Dear friends:
The summer is here, including in Nanded and Western Hemisphere. Technically, it should be a July rainy season, but here we are. The air coolers that were meant to be packed for next summer are still here. The heat in the air is sickening.
I traversed through southern India this past month, spending time with my mother and siblings in chilled Ooty. I hitched a ride with Tamil Nadu’s leader, Thol. Thirumavalavan for two days–it was very exhausting. One needs a lot of energy.
Then I went to Karnataka, Bangalore few days and Sannati, North Karnataka – the historical Buddhist civilisation. My interest and admiration for Samrat Ashoka took me there. The more we travel to the rural parts, we learn about the rich Buddhist history of this land.
WEB PAGE
I am happy to announce that my website is finally live after many months (a year, to be precise) of hard work. My project manager made this a lively project to develop together.
It can be accessed here: https://www.surajyengde.com
How cool is that?
The site is meant to serve as an online archive of two types:
1) ARCHIVE of my articles (https://www.surajyengde.com/articles/),
TALKS (https://www.surajyengde.com/talks/),
INTERVIEWS (https://www.surajyengde.com/about/interviews/),
BOOKS (https://www.surajyengde.com/books/) and other works and projects I am involved with.
2) ARCHIVE of articles around Bahujan-centric topic: https://www.surajyengde.com/bahujan-library/. Please be patient! This section is not completed yet and is work in construction.
I would also like to especially mention the project Caste in Canada that Dr Anne Murphy and I worked on: https://www.surajyengde.com/caste-in-canada/. Please visit the site and read more about this extraordinary project.
The website is not final, it will keep on expanding. The next section that will be added is a blog/expression section, which will serve as a meeting point for various voices. When done, you will be informed.
Until then, enjoy scrolling through the existing rich content on surajyengde.com and give us feedback if you want!
Dalitality
In July’s edition of Dalitality, I look at Christian Dalits' appeal to seek a Scheduled Caste status. In this vein, some backward caste Muslims on social media are also visible with similar petitions. It is a complicated topic. As I write,
‘The majority Muslim question in India is spiritually Sufi but electorally Mughal. The impetus of relying on the greatness of the Muslim rule bolstered through the texts and evidence of Islamic invasions in India adds to this dimension. The mass of the outcastes who converted to Islam gave up on their rich history and ancestors. While there, they were accepted into the ummah with promises of greater freedom and autonomy. This sudden shift of assimilating into the Islam brotherhood divorced them from the cause of their struggle. Instead of fighting as converted Dalits against Brahminism, they took on Hindus as Muslims, not Dalits. However, there too, they remained subalterns of the hegemonic Islamic superiority. That is why the new demand for inclusion into the SC list gathers steam.’
The complete article is available here to read.
A RISING writer from the Lakshwadeep Islands writes this heartwarming piece about his home.
Historically, the Laccadivian Archipelago that comprises the Lakshadweep islands was populated by Buddhist settlers who migrated from Sri Lanka and Southern India after the dissolution of the Chola empire. This Buddhist population underwent another radical conversion, adopting Islam after the 10th Century due to Arab influence. Even after these two major cultural influences which prohibit caste-based discrimination, we still had deep-rooted caste segregation in post-Independence Maliku. The hierarchical segregation has Manifkans (royals), Thakrufans (sailors who made voyages to the mainland for trade), and then us, the ‘Raveries’. The term means people who brew coconut wine. They considered the lowest castes — labourers who worked for the upper class.
The complete piece can be read here.
FRANCE needs new agenda of Economic justice for all argues French economist Niels Planel. H writes in Dalitality
The political upheavals generated by this disintegration, however, continue to reverberate until this day within a crises-ridden Fifth Republic, and has resulted in the emergence and consolidation of three new forces in the political landscape, including a fractured left and a culturally powerful far-right, the extreme concentration of power in the hands of the presidency, and regular, powerful street protests that started from the second year of the first presidential term with the Yellow Vests, all the way to this spring’s demonstrations against the pension reform and this summer’s urban riots.
The complete article can be read here.
Other Publications
My analysis of the US Supreme Court’s verdict on Affirmative Action and race is published in the Times of India. You can read the complete article here.
Lahori Ram Balley, a veteran of the Ambedkarite movement from Punjab and an ace editor and writer, passed away at the age of 93. Just before his passing, we had announced to launch a national award in his name. The purpose of the L R Balley National Award was to celebrate the living legends of the Dalit community.
I wrote an obituary of Late Lahori Ram Balley in Hindustan Times, the piece is available here.
