MAHAD: The Making of the First Dalit Revolt

Description

MAHAD has an iconic place in Dalit universe. Associated with legendary personality of Dr Ambedkar, the struggle of Dalits at Mahad for asserting their rights to access the public tank, theChavadartank, arguably ranks among the first civil rights struggles in history.

Unfortunately, it remained largely confined to folklore; its detailed account still remaining fragmented and in mostly Marathi. This book provides a comprehensive account, using many sources including the archival materials, of the two conferences in Mahad in 1927 that marks the beginning of the Dalit movement under Babasaheb Ambedkar to a wider readership in English. It tries to frame it within its historical context which will help people comprehend its historical significance. It also seeks to draw certain lessons for the future course of the Dalit movement.

The book additionally contains the original account of Comrade R. B. MORE, the organizer of the first conference at Mahad.

Anand Teltumbde is a writer, civil rights activist and theoretician of peoples’ movement. He has authored 18 books and many papers/pamphlets on contemporary issues. The recent titles are:Anti-Imperialism and Annihilation of Caste,Khairlanji: A Strange and Bitter CropandPersistence of Caste.As a public intellectual, he has widely lectured within India and abroad. He writes a monthly columnMargin Speakin Economic & Political Weekly. Trained in Technology and Management he held top management positions in corporate world. He currently teaches Business Management in IIT, Kharagpur.