Makers of Modern Dalit History by Sudarshan Ramabadran and Guru Prakash presents a powerful narrative that challenges historical biases and celebrates the enduring legacy of 18 Dalit icons of the country born across millenniums
BY Sanjeev Chopra
18 ‘Dalit’ icons covering at least five thousand years of our history — the epochal narrators Ved Vyasa of the Mahabharata and Valmiki of the Ramayana, the medieval saints Namdev, Ravi Das and Kabir, the freedom fighter Rani Jhalkaribai, the educational reformer Savitribai Phule, the revolutionary Udham Singh, the law ministers of India and Pakistan Dr Ambedkar and Jogendranath Mondal, respectively, and many more — have been brought together by Sudarshan Ramabadran and Guru Prakash Paswan in this powerful discourse on how Indian history, from the times of the epics to the present, has been shaped by Dalits.
Before we delve into each of these perso “change gears from Incredible India to In not given the due ‘space’. Whether it wa addressed independently; for the purpose attempt to address this anomaly and brin We begin with the life and times of sages which define Bharat and bust the factoid their origin, or writing or different philos Bhagwad Geeta (the Song celestial). The and it certainly shows how societal roles circumstances of birth. However, it must CE, circumstances of birth became the d So, we have Nandanar, the twelfth-centu ‘The Untouchables’. There are numerous Shiva to direct Nandi to move aside for a Telugu poet, whose writing style became lament on Kalidasa’s famous Meghdoota Lord Shiva in Varanasi”.
Varanasi is also home to both Kabir and that the two met Guru Nanak during his V 41 of his verses were included in the Gur princess Meerabai, who wrote, ‘When R /my Master revealed the secret of the Na While Namdev is well known and well-r companion Sant Janabai who was a spiri spiritual journey elevation. He, in turn, in wonderful relationship between the two – was also a contemporary of Soyarabai, w Let’s now move from the medieval to the the closest associate of her queen Laxmi was at her best astride a mount with a sw queen to give Laxmi Bai the chance to es governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Mata Pr ‘Jhalkaribai Natak Savitri Phule and her husband Jyotirao h and emancipation of the depressed classe child widow in Marathwada in 1847, and Indian history to light her husband’s fune Samaj which Jyotirao had started. She lo who took charge of her clinic head-on.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Ay community, the Pulayars, were considere established community courts for mediat nominated to the Travancore assembly in in public schools. At the dawn of Indepen the Constituent Assembly, made a very in Harijans, or by whatever name they are c demanding separate electorates or joint e percentage. Personally speaking, I am no Jogendranath Mandal was born into the N Bengal, and then Pakistan, but in his 8,0 he gave vent to his frustration against the clear violation of the commitment given against the Congress.
Next, we have Babu Jagjivan Ram, a pow first Dalit prime minister. By all account distinction as a cabinet minister in severa in the 1971 war when he was helming th Growing up in the Doab region of Punjab political entrepreneur. He rose to fame an and Ambedkar Jayanti with those of Tila with DS4 (Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sanghars to establish the BSP, and mentored Maya powerful CMs of UP.
The first Dalit President of India KR Nar bright student, as a researcher, a journali edition of the Times of India, he met Ma communalism were two sides of the sam The penultimate entry is on Udham Sing Baugh massacre by fatally attacking the his muse, he kissed the gallows and his l The final tribute is reserved for Babasahe all Indians, an ideologue for linguistic sta political equality, without social justice a was “a way of life which recognises libe be treated as separate items in a trinity. T the other is to defeat the very purpose of Democracy.
This is a book that deserves to be read, cover to cover, many times over!
The writer, a former Director of LBS National Academy of Administration, is currently a historian, policy analyst and columnist, and serves as the Festival Director of Valley of Words — a festival of arts and literature
Courtesy : millenniumpost
Note: This news is originally published in millenniumpost.com and was used solely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights.
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