Ambedkar,
Caste,
Caste system,
Dalits,
identities,
law school,
law schools,
minorities,
Periyar,
Phule,
reservation,
reservations,
rights
Ambedkar Phule Periyar Study Circle (APPSC), National Law University, Delhi – Journey So Far
Law schools in India have remained largely isolated from discussions
on the issues of Dalit identity, untouchability, and discrimination faced by
students belonging to underprivileged and marginalized communities. The young lawyers to-be of the
country have enormous social responsibility by virtue of being the torch
bearers of rule of law and potential agents of social change. Alack of sensitization
and awareness on issues surrounding
caste and a need to extend support in academics to marginalized students in the
university, especially those who are unable to utilize academic opportunities
provided by the university due to language and other social barriers and
disabilities led to the formation of the APPSC in 2015.
The Study Circle derives its name from three pioneers in social
justice reform in India, Ambedkar, Periyar, and Phule, as their fight against
various forms of social discrimination and work in the area of educational
empowerment was tremendous.
Initial
Journey
Over the span of a semester and a half, APPSC has
organized events and programs in order to move closer to the objectives that
we, as a group, set out to achieve at our inception. Some of our notable
activities are talks by eminent speakers, such as Professor Sukhdeo Thorat (economist, Former Chairman of UGC and
Chairman of ICSSR) and the dynamic and young Ananya Gaur and Nakul Sawhney,
who have directed the critically acclaimed documentaries, Caste on the Menu
Card and Immoral Daughters in the Land of Honour, which were also screened by
us. We have started our independent online magazine, Savitri, named after
Savitribai Phule. It is a platform to
discuss opinions and counter-currents within society and provide recognition to
Savitri Phule’s views and struggle. The Peer Project Guidance Program and the making
of past years’ answer sheets available at the library have been some of the
other endeavours undertaken by us to provide academic support to students.
APPSC organised an interactive session with Prof. Satish
Deshpande, one of the most renowned social thinkers and sociologists of the
country, on the topic 'identifying discrimination: How Institutions
discriminate.’ He gave us his valuable insights and outlined the ways in which
gender, caste and other forms of discrimination can get embedded in the
institutional practice of higher education.
Ambedkar
Jayanti
On the occassion of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Dr. B.
R. Ambedkar, the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle in association with the
Center for Social Inclusion and Minority Rights, NLU Delhi, organised a guest
lecture titled ‘Dr. Ambedkar; The Maker of Modern India’ by Prof. Dr. Raj
Kumar, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Delhi. A formal tribute-paying
ceremony was also organized on 14th April, 2016in the NLU Delhi campus, wherein
our esteemed Vice-Chancellor and Registrar were also present.
Dalit
History Month
The Study Circle celebrated Dalit History Month in April for the first time on campus. As a part of the same,
a poster-making competition was
organised. Students drew on various caste and minority-related issues.
On 19th April 2016, as part of Dalit History Month, the
Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle organised a talk in Hindi on ‘The
Importance of Dalit Literature in 21st Century’ by Dr. Jai Prakash, who is a
prolific Hindi Dalit writer and has a good understanding of the initial
discouragement that Dalit Literature faced.
On 25th April 2016, Vira Sathidar, the actor who played Narayan Kamble in the
Oscar-nominated movie Court shared his personal experience of the Indian legal
system and judicial repression with
students of NLU Delhi. He delivered a talk on ‘Branding Naxal and Beyond: State
and Judicial Repression in India.’ He provided personal insights on the
crackdown of state machinery and the legal system on voices of dissent and
activists who fight against the system.
As part of Dalit History Month, Prof. Rajmohan Gandhi
delivered a talk on ‘Nationalism and Some of its Meanings,’ and, in light of
recent controversies, he addressed the relevance of slogans and symbols in
assessing patriotism and nationalism of political identities. The students
enjoyed the interactive session and had lots of interesting questions to ask
Prof. Rajmohan.
Jai Bhim!
The Ambedkar Phule Periyar Study Circle at NLU Delhi is a
students led initiative.
For any comments or suggestions, the group can be
contacted at appsc.nludelhi@gmail.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Ambedkar-Periyar-Phule-Study-Circle-NLU-Delhi-133748560317383/?fref=ts
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