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Ambedkar International Centre
Organization

Known Connections

Ambedkar International Centre

Known Connections

Background


Ambedkar International Centre is located in maryland, USA, since 2012. AIC is a fund raising organisation and also connected with AKSC as a fund raising partner organisation.


Executive Note

      ➣  The Ambedkar International Center (AIC) has actively pursued inter-faith connections across various socio-political and ideological spectrums. This is evident from their consistent inclusion of discussions on such alliances and activism in their events.

      ➣  AIC has witnessed changes in leadership over the years, with the original founder being ousted. The organization now includes members from existing Ambedkarite organizations in America. There have been attempts, like by the original founder, to internationalize the issue of caste, but these efforts faced challenges from new-age activists.

      ➣  AIC appears to be a well-structured progenda based organization with a mix of academicians and activists who have established connections with foreign dignitaries, Indian officials, and sources of funding for spreading their caste based Narratives.

      ➣  AIC's successful advocacy for the caste ban in the Seattle council received support from American Islamists and Christians, demonstrating the effectiveness of their alliance-building efforts.

 
Table of Content
 
Email: [email protected]
Address: Ambedkar International Center[1], 15755 Livingston road, Accokeek, Maryland 20607 USA
 

Observation

1. For years, Ambedkar Inetrnational Center (AIC) has been building so called “inter-faith” connections across socio-political and ideological spectrum. This fact is pronounced from their event where they have unfailingly reserved a spot to discuss such alliances and activism.
2. AIC has many members from existing Ambedkarite organizations of America while the original founder has been ousted. Even the original founder had tried to bring the likes of Laxmi Berwa, first to internationalize caste, but failed by new age activists.
3. AIC is a well thought out organization with a mix of academicians and activists who have access to foreign dignitaries, Indian officials as well as funding.
4. Their successful bidding of the caste ban in Seattle council was supported by American Islamists and Christians, goes on to vindicate that their alliance building was successful.
 

Introduction

Ambedkar International Center was found on july 2012. In May 2013, AIC acquired the 13.2-acre property in the neighbourhood of the capital of the USA, Washington DC to establish the world's first Ambedkar International Center in the west. The AIC site was inaugurated by former Chief Justice of India Hon’ble K. G.Balakrishnan on 21 July 2012.
AIC is a forum for Ambedkarite people and organizations in the Unites States of America who wants to contribute and stand together to support, help, educate and sustain Dalit Activism. The vision of AIC is “To enable campaign and advocacy efforts, peace and justice awareness camps, educational seminars and social and economic activities, as well as create a support base, the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar International Center (AIC) was formed.”
 

History

In 2007[2]/2008[3], one Mohan Nirala founded Satyaguru Inc., a Maryland non-profit corporation, which was later renamed Ambedkar International Center, Inc. In 2012, AIC's first Board directors were Muni Subramani, Sita Ram Mahey, Vijay Kumar Shankar, and Mohan Nirala.
On November 17, 2012, Kranthi Tappita, Rakesh Gupt, Rama Krishna Bhupathi, and Sandeep Chavan signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with AIC, which specified that a signor of the MOU, who agreed to make a donation, would be a board member. Shankar testified that appellant also signed the November 17 MOU. Appellees Tappita, Gupt, Bhupathi, and Chavan each made the necessary $2,500 contribution, and, thereafter, actively participated in the board meetings.
There was a conflict, hence Mohan Nirala was removed as president of the board. A case was filed against him and he lost. He appealed in higher court where he lost again. Nirala had contended that the only members of the board of directors are himself, Dr. Laxmi Berwa[4], Mahey, and Dr. Sakya Mohan[5].
Dr. Mohan Nirala participated in a briefing on violence against religious minorities in India hosted by Friends of the American Sikh Caucus and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on June 3, 2015[6]. Rep. Patrick Meehan spoke at the event, while panelists discussed anti-conversion laws, communal violence, Ghar Wapsi, and the persecution of religious minorities (Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and Sikhs) in India. Dr. Mohan Nirala was introduced by the president of the caucus and spoke about Indian Buddhists to attendees and panel members[7].
 

