school teachers in a school at Nona village, police said on Saturday. The victim, a Class X student in Golden Heart Public School, was on Friday sexually assaulted by her teachers, Sanjiv and Sudhir Kumar, they said. The girl's parents have lodged a complaint against the duo, they said. The teachers have been taken into custody.
The Hindu
Dalits prohibited from using public well
http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/30/stories/2011063065180300.htm
ALL'S NOT WELL: A view of caste Hindus using an age-old public well at Kodikulam under the foothills of Yanamalai in Madurai. Dalits are not allowed to go near the well.
MADURAI: Kodikulam, a village located under the foothills of Yanamalai (elephant hill) near here, is a gifted place. It boasts of an age old public well that provides tasty water round the year. People from far and wide throng the place with cans and drums to fetch the water home. But the Dalits of the village cannot dare even to go near the well.
"The SCs (Scheduled Castes) cannot go beyond this point," says a 61-year old farmer, A. Akkniveeranan, pointing to a distance of about 150 metres away from the well. "They (Dalits) can ask any of us to fetch the water for them and we will oblige. But they cannot do it on their own. This practice has been there for ages and it cannot be changed," he adds with no shilly-shallying.
The caste Hindus of the village, occupied predominantly by people belonging to Kallar and Moopar community, do not hesitate to talk about the discrimination of Dalits even to journalists. The well has been associated with four small temples built close to it and religious sentiments were given as a reason to keep the Dalits away from it.
"They (Dalits) will not be spared. Honeybees will sting them if they try to go near the well," says Packiam, an aged widow. Concurring with her, 26-year-old P. Suresh, a construction labourer, says: "The youngsters of our village will be in these temples all round the clock. Some of us even sleep here in the nights to prevent anyone from defiling this holy place."
The well is surrounded by trees that are home to thousands of honeybees. Strangers must be careful while nearing the well as they might suffer a sting or two. The villagers have intentionally left the honeycombs untouched as it serves their purpose of discriminating the Dalits. "The bees do not sting us and we will not allow anyone to clear the honeycombs," says C. Karuthapaiyyan, a 19-year-old youth.
A lawyer practising in the Madras High Court Bench here and residing at Othakadai near here says that he and many of his neighbours fetch water from that well for drinking. They travel in two-wheelers to the village, which could be accessed either through the Government Agricultural College or from the Madurai-Chennai four-lane, and bring the water filled in cans.
"Once when I had gone there, some children asked me if I could give them some water to drink. I asked them why they don't take it themselves. They said they were not supposed to go there. Then, I understood and felt very sad for the poor children. This atrocity is being practised there for ages and nobody is able to raise their voice for the fear of earning the wrath of the dominant caste," he says seeking anonymity.
IBN Live
Tirumavalavan faces caste bias from MPs
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tirumavalavan-faces-caste-bias-from-mps/171707-60-118.html
Express News Service , The New Indian Express
Posted on Jul 31, 2011 at 09:11am IST
CHENNAI: In what could be termed as the height of untouchability, several MPs from TN allegedly were reluctant to go out for lunch or sit along with Lok Sabha member from Chidambaram (reserved) constituency Tirumavalavan in the Parliament, as he was a Dalit.
Revealing this at a meeting on the livelihood demands of Dalits and Muslims organised by Islamic wing of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi here on Saturday, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader and Vellore MP Abdul Rahman said, "Many MPs from our State greet each other when they meet at the Parliament. But, the same members are reluctant to share seat with you (Tirumavalavan) or join you for lunch at the Parliament." You might have been aware of this, he added.
Reacting to the issue, in his address, Tirumavalavan said, he was not concerned about the MPs' behaviour, as those Parliamentarians were the ones, who didn't have an understanding of 'Marxism'. "Moreover, I have had several such experiences through out my life from childhood," he observed.
