Society & Culture
Dasain festival: A dance performance to preserve a collective memory of grief is on the wane
Dasain is not merely a festival of the Santhals; it is a collective memory of the entire indigenous society. It encompasses history, culture and the philosophy of life. The festival teaches us that history is...
‘Homebound’: A rare attempt to zoom in on the suffering of the historically oppressed
Through this excellent adaptation of a real-life story by journalist Basharat Peer published in the New York Times, Neeraj Ghaywan and his team have made Ambedkar more visible on the big screen – not as...
Jharkhand child marriage crisis: Challenges and a glimmer of hope
Child marriage in Jharkhand is not a ‘tribal issue’ but a developmental crisis shaped by intersecting vulnerabilities. Tribal communities, while facing chronic disadvantages of remoteness, poor infrastructure and displacement, are not the sole or even...
Santram BA, Ambedkar and Gandhi on ‘Annihilation of Caste’
Gandhi wanted to purge Hinduism of both untouchability and the caste system. Going a step further, Santram BA wanted to free Hinduism from both Varna and caste systems. In contrast to both these stands, Ambedkar...
Indian Renaissance’s unease with education of women and Dalits
The author of 'Shiksha Ka Phal' was aware that losing the Shudras from the Hindu fold would not...
Dalit Journeys: Speaking beyond the ‘Subaltern’
The first volume of ‘Dalit Studies’ (2016) established the field, historicizing Dalit politics and thought while probing questions...
Lyricist Shailendra, whose songs taught the masses to never lose hope
Shailendra preached what he inherited with his Dalit identity and what he imbibed with class consciousness and an...
Rajasthani musicians: Applause for their music yet to ease the burden of their caste
The Manganiyars and Langas have travelled far beyond their desert villages, taking Rajasthan’s folk music heritage with them....
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