People

AIC Founding members:
a. He also is a member of Friends of South Asia (FOSA)[9]
a. Also founder and life member of Jalandhar based Bodhisatva Ambedkar Public Senior Secondary School[10]
a. He has done an interview was conducted as part of South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) ACFP 20/21 in which he discussed his journey from India to USA[12].
b. He explains few incidences of caste discrimination he faces in India and reflections of same in USA. He emphases on role of women in shaping Ambedkarite community.
a. CEO at Source Trade, a SaaS company[14]
a. Board member of Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA), USA & BAMCEF International[15]
a. Vehemently opposed meeting of acting US ambassador with Dr. Mohan Bhagwat of RSS[17].
 
2023
Members of the current Executive Board (Feb 2023 - Jan 2025) is as follows:
1. Ram Kumar, President
a. Worked at CISCO
2. Archana Gedam[18], Vice President
3. Siddharth V, Secretary
4. Dinesh S, Treasurer
5. Mahendra K, Board Member
6. Rakesh G, Board Member
7. Pradhnya K, Board Member
8. Prithi P, Board Member
9. Takshak N Chahande[19], Board Member
 
Anil Wagde[20] is spokesperson of the Ambedkar International Center[21]. He is a software professional but based in Bengaluru[22]. Wagde was at the forefront of filing an amicus brief in a California court on behalf of Ambedkar International Center (AIC)[23]. Anil Wagde graduated from NIT Allahabad in Computer Science in 1987 and worked as a scientist in DRDO for over eight years. He also pursued his post-graduation from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. After eight years, he quit DRDO and undertook his PGDM course from IIM Calcutta. From campus, he joined Infosys and worked there for about 14 years, including a stint of over six years in the U.S. After Infosys, he joined Capgemini and was responsible for the Germany region. He is currently Vice President at CSS Corp.
 
He is closely associated with the Bengaluru-based Ambedkarite trust, Samyak Prabodhan Pratishthan[24]. He is also a member of Global Empowerment Network, an IIM alumni association. He delivered a talk in IIM Bangalore on February 10, 2018[25].
Sumit Anand[26], policy consultant. He played key role in research and drafting for the Seattle caste ban legislation[27].
 
2016
3. Mahesh
4. Naresh
8. Rahul
9. Kranthi Kumar
 
Executive Committee:
President: Mahendra Kumar
Vice President: Rama Krishna
Secretary: Mahesh
Treasurer: Naresh
 
2015
Currently there are 11 Board of Directors. They are:
2. Sitaram Mahey
5.
Ram Kumar
7. Sanjay
9. Kranthi Kumar
 
Executive Committee 2013-15:
President: Jagdish Bankar
Vice President: Sanjay
Secretary: Dinesh Singh
Treasurer: Kranthi Kumar
 

Partners

8. Be Educated India
 
Following four organizations were part of the event on July 21, 2013 in Livingstone Rd, the day AIC was founded[29]:
2. Be Educated Movement Inc., USA
3. Ambedkar Mission, Canada
 

Activities

Apart from event based activities, AIC is also focused on developments of institutionalized verticals.
 
School of Ambedkar Thoughts (SAT)
 
AIC has established a School of Ambedkar Thoughts for spreading the Ambedkarite philosophy by taking following steps[30]:
  • Arrange Round table conferences on Ambedkar’s thoughts to reconstruction of the world based on equality, liberty and Fraternity.
  • Coordinate with prominent universities to establish strong relationship to facilitate research scholars on social discriminations.
  • Establish world class library and resource center on Ambedkar’s literature available in various part of the world.
  • Identify native language literature worth to publish in International language for better visibility and propagation of his thoughts.
  • Research and Training center to train research scholar.
AIC has established a website https://baws.in as a project under its SAT vertical to fulfil one of its aim of providing “authentic BAWS (Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches) content searchable and shareable across volumes, just like Google search, without the need to download or open any of the BAWS volumes”[31].
 
