[WSMDiscuss] Plight of Dalits in South Asia

[Umakant]

Dear Friends

Greetings! Thecontinuing plight of Dalits in South Asia bears testimony to the fact that theGovernments and the society at large in the respective countries are leastcommitted for elimination of caste based discrimination, exclusion,humiliations and violence that is part of a normalized structure.  Pushed to the margins in every sense of theterm, Dalits are struggling to eke out a better deal for themselves.

 

On the links givenbelow you could read about Dalits in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.  Do pass it on to others in yourcircle/network. 

 

It’stime India paid reparations to its Dalits

Suraj Yengde, Opinion, Indian Express, July 26, 2020 

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-dalits-reservation-representation-suraj-yengde-6523483/

 

The constitutional promises through reservations and land reforms wereone of the few ways for us to get together. But these remain hotly contested.Reparation is one of the most viable ways to secure justice for all.

 

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‘Tumi Key?’The Stunned Dalit Girl says, ‘I am Asiad Gold Medalist, an Arjuna Awardee.’

Jyotirmoy Prodhani,Opinion, Northeast Today, July 26, 2020 

https://www.northeasttoday.in/2020/07/26/tumi-key-the-stunned-dalit-girl-says-i-am-asiad-gold-medalist-an-arjuna-awardee/

 

On 13 July one Ranger and his beat officer from the BelacobaForest Range in Jalpaiguri, North Bengal, raided the house of Swapna Barman atGomostopara village near Jalpaiguri for alleged possession of timber withoutpapers. The Range Officer went there with a full platoon, at least three SUVsand half a dozen armed guards in combat fatigue with the preparedness ofdealing with any dreaded forest mafia. They got down from the vehicles, rushedto Swapna Barman and triumphantly pointed guns at her as if they had justcaught hold of a prized timber Don. 

 

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Black lives matter but Dalit lives don’t?

Pratistha Rijal, Nepali Times, July 25, 2020 

https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/black-lives-matter-but-dalit-lives-dont/

 

George Floyd’s murder set off a worldwide movement againstracism, crimes against Dalits in Nepal do not trigger the same outrage

 

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To Truly Overcome Anti-Black Racism, We Must also ChallengeSouth Asia’s Caste System

SamanJaved, Opinion, The Independent, July 23, 2020 

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/colourism-racism-anti-black-george-floyd-skin-whitening-unilever-south-asia-a9625076.html

 

The history ofcolourism can be traced back to the ideology of the Indian caste system, anoccupational division of people, which still exists in South Asian communitiestoday.

 

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Caste on the streets

Shah Tazrian Ashrafi, Opinion, Himal South Asian,July 21, 2020 

Caste on the streets - Himal Southasian


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Caste on the streets - Himal Southasian

Dhaka’s street cleaners, many of them Dalits, faced a grim future even before the pandemic.
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Dhaka’s street cleaners, many of them Dalits, faceda grim future even before the pandemic.

 

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With Regards 

Umakant, Ph. D 

New Delhi 



 






My final words of advice to you are educate, agitate and organize; have faith in yourself. With justice on our side I do not see how we can lose our battle. The battle to me is a matter of joy. The battle is in the fullest sense spiritual. There is nothing material or social in it. For ours is a battle not for wealth or for power. It is battle for freedom. It is the battle of reclamation of human personality. 
B.R.Ambedkar
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