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Insight Young Voices Blog

Insight Young Voices Blog

Insight is an open platform to discuss issues that are either taboo or represented in a biased and patronizing manner in mainstream discourse. We are speaking, of course, of the experience of marginalized communities.

Insight hopes to address questions of caste discrimination and inequality, redress the widespread lack of representation of Dalit experience and, reverse the silence regarding the contributions of Dalits to the social, political and economic spheres of national and international life.

We also aim to popularize the rich and resilient alternative culture and politics of the Dalits and revisit Dalit icons who have been consigned to the margins of an oppressive brahminical history.

Most importantly, Insight will be a space where the silence of the subaltern student will be broken. Experiences of marginalization, insensitivity and discrimination (both academically and socially) will find a welcome space alongside moments reflecting the struggle, resistance and achievements of Dalit students.

 

-From the Editorial, Insight Vol.1 No 1, September 2023

Insight Young Voices is a Dalit youth magazine published by a group of Dalit students and young professionals. Firmly rooted within the Dalit movement, the magazine aims to fill up the vacuum that exists between the movement and the Dalit students/youth. It is also committed towards creating an autonomous space for Dalit youth to articulate their concerns, issues and interact with academicians, scholars, activists engaged in anti-caste movement in our country.

Started initially as the magazine of and for Dalit students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, in September 2004, now it circulates among the student community of more than 50 educational institutions in the country and abroad. The magazine has also been instrumental in creating a support network for the Dalit students in higher education by involving students, professionals, scholars and activists.

Since its inception, the magazine is being published through raising financial, material and human resources from within the community and is managed by an Editorial Collective.

Members of Editorial Collective

Dr. Venkat Maroju: With M.E. from Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore, Ph.D. from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA and MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA, he is currently working with Bose Corporation, USA.

Ranjit Thankappan: Pursuing his PhD from University of Hyderabad, he also teaches at EMPC, IGNOU, New Delhi.

Ratnesh Kumar: Pursuing his PhD from Babasaheb Ambedkar National Institute of Social Sciences
(BANISS), Mhow, he is also involved in building Indian Buddhist youth movement.

G. Novahu: An engineering professional from Osmania University, he is currently working with a public sector unit based in New Delhi.

Dr Ajita Rao: After MBBS from Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, she is currently involved with Dalit and women’s movement.

Cynthia Stephen: She is an independent writer and researcher based in Bangalore.

Saptarshi Mandal: He is pursing LLB from National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata.

Philip Peacock: He teaches at Bishopâ College, Kolkata.

Anoop Kumar: After his post-graduation from JNU, New Delhi, he is involved with the Dalit youth movement.

Rashmi Ekka: An Economics graduate from the College of Wooster, Ohio, she is currently working on the issue of women and micro finance.

Sandali: She is pursuing her PhD from University of Pune.

Gyanendra Kumar: After completing his PhD from IISc, Bangalore, he is working as a Research Associate at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA.

Ravindra Goliya: With an M.Tech from IIT Roorkee, he teaches at Engineering College, Guna (MP).

Rajesh Katulkar: With an Mphil from JNU, New Delhi, he is working with Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai.

Carmel Christy: Pursuing her PhD from University of Hyderabad, she currently teaches at Delhi University.

Yogesh Kumar: With an MBA from Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, he is currently working at Lucknow in INGO.

Jitendra Makwana: Pursuing MBA from AESPGIBM he is also involved with teaching street kids and organizing Dalit youth in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

 

Interview with Manjula PradeepInsight Young Voices Blog

Manjula Pradeep has been at the forefront of advocating for Dalit rights in Gujarat for over two decades. As the Executive Director of Navsarjan, a prominent Dalit organization based in the state, she has spearheaded various initiatives tackling caste-based discrimination and empowering marginalized communities.

With a Master’s in Social Work and a law degree, Pradeep joined Navsarjan in 1992 and has since led the legal cell addressing Dalit atrocities. Beyond this, she has been instrumental in movements supporting agricultural laborers, bonded laborers and promoting women’s cooperatives across Gujarat’s rural areas. Under her leadership since 2004, Navsarjan has trained grassroots activists while raising Dalit and Dalit women’s concerns at national and global platforms.

Recently, Navsarjan made headlines with a study examining the prevalence of untouchability practices in Gujarat. Could you please elaborate on the key findings unveiled by this research? What new insights did it provide into the continued manifestations of caste-based discrimination and ostracization in the state? Sharing the study’s conclusions would help understand the ground realities Navsarjan has uncovered and the challenges that persist in achieving equity for Dalits in Gujarat.

Insight Young Voices Blog

Illustraion by Rajesh Kumar, JNU, New Delhi

Navsarjan’s Extensive Study Exposes Rampant Untouchability in Gujarat

Our comprehensive study on the practices of untouchability spanned 1,655 villages across Gujarat, taking three painstaking years to complete. We have shared some of the alarming findings with the media to raise much-needed awareness. The research identified a staggering 99 different manifestations of untouchability still being practiced, pinpointing the specific regions where each discriminatory custom prevails.

Among the most pervasive forms are those violating Dalits’ right to equality in religious affairs. In over 90% of the villages surveyed, Dalits are barred from entering temples, prohibited from touching idols and worship materials, and excluded from participating in religious processions and rituals.

Moreover, Dalits are subjected to demeaning treatment in everyday situations. They are not permitted to sit on chairs or cots in the presence of non-Dalits, forced instead to sit on the floor. Discrimination over food is another glaring issue – Dalits are generally excluded from community meals, and if grudgingly included, are made to sit separately carrying their own utensils. The cruel practice of serving them tea in segregated ‘Ram patra’ cups in non-Dalit households persists.

Basic amenities too are denied as untouchability is imposed through restricting Dalits’ access to drinking water sources, ration shops, postal services and even prohibiting them from touching vegetables at stores.

While untouchability is widely known to exist in our nation, this issue has been sidelined and wrongly portrayed as a relic of the past. Our study lends authenticity to assertions that such discriminatory practices against Dalits remain deplorably alive, permeating every sphere of social life. We cannot afford to wish away this harsh reality.

What was the methodology used for this study?

From the outset, we were resolute that this study must be conducted scientifically, devoid of any bias. Rigorous training was imparted to 200 Navsarjan field workers on survey techniques and data collection procedures. A comprehensive 6-page questionnaire was meticulously prepared to systematically gather information, which was then digitized and statistically analyzed by computer.

Crucially, the study leveraged mixed-gender teams comprising both male and female Navsarjan activists. We recognized that an all-male team would likely encounter reticence from village women, while an all-female group could face hesitancy from men. Hence, two-member activist teams – one man and one woman – were deployed to conduct community interviews and household surveys in each village. This approach ensured perspectives across gender lines were captured.

Within the communities, the study stratified respondents by sub-caste, age and gender parameters. For household surveys too, segregation was based on age and gender dimensions. Our colleagues invested 4-5 painstaking days per village to exhaustively chronicle the data through this nuanced, inclusive process.

The study benefited tremendously from the scholarly guidance of Prof. C. Davenport from the Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame, USA. A renowned expert on ethnic conflicts and human rights, Prof. Davenport has conducted seminal research on the Rwandan genocide and African-American struggles. His vast experience proved invaluable.