Friday, November 06, 2015

Dalit cooks and Indian Schools

Madhukar Shukla posted this story about the appointment of a Dalit cook in a Karnataka village school led to a boycott by upper caste villagers: "Radhamma is a Scheduled Caste, and the condition that she not make food is the only way she can retain her job of head cook at the Government Higher Primary School in Kagganahalli village in Kolar district of Karnataka. In January 2014, there were 118 students at the school, from Classes I to VIII. Since her appointment in February 2014, 100 have left. The remaining 18 continue on the condition, laid down by their parents, that Radhamma not make the mid-may meal."
There are several similar stories from other parts of India, U.P in 2010,, Tamil Nadu in 2012 and Karnataka itself from the school wherte the chief minister studied. The chief minister Siddaramaiah seems relatively progressive and the issue was resolved though various other problems remain accordding to this Caravan story.  More about the cief minister here "A leader of Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said the chief minister of the southern state of Karnataka would be beheaded if he dared to eat beef in the town of Shivamogga. "Let him eat beef at Gopi Circle in Shivamogga. If he does so, he will be beheaded. We won't think twice about that," S N Channabasappa, former president of the local municipal council in Shivamogga district, was quoted as saying by the daily Deccan Herald.
Siddaramaiah, who belongs to the Congress Party, is the highest elected leader in the state. He had earlier said he has no qualms about eating cow's meat. "Nobody could stop me from eating beef, pork or any other meat if I wished to," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru on Sunday (1 November)."
enerally, these midday meals are not that great accordin to India's untouchable midday meals:
"Whereas extra caution will eliminate lizards and rats, India’s cruel and lousy caste system will sadly be around for centuries."
O.S. Radhamma case update(11, Nov. 2015) http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/express-report-prods-karnataka-to-act-end-dalit-cooks-boycott/?SocialMedia

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