We also celebrated the life of Balley in Nanded. The first awardee was Gujarat’s MLA, Jignesh Mevani. He flew down to Nanded.
Glimpses from the L R Balley National Award, Nanded
I wrote a chapter, ‘Casteocracy: A Millennium Standard of Merit and Tests’, in the book ‘Critical Perspectives on the Denial of Caste in Educational Debate’. It’s accessible here.
In Maharashtra, the BJP is trying hard to make in-roads. It has trumped the old guard of the NCP Party. Sharad Pawar is losing his balance. I reviewed his book some time ago. It is in discussion again. You can read it here. The review of Sharad Pawar’s autobiography ‘On My Terms’ gets highlighted in the article ‘The Loneliness of the Patriarch’ by PR Ramesh gets published in ‘Open The Magazine’. It can be read here.
Media Profiles
TNTalk: Envisaging Inclusive State Socialism by Dr. Suraj Yengde | Part: 1. It can be viewed here: https://www.surajyengde.com/talks/
TNTalk: Envisaging Inclusive State Socialism by Dr. Suraj Yengde | Part: 2 Q&A is available here.
I delivered a talk on Shahu Maharaj.
“I am a product of the Phule-Shahu-Ambedkar movement”, Dr. Suraj Yengde at an event in Chandrapur. This speech can be accessed here on Awaaz India TV.
“What is the future of Bahujan politics?” The complete speech is available here.
Interview
Praful Bhalerao from Awaaz TV India interviewed me when I was in Chandrapur. You can watch it here.
The topic of Casteism on Campus is back again. IIT Bombay drew a policy which I welcomed at an NDTV interview here.
While in Chennai, The News Minute caught up with me . The article is available here.
Other Features / Publications
LSE Blog: Democracy Denied: The Fraught Realities of Higher Education for Dalits in India. You can read the complete piece here.
Dalit Defenders: Rights and issues of Dalits in India, an issue by IDSN, UK can be accessed here.
Dalits in Telangana Village Defy Years of Untouchability, Reject Segregation. The piece is available here.
Harish Wankhede, in his article unmasks the Hindutva Cinema. The complete piece is available here. Harish also reviewed Made in Heaven, an amazon prime series for The Hindu.
Another story from the marginalized press. The subaltern caste media is operating independently. One such was profiled by the DW. The video can be accessed here.
Prashant Ingole wrote a chapter, “Anti-Caste Music and Cinema”, in the book ‘Dalits in the New Millenium’. You can read it here.
“Who gets to write about Ambedkar?” A long read by Harish Wankhede for The Himal. The piece is available here.
Book Review of Affairs of Caste by Sumeet Samos can be accessed here.
In History
17 July: First Dalit President, K. R. Narayan, was elected.
17 July: Birth Anniversary of famous Dalit poet – Baburao Ramaji Bagul
18 July: Death Anniversary of Annabhau Sathe
20 July: Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha Foundation Day
22 July: Swami Achhutanand’s Death Anniversary
25 July: Death Anniversary of Phoolan Devi
31 July: Death Anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh (Freedom fighter and Dalit from Punjab)
Things to look out for
I will delivering 2nd Ajay Gandhi Memorial Lecture at Manthan, Hyderabad. Details here.
I am doing an event in Kolhapur with veteran journalist and Rajya Sabha MP, Kumar Ketkar. Following this, I will head to attend the Gala at Venice Biennale.
Greetings from Nanded for now.
#Jai Bhim #DalitLove
suraj
Canada is exploiting caste in a grotesque, horrendous manner. Their approach to anti-racism, anti-casteism can be described as homeopathic. Caste in Canada needs to be discussed in a thorough, rigorous manner as it infects anywhere that white supremacy has already infested - absolutely everywhere. Thank you for your efforts, I will take some time to look through the project. I was severely traumatized out of 2 jobs which I competed fairly for, after educating myself, and re-humanizing myself to the extent possible, alone, after complete dehumanization by age 12. I have not worked in more than 2 years, as I do not believe that I can experience further traumatization without permanent, debilitating suffering, or even death. I plan to formalize my renunciation of all worldly desires & possessions to pursue ordination as a Buddhist monk, this being the only option which I can identify as a possibility for implementing Right Livelihood in my current precious human rebirth. Any other option would involve exploiting patriarchy, casteism, racism, colorism, Christofascism, all of which are forms of violence and therefore could never be Right Livelihood.
I take all of your suffering, past, present, and future.
I give to you all of my joy & happiness.
💙💛❤️🤍🧡
Jai Bhim
Jai Savitri