Dalit Voice
Dalit Voice is a political magazine published in Bangalore, India that claims to express the views of Dalits, Muslims, Sikhs, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes of India which it claims make up 85% of India's population. The current full title is "Dalit Voice: the voice of the persecuted nationalities denied human rights" and it appears fortnightly in both internet and print formats. It was founded in 1981 by V.T. Rajshekar, a former journalist for the Indian Express, who is still its editor.It is the largest circulated Dalit journal in India[1],and the writings of Dalit Voice and its editor have been said to be one of the major reasons behind the 2010 Kashmir Unrest,violence that erupted in Kashmir and nearly led to its separation from the Indian state.[2]
Contents[hide] |
[edit]Positions
The magazine is described by the Columbia University library as
"characterized by strong anti-Brahminist, anti-caste and anti-racist stance, advocacy of liberation from Brahminism, and claims to be "the sole spokesman for the entire deprived, dehumanised lot of India...", -- Dalits, Backward Castes, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs,women -- "all victims of the Aryan Brahminical racism."[3]
The magazine has published articles that attack Hinduism, Zionism, Judaism, Communism and American neoconservatism.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Its anti-Brahmin rhetoric, frequently follows to further anti-Zionism with claims of Brahmins in India being related to Jews and deriving their "fanaticism" and "arrogance" from "Jewish Zionist Racism",the magazine calls Brahmins "the Jews of India" and says that Jews and Brahmins are both races and Brahmins are blood brothers of Jews though on many occasions it contradicts itself calling Brahmins as Aryans and saying that they elevated Krishna to godhood and built the sex filled story of Mahabharat round him, to co-opt the rebellious Yadavas.[11][12][13][14]
Dalit Voice has also made various Brahmin-Zionist conspiracy claims and touted 'Zionist conspiracy theories',the magazine claims that Leninand all communist leaders were Jews and communism was a Jewish conspiracy to destroy Christianity and establish Zionist Israel[15][16][17]The editor V.T. Rajsekhar has treated the hoax text Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion as legitimate[18] and has accused Brahmins and Zionists of a conspiracy to "join hands (with Hindus who he says are only upper castes) to crush Muslims, Blacks and India's Dalits."[19]
Dalit Voice, in addition to publishing articles about "Zionist conspiracies" regarding Hitler and the Third Reich,[20][21] have also supported theIranian regime and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial of the holocaust.[22] It has also claimed that the September 11, 2001 attacks in USA were used by Zionists contolling America to attack and destroy Muslim nations.[23]
He has also published articles in Dalit Voice that call for shifting the Jewish state of Israel to the United States. [24] [25]
Dalit Voice has also expressed praise for Barack Obama and Dalit Voice has praised Suicide Bombing calling it the art of dying,the supreme sacrifice and claims to be the first in the world to predict defeat of U.S in the War On Terror.[26]
[edit]Reception
A scholar, Vijay Prashad, has written of the links between a group of authors including V.T. Rajshekar, Ivan van Sertima and Runoko Rashidiand writers in the Afrocentric movement. He called this a "submerged network of Afro-Dalit literature". He mentioned Rajshekar's editorship ofDalit Voice, saying that its pages had "welcomed African American scholars for at least a decade". He criticized the views of this group of writers as "epidermal determinism" (seeking solidarity on the basis of skin colour alone rather than on the experience of oppression).[27]
The writer Koenraad Elst has criticised the publication for having anti-Hindu views.[28]
Leon Poliakov writes that the antisemitism exhibited by Dalit Voice is a fairly recent and unrepresentative phenomenon among India'sDalits[29]
Dalit Voice has also been criticized for "buying into anti-Jewish conspiracy theories" by the far-left 'Maoist International Movement' though they praised the Dalit Voice for having "some good information on caste and other problems in India".[30]
[edit]References
- ^ Human Rights Watch Article
- ^ http://www.dalitvoice.org/Templates/sep2010/editorial.htm
- ^ Columbia University Library entry for Dalit Voice
- ^ K. Jamanadas, "Is it possible to destroy Hindutva without harming Hinduism?", Dalit Voice, Vol.25, No.1 undated
- ^ Iqbal Ahmed Shariff, "Hitler not worst villain of 20th century as painted by zionists", Dalit Voice June 16–30, 2005 [1]
- ^ Iqbal Ahmed Shariff, "A Reply to Critics of D.V. Article on Hitler: Jews & the "Jews of India", Dalit Voice, vol.25, No.1 undated
- ^ "D.V. and Foreign Affairs", Dalit Voice, vol.25, No.1 undated
- ^ Dalit Voice - The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights
- ^ Dalit Voice - The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights
- ^ Brighter side of Hitler : DV to reveal facts suppressed by history
- ^http://www.dalitvoice.org/Templates/march_a2011/editorial.htm
- ^ http://dalitvoice.org/Templates/feb2011/index.htm
- ^ Heuzé, Gérard (1993). Où va l'Inde moderne? (p 87). L'Harmattan.
