Ambedkar Action Alert: Dalits break caste barrier, enter 120-year-old Tamil Nadu temple

COIMBATORE: It was a defining moment for Coimbatore's dalits when several of them entered the 120-year-old Mariamman temple at Kalapatti for the first time on Sunday with the support of the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) and CPM activists.

Located 5km away from Coimbatore airport, the temple had been out of bounds for dalits until now. Around 2,000 families from the Arunthathiyar community live in this area. More than 1,500 dalits and an equal number of CPM activists gathered at Kalapatti Bazaar at 11am and took out a huge procession before entering the temple premises. Police provided security to the dalits and party workers.

There was no resistance from upper caste Hindus and the temple priest also cooperated with the protesters. He distributed sacred ash to all those gathered, breaking the shackles on customs that were more than a century old.

Coimbatore MP P R Natarajan and TNUEF president P Sambath, who led the dalits' march to the sanctum sanctorum, said that discrimination against any community would not be allowed in the temple any more. "The Mariamman temple has been under the administrative control of the department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) since 1971. The HR&CE Act empowers any community to enter and worship, but untouchability prevailed despite the law." he said.

TNUEF had staged many demonstrations in the city seeking government intervention in the issue. As the authorities failed to act, they decided to resolve the issue themselves. "It is a matter of shame for the state that untouchability existed at a temple situated in an urban area. It is not unusual to find such discrimination in remote interiors," said Sambath.

"About three years ago, a dalit was brutally attacked in Kalapatti for sitting next to a caste Hindu in a bus. There was no opposition against caste discrimination at the temple because the Arunthathiyar community felt it was their fate," he said.

"The government claims there is no untouchability in the state. We have witnessed it with our own eyes. We initiated measures to eradicate such discrimination in Erode, Salem, Vellore and Pudukottai on Sunday , the 'Memorial Day' for Srinivasa Rao who fought for equality," said a leader, UK Sivagnanam.

India Today

Dalit students allege discrimination against them in MP school

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/dalit-students-allege-discrimination-against-them-in-mp-school/1/222957.html

Young Dalit students of a government school in Madhya Pradesh's Harda district, around 120 km from state capital Bhopal, have accused the school authorities of humiliation and discrimination because of their castes.

These children alleged that they were facing injustice in their school everyday as they were being served tiny portions of leftover food even though they are entitled to proper meals under the midday meal scheme. On the other hand, the other students of the school were given proper food, they claimed.

The students alleged that to humiliate them the person who served the food would literally throw it at them to avoid any physical contact. Their demand for a second helping would often make the attendants see red, they alleged.

The students were even forced to wash their own dishes after the meals, while the practice was not same for the remaining students of the school, they added.

"They discriminate against us and make us sit separately. They throw the food at us. They call us Dalits and refuse to wash our utensils, alleged a student.

Even the sitting arrangement for Dalit students has been separate, both during classes and mealtimes.

Another student said, "I am a student of fourth grade. They make us sit separately. The other kids are asked to sit at a distance from us."

Though the students have repeatedly complained to their parents about the mistreatment and humiliation they face in the school, the latter had no courage to demand justice.

However, the school management rubbished the students' allegations. Even the district administration denied any discrimination.

"There has never been any discrimination as such in my tenure. But our cook, who is an ST, is too scared to cook meals for everyone. We requested her. She has decided to quit the job," the principal said.

"Every student is fed together. There is no discrimination. If an SC/ST cook prepares meal, General and OBC students would refuse to eat," claimed a teacher.

The sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Harda said, "People had gone there to investigate. But reports can only be filed when the real situation of midday meal is seen there. Only then can we say what the truth is. For the time being, there is nothing as such."

The Times Of India

Dalits see smallest rise in wages

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dalits-see-smallest-rise-in-wages/articleshow/16620263.cms

NEW DELHI: Dalits have once again lost out, this time on wages in rural areas. A first-of-its-kind data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revealed that during the last eight years - between April, 2004 and March, 2012 - the daily wages of cobblers in rural areas rose by 95%, the worst show among the 17 categories listed by the government's Labour Bureau. The all-India data compiled recently is, however, limited to wages paid to male workers.