Authors’ Lab
AIC started an initiative called Authors’ Lab to “discover, encourage and promote Ambedkarite Anti-Caste authors.”
AIC offers Workshops, Mentorship and Advisory Sessions from Ambedkarite authors.
Three submissions with the most potential to be made into books will be offered prizes worth USD 500 each and one-on-one mentoring with our acclaimed authors Sujatha Gidla[32] and Gaurav Pathania.
 
When Sujatha was 26 years old she migrated to the US. She worked in the IT field until 2009 when she was laid off due to economic recession. She then took up a job in the New York City subways as a conductor. Her debut book Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India was published in 2017 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux[33].
 
He is a sociologist of higher education and teaches sociology at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He was associated with University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and University of Southern California as a visiting scholar. His current research in cultural sociology examines contemporary identity movements in India and among the diaspora in the US. Gaurav recently authored his first book, The University as a Site of Resistance: Identity and Student Politics (Oxford University Press, 2018). He serves on the editorial board of South Asia Research journal (SOAS, UK). Gaurav is an anti-caste writer, poet and activist, and currently working on his memoir about his childhood in a village in pre-globalized India[34].
 
She has been invited as a Guest Writing Coach. Linda has worked for a number of daily newspapers , including the Dallas Morning News, Detroit News and Sun-Sentinel (in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) as a features and general news reporter. She has done freelance work for The Daily Beast, People, Essence, Agence France Press, AOL News and a variety of print and online publications. She now teaches how to write.
 
The other mentors/reviewers are:
a. Ze is a writer-poet and an independent researcher whose interests lie in the areas of intergenerational trauma and the construction of Dalit sexuality and aesthetics[35].
b. Ze is a Dalit non-binary neurodivergent (autistic) person.
c. Zer postgraduate work focused on developing an aesthetic rating scale rooted in one’s native culture.
d. Ze primarily works with organisations led by marginalised caste, gender, sexuality and disabled persons.
e. Ze established the first decentralised reading group: Savitri Birsa Ambedkar Malcolm X Kanshiram Ansari Veerammal (SBAMKAV) which works as a collective instead of following a leadership model.
f. Ze also moderates the signal/WhatsApp group: Stym-the first autistic support group espousing anti-caste values while also part of Sabhaavnaa Institute[36].
a. Prerna Khobragade is an Assistant Professor at Department of Media and Communication Studies, Savitribai Phule Pune University.
b. Her research interest is diverse ranging from media and cultural studies and broadly includes Media anthropology, Caste in media, digital politics and media literacy.
c. She was a Visiting Research Student at the University of Saskatchewan.
d. She is developing MOOCs according to her profile on IIT Gandhinagar website[37].
a. Yogesh Maitreya is a poet, writer, cultural critic, and a translator.
b. He is a PhD scholar at TISS, Mumbai.
c. He has published three books,
i. The Bridge of Migration (poetry, 2017),
ii. Flowers on the Grave of Caste (short stories, 2020) and
iii. Of Oppressor's Body and Mind (literary essays, 2020).
d. He has translated three Marathi books in English,
i. Ambedkarite Movement After Ambedkar by J V Pawar (2016, political history),
ii. Broken Man by Loknath Yashwant (2017, poetry) and
iii. We The Rejected People of India by Sunil Abhiman Awachar (2019, poetry).
e. He is a founder of Panther's Paw Publication that publishes only dalit-bahujan authors[38].
a. Tejas Harad[39] currently works as a copy editor at the Economic and Political Weekly[40].
b. His writing has focused on India’s caste system and the anti-caste movement’s challenge to this oppressive social structure.
c. Harad was a journalist fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in 2019-20 where his research focused on the under-representation of Bahujan journalists in news media.
d. He also runs a web portal called the Satyashodhak.
e. He is vehemently anti-Hindu[41].
 
The names of the winners of the Authors Lab 2021 are[42]:
2. Sweta
 
Center for Human Liberation
AIC has objective of establishing a Human Liberation Center “to provide the protection and prevention mechanisms at its capacity by collaborating with various ground level organizations working in this field sincerely and hope to establish liberty, equality and fraternity among all the humans. Center will contribute not only economically but will also provide foundational technology to track cases, do analysis and provide expert advice to resolve problems.”[44]
The proposed works under the center are:
  • Establish coordination-center in each and every state’s capital of India.
  • Build eco-system to collect human atrocities data and build AI system on top of it to predict trends/patterns of inhuman conditions
  • Establish coordination-center in all prominent college/universities of India
  • Provide technology platform/channel to broadcast atrocities cases at international media
  • Expose Indian caste system at International level; specially at UN.
  • Run round the year campaign to build Mental strengths to save college/school students.
 