Stressing the need for cooperation between the minority groups and Dalit parties to uplift both the communities, he said, separate electorate system for Dalits and Muslims must be introduced for the welfare of the minorities. Elaborating the history of the struggle for separate electorate system dating back to 1930's, Tirumavalavan underlined that Dalit icon Dr Ambedkar urged separate electorate system and not the existing procedure of reserved constituencies for SCs
Disadvantage of DMK Alliance
Pointing out that he has been voicing for the rights of the Eelam Tamils for over 25 years, Thirumavalavan said, "However, the Lankan Tamils don't have faith in me for the sole reason that I am in an alliance led by the DMK.
DNA
Dalit literature? What's that, asks Maharashtra government
Published: Sunday, Jul 31, 2011, 8:00 IST
By Yogesh Pawar | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
Even six decades independence, the state that gave birth to Dalit icons like Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, and Dr BR Ambedkar seems to be in the grip of casteist prejudices. Why else would the Maharashtra government's monthly mouthpiece, Lokrajya, exclude major Dalit litterateurs in its list of great Marathi writers, Dalits across the state want to know.
The June-July 2011 issue of Lokrajya, a literature special, carries a list of the greatest works in Marathi. The list was compiled by a panel comprising stalwarts such as Govind Talwalkar, Aroon Tikekar, Arun Athalye and P L Deshpande. All the more strange that it has chosen to leave out all the Dalit literary heavyweights — Baburao Bagul, Annabhau Sathe, Narayan Surve, Waman Nimbalkar, Tryambak Sapkale, Arjun Dangle, Namdeo Dhasal, Umakant Randhir, JV Pawar, Urmila Pawar, Datta Bhagat, Tarachandra Khandekar, Yogiraj Waghmare, Avinash Dolas, Yogendra Meshram and Bhimrao Shirvale. Ironically, many of these are writers who have been honoured by the state.
Incidentally, the three seemingly obligatory mentions of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar (interestingly, the work chosen is only a Marathi translation of his Who Were The Shudras?), Daya Pawar, and Laxman Mane seems to have only added to the ire. An angry Mane said, "The inclusion of my name in the list of 172 while so many stalwarts were left out is an outrage. Is the government saying their work is not literature?"
Panelist Aroon Tikekar seems to think so. When asked about the list, he said, "Our compilation was a subjective exercise and
we have gone by the tenets of what we believe qualifies as literature.'"
So does that mean that the works of Baburao Bagul, Namdeo Dhasal, Narayan Surve, and Annabhau Sathe don't qualify as literature? Despite the fact that many of their works have been canonized, and are part of university syllabi not only in Maharashtra, but also in universities around the world?
With a circulation of 3.8 lakh, Lokrajya, published by the state government's Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR), is the most widely read government publication in the country. "This is why this glaring lapse is unpardonable," says Ganpat Bhise of the Samjik Nyay Andolan (SNA), an organisation that campaigns for Dalit rights. Like other Dalit organisations, SNA too has shot off letters to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, demanding corrective action. "We want the special issue withdrawn, it should be reprinted with an apology to the nearly 12 lakh Dalits in the state, and with a new list that includes the great Dalit writers," says the letter.
Eminent Dalit writer Namdeo Dhasal is livid. "All these upper caste bureaucrats who have nothing do with literature should be publicly kicked in the behind for allowing this to happen," he said.
"That this should happen when we are set to mark Annabhau Sathe's 91st birth anniversary on August 1st is shameful. Our government is stuck in its old feudal, casteist mindset."
Well known Dalit author Arjun Dangle, too, expressed his disappointment. "Why is a government publication lending itself to the upper-caste agenda of negating Dalit contribution to Marathi literature?" he asked.
"Since the panelists are 'knowledgeable,' such exclusion is obviously agenda-driven."
However, DGIPR head Vijay Nahata believes it is a non-issue. "It's not like this is the last issue of Lokrajya. There will be future issues, and we can always carry additions to the list." His deputy, Prahlad Jadhav, added, "Working on this issue was like diving into the ocean. There can be no end to the pearls you find. The exclusions are not deliberate."
