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Waiting For A Visa
''Waiting for a Visa'' is a 20-page autobiographical life story of B. R. Ambedkar written in the period of 1935–36. It consists of reminiscences drawn by Ambedkar, related to his experiences with untouchability, in his own handwriting. The book is used as a textbook in Columbia University. Contents The book consists of a very brief introductory passage followed by six sections; relating Ambedkar's experiences with untouchability, starting from his childhood. Sections 1,2,3 and 4 consist of Ambedkar's own experiences, while Sections 5 and 6 consist of other people's experiences with untouchability. Brief introduction In a short one paragraph introduction, Ambedkar introduces the theme of his book, especially for the benefit of foreigners and those who may not be familiar with the concept of untouchability. Section 1: A childhood journey to Goregaon becomes a nightmare The first section describes a journey undertaken in 1901 by the ten-year-old Ambedkar and his siblings, from thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Untouchability
Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimination are found all over the world, untouchability involving the caste system is largely unique to South Asia. The term is most commonly associated with treatment of the Dalit communities in the Indian subcontinent who were considered "polluting". The term has also been used to refer to other groups, including the ''Burakumin'' of Japan, the Baekjeong of Korea, and the Ragyabpa of Tibet, as well as the Romani people and Cagot in Europe, and the Al-Akhdam in Yemen Traditionally, the groups characterized as untouchable were those whose occupations and habits of life involved ritually "polluting" activities, such as fishermen, manual scavengers, sweepers and washermen. According to the religious Hindu text, untouchables were not consider ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daulatabad Fort
Daulatabad Fort, also known as Devagiri Fort or Deogiri Fort, is a historic fortified citadel located in Daulatabad village near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. It was the capital of the Yadava dynasty (9th century–14th century CE), for a brief time the capital of the Delhi Sultanate (1327–1334), and later a secondary capital of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate (1499–1636). Around the 6th century CE, Devagiri emerged as an important uplands town near present-day Aurangabad, along caravan routes going towards western and southern India. The historical triangular fortress in the city was initially built around 1187 by the first Yadava king, Bhillama V. In 1308, the city was annexed by Sultan Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate, which ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent. In 1327, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq of the Delhi Sultanate renamed the city from Devagiri to Daulatabad and shifted his imperial capital to the city from Delhi, ordering a mass migration of Delhi's popula ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kheda
Kheda, also known as Kaira, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was former administrative capital of Kheda district. India's First Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel Was Born In Kheda District of Gujarat State.Kheda city is famous for tobacco farming. The nearest railway station is . Nearest Airport is Ahmedabad airport. Nearest Bus Station is "Kheda Bus Station". History The name Kheda originated from the Sanskrit term ''Kshetra'' (). Khetaka in used as a name of a region surrounding the place in ancient literature. It is also mentioned as a town from 12th to 17th century. ''Ganapatha'' (dated 2nd century BCE), one of the five volumes of Pāṇini' s grammar mentions Khetaka as a name of the region. It is also mentioned as Divyanagar in 133rd chapter of '' Padmapurana''. The 7th and 8th century copper-plates of Maitraka dynasty mentions Khetaka as an administrative division as well as there are mentions of it as a place of Brahmin residence a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Borsad
Borsad is a town and a municipality in Anand district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is located around 17 km from Anand. It is surrounded by the fertile Charotar region which largely produces tobacco, bananas, cotton, barley and other agricultural crops. Borsad was the seat of the Borsad satyagraha in 1922–23. Dr. B.R.Ambedkar writes about a negative discriminatory experience of a young Bhangi boy in Borsad in his autobiographical book, Waiting for a Visa (chapter 3). History According to a legend Borsad was established as a hamlet by the efforts of a monk in 2nd Century A.D. and remained an important place ever since. It was declared a municipality in 1888 and in 1925, Indian political leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and his allies uncovered evidence suggesting that the police were in league with local dacoits in the Borsad taluka even as the government prepared to levy a major tax for fighting dacoity in the area. More than 6,000 villagers assembled to hear Pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Talati
A Village accountant or Patwari (Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal), Talati (Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra) or Lekhpal (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand), is an administrative government position in rural areas of the Indian subcontinent. Introduced during the early 16th century, it was maintained by the British Raj. The official, as a representative of the state, is responsible for keeping land records, agricultural records and collecting taxes. History The ''patwar'' system, introduced to the Indian subcontinent during the rule of Sher Shah Suri, was further enhanced by the Mughal emperor Akbar. The East India Company and subsequently British crown continued with the system with some administrative changes. It denotes the office of the ''talati'' in rural Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The office and its holder are known as Talatis, and holders of the office have adopted it as their family name. The ''talati'' replaced the ''kulkarni'' in Gujarat and Maharashtra. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dadar
