The Kalaram Mandir Movement
“I didn’t launch the temple entry movement because I wanted the Depressed Classes to become worshipers of idols which they were prevented from worshiping or because I believed temple entry would make them equal members in and an integral part of the Hindu Society.” – Dr Ambedkar Illustration by Ajinkya Dekhane On this day in […]
रिंकू की कविताएं
मैं एक लड़की, एक दुसाध-दलित लड़की, एक मध्यम वर्ग से आने वाली लड़की, जो घर को घर जैसा नहीं देखती, घर क्या है नही समझती, और परिवार कौन और कैसे बनता है इस खोज में हूं। मेरे लिए घर के मायने बदल रहे है, परिवार के मायने बदल रहे है। Illustration by Ajinkya Dekhane ‘एक […]
Babasaheb and Fashion
Against the caste structure, Dr Ambedkar’s fashion and style overturns centuries long oppressive dictations about what Dalits can and cannot do. Illustration by Ajinkya Dekhane Wherever Babasaheb is depicted or shown, in everyday billboards, books, magazines and blog posts, his image represents a liberated individual. Dr Ambedkar’s persona is not only the defiance of repressive […]
Babasaheb and Education
Education was historically denied to Dalit communities for centuries. Babasaheb’s extraordinary accolades would go on to become a pride for his people. Illustration by Ajinkya Dekhane Dr B. R Ambedkar was an eminent jurist, economist, leader and also the most prolific thinker of his time. His important work in social reform, law and politics is […]
Dr Ambedkar History Month
Caste segregation and caste occupations meant Dalits would be forbidden from having the same privileges as Savarnas did. In ‘Waiting for a Visa’, Dr Ambedkar says that these events are so transformative in his journey that they had an ‘indelible impression’ on his mind. Illustration by Ajinkya Dekhane Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar was born on April […]
The Mahad Satyagraha
For 96 years, the Mahad Satyagraha has represented a demand for the human rights of Dalits and the rejection of the caste system’s repressive impositions on their communities. Illustration by Ajinkya Dekhane On August 4, 1923, the Bombay Legislative Council adopted a resolution that recommended that the depressed classes be given access to all public […]
Why is Holika Dahan Celebrated?
The celebration of Holi is the celebration and legitimisation of the routine violence and caste atrocities against Dalit women. The fact that it continues nationwide to this day is shameful and cruel, and nothing other than a publicly sponsored atrocity against Dalit women communities. Illustration by Ajinkya Dekhane Holika Dahan or the ‘Burning of Holika’ […]
Who Were Our Deities?
Bahujan deities around the subcontinent did not concern themselves with the ideas of sacredness, nor with notions of purity. Nature was central to Bahujan spirituality. Illustration by Ajinkya Dekhane Bahujan deities around the subcontinent did not concern themselves with the ideas of sacredness. Subaltern oral traditions are filled with stories of natural elements deified. Often elements […]
Who Were The Asuras
In so many ways, the history of asuras and rakshasas is a history of marginalised castes and tribes, one that was grotesquely misrepresented by brahmins. Illustration by Ajinkya Dekhane Asuras, rakshasas and rakshasis find repeated mention in Hindu scriptures as ugly, villainous creatures that are the embodiment of evil. These scriptures have served as a […]