Rohith Vemula Protests
Ambedkar International Center (AIC) organised protest at Boston[45].
 
AIC Foundation Day
AIC celebrates its foundation day and the event is used to collect funds as well as buld anti-Hindu and anti-India alliances
 
AIC Foundation Day
 
2020
In backdrop of the CISCO case in USA, AIC articulated and promoted that it is more important than ever to come together and talk strategy. Hence, AIC foundation day celebrations were done on July 18, 2020.
 
The event was a virtual program where guest invited were scholars[46]:
2. Mangesh Dahiwale[47], Director of Jambudvipa
The programme was virtual and can be seen here.
 
2021
AIC celebrated its 9th anniversary on July 24, 2021.
Main attraction was Sharon katz and percussionist Jan Jeffries performance. A book ‘Religious Freedom Forever’ written by Andy (Anand Swarna) was also released at this occasion.
AIC initiated fundraising for phase 1 construction with 300k fundraising goal and target to build statue by next foundation day.
The program can be found here[48]
 
2022
The 2022 AIC foundation day celebration was about the groundbreaking ceremony of Dr. Ambedkar memorial on July 23rd, 2022 at 15755 Livingston Road, Accokeek, Maryland 20607.
 
Following speakers were invited as speakers[49]:
1. Ashok,
2. Florina,
a. Bonnie Zare is a Professor of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies at Virginia Tech[50].
b. Her research focuses on discourses of identity, feminism, and activism in contemporary India and in South Asian women’s fiction.
c. Zare’s articles have appeared in Women’s Studies International Forum, Humanity and Society, and South Asian Review among others.
d. With Nalini Iyer, she is the co-editor of Other Tongues: Rethinking the Language Debates in India.
e. Founder of The Keep Girls in School Project, she collaborates with organizations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
f. She published "We are Working for a Caste-free India”: An Interview with M. M. Vinodini," in Journal of International Women's Studies: Vol. 22[50].
a. Saswathi Natta[51] is a Doctoral student at the University of Maryland.
b. Her dissertation fieldwork was completed with the help of a Fulbright fellowship in 2018-2019, interviewing over 100 female respondents in rural India on topics of caste socialization, women's empowerment and work behavior.
c. She also served as an international contractor with the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (UN-DPA) using a mixed methods approach to Evaluate the Gender/WPS training for DPA staff[52].
d. Before her graduate studies, Saswathi's previous work includes
i. a year long fellowship in the microfinance industry in India,
ii. experience at Lok Foundation as a Research Associate working with survey creation and data analysis,
iii. experience with the National Human Rights Commission of India, and
iv. Research Assistant at the Center for Advanced Study of India at Upenn working on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) data from the Indian census and qualitative interviews of diaspora populations.
 
AIC also called ex-Director of Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program Kathy Sreedhar for “her contributions”, and invited her as "Guest of Honor". The Holdeen program has funded more than 90 groups in India since 1984. The groups engaged in activism for land rights for indigenous tribes, free laborers enslaved by landlords, educate child laborers, and empower poor women. They have also demanded dignity and equality for dalits, the so-called untouchables of India's caste system.
 
Kathy Sreedhar: She facilitated the placement of 1,000 children in the United States from Mother Teresa’s orphanages in India[53]. One group the Holdeen program under Kathy has supported is Navsarjan, founded by Martin Macwan in 1989 to strengthen the dalit movement. Macwan said that when he met Sreedhar for the first time he had resigned from his previous organization because it excluded dalits and women.
 
