Synopsis: 5 films displaying caste dynamics and discriminations, an overview of their plots, a comment on their depiction of caste and the overwhelming critical reviews. Caste discrimination as depicted in Indian cinema Indian cinema, has, for decades, appropriated and/or erased the stories of Dalits. Their stories, when represented, were often told by upper caste men … Read more
Who Were the Shudras?: B.R. Ambedkar aims to provide clarity on the origins of the Shudra class in the caste system in India through this book of his. It was initially published in 1946, a time when caste discrimination in society was rampant, and the lower castes continued to suffer immensely. He provides evidence from … Read more
The Reservation System be it for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Background Classes or women in India have been uniquely formed and also the first in its kind. Babasaheb Ambedkar very well noticed how the “depressed class” were on the verge of assimilation and being recognised as Hindus, drawing them further into their own humiliation. … Read more
Leftist writers: ‘The left’ is a broad term that describes a set of politics and ideologies that advocate egalitarianism or state control of the major institutions of political and economic life (Editors of Encyclopedia, 2020). Historically, the divide between left and right can be traced back to the seating arrangements French National Assembly during the … Read more
In India, it is almost impossible to imagine one not having heard the name of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He, who is widely regarded as the ‘father of the nation’ in India had been elevated to the title of a ‘Mahatma’ or a ‘great soul’. Having followed the path of non-violence and Satyagraha, he was recognised … Read more
The issue of caste has been central to the nation of India. The attempts to highlight the issue perhaps best-found voice in the Constituent Assembly debates where Dr. BR Ambedkar voiced the concerns regarding discrimination and prejudices on the base of caste and ensured during the making of the constitution the ideas of ‘equality’ and … Read more
The struggle of third world feminists could be marked in the final decades of the 20th century. In the Indian context, women always remain the dual victims of caste and patriarchy. The Indian social movements are conventionally concerned with the role of caste and caste identity. In the early 1990s, when autonomous Dalit organizations were … Read more
