Rajshekar Shetty, V.T. 1932-
V.T. Rajshekar is one of India’s rare original
thinkers. Hailing from India’s west coast district of South Kanara, Karnataka
(India), he is a noted journalist and writer with over 50 books to his
credit. Till 1979 he was the deputy chief reporter of Indian Express. Bangalore,
India’s largest circulated English daily. Now he is editor of the powerful
Dalit voice, the only English journal of its kind for the country’s Black
untouchables and other persecuted minorities totaling over 85% of India’s
800 million population.
He was dismissed from the Indian Express (1979) for taking up
the cause of the Untouchables and minorities. He founded the Dalit Sahitya
Akademy, which has international reputation for publishing books on
India’s social, cultural and religious problems. Some of his books have
been translated to every language inside India and to Japanese, German,
French, and Arabic etc. The third revised edition of his famous
“Little Red book,” Apartheid in India, is published from USA by a prestigious
Black publishing house, Clarity Press, under the title, Dalit the Black
Untouchables of India. His famous book include why Godse killed Gandhi?
How Marx failed in Hindu India, and Dr. Ambedkar and his conversion. His
works are counted among the few revolutionary writings of the country.
Beginning as a Marxist, he was soon disappointed by the country’s
upper caste “Marxist” leadership and found a solution in the philosophy
of Dr. babasaheb Ambedkar. “Class struggle” in India will take the shape
of “caste war”, he says. Widely traveled all over the world, he led two
delegations to China (1980 and 1983) and represented India’s black untouchables
at the World Mathaba Conference in Libya (1986). He also toured Japan
to study the problem of Bruakumin. His foreign travel is now curbed as
his passport was impounded in 1987. Since Brahmanism is India’s principal
contradiction and even Nazi philosophers in Germany had acknowledged that
they borrowed it from Brahmanism, he wants all victims of Brahmanism in
India including upper caste women to join his holy war. Towards this he
founded the Dalit-Muslim alliance, which has taken roots in different parts
of India. A rainbow alliance of SC/ST/Bcs, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and
Women will be the first step towards a liberation of India, he says.
India’s upper caste rulers amply rewarded him for his work for
the persecuted Untouchables and minorities. The Karnataka Government
filed a sedition case against him in 1986. For taking up the cause of
Sikhs fighting for identity and dignity, he was arrested under the dreaded
Terrorist Act (1986) handcuffed and dragged all the way from Bangalore
and lodged in Chandigarh jail. Following a countrywide and international
protest, he was released with an apology. Every effort is being made by
Nazis to close down his journal and also liquidate him even as over 85%
of India’s populations as well as African Blacks, hail him as a brave fighter
for human rights.
From Dalit Voice:
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