Sreedhar invited to a lunch put on by Vice President Al Gore for the Prime Minister of India, rearranged an invitation for Ela Bhatt, SEWA India, noting that Bhatt was to be seated at the far end of the table, Sreedhar switched place cards, putting Bhatt, one of the few women present, at the “power” end of the table[54]. Sreedhar also supported Vasanth Kannabiran, founder of the Asmita Resource Center for Women
Some parts of the program can be found here[55]
 
Dr. Ambedkar Memorial project
On 23rd July 2022, AIC celebrated the 10th anniversary of the founding of the organization by conducting the ground-breaking ceremony of the Ambedkar Memorial. It installed the first brick specially brought from Babasaheb’s birthplace, Mhow, India, at the AIC premises. This marks the beginning of the Dr. Ambedkar Memorial project. The ground breaking ceremony was attended by more than 200 “Ambedkarites” from across 12 states in the USA and also from India[56].
 
2023 Statue of Equality
AIC is also going to install a statue of Ambedkar in US. The United States has a Statue of Liberty and a Statue of Freedom but it does not have a Statue of Equality. They are going to install a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar on the outskirts of Washington, DC in a few months, and are calling it the Statue of Equality, as explained by Takshak Chahande, a member of the Ambedkar International Center (AIC).
The statue is currently being cast Ram Sutar, who had also sculpted the tallest statue in the world – the Statue of Unity in Gujarat – for the Government of India. The Ambedkar statue will be ready as the AIC hopes to install it in July 2023, on its foundation day[57].
 
Human Liberation Day
Every year AIC celebrates the Dr Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with half million Dalits on Oct 14, 1956 as “Human Liberation Day” as they believe that Ambedkar liberated Dalits from mental slavery of caste system.
 
2019
The Human Liberation Day in 2019 was celebrated at AIC in Maryland USA on October 13, 2019.
 
The program was divided into three sections[58]:
1. Session 1: International Ambedkarites Movement
a. The program was jointly organized by Executive Board members of Ambedkar International Center, Ambedkar International Misssion, and Ambedkar Association of North America.
 
2. Session 2: Inter-faith, Anti Caste Alliances and Activism
a. Prof. Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd of Maulana Azad National Urdu University who also authored “Why I am not Hindu?” was invited as key speaker alongside Prof. Gaurav J. Pathania[59] of George Washington University who has authored a book “The University as a Site of Resistance”. Gaurav is part of AIC’s “Author’s Lab” and also moderates the mindofcaste.org[60] website while he runs Global Initiative for Justice and Peacebuilding[61].
3. Session 3: Meet and Greet
a. Poorna Malavath, youngest Indian and youngest girl to scale Mount Everest. She had put Babsaheb Ambedkar’s photo on Mt. Everest.
 
2020
The event in 2020 was a virtual event63 on October 17, 2020.
Prof Kancha Ilaiah, former RS MP Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar[63], Dr. Suresh Mane[64] and Prof. Vivek Kumar[65] will be talking on some of the key topics along with US based scholars Dr. Abu Saleh Sharif[66] (Founder President of Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy), Dr. Manish Madan[67] and activist Aminah Ahmed[68] (Indian American Muslim Council) on strategic alliances.
1. Caste is in the Bone & Race is in the Skin by Prof. Kancha Ilaiah
2. Economic impact of the saffron regime by Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar
3. India is Burning: by Dr. Suresh Mane
4. Organizing when the tides are against the Bahujans by Prof. Vivek Kumar
The program can be watched here[69].
 
2021
In 2021, AIC organized a 90 minutes online session on topic Women's Empowerment in Ambedkarism. It was hosted by Archana Gedam and Chitra Barsagade[70]
 
The Guest Speakers were:
a. A postgraduate in law and had worked as National Legal Secretary for NCDHR
b. Vying to revive Bikkkhuni Sangh to spread Buddhism and Ambedkarism[71]
2. Meena Kandasamy - Poet, Writer
3. Prachi Patankar[72] - Social Activist, Grantmaker
b. Participant of Occupy Wall Street Movement
c. She is daughter of Gail Omvedt and Bharat Patankar
4. Dr Vrushali Randhir - Professor in MicroFinance
a. In 2002, Vrushali started the One Act Play “Mi Savitri Bolate”[73]
b. Vrushali is an associate professor at Ness Wadia College in Pune
Meena was scheduled to pseak but not joined. The program can be watched here[74].
 
