Skip to main content

Goddess Kali isn't black but colourless, says "controversial" webpage of IIT-Madras

Photo on IITM webpage: Ramakrishna and Goddess Kali  
By A Representative
Radical Socialist, calling itself “an internationalist Marxist organisation based in India”, has “dug out” what it believes is an objectionable post on the website of a web-page of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM) site, enough for the government authorities to act against a right-wing organization which authored it.
The “objectionable” post is that of the Vivekananda Study Circle, and can be seen on the webpage on IITM website. It asks the loaded question ‘Is Kali Black?’ Quoting from the webpage, Radical Socialist sarcastically said the “gem is claimed to be from The Gospel of Ramakrishna”, pointing out it suggests how the right-wing organization" has continued  with “the egregious politics of skin colour”, which favours “violence towards the downtrodden caste.”
Ramakrishna is quoted as saying: “Is Kali, my Divine Mother, of a black complexion? She appears black because She is viewed from a distance; but when intimately known She is no longer so. The sky appears blue at a distance; but look at it close by and you will find that it has no colour. The water of the ocean looks blue at a distance, but when you go near and take it in your hand, you find that it is colourless.”
The post is dated March March 9, 2015, and has been created by vsc@smail.iitm.ac.in.
The Radical Socialist, in its statement, has asked, why government authorities did not act against the “right-wing” Vivekananda Study Circle, which has sought to “explain” the reason behind Goddess Kali not being black, even as it decognized the Dalit group, Ambedkar-Periyar Study Centre (APSC) on the charge of carrying out "anti-Narendra Modi" activities.
Radical Socialist, whose statement was distributed by Dalit Media Watch, said, “The APSC was created in April 2014 to foster conversation and raise awareness about Ambedkar-Periyar and rampant caste violence in the country”, wondering whether it was a crime in India to do so.
It added, the very fact that ban order was issued after the Ministry of Human Resource Development in New Delhi received an anonymous complaint signifying that the effort here was to “silence all critical voices, especially voices from outside the spectrum of parliamentary parties”.
Radical Socialist said, “India is a society replete with caste violence. Some estimates claim that each week: 13 Dalits are murdered; five Dalit homes are burned down; six Dalit people are kidnapped or abducted; 21 Dalit women are raped”, wondering why this and other issues such as manual scavenging shouldn’t be discussed.
“It is important that such issues are talked about more, and we stand in solidarity with every initiative that raises awareness about caste violence, Ambedkar and Periyar”, Radical Socialist said, adding, “We cannot eradicate caste distinction by not talking about it, by avoiding to name organizations after Ambedkar-Periyar—it is exactly the opposite—we need to confront caste politics head on as a nation, admit the historical injustices meted out to dalits, adivasis and other lower castes.”

Comments

TRENDING

To Sonam Wangchuk: 'Will undertake 70 hour solidarity fast in Gujarat'

By Martin Macwan *  Dear Colleague Sonam Wangchuk, I have never met you personally. I wrote a short article at the time of your arrest. Your work correctly introduces you. There is truth in your words. You have embarked on a fast, following the footsteps of Gandhiji. Your intention is to make people think. Your demand is reasonable; I believe that the resignation of a single education minister will not improve the state of education in India. However, the question you have raised is extremely important for the future generation of the marginalized. Education is the key to power, development, and progress, which empowers a citizen.

Gujarat police SOP sparks questions over communal profiling

By Shabnam Hashmi*  The Gujarat government must be held accountable for what appears to be a deeply disturbing instance of state-sponsored communal profiling. Ahmedabad resident Sahal Qureshi recently shared with me an official document , which I translated with the help of AI before forwarding it to several media organisations and political leaders. 

US civil society coalition slams Hudson Institute for hosting RSS leaders

By A Representative   The Hudson Institute ’s “New India Conference,” held on April 23, featured senior figures from India’s ruling political ecosystem, including RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and BJP foreign affairs head Vijay Chauthaiwale . The event also included U.S. officials and former diplomats such as Kurt Campbell, Kenneth Juster, and Nisha Biswal, alongside India’s Ambassador to the U.S., Vinay Kwatra.