Dalit Dynamism
Madame Mayawati; the epitome of Dalit politics
Bombay HC delivers judgement on Khairlanji Dalit killings case
Four Dalit Men Beaten and Looted By Patna Cops
No 'dava' for Dalits in the land of Dalit Diva Maya!
If you were standing in a room full of Dalit enterpreneuers, that itself should first surprise you. Dalit and enterpreneur? Raised an eyebrow-didnt you? I did too while feeling inspired. Then came the next blow when someone announced if any of the businessmen or women in the group were ready to buy a helicopter or a Mercedes this year. A few hands went up and my heart started beating faster. Have we arrived as a nation already? And have i been asleep all the while. I bet a lot of us are thinking this way.
The important thing to note that this has not been an easy rise and its not entirely a complete rise as yet. Yes its a beginning and like all beginnings this one needs to follow up with many more firsts. Afterall its a caste fight. A fight with Manu.
DICCI - Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry plans to change the future and the past. They are of the opinion that Globalisation has brought fresh winds of change and that is doing good for the Dalit youth. The youth in this community needs to wake up from the reservation, government grant and safe job slumber and realise that now the sky is the limit.
Statistics show that a major chunk of Indian GDP comes from the Service industry and the Dalit worker/ enterpreneur is a major part of this industry, right from the working hands in the field to the machine operator in the factory and the people who keep our cities clean.
In 2004 when they asked the government to give them a reservation in the private sector there was a hue and cry about it. Are you telling me that it is difficult to have a Dalit human being make a product like A/c and fit it into my house. What does caste identity have to do with technical knowhow? You mean to say that these indiiduals are less intelligent or less competent? Infact they tend to be more competent and do better because they still have the burden of proving themselves and getting themselves the kind of respect that the rest of us enjoy.
The private sector finally relented with a mere promise that they will request the corporate industries to voluntarily do something about it. Just a promise. Its 2011 and nothing seems to have been done yet in the last 6 years.
I have been in coversation with the Chaiman of DICCI, Mr Milind Kamble and he voices his concerns over this issue. Infact he informs me about many of the happenings on this subject. One of his contention is that the Dalit themselves need to rise and look around at the opportunities available to them. They need not look for jobs anymore. What they need is to stop complaining to the government and to each other about all the wrong that is being metted out to them and go out there and change their own future and rewrite their past like many of their own brothers and sisters have done.
Go buy a helicopter and sock it to them.
Image Source: business.outlookindia.com