2022 
The AIC organized another Human Liberation Day on October 22, 2022 online. This year, topic was Dr. Ambedkar's Vision of a Buddhist Social Democracy for which they invited Christopher Queen[75] of Harvard University as a special Guest Speaker.
 
The other guest speakers included:
1. Lenin Raghuvanshi (Human Rights Activist India)
a. He recently participated in Bharat Jodo Yatra
b. Along with his wife, he was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
2. Amit Tiwari[78] (Scientist University of Delaware USA)
a. His Linkedin profile[79]
3. Dr. Karuna Jadhav[80] (NWIMSR, Pune India)
 
The basic outline of the program was as follows[81]:
1. Archana (Host) - 2 min
- 8-10 min (Human Liberation during Buddha’s Era)
3. Sanjay kumar - 2 min
4. Dr. Karuna Jadhav sharing life experience - 8-10 min
5. Amit Tiwari sharing life experience - 8-10 min
6. Mahesh G introducing keynote speaker -1 min
7. Christofer Queen keynote speech - 20-30 min
8. Lenin Raghuvanshi sharing life experience- 8-10 min
9. Rakesh - Vote of thanks
 
DALIFF
For the very first time, a Dalit Festival was organized in New York on February 23 and 24 by the Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA), Boston Study Group (BSG), Ambedkar International Center, Ambedkar International Mission (AIM), The New School[83], and the Ambedkar Buddhist Association, Texas (ABAT)[84]. The festival, called DALIFF, was part of a two-day extravaganza held at and co-hosted by Barnard College, Columbia University and The New York School[85].
 
“Historically, the experiences of Dalits, erstwhile untouchables, and the lower castes (totalling over half a billion people) in films have been camouflaged by appropriating their voices into a caste-neutral narrative. Oft-repeated incidents of suppressing Dalit voices and Dalit assertion has maintained the cultural hegemony of dominating castes in India. Whenever Dalit characters are presented on screen, it is either to degrade the humanity of the Dalit or term them as despicable characters deserving humiliation. Such casteist gestures have worsened the quality of Dalit cultural life in India, pushing them down to the nadir of humane existence,” the festival says on its website.
 
The stated intention behind organizing Dalit Film and cultural festival 2019 (DALIFF) were:
1. To expose to the world the nuances of Dalit life that are buried underneath the popular forms of artistic expressions.
2. To encourage a dialogue on the lack of representation and diversity in the Indian and South Asian film industry on the experiences of Dalit lives.
3. To create solidarity with other oppressed groups tied into a Fourth World project through the intervention of film and other forms of media.
 
This international Dalit film festival was dedicated to the memory of P. K. Rosy, female actor of South India who was a victim of casteist social and cinematic sphere Dalit Film Festival proudly asserts the art of Dalit Cinema and of Dalits in Cinema.
Twelve films – 6 feature and 6 documentaries, surrounding the lives, struggles for identity and assertion of Dalits were screened. These films are in Tamil, Hindi, Malyalam, Marathi and even Nepali[86].
 
The feature films included:
1. Pariyerum Perumal and Kaal a in Tamil;
2. Papilo Buddha in Malyalam;
3. Fandry and Bole India Jai Bhim in Marathi and
4. Masaan in Hindi
5. Bole India Jai Bhim based on the life of Hardas Laxman Rao Nagrale was screened at the festival
 
The 6 documentary films were:
1. Kakkoos, a Tamil documentary on the life of manual scavengers;
2. We Have Not Come Here To Die a documentary on the caste discrimination in educational institutions;
3. Pistulya, a Marathi documentary on struggles of a young Dalit boy who wants to study;
4. Gandhi, Untouchables and Me on the Dalit protests at JNU;
5. The Battle of Bhima Koregaon a documentary about the 500 Mahar soldiers who joined the British forces and defeated the Peshwa rule in 1818
6. Dalan Series from Nepal on the problems of landless labourers oppressed and abused by the landed castes.
 
