By Anand Chakravarti Retd. Professor of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi
On 12 March 2019 (Tuesday) at 5.30 PM
Venue: Durgabai Deshmukh Memorial Hall, Council for Social Development 53, Sangha Rachna, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi-110003
Panelists:
K B Saxena, Distinguished Professor, CSD
Imrana Qadeer, Distinguished Professor, CSD
Ujjawal Kumar Singh, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Delhi
Badri Narayan Professor, GB Pant Social Science Institute, Prayagraj
Chair: Prof Manoranjan Mohanty, CSD, New Delhi
About the Book: Has independence (azaadi) from colonial rule made a qualitative difference to the lives of landless agricultural labourers in Bihar, who constitute the poorest segment of the agrarian population in the state? This question, generated by the call of the author’s conscience more than the requirements of the discipline (Sociology) to which he belongs, informs the present monograph. Based on the testimonies of several Dalit labourers in a Bihar village, it highlights the betrayal of the promise of social, economic and political justice that underlay the struggle for independence- a promise that us at the heart of the Indian constitution. It describes the everyday problems faced by the labourers in accessing the basic necessities of existence, including food, clothing, shelter, health care and education. Their testimonies highlighting their tribulations, though confined to a single village, also reflect the dismal living conditions of their counterparts elsewhere in Bihar. The author argues that forces based on caste and class in the wider political economy of the state are antithetical to ameliorating the plight of those living in poverty.
About the Author: Anand Chakravarti retired as Professor of Sociology at the University of Delhi in 2006. He held the S.K. Dey chair in local Government at the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, from July 2013 to June 2015. His publications include Contradiction and Change: Emerging Patterns of Authority in a Rajasthan Village (1975) and Social Power and Everyday Class Relations: Agrarian Transformation in North Bihar (2001).
The film, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2015) is part of a series organised by the Council of Social Development to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. The critically acclaimed documentary film, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, shines a light on the heinous practice of honour killings in Pakistan and succeeds in bringing global attention to the issue. Films like this mark a paradigm shift by advocating stronger laws to end the impunity of relatives who murder women, seen as a source of family ‘dishonor’. A discussion in CSD following the 45-minute film questioned the very concept of honour and why it is assumed to be gender specific. Discussants asked whether the rise the religious fervor on the domestic and international stage has lead to the rise of such regressive practices. But the subjugation of women takes many forms, and not in the most obvious ways such as honour killings. To address this phenomenon, it was felt, one needed a deeper understanding of gender dynamics and changing structures of patriarchy which could be done both at a collective and individual level.