- ^ Rajshekhar, V.T.. Brahminism (p 28). Dalit Sahitya Akademy.
- ^ http://www.dalitvoice.org/Templates/jan_a2011/articles.htm
- ^ http://dalitvoice.org/Templates/nov_a2010/reports.htm.
- ^ http://dalitvoice.org/Templates/feb_a2011/articles.htm
- ^ Dalit Voice, 1-12-1991##
- ^ Dalit Voice, 16-1-1993##
- ^ dalitvoice.org
- ^ Google Cache of Dalitvoice article See "Abuse of History" Hitler not worst villain of 20th century as painted by "Zionists"
- ^ Defeat in Iraq & fall of Bush: India warned to quickly adjust to big changes in West Dalit Voice Article
- ^ 9/11 was a hoax. Dalit Voice. September 2007.
- ^ http://www.dalitvoice.org/Templates/feb_a2006/editorial.htm
- ^ http://www.dalitvoice.org/Templates/july2006/articles.htm
- ^ http://www.dalitvoice.org/Templates/july2009/editorial.htm
- ^ Vijay Prashad (April 2000). "Afro-Dalits of the Earth, Unite!".African 43 (1): 189–201.
- ^ [2] Ayodhya and After, Koenraad Elst (Chpt 14)
- ^ Poliakov, Leon (1994). Histoire de l'antisémitisme 1945-93 (P.395). Paris.
- ^ Dalit Voice, Google Cache of the Maoist International Movement article
[edit]External links
V. T. Rajshekar
V. T. Rajshekar, in full Vontibettu Thimmappa Rajshekar, also known as V. T. Rajshekar Shetty, (born 1932) is a controversial Indianjournalist who is the founder and editor of the Dalit Voice,[1] which has been described in a release by Human Rights Watch as "India's most widely circulated Dalit journal".[2]
He is himself not a Dalit, he is the son of late P.S. Thimmappa Shetty, who retired as the Collector of South Kanara District. He is from well-known Vontibettu Beedu family belonging to the higher caste Bunt community.[3]
He was formerly a journalist on the Indian Express,[2] where he worked for 25 years. He is the founder of the 'Dalit Voice' organisation[4] a radical[5] wing of the broader movement for Dalit interests.[6] He is also the author of a great number of pamphlets and books, mainly published by his own organisation.
Contents[hide] |
[edit]Positions and Dalit Voice
Started in 1981, Dalit Voice is a periodical launched by Rajshekhar. Under Rajshekhar's leadership the Dalit Voice organisation formulated an Indian variant of afrocentrism similar to that of the Nation of Islam in the USA but it is different from other magazines in many aspects. It is notable for the radical Antisemitism it preaches and also its link to Afrocentrist ideologies.[7] The book declares the Indian castes as nations within the nation of India. It argues for the strengthening of each caste. Rajshekhar says the strenghthening of each caste will lead to destruction of Hinduism.[8]
[edit]Controversy and criticism
Dalit Voice has published articles about 'Zionist conspiracies' regarding Hitler and the Third Reich.[9][10] They have also supported the Iranianregime and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust.[11]
Articles in the Dalit Voice have stated that the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion is a real Jewish conspiracy.[12] and that Brahmins who the editor calls "the Jews of India" were "join(ing) hands (with Hindus) to crush Muslims, Blacks and India's Dalits".[13]
Rajshekar has made parallels between the Brahmins of India and the Jews. He stated that the two groups had the same ethnic origin. He called Brahmins "The Jews of India" stating that "a Jew is one who is a born Jew. There is no conversion to the Jewish religion". Similarly, in his view, "a Brahmin is one who is a born Brahmin"; they are "as bad as the Jews" and that Brahmins and Jews have joined hands "in a big way" in the USA, England and Europe. He also argues that Brahminism is linked to Nazism. He emphasises the "Aryan" identity of Brahmins and says that they elevated Krishna to godhood and built the sex filled story of Mahabharat round him, to co-opt the rebelliousYadavas.[13][14]
"The First World War, the Second World War, the establishment of Communism, were also systematically planned and executed by Zionists as Lenin and all communist leaders were Jews", according to the editor.[15][16][17][18] He also feels, Bill Clinton was the "victim of a Zionist conspiracy", for the Zionists, who "control the entire American politics, economy and the media as well", are "angry that Clinton refused to finish Islam and render all-out support to Israel".[19][citation needed].
