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| Dalit Riders, taking it to the streets, against Hindu caste system (source: http://www.myspace.com/bfnindia/blog/140163894) |
The Black "Untouchables" or Dalits of India are arguably the most oppressed people on the planet. In part 3 of a lecture by Dr. Velu Annamalai, he says that karma--a key concept in Hinduism and Buddhism--was invented by Aryan invaders to promote white supremacy and create a permanent black underclass in India [1]
Is Karma--a seemingly commonsense notion of reaping what you sow--the new (actually old) "N" word?
"What the Aryans did [by inventing the Hindu religion], they made us [the Untouchables/Dalits] completely dumb for 3,000 years." Dr. Velu Annamalai
If Dr. Annamalai is correct then it would seem that the karma concept has been the source of the Untouchables' deplorable plight--literally justifying their gross degradation.[2]
According to the African American historian, Runoko Rashidi, there are over 160 million Untouchables in India; [3] they are increasingly becoming more vocal in their opposition to the caste system. [4] What can we do to help? Well for starters we might rethink our uncritical use of the "k"-word and the suffering that it sanctions.
Ohmmmmmmm.
Notes:
[1] According to some sources, the Ancestors of the Untouchables were known as Dravidians. Their original home was the Indus Valley located in modern day Pakistan.
[2] "Two hands and a leg amputated. The remaining limb yet to heal, has turned gangrenous and may also have to be removed. His kidneys have been damaged due to excessive bleeding and he can hardly eat and digest any food. And yet defiance still sparkles in the eyes of Bant Singh, a Dalit agricultural labour activist." Punjab Dalit Solidarity: Bant Singh: Dalit, Defiant, Decapitated (dap @ fara)[3] http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/caste.html
[4] The Dalit Panthers who fight for their rights (dap @ Cam)
Tags: india, hindu, slavery, untouchables
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