ORISSA D.V. SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATION

Bhubaneswar, June 10 (Sunday) 2007

PRADIP SETHI

Venue: Lohia Academy, Lane No.8, Near Rotary Club & Chitrakut Ashram, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar - 751 009.

We request all the DV family members of Orissa to take this as our invitation for the one-day function. We have to build a group of Dalit thinkers and workers to guide the Dalit-Bahujan socio-political movement in our state. As it is a one-day programme and we get the rare presence of Editor V.T. Rajshekar, we have to use every minute of the day’s function.

There will be two sessions. The morning session will start sharp at 10a.m.: Discussion on the “Role of Dalit Voice and its impact on Dalits. How it makes us think and act.”

Afternoon session: “Issues on Manuwadi Maoism (naxalism) in Orissa, reservation and impact of LPG on Dalit-Bahujan and revival of Dalit Vartha and Derena on the line of DV” will be discussed.

DV family members may confirm their participation before May 30 to make the programme successful. All members must come prepared. The presence of a large number of our women is a must.

Pradip Sethi : 99374-08358
Shreenath Jena : 94374-63774
K.M. Tanti : 94370-96628
Dr. Basu Dev Sunani : 94373-27732

Mahar monopoly fractured Ambedkarite movement

Dr. Ambedkar had asked his followers that the chariot of his movement, if could not be taken forward, must not be allowed to slip backward. Everybody in the movement knows this. But at the same time everybody believes that what he is doing is right and helping to push the chariot forward. The problem comes when he thinks that others are trying to push it backwards. That is why he opposes all others. And says he alone is right. Unfortunately, whom he considered as “others” number many more than his own supporters. This is the cause of fracturing of Ambedkarite movement in India and especially in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra ignored Kanshi Ram: Dr. Ambedkar, during his conversion at Nagpur had talked of future action to his followers at a meeting in Shyam Hotel. Entry was with passes. I had the privilege of attending that meeting being a student worker.

In that meeting, Dr. Ambedkar perhaps for the first time speaking in Hindi advised his workers to develop a mindset to work with other castes in tandem. That was the idea behind the formation of RPI.

Unfortunately, that advice was not followed after the formation of the new party. As a result, the party remained a one-caste party. When there was the rise of Kanshi Ram in North India, people in Maharashtra ignored him. They wanted the Sun to rise, there is no doubt about that but they wanted the Sun to rise after hearing the sound of their cock. As the Sun rose in UP without hearing the voice of the cock from Maharashtra, the people from Maharashtra pretended that there is no Sun rise. That gave rise to fractured politics in the region.

Mixing politics & religion defeats both: I am writing not on political situation in Maharashtra but its religious situation. Earlier, RPI meetings used to start with Budha Vandana. And religious discourses were addressed by political leaders. May be it was necessary at that time. Later, it dawned that religious movement must be kept away from the political movement. When non-RPI people wanted to adopt Budhism but still keep working in their previous political party RPI felt disadvantaged. When non-Budhists wanted to join RPI they were labeled by their own caste men as Untouchables. BSP did not bother about it in Maharashtra. If the religious and political movements are not kept separate neither grows and both suffer.

In spite of this, some people keep saying that RPI and Budhism are two wheels of the same chariot of Ambedkar’s movement. Here lies the danger. They must both work independently. Dr. Ambedkar chariot has multiple wheels, not only two — religious and political. There are others too, they being cultural, educational, economic, co-operative and many more. All must work in cooperation no doubt but still be entirely independent.

New entrants to Budhism: A “religious revolution” is being planned in Maharashtra by embracing Budhism by people from castes other than Mahars. Many other castes are preparing to be Budhists. Many castes like Matangs are conducting conversion ceremonies in various places. The old Budhists Ambedkarites have welcomed the new entrants.

One such noted new entrant is Laxman Mane, whose autobiography Upara (outsider) is important in Marathi Dalit literature and is perhaps the earliest of writings which brought to the attention of the world the woes of VJNT (vimukta jati — ex-criminal tribes and nomadic tribes). He is well known in Maharashtra as a prominent leader of VJNT and a noted thinker, literary figure, and is a senior leader in their community but imbibed with Ambedkarite ideas.

Walking skeletons: He embraced Budhism on Oct.2 last year at Nagpur. That has encouraged conversion to Budhism. He was to tour the state from April 14 2007 from Chandrapur passing through all the districts of Maharashtra culminating in Bombay at a massive conversion ceremony on May 27, 2007. How many will convert? Expected to be in lakhs.

Mane (56), youngest winner of the Sahitya Akademy Award, says that the Adivasis are already following Budha. Hence it is a home-coming.

However, he is associated with Sharad Pawar’s NCP and made chief of the Govt. Nomadic Tribal Welfare Board. He works with Ms. Supriya Sule, Pawar’s daughter. Ramdas Athawale, the Man Friday of Sharad Pawar, is helping him.

Even the “most educated” of Indian society hardly knows the plight of India’s nomads who suffer from total deprivation, neglect and dire poverty. Their literacy percentage is a mere 0.06%. Reduced to mere walking skeletons.

Religious unity first: There are about 600 million denotified and nomadic citizens in India. They have no house, no ration cards. On the top of it, they are dubbed criminals and when any crime takes place, they are the first suspects. They have been victims of a hugely discriminatory law, the Criminal Tribes Act, subsequently replaced by the Habitual Offenders Act.

Let all of us welcome these neglected “creatures” to Budhism and Ambedkarism. Many more castes are getting ready. The progress of Budhism depends upon how well and how fast we can assimilate them by matrimonial alliances. Ignore tenets of various forms of Budhism and various intricacies of religion which only divide us. Also ignore political views of new entrants. We want religious unity first. Social and cultural unity for which we will have to struggle will follow. We must ignore political unity. This is what I feel.