Similarly, sweepers, who are also dalits, saw wages rise 109% to Rs 106 a day last March compared to a tad less than Rs 51 when the UPA came to power in mid-2004.

When it comes to actual wages, they remained the second worst paid after herdsmen, who were the only category earning less than Rs 100 a day till March. In terms of growth, sweepers managed to marginally pip blacksmith, whose wages jumped 108% and saw the second slowest rise.

Where the wages have really boomed is in farm-related activities with winnowing and picking topping the charts with a growth of 169% and 158%, respectively. Unlike cobblers or sweepers, in rural areas wages for unskilled workers also shot up 153% to Rs 151 a day.

What may come as a surprise to many is that the wage increase in the top three segments — winnowing, picking and unskilled labour — was more rapid that the rise in per capita income during this period.

According to Central Statistics Office, per capita income at current prices was estimated at Rs 24,143 in 2004-05, which went up 151% to Rs 60,603 in 2011-12. In terms of daily income, the rise was Rs 66 in 2004-05 to Rs 166.

"There is a faster growth in farm wages in recent years, especially from 2007-08 because agricultural prices have gone up and the benefit has also been passed on. In addition, because of NREGA farm labour has a better bargaining power," said Ashok Gulati, chairman of the commission on agricultural costs and prices.

The Hindu

The Butterfly effect

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/the-butterfly-effect/article3954653.ece

Divya Trivedi

A student of Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami and inspired by auteurs such as Kenji Mizoguchi of Japan, Kerala-born Jayan Cherian has made a Malayalam feature film that has ruffled more than a few feathers. Trained as a filmmaker in New York with an undergraduate degree from Hunter College and a Master of Fine Arts degree from The City College of New York, he speaks to The Hindu on Papilio Buddha, his film on Kerala's politics from the Dalit perspective. A commercial release of the film has been stymied by the Censor Board. Excerpts

How did the movie germinate?

Papilio Buddha is inspired by several events that happened in various Dalit communities in Kerala, including their struggle for land in places such as Chengara, Meppadi, and Muthanga, and its effect on the Dalit population.

How is the film relevant to present times?

The identity political movements based on Ambedkarism are getting stronger in Kerala now. This was long suppressed by major political parties and I think it is very relevant to trigger a discussion about the issues of Dalit activism in Kerala.

Please shed some light on the Dalits in Kerala and the Communist movement in the State shown in the film.

The Dalit colonies in Kerala are best examples of social segregation of Dalits. These colonies historically serve as the main sources of muscle power for traditional parties including the communists. Naturally they see Dalit activism as a threat to their existence. Oppressions inflicted by the police and political parties are unimaginable, and it is getting out of control now. The mainstream media and middle-class intellectuals turn a blind eye towards it because Dalit movements like DHRM (Dalit Human Rights Movement) are framed as terrorist organisations.

What differences of opinion do you have with the censor board regarding your film and what do you plan to do about it?

The board has listed a number of reasons for denying the certification based on its archaic set of guidelines, which, I think, are designed to give overwhelming power to the State. There is no justification for the Censor Board's action. The idea of a government body censoring a piece of art in itself is ridiculous and it is a shame that a democratic country like India still has state instruments that curtail the freedom of artistic expression.

Most of the objections are about denigrating Gandhi, Buddha and Ayyankali. The perceived denigration seems to be coming from the realistic treatment of the film's climax scene, where landless Dalits are confronted by the police, who use overwhelming force to evict protestors from their occupied land. The language used by characters in this film, though it may be different from the usual commercial film language, is the language we speak every day. The violence depicted in the film against Dalit activists are reflections of caste atrocities happening in our society. We are appealing to the Film Tribunal to review the decision of the regional board.

It has been alleged that the film is anti-Gandhi.

