More on Dalit Panchayats and Matua Dharma of Bengal
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashbiswaskl@gmail.com">palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Why the East Bengal Refugees are Discriminated and Hated
http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidDate=2006-09-19&hidType=FEA&hidRecord=0000000000000000128393
No To SEZ And A Dalit QuestionSome other dalit speakers quoted Ambedkar and Guruchand Thakur and insisted to punish Buddhdev Bhattacharya. Bhumi Ucched Committe leaders demanded ...
o3.indiatimes.com/subaltern/archive/2007/06/02/4475774.aspx - 55k -
Premchand Fielded to Defend capitalist Development and ...... single point orientation to disassociate jogendra Nath Mandal, Harichand Thakur, Guruchand Thakur and dalit masses from the so called Dalit Movement. ...
indiainteracts.com/members/2007/08/02/Premchand-Fielded-to-Defend-capitalist-Development-and-Urbanistaion/ - 100k -
Sify Blogs India - Your free thought space with free 10 MB image ...Thus Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj and Guruchand Thakur opposed the so called struggle for freedom to ensure Brahminical Raj. The Brahmins succeeded at last ...
palashbiswas.sifyblogs.com/blogs_postcomment.php?blogid=1937&art_id=7235 - 130k -
Friends!
I have written how Dalit Panchayats are highly replicable as I felt during Tumkur Peace event. As I am based in Kolkata, I feel the heat and dust of scientific hegemony in Mraxist ruled states. In many states, even the government does not care much for the functioning of Panchayats.In some states , Panchayat elections are overdue. Proxy leadership and irrelevance of reseravtion prevail everywhere. In West Bengal, recent ration riots have exposed the so called success of Panchayati system.
Mind you, Bengal along with Maharashtra has been the very base of Dalit Movement in India. People all over the world knows about Jogendra nath Mandal. But a very few people heard about harichand Thakur who led the anti untouchability movement in Bengal early in 19th century and succeeded as British Raj prohibited Untouchability in Bengal much beforerest of India.
A fewer people are aware of Matua Religion which is dalit religion in fact. Harichand Thakur was the first man in Indian history to declare that Dalits are not Hindu. He said that Matua Dharma is dalit religion, though he did not use the exact word dalit. His son Guruchand Thakur led the dalit awakening movement in Bengal. Thus dalitology is well rooted in our legacy which is potentially theoritised by Raj and Jyothi. Further, they translated this Matua dharma or Dalitology in practice as in form of Dalit Panchayt. here, I see Bengal and Maharashtra Dalit legacy well linked with Dalit Movement in south India.
I talked to dr Jagadish Haldar this afternoon. He is a vetern Matua. A naxalite in ideology and also participated in liberation war of Bangladesh. He is very much active in dalit Refugee movement. When he came to know about Dalitology and dalit Panchayat, he was just thrilled. What he said is much more important that participation in polity or reservation or hold on state power, everything related to dalit empowerment is insufficient without separate mechanism of self government for Dalits as well expressed in dalit Panchayat. he also emphasised on the leadership of Dalit women! He asserted that provided Mayawati and othetr Dalit leaders leading in North India do realise the importance of dalit panchayat phenomena, we may ensure a global black untouchable movement!
Thus, I am posting some articles , news items and feedback on Dalit Panchayat. I am also giving you the links to understand dalit Movement in West Bengal, harichand Thakur and Matua dharam!
nandigram: InsurrectionIn West Bengal, Dalit movement is represented by two types of people. First who are aligned with the Red Horses of Post Modern Globalisation and do act as ...
nandigram.blogspot.com/2007/04/insurrection.html - 45k
Muslim-Dalit relations, The Milli Gazette, Vol.6 No.13, MG131 (1 ...In areas such as Bengal, a strong political alliance was formed between the Namasudra (Dalit) movement and the Muslims, which gained strength because both ...
www.milligazette.com/Archives/2005/01-15July05-Print-Edition/011507200555.htm - 28k -
INSIGHT: DEWAR: The Caste and Its IdentityThey feel isolated in their long-standing movement. Nor are other Dalits seen to have ... I found that the majority of them live in Assam and West Bengal, ...
insightjnu.blogspot.com/2005/09/dewar-caste-and-its-identity.html - 24k -
Sify Blogs India - Your free thought space with free 10 MB image ...Bengal has been always way ahead in Dalit Movement and Harichand Thakur established Matua Dharma refusing Hinduism in as early as in the first part of 19 th ...
palashbiswas.sifyblogs.com/blogs_postcomment.php?blogid=1937&art_id=7235 - 130k -
palashbiswas - Monday, November 27, 2006 EntriesOrakandi, the centre of Matu Dharam was the home of Didima. Orakandi is situated under Gopalganj Subdivision, the home of Banga Bandhu Mujib, ...
o3.indiatimes.com/palashbiswas/archive/2006/11/27.aspx - 51k -
Thakur, Harichand (1811-1877) a Hindu votary and founder of the matuya sect, was born in Orakandi of kashiani upazila in gopalganj (Greater faridpur) on the thirteenth day of Falgun 1214 of the Bangla calendar. His father, Yashomanta Thakur, was a Maithili Brahmin and a devout Vaisnava.
Harichand received little formal education. After completing his initial schooling in a pathshala, he attended school for only a few months. He then started spending his time with shepherds and cowboys and roamed with them from one place to another. He started changing from this time. He was loved by all of his friends for his physical beauty, naivete, love for music and philanthropic attitude. He could also sing bhajan (devotional songs).
Harichand's doctrine is based on three basic principles-truth, love, and sanctity. The doctrine treats all people as equal; people are not seen according to castes or sects. Himself a Brahmin, he professed mixed with lower-caste people and treated them with the same dignity as he did other castes. This is why most of his followers believe Harichand to be an avatar (incarnation) of vishnu, and are from the lower strata of society. They used to affirm: Rama hari krisna hari hari gorachand. Sarba hari mile ei purna harichand (Rama is lord, Krishna is lord, lord is Chaitanyadev. But all of them make our Harichand, who is our lord.)
Harichand did not believe in asceticism; he was more of a family man; and it is from within the family that he preached the word of God. He believed that 'Grhete thakiya yar hay bhaboday. Sei ye param sadhu janio nishchay' (the best ascetic is he who can express his devotion to God remaining a family man). He mobilised all the neglected sects and castes and inspired them to remain true to the openness of Hinduism.
Harichand left 12 instructions for the matuyas, known as Dvadash Ajna (Twelve Commands): 1. always speak the truth, 2. respect your parents like gods, 3. treat woman as your mother, 4. love the world, 5. remain liberal to all the religions, 6. never discriminate on racial counts, 7. try to establish Harimandir (temple of the Lord), 8. sit in prayer everyday, 9. Sacrifice your self for God, 10. do not practice asceticism in a garb, 11. hold the six cardinal passions in check, and 12. utter the name of your Lord while working with your hand. Harichand died on Wednesday 23 Falgun, the year 1284 of the Bangla calendar. [Monoranjan Ghosh]
Hindu bathing festival in Gopalganj
The Maha Baruni Bath Festival of the believers of the Hindu religion began at village Orakandi under Kashiani upazila in Gopalganj early Monday.
The fair is organised every year marking the birth anniversary of Hindu priest Sri Sri Harichand Thakur, who was born in the village 184 years ago.
As they believe that Harichand