The Economis Times
The unexpected rise of dalit millionaires:
31 Jul, 2011, 10.36AM IST, Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar,TNN
For centuries, dalits have been at the bottom of the income and social ladders, despised and exploited. Independent India aimed to improve their lot throughjob reservations, but with very limited results.
Nevertheless, empowerment through democracy and economic opportunities created by 20 years of economic reform have created an astonishing new phenomenon-the rise of dalit millionaires.
They have now established a Dalit Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Mumbai. It is no more than a start. But at long last, some dalits have ceased to be objects of pity, and become objects of envy.
The Economic Times has been running a series of features since July 18 on dalit entrepreneurs. Many came from lower middle class families, got a decent education, and then made good. But others came from labourer families, and their rise is especially heartening.
Bhagwan Gawai worked as a construction labourer as a boy in Mumbai. But he completed school and college, and then joined HPCL. He always got good appraisals but these were tampered with by caste-conscious colleagues, so he was denied the promotions he deserved. He suedHPCL on grounds of discrimination, and won.
Later HPCL posted him in Dubai. There he acquired Arab friends who became his partners in a new trading business. This business now has a turnover of a whopping $20 million. He has also brought 30 dalit entrepreneurs together under a holding company, Maitreya Developers.
Sushil Patil's father was a labourer in an ordnance factory, who educated his son. He had to plead with the college dean to waive the last year's fees, which he could not afford. The investment paid off. Sushil was employed in various firms, but then decided to start his own business, with the help of small loans. He failed in a series of ventures. But he persevered, and ultimately set up a firm, IEPC, providing engineering procurement and construction services. This now has revenues of Rs 280 crore per year.
Ashok Khade's father was a cobbler, working under a tree in Mumbai. Ashok went to college and then joined Mazagon Docks. He acquired skills in offshore maintenance and construction. Today, his companyDAS Offshore is a major offshore services company and he now plans a jetty fabrication yard that will employ 2,500 workers. He does not believe in caste reservation-only 1% of his workers are dalits.
Another dalit, Balu, manufactures soldering equipment with revenues of Rs 2.5 crore. He says 32 girls in a row rejected him as a marriage partner because of his poor prospects! His weak business was regarded as insecure. He says many dalit businessmen hide their caste identity to avoid social sigma and loss of business. That mentality sorely needs to change.
In all these cases, education was a key input. Alas, rural government schools are so terrible that many dalits remain functionally illiterate and handicapped. Even so, they have made astonishing strides in the last 20 years, as revealed by a seminal study byDevesh Kapur and others.
This study looked at dalits in blocks in western and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The proportion of dalits owning their own business was up from 6% to 36.7% in western UP, and from 4.2% to 11% in eastern UP. The proportion in non-traditional occupations (like tailors, masons etc) was up from 14% to 37% in the east, and from 9.3% to 42% in western UP.
Many dalits in eastern UP were once locked into the halwaha (bonded labour) system. This has virtually disappeared: the halwaha proportion is down from 32.1% to 1.1%. The proportion of dalit households doing any farm labour has plummeted from 76% to 45.6% in the east, and from 46.1% to just 20.5% in the west. Encouragingly, the proportion depending on their own land is up from 16.6% to 28.4% in the east, and from 50.5% to 67.6% in the west.
Political parties shout themselves hoarse over job reservations. Yet, the dalit family proportion in government jobs has actually fallen from 7.2% to 6.8% in the east, and risen marginally from 5% to 7.3% in the west. Clearly, job reservation has not been a key factor in UP's social revolution. The main drivers of improvement have been the new opportunities arising from fast growth created by economic reforms, plus the empowerment drive of dalit chief minister Mayawati.
Indian leftists keep chanting that economic reforms have created new inequalities. They may even criticize the rise ofdalit millionaires as a new sort of inequality. Phooey! This is a magnificent success. It shows that dalits have become empowered enough to soar into the millionaire range. Long live such inequality!
--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
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