The film is not anti-Gandhi as many love to frame it, but there is a deliberate attempt to present a counter narrative to the official narrative of Gandhi as a blemish-less embodiment of non-violence and a champion of the Dalit cause.

Please tell us about your own journey as a filmmaker and other projects you have been involved in

As a filmmaker I am interested to probe how identities are constructed and performed in our society and being used as tools of both oppression and empowerment.

My previous film, Shape of the Shapeless was about gender fluidity, based on the life of a burlesque performer who transgresses the boundaries of gender and sexuality. In the small Kerala village where I was born and brought up, caste is practiced beyond religious boundaries. Christians and Muslims practice and enforce caste as much as any upper caste Hindu does. Papilio Buddha is my first feature film and I want to tell a story that is close to my life. As I stated before, I wrote this film based on real events and chose actors whose lives revolve around the Dalit land rights movement in Kerala.

I met the main cast of the film Kallen Pokkudan three years ago. Mr.Pokkudan is a prominent Dalit rights and environmental activist of Kerala. Born in 1937 as a member of an untouchable family who were traditional agrarian slaves owned by upper caste landlords, Pokkudan went to school up to second grade and was forced to work in paddy fields in order to survive. In his teens he ran away from the field and became an activist of the Communist Party of India, participated in the early peasant revolts in Kannur district. He was accused of killing a rouge landlord and jailed for some time. Later he left the communist party, due to ideological conflict with the party and caste discrimination that he suffered as an untouchable within the party. Working with Kallen Pokkudan and other activists in the region was a fascinating experience.

I think the caste system is one of the most sophisticated tools of oppression that India's ruling class developed and its polymorphic manifestations still remain a deep scar on the face of humanity beyond the upper caste/upper class narratives of the same. So I believe it is very important for me to make this film as a visual story teller who was born in India.

Zee News

Hisar rape: Teams of NCW, NCDRH meet victim's fami

http://zeenews.india.com/news/haryana/hisar-rape-teams-of-ncw-ncdrh-meet-victim-s-fami_803127.html

Last Updated: Monday, October 01, 2012, 21:34

Hisar: Teams of National Women Commission and National Campaign on Dalit Human Right on Monday visited Dabra village and met family members of the teenage Dalit girl who was allegedly gangraped on September 9.

The team of NCW, led by Shameena Shafiq, expressed concern over the role of Haryana Women Commission in the matter, saying they had not informed the NCW about the horrific incident.

Interacting with reporters, Shafiq said, "Haryana Women Commission did not pass on any information of the gangrape incident to them and all information which the NCW had received was through its own resources."

Shafiq demanded stern action against the culprits of the heinous crime.

"Some cases of gangrape with Dalit women have been reported in Haryana, which are unfortunate," she said.

Commission will prepare its report in the Dabra gangrape episode and submit it to the NCW chairperson, she said.

Superintendent of Police B Sateesh Balan was also present and interacted with the NCW team.

Earlier today, an eight-member team of National Campaign of Dalit Human Right also met the victim's family.

Rajat Kalson, Coordinator of the NCDRH, a body that claims committed to the elimination of discrimination based on caste, said crime against women in Haryana were on a rise.

"Crimes against women especially Dalits in Haryana were increasing and the government should take effective steps," Kalson said.

He demanded that the victim's family should be compensated by the government.

Father of the rape victim committed suicide on September 18 after he came to know that his daughter was gangraped.

Eleven culprits have been arrested so far in this case, according to police.

Meanwhile, Haryana BJP today demanded dismissal of the Hooda government in view of the alleged deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

"In the recent past, there have been a number of shameful incidents including Rohtak's Apna Ghar shelter home incident, besides the recent incidents of gangrape of a Dalit girl in Hisar and that of a married woman in Jind district," said Rattan Lal Kataria, state BJP spokesman and former MP.

"Keeping in view the failure of the state government to protect its citizens, particularly women and children, we demand resignation of chief minister (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda on moral grounds," he said.

--
.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.