Dadar ( ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. Dadar holds the distinction of being Mumbai’s first planned area, and is a hub for the city's Marathi culture. It includes the Dadar West area. History Origins In the 16th century, the area was known as lower Mahim as it was located on the island of Mahim, one of the Seven islands of Mumbai which, after the Bombay Island, was the most important during the whole of the Portuguese period. The Portuguese Franciscans built a church here in 1596 called ''Nossa Senhora de Salvação'', which is popularly known today as Portuguese Church and is a familiar Dadar landmark. 19th and 20th century The Dadar-Matunga-Wadala-Sion scheme of 1899-1900 was the first planned scheme in Mumbai. The Bombay Improvement Trust devised the plan to relieve congestion in the centre of the town following the plague ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhangi
Chuhra is a Dalit caste in India and Pakistan. Populated regions include the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, as well as Uttar Pradesh in India, among other parts of the Indian subcontinent such as southern India. Their traditional occupation is sweeping, a "polluting" occupation that caused them to be considered untouchables in the Hindu caste system. Originally following the Balmiki sect of Hinduism, many Chuhras converted to Sikhism, Islam and Christianity during the colonial era in India. Today, Churas in Indian Punjab are largely followers of Sikhism. A minority continue to follow Christianity, as well as Hinduism, which incorporates elements of Sikhism in its practices. In Pakistani Punjab 90-95% of its Christian population are Dalit Christians of the Chuhra caste; other Chuhras practice Islam or continue to follow Hinduism. Etymology and history The word "Chuhra" is derived from the word "Shudra", one of the varnas in Hinduism. The Bhangis claim descent from B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru or acharya). The other three varnas are the Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The traditional occupation of Brahmins is that of priesthood at the Hindu temples or at socio-religious ceremonies, and rite of passage rituals such as solemnising a wedding with hymns and prayers.James Lochtefeld (2002), Brahmin, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing, , page 125 Traditionally, the Brahmins are accorded the highest ritual status of the four social classes. Their livelihood is prescribed to be one of strict austerity and voluntary poverty ("A Brahmin should acquire what just suffices for the time, what he earns he should spend all that the same day"). In practice, Indian texts suggest that some Brahmins historicall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kathiawar
Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it is connected to the rest of Gujarat and borders on the low, fertile hinterland of Ahmedabad. It is crossed by two belts of hill country and is drained radially by nine rivers which have little natural flow aside from in monsoon months, thus dams have been built on some of these. Kathiawar ports have been flourishing centres of trade and commerce since at least the 16th century. Etymology and history Kathiawad means the land of the Kathi Darbar, Kathis, a Kshatriya caste who migrated to the region in the 8th century and controlled the southwestern peninsula of contemporary Gujarat. History Kathis were spread out in the entire region and dominated central Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra for some centuries. Although the Kathis are believe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harijan
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming a fifth varna, also known by the name of ''Panchama''. Dalits now profess various religious beliefs, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam. Scheduled Castes is the official term for Dalits as per the Constitution of India. History The term ''Dalit'' is a self-applied concept for those called the "untouchables" and others that were outside of the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy. Economist and reformer B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956) said that untouchability came into Indian society around 400 CE, due to the struggle for supremacy between Buddhism and Brahmanism (an ancient term for Brahmanical Hinduism). Some Hindu priests befriended untouchables and were demoted to low-caste ranks. Eknath, another excommunicated Brahmin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Young India
''Young India'' was a weekly paper or journal in English founded by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1916 and later published by Mahatma Gandhi. Through this work, Mahatma Gandhi desired to popularise India's demand of self-government or Swaraj. It was published by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi from 1919 to 1931. Gandhi wrote various quotations in this journal that inspired many. He used ''Young India'' to spread his unique ideology and thoughts regarding the use of nonviolence in organising movements and to urge readers to consider, organise, and plan for India's eventual independence from Britain. In 1933 Gandhi started publishing a weekly newspaper, ''Harijan'', in English. ''Harijan'', which means "People of God", and was also Gandhi's term for the untouchable caste - lasted until 1948. During this time Gandhi also published ''Harijan Bandu'' in Gujarati, and ''Harijan Sevak'' in Hindi. All three papers focused on India's and the world's social and economic problems. See also *Gandhi He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mohammedan
''Mohammedan'' (also spelled ''Muhammadan'', ''Mahommedan'', ''Mahomedan'' or ''Mahometan'') is a term for a follower of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. It is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muhammad or the religion, doctrines, institutions and practices that he established. The word was formerly common in usage, but the terms ''Muslim'' and ''Islamic'' are more common today. Though sometimes used stylistically by some Muslims, a vast majority consider the term either archaic or offensive. Etymology The Oxford English Dictionary cites 1663 as the first recorded usage of the English term; the older spelling ''Mahometan'' dates back to at least 1529. The English word is derived from New Latin ''Mahometanus'', from Medieval Latin ''Mahometus'', Muhammad. It meant simply a follower of Mohammad. In Western Europe, down to the 13th century or so, some Christians had the belief that Muhammad had either been a heretical Christian or that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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