It was inaugurated by Pa Ranjith, Nagraj Manjule and actress Niharika Singh, actress and winner of Femina Miss India Earth. Other prominent guests and invitees for the DALIFF were directors Bomakku Murali – social and political activist and also a film maker.
pic 3
A panel discussion was also organized on “Dalit Cinema: Art Of The Century”[87]. Former Miss India Earth, Niharika Singh said DALIFF is a result of years of systematic neglect. “There was no need to have a separate Dalit film festival if mainstream cinema was less Brahminical in its operation. The film festival is just a small endeavour towards Dalits assertion as well as amplifying voices of Dalit Bahujan talent in South Asian cinema.”
As part of the event, an exhibition of Dalit art was also showcased, including the literature of Dr Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule and Buddha, and the works of artist Sridhar Ambhore. The organisers described the event as successful. As Pa Ranjith said in his concluding remarks, “DALIFF is not just a festival, but a movement.”
 
COVID-19 and Vaccine Awareness Camp
Just after the second wave of COVID-19 Pandemic AIC funded “Be Educated[88]” to run a covid relief program for underserved and marginalized communities including urban poor, rural, and adivasis to equip and educate them about the prevention from virus and encourage them for the vaccination. This program was fully funded ($12000) by Ambedkar International Center USA[89].
 
Cisco Case
Ambedkar International Center approached the California Supreme Court to be admitted as an amicus curiae in a case that involves caste discrimination in the workplace[90]. It released a press release in this matter supported by many US and European organizations, activists, scholars and academicians. Both the members who made statements for the release quoted Ambedkar from his 1916 essay, “if Hindus migrate to other regions on earth, Indian caste would become a world problem.” [91]
 
The following organizations had supported AIC:
7. Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha – Bay Area, California
 
The following scholars added their names in the brief:
1. Ajantha Subramanian, Professor of Anthropology, Harvard University
2. Shailaja Paik, Associate Professor of History, Yale University
3. Annapurna Waughray (Human Rights Law, Cambridge University UK), Reader, Manchester Law School, Manchester Metropolitan University
4. Hari Bapuji, Professor of Strategic Management and International Business, University of Melbourne
5. Scott R. Stroud, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Program Director of Media Ethics for the Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas at Austin
6. Meena Dhanda, Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Politics, University of Wolverhampton
7. Gaurav Pathania, Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology, Georgetown University
8. Sunita Viswanath, Hindu Religious Life Advisor, Columbia University
9. Tanojkumar Meshram, Ph.D. Candidate (ABD) in Social Policy, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
10. Kevin D. Brown, Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law, University of Indiana Maurer School of Law
 
The press brief had statements from following people:
1. Sanjay Kumar, ex-President AIC
2. Chitra Barsagade, Board Member, AIC
3. Prof Kevin Brown, Richard S Melvin Professor Maurer School of Law, Indiana University
4. Hena Zuberi, Director:
Justice For All
6. Sunita Viswanathan, Co-Founder: Hindus for Human Rights and Sadhana
7. Ajantha Subramanian, Professor of Anthropology and of South Asian Studies, Harvard University
8. Annapurna Waughray (Human Rights Law, Cambridge University UK), Reader, Manchester Law School, Manchester Metropolitan University
10. Vinod kumar: Chairman: Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha, Bay Area, California
11. Dr. Shailaja Paik, Fellow at Stanford Humanities Center, Stanford University, Associate Professor of History and Affiliate Faculty in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Asian Studies, University of Cincinnati, OH.
12. Dr. Christian Lee Novetzke, Professor of South Asia Studies, Comparative Religion, and International Studies at the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, and Professor of the Comparative History of Ideas at the University of Washington
13. Thomas Blom Hansen, Professor and Chair of Department of Anthropology, Stanford University
14. Prof Gaurav Pathania, Sociologist at Georgetown University in Washington, DC
AIC had decided tha caste shall become a legislative issue[92]
 
Seattle Learning Club: How to Be Anti-Caste in Tech
In aftermath of Cisco case AIC wrote to Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) officials offering their “expertise”in Caste matters.
AIC also invited many reporters to hear the first hand stories of Scheduled Castes and Tribes people, in the USA on November 09, 2020[93]. These accounts were published in various papers like Nytimes, thewire.in, new18.com and various other publications. AIC also conducted an email drive to write CA Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Over 100 emails were sent.
 