DV congratulated for exposing “fraud of 20th century”

Congratulations for publishing Gandhi’s sex scandals (DV May 1, 2007 p.16). He emasculated the steel-bodied, warlike Dalit-Bahujan masses’ martial pride and consciousness to make them non-violent puppets who are encouraged to believe in karma and fate — “sins” of a fictitious previous birth and an equally fictitious redemption in so-called future births.

Brahminical Budhists like the Dalai Lama and S.N. Goenka’s Vipassana have already done enough damage. Now Laxman Mane has invited the notorious Dalai Lama, the darling of Brahmins, to hypnotise the poor nomadic tribals to become even more meek and humble in the face of violent savarna atrocities by talking about ahimsa.

Budhism part of Hinduism: Look at the double-standards of Brahminical rulers. They hate conversion and brought laws to ban conversions. Christian priests are attacked and killed for converting Dalits but in Bombay Laxman Mane is made a hero for converting tribals to Budhism. Does it not prove that Brahmins have made Budhism part of Hinduism?

Perhaps the only way to cure this poisonous gandhian avatar of ahimsa is to launch a ferocious movement to liberate Bodh Gaya from the Brahminical terrorists. This along with your “caste identity” thesis will perhaps radicalise at least the Mahars among the Dalit-Bahujans and encourage Mahar soldiers to take on savarnas in the Indian Army, just like the Sikh Regiment revolted during the “Operation Blue Star” — especially if private sector reservations as well as reservations in the armed forces are also denied. Only then will the “scaffolding”, which you talk about, will collapse. Then incidents like the Deccan Queen burning will be a daily affair. No amount of “democratic” debate with the savarnas will suffice. Only a revolution and direct action will work. Only when the “jati identity” makes the Indian Army unmanageable then only the Dalit-Bahujan masses will get their freedom.

Language of cowards: Separate electorate should be our aim. Non-violence is the language of the coward. For that the gandhian ahimsa must be first shot dead. Otherwise, we can make no progress. The lord Ramas will keep beheading the Shambukas and the Brahmin Vamanas will keep pushing the Mahabalis into the Arabian Sea and the Ekalavyas will continue to cut off our thumbs daily.

The manuwadi structure will remain intact and will not be dismantled voluntarily by the savarnas. I think Dr. Ambedkar made a mistake and hindsight proves this. He should have simply joined Jinnah and allowed Gandhi to simply die and trigger a subcontinental caste war. History would have been very different and things would have become much better long long ago. This is what I feel. This gandhian ahimsa has caused enough damage. The sooner we get rid of it the better. Congratulations for exposing the “Fraud of the 20th century”.

Sai Baba gets highest foreign funds

New Delhi: Figures with the Ministry of Home Affairs during the year 2003-04 say that as many as 14,700 groups in India have received foreign funds worth Rs 4,856 crore. The Puttaparti (AP)-based Sathya Sai Central Trust of Satya Sai Baba is the largest recipient of foreign contributions. It received Rs. 95 crore during 2003-04.

World Vision International, a US-based Christian relief and development organisation, is the biggest donor agency for many Indian voluntary groups.

It released nearly Rs 95 crore for charitable purposes for Indian agencies last year. Other big donors are Foster Parents Plan International, USA, and Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, USA.

As per the latest available data with the Union Home Ministry, the US heads the list of donor countries to India with Rs 1,492.62 crore, followed by the UK (Rs 677.59 crore), and Germany (Rs 664.51 crore).

Exchange rate today : One USD gets you 40 Indian rupees. (CNN IBN With inputs from Pallavi Basu).

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In “Hindu India”, problem begins only when Muslims and Christians get foreign funds. If a Hindu gets he is praised. Fraudman Satya Sai Baba, who is now fading because of old age, faces so many charges including that of multiple murder in his own bedroom but he is above law because he is a Hindu and a god. The law is the Hindu is above the law. Even the Supreme Court is sympathetic because many judges are his devotees — EDITOR.

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DV Sept.1, 2005 p.8: “A poor magician called Satya Sai Baba”.

DV July 16, 2004 p.6: “Sodomy charges against Sai Baba: Havoc of godman”.

DV Feb.16, 2002 p.11: “Is it possible to kill god?”

DV Jan.16, 1994 p.5: “Sai Baba murder case takes new turn”.

DV July 16, 1993: “Truth about Baba and his blacksheep”.

DV Oct.1, 1982 p. 10: “Sue Satya Sai Baba for Sodomy”.

12,000 farmers killed

New Delhi: The report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, which went unnoticed, said 11,728 farmers have committed suicide during the past five years. While there is no law to arrest bank defaulters in trade and industry, the Committee was shocked to learn that in some states farmers could be put behind bars for defaulting. Further, the MPs were shocked to see that in UP, Bihar and elsewhere farmers could not just be put behind bars, but the expenditure incurred on their food, transport and other things in jail is also recovered from them. Strangely, the committee is headed by Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav.

—(Asian Age, March 26, 2007).

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Girl child given away

Ramnagaram: Hardly 70 km. off Karnataka’s global showpiece and capital city of Bangalore in the Chief Minister’s electoral constituency, newborn girls are “given away” by parents because they can’t feed them. For the Banjara Lanbanis — traditionally nomadic tribe — settled in villages under the Averahalli gram panchayat in Ramnagaram taluk, the willingness to “give away” female infants is fast becoming the norm. But even while citing years of squalor and administrative apathy as reasons, they maintain that the infants are not being “sold”.

—(Deccan Herald, April 6, 2007)

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