DALIT BAHUJAN SHRAMIK UNION

'Dalit'^[1]'Bahujan Shramik Union (DBSU)' is a Dalit-Bahujan community-based rights organisation in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, South India.

Contents

Words of Dr.Ambedkar

Dedication

Local background

Organisational Background

Vision

''Kartavyam'' (Task)

About

Interventions

Slogans

Wings of DBSU

Community-based wings

Resource-support wings

See also

References

Words of Dr.Ambedkar

His words, ''"My Final words of advice to you is educate, agitate and organise; have faith in yourself. With justice on our side I do not see how we can lose our battle. For ours is a battle not for wealth or for power. It is a battle for freedom. It is a battle for the reclamation of the human personality."''^[2]

Dedication

★ to Andhra Pradesh's fifth^[3] Chief Minister 'Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah' - Born on Valentine's Day in 1921^[4], he was a brilliant student. He rose high in Congress Party to become its President (of AICC) ^[5] and later the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh - all by sheer dint of hard work and personal efforts. He happened to be a Dalit.

★ to 'Sri Shyam Sundar'^[6], the forgotten leader of the Dalits patronized by the erstwhile Nizam's.

Local background

Andhra Pradesh is a southern state in India. Its capital city is Hyderabad. Like in other places in India, casteism is well-entrenched for deep behind the veil of this 'glorious' state lies the sham of caste bringing to fore all its dehumanizing forms. Untouchability is existent to this day at varying levels.
Politically speaking although there is reservation for the Dalits the contestants are at the mercy of the political party which sponsors them.

Organisational Background

DBSU was previously known as the Andhra Pradesh Dalit Bahujan Vyavasaya Vruthidharula Union (APDBVVU)^[7]. It was a conglomeration of various Dalit-Bahujan owned and managed community-based organisations across Andhra Pradesh.

Vision

Equal opportunities for all to identity, security, livelihoods and future.

''Kartavyam'' (Task)

To defend and expand dalit bahujan (DB) right to land, livelihoods and self-respect through sustained public action ensuring equal participation of women.

About

DBSU works in 16 districts of Andhra Pradesh with 550,000 DB families who have established an efficient structure with equal participation of women, have ownership right to 25,000 acres (100 km²) of land and who have accessed government programmes and schemes, increased life security, protecting their rights and in panchayati raj have become a political decision making force, thus living with self dignity.

Interventions

★ Efficient structure established with equal women’s participation and effective leadership from Village to State, protecting rights of the DB, supporting livelihood opportunities and self dignity

★ Food security of 25,000 DB families established by at least one acre of land assigned with ownership rights and development.

★ Using the available Government schemes including Supreme Court directions on right to food, one lakh DB families assured of additional 100 days of employment per year with minimum wages.

★ DBSU members of the 16 districts are asserting and protecting their rights by becoming aware of the various Acts related to child labour, bonded labour, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989^[10] and other right protection Acts like right to information, etc.,

★ In 16 districts DB are politically aware of their rights and responsibilities, gained political authority and positions and supporting the socio-economic and political development of the DB.

★ DBSU has established networks with movements and other organizations, from mandal to state and national levels, influencing policies related to livelihoods, political rights, self-dignity and life security.

Slogans

''Shrama madha panta madhe, bhoomi medha hakkula mave'' - 'The toil is ours the harvest is ours - the rights of the land are ours too' - Sri N.Paul Diwakar?.

Wings of DBSU

Community-based wings

★ Andhra Pradesh Differently-Abled Peoples Collective (APDAPC)^[11]

★ Andhra Pradesh Jogini^[12] Vyavastha Vyathirekha Porata Samithi (APJVVPS)^[13], ^[14]

★ Safai Karmachari Andolan^[15], ^[16]

Resource-support wings

★ Bhavitha^[17], ^[18], ^[19](education)

★ Chindu^[20], ^[21], ^[22] (cultural)

See also

★ Dalit (outcaste)

