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Mahishasur Day: The changing imprint

The organizers of Mahishasur Day say that their battle is for respect and dignity. Let us go through banners put up at events held in different places to commemorate Mahishasur and try to grasp Indian culture's changing terminology and its meanings – both expressed and implied

mahishasur-day-patna“Roti, Kapda Aur Makan” (Food, clothes and shelter) was a very popular slogan at one time. It is still used as the ideal representation of the needs of the socially and economically backward communities of India. But “samman” (respect) finds no mention in this slogan. Those who got “Roti, Kapda Aur Makan” did not get “samman”. They became top politicians, but the statues they unveiled were washed. They became top officers but “gangajal” was sprinkled on their chairs the moment they left. They were appointed to top positions but the names of the communities they came from continued to be used to abuse and mock people. Can only food, clothes and shelter fetch one social respect?  No, not at all.

To get social respect, the exploited sections first have to secure cultural respect. Their low status has its roots in the Brahmanvadi culture. Without pulling out these roots, it will be next to impossible for them to get social respect and dignity.

The organizers of Mahishasur Day say that their battle is for respect and dignity. Let us go through banners put up at events held in different places to commemorate Mahishasur and try to grasp Indian culture’s changing terminology and its meanings – both expressed and implied.

 

Patna, Bihar
Patna, Bihar

 

Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh
Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh

 

Muzaffarpur, Bihar
Muzaffarpur, Bihar

 

Aurangabad, Bihar
Aurangabad, Bihar

 

Invitation for Mahishasur Day
A Mahishasur Day invitation

 

JNU, Delhi
JNU, Delhi

 

A Mahishasur Day pamphlet
A Mahishasur Day pamphlet

 

Mysuru, Karnataka
Mysuru, Karnataka

 

A demand placed before the government
A demand placed before the government

 

Taherpur, Malda, West Bengal
Taherpur, Malda, West Bengal

 

Vaishali, Bihar
Vaishali, Bihar

 

 

haidrabad, Telangana
Hyderabad, Telangana

 

Medinipur, West Bengal
Medinipur, West Bengal

 

Mahua, Vaishali
Mahua, Vaishali, Bihar

 

Giridih, Jharkhand
Giridih, Jharkhand

 

Dhanbad, Jharkhand
Dhanbad, Jharkhand

 

Rajkot, Gujrat
Rajkot, Gujarat

About The Author

Rajan Kumar

Rajan Kumar is Assistant Editor (Hindi), Forward Press.

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