He has also published articles in Dalit Voice that call for shifting the Jewish state of Israel to the United States.[20][21]
Dalit Voice has also expressed praise for Barack Obama and Dalit Voice has praised Suicide Bombing calling it the art of dying, the supreme sacrifice. He claims to be the first person in the world to predict defeat of U.S. in the War On Terror.[22]
Given his upper caste origins, many of his detractors have questioned his commitment to the Dalit cause.[23]
[edit]Passport confiscation
In 1986 Rajshekar's passport was confiscated because of "anti-Hinduism writings outside of India". The same year, he was arrested inBangalore under India's Terrorism and Anti-Disruptive Activities Act. Rajshekar told Human Rights Watch that this arrest was for an editorial he had written in Dalit Voice, that another writer who republished the editorial was also arrested, and that he was eventually released with an apology.[2] Rajshekar has also been arrested under the Sedition Act and under the Indian Penal Code for creating disaffection between communities. He has also been placed on the 'most dangerous persons list' of the Indian home ministry,a total media blackout has been imposed on him and it has been ruled that his name will never appear in Indian media which he says is controlled by Brahmins.[2]
[edit]Personal life
Rajshekar was married to Hema Rajshekar until her death. His son Salil Shetty works for Amnesty International in London. He has two granddaughters and one grandson called Tahir. He was born a "Hindu" but converted to Buddhism just before founding Dalit Voice, though at times he calls himself an atheist.
[edit]Books and pamphlets
- How Marx Died In Hindu India
- Why Godse Killed Gandhi
- Hindu Serpent And Muslim Mongoose
- Dialogue Of The Bhoodevatas
- Bhoodevtavon Ki Batchit in Urdu
- Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar: Clash of Two Values: The Verdict of History. Bangalore: Dalit Sahitya Akademy, 1989
- Dalit: The Black Untouchables of India (foreword by Y.N. Kly). Atlanta; Ottawa: Clarity Press, c1987 (Originally published under title:Apartheid in India. Bangalore: Dalit Action Committee, 1979)
- Apartheid in India: An International Problem, 2nd rev. ed. Publisher: Bangalore: Dalit Sahitya Akademy, 1983
- Ambedkar and His Conversion: a critique. Bangalore: Dalit Action Committee, Karnataka, 1980
- Judicial Terrorism
- India As A Failed State
- Aggression On Indian Culture
- Development Redefined
- Caste – A Nation within the Nation
- India's Intellectual Desert
- The Zionist Arthashastra (Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion)
- Brahminism In India And Zionism In West
- India's Muslim Problem
- India On The Path To Islamisation
- Dalit Voice – A New Experiment in Journalism
- Brahminism
- Weopons To Fight Counter Revolution
- Riddles In Hinduism by Babasaheb Ambedkar
- Know The Hindu Mind
[edit]References
- ^ Dalit Voice About Us. Dalitvoice.org. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ a b c d Human Rights Watch Article. Hrw.org. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ Chitana Shilpi (his biography in Kannada), by Rajendra, Dec.4, 2005, http://www.dalitvoice.org/Templates/jan2006/articles.htm
- ^ Dalit Voice Website listing Rajshekhar as the founder
- ^ Sikand, Yoginder (2004). Islam, Caste and Dalit-Muslim Relations in India. Global Media Publications, New Delhi Pg. 98.
- ^ Poliakov, Léon (1994). Histoire de l'antisémitisme 1945–93 (P.395). Paris.
- ^ African Studies Review, Vol. 43, No. 1, Special Issue on the Diaspora (Apr., 2000), pp. 189–201 online
- ^ Interview by Yoginder Singh Sikand
- ^ dalitvoice.org. dalitvoice.org. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ Google Cache of Dalitvoice article See "Abuse of History" Hitler not worst villain of 20th century as painted by "Zionists"
- ^ Defeat in Iraq & fall of Bush: India warned to quickly adjust to big changes in West Dalit Voice Article
- ^ Dalit Voice, 1-12-1991##
- ^ a b Dalit Voice, 16-1-1993##
- ^ The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights. Dalit Voice. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights. Dalit Voice. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights. Dalit Voice. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights. Dalit Voice. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights. Dalit Voice. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ Clinton, victim of Zionist conspiracy?" Dalit Voice, 1-9-1998.
- ^ The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights. Dalit Voice (2002-09-16). Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights. Dalit Voice. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ The Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights. Dalit Voice. Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
- ^ Dalit Voice Vol 24, No. 15 see "'Socialist Brahmin' calls DV casteist" and "Editor answerable only to DV family, not prostitutes of vaidiks". Dalitvoice.org (2005-06-16). Retrieved on 2011-07-07.
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