★ Peoples Action for Rural Awakening, Punarnirmaan, Navnirmaan

★ Sri N.Paul Diwakar, Past General Secretary, DBSU

★ Fr.Thomas Pallithanam, Past Organising Secretary, DBSU

References

;Notes

1. The name ‘Dalit’ is given to the outcastes in the Indian society expressing their weakness, poverty and humiliation at the hands of the upper castes in the Indian society - Victor Premasagar in Interpretive Diary of a Bishop: Indian Experience in Translation and Interpretation of Some Biblical Passages, p. 108, The Christian Literature Society, Chennai, 2002 [1] 'CLS Publication'
2. Ambedkar.org [2] Quotations - Thus Spoke Ambedkar, Quotations of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
. 'Ambedkar.org' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
3. telugu section of maxpages.com[3] Mukhya Mantrulu-Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh. 'maxpages.com' Retrieved April 23, 2006.
4. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh's web site[4] Picture of Dr.Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy laying floral tributes to the statue of Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah on the occasion of his 85th birthday. 'CM of AP' Retrieved April 23, 2006.
5. D.Sreenivasulu[5] Memorial for Sanjeevaiah. 'The Hindu' Retrieved April 23, 2006.
6. Shyam Sundar [Bangalore Publications, Bangalore] "They Burn - Foreword by V.T.Rajasekhar". Retrieved Apjhgjhgj mfhfgjjghjgril 23, 2006.
7. ChristianAidConnect.org [6] Attack on Dalits
. 'Christian Aid article' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
8. Khojhyderabad.com[7] DBSU demands priority in land distribution. Retrieved April 23, 2006.
9. Watershed Support Services And Activities Network (WASSAN) - CLDP status report - nov 05 -booklet inner pages.pdf Indira Prabha Land Development Scheme. Retrieved April 23, 2006.
10. UNHCR Article (1990)jghjkk RSDLEGAL&id=3ae6b52a1c Research/Evaluation - Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (No.33 of 1989)]. 'UNHCR' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
11. The Hindu (Tuesday, Nov 30, 2004 [8] Violence against women. 'The Hindu' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
12. NCDHR [9] MY STORY AS DEVADASI: ENTRENCHED FORCED PROSTITUTION. 'NCDHR' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
13. Boloji.com [10] Society - "Married" to a Goddess. 'boloji.com' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
14. OUTLOOK india.com (1 Jul 2002) [11] In AP, joginis see a way out from a centuries-old damning tradition . 'OUTLOOK' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
15. The Hindu (15 Oct 2000) [12] Squalor beneath the glamour. 'The Hindu' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
16. Human Rights Features (31 Oct 2005) [13] Manual scavenging: Time to clean up our act . 'Human Rights Features' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
17. Velugu [14] Voices of Women. 'Velugu' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
18. UNDP [15] Towards Women’s Empowerment and Poverty Reduction: Lessons from the participatory impact assessment of South Asian Poverty Alleviation programme in Andhra Pradesh, India. 'UNDP' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
19. GLOBAL ORGANIZATION OF PEOPLE OF INDIAN ORIGIN [16] Community Radio - Mana Radio. 'gopio' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
20. ambedkar.org[17] Pillar of Dalit art forms. 'ambedkar.org' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
21. countercurrents.org[18] (8 Sept 2004)Despair And Hope Of The Mahadiga. 'countercurrents.org' Retrieved April 22, 2006.
22. independent catholic news[19] (27 Sept 2002)First Christian album to focus on Dalit community in India
. 'independent catholic news' Retrieved April 22, 2006.


;Further reading

★ Crime against dalits on rise in State, Chandrakanth, W., , , The Hindu, 3 Sept 2004

★ Dalit Religion: Resisting and Contesting the Encompassing Hindu Identity, Clarke, Sathianathan, , , Conference on Religion in South India, Department of Religion, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia - Comparative Theologies in South Asia, 2001

★ Dalits and Christianity: Subaltern Religion and Liberation Theology, Clarke, Sathianathan, , , Oxford University Press, Delhi, 1997

★ Interview with Paul Diwakar - The SC & ST Prevention of Atrocities Act is whitewashing continuing atrocities against Dalits, Diwakar, Paul, , , ambedkar.org,

★ Ambedkar, Hedgewar and Laxman, Kancha Ilaiah, Sri, , , The Mail Archive, Sept 2000

★ DBSU demand priority in land distribution, khojhyderabad.com, , , , 8 April 2005

★ Report of the National Workshop and Public Hearing on "Women's Right to Adequate Housing, Land and Livelihood", National Commission for Women, , , , May 2005

★ Jamba Puranam: a preliminary reading of a published ‘caste myth’, Simon Charsley, University of Glasgow, I. Narasaiah, University of Hyderabad, , , Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences, University of Glasgow, England,

★ A battle for information, Sowmya Kerbart Sivakumar, Smt., , , Frontline, Dec 18 - 31, 2004

★ Interpretive Diary of a Bishop - Indian Experience in Translation and Interpretation of Some Biblical Passages, Victor Premasagar, , , , 2002

★ "Dalit Education and Youth," in Bhagwan Das and James Massey, eds., Prabhakar M.E., , , ISPCK, 1995

★ Down Trodden: The Struggle of India’s Dalits for Identity, Solidarity and Liberation, Massey, James, , , , 1997

★ Dalits in India: Religion as a Source of Bondage or Liberation with Special Reference to Christians, Massey, James, , , , 1995