Tag Archives: human-rights

March 25, 2015 · 3:00 am

Why wearing Thaali (Mangalsutra) is disgraceful

“The ritual of tying a “thaali” (or mangalsutra) around the woman’s neck at the marriage ceremony and considering her to be his slave is similar to buying a buffalo, tying a cord around its neck and dragging it home.

It is considered that the practice of tying a “thaali” (or mangalsutra) around a women’s neck is to provide the identity of marital status, to establish the right as someone’s wife and to prevent other men from falling in love with that woman.

If that is so, is it not essential for men also to wear a sign that identifies their marital status and prevents other women from falling in love with them?”

– Periyar, rationalist and social activist described by United Nations as the father of social reform movement and Prophet of New Age.

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Filed under Dr B R Ambedkar, Equal Rights, Periyar, Women RIghts

Tagged as caste system, Dalit, dalit women, discrimination, Equal Rights, Hindu Caste System, human-rights, Mangalsutra, Periyar, violence against women

July 27, 2012 · 12:03 am

What can a ‘sincere’ upper caste person do?

It’s just like when you’ve got some coffee that’s too black, which means it’s too strong. What do you do? You integrate it with cream, you make it weak. But if you pour too much cream in it, you won’t even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it puts you to sleep. –Malcolm X.

After I wrote the last article on Untouchability & Satyamev Jayate, I got an email asking me –so do I think no upper caste person does any good for Dalits? It is a perfect time for this question. I had wanted to write on the same topic for some time now as there was a discussion going on in a forum on almost the same topic – do organisations owned/run by upper caste people really do any work for Dalits?

Before, I answer this question; can anyone tell me an instance in history where upper caste people ‘collectively’ have done anything for the upliftment of Dalits? You may point to some individuals who have done their bit but if you check out the history of India, there is no such instance where upper caste people ‘collectively’ have done anything for the betterment of Dalits. All that upper caste people want is power and upper caste people have perfected the art of projecting themselves as friends of Dalits. By winning the friendship/support of the Dalits, so called ‘progressive upper caste people’ are able to use Dalits as a pawn in the social-economic-political game. Dalits are nothing but a game played by ‘progressive upper caste people’, based on tokenism or false promises of equality. In this game, played on the rules of deception, only upper caste people have gained and Dalits have remained on the bottom rung.

Many so called ‘progressive upper caste people’ are just like foxes, they keep hiding their true nature and they misguide till the time comes to put their jaws on the misguided. Such people are more dangerous than the people who snarl openly against Dalits. I have never seen a ‘sincere’ upper caste person helping Dalits without any real motive.

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