This was done in collaboration with “Tech Workers Coalition”.
Following questions were framed for discussion[94]:
1. In the Equality labs in the video, Lakshmi Mittal makes the case that "engineers invest in the mythology of their own castlessness." How do these systems of oppression get reproduced in the US? How might American exceptionalism play into (and even reinforce) dominant caste ideology?
2. What makes caste discrimination particularly covert in an American tech workplace, or in the US in general?
3. Why is worker solidarity critical for being anti-caste in the workplace? Can you think of some ways workers can exercise solidarity with lower-caste workers who might be vulnerable to discrimination?
4. What are the ramifications of a generation of South Asian Americans who are raised "caste blind" as opposed to anti-caste?
5. How do tech companies benefit from leaving lower caste South Asians an unprotected class? How do other forces (particularly the H1B) affect the experience of a lower caste immigrant tech worker?
 
Press Conference in Solidarity with Prashant Bhushan
Ambedkar International Center joined the coalition led by Hindus for Human Rights in organizing a press conference to press for “justice” for advocate Prashant Bhushan. Bhushan was found guilty of hate speech in two tweets in which he critiqued the Supreme Court[95].
In addition to the statements from the Indian American diaspora, the press conference included keynote remarks from Indira Jaising and special remarks by Dr. Rajmohan Gandhi, historian, biographer, and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
 
The event was organized on August 19, 2020 by a coalition of following organizations:

6. Young India[96] Incl.
7. Ambedkar International Center
Five days of fasting for Bhushan were conducted with prayer for democracy in India.
The organization leaves no stone unturned in opposing India or its national interest. It goes on to muddle up India’s reputation whether it is supporting Audrey Trushke[97], construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya[98] or supporting anti Hindu politicians like Rajendra Pal Gautam.
 
International Women’s Day
AIC celebrated Women’s International Center worldwide on March 13, 2022. The event was hosted by Archana Gedam, Secretary of Ambedkar International Center.
 
Following people were invited as speakers[99]:
1. Adv. Seema Kushwaha[100], Supreme Court of India was the Keynote speaker.
a. She was advocate in Nirbhaya case, Hathras case and also joined Shraddha Walker case
b. She joined BSP before UP elections and was made first female national spokesperson of the party[101].
a. She is a member of AIC[102]
b. Dolly Arjun is a public health provider, art curator and activist based in Boston, Massachusetts.
c. Her art collective is Adavi Myah.
d. She consulted Dalits and “indigenous people” only, through her telehealth program which was covered by NYT[103] and [104]105 as a boston health worker helping Indian lower caste covid patient who are allegedly least preferred during treatments..
a. She[105] is CEO of Pollinate Group[106]
a. She is a certified empowerment coach in California
The Vote of Thanks was done by Sanjay Kumar, President of AIC. The event was attended by participants from USA, UK, India, and Canada and was conducted virtually over zoom.
A recording of the event can be found here[107].
 
Seattle Caste Ban
Seattle voted on explicitly banning discrimination on the basis of caste on Feb 21, 2023, making it the first city in the US to take such a step.
The Seattle City Council approved an ordinance that amends the city’s municipal code to include caste as a protected class, alongside categories such as race, religion and gender identity. The law prohibits caste discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and other arenas, and allows caste-oppressed people in the city to lodge complaints of discrimination. Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who sponsored the ordinance, belongs to Socialist Alternative[108].
The Ambedkar International Center and Equality Labs were major force behind the legislation apart from Coalition of Seattle Indian-Americans, Ambedkar King Study Circle, Ambedkar Association of North America. Sumit Anand of Ambedkar International Center has been widely appreciated apart from Equality Labs. AIC wrote in an email to Seattle City Council advocating for a "yes" vote on the ordinance[109].
This is part of an ongoing effort by AIC to legislate on caste in America for which they had lodge a public consultation on a new policy initiative to advocate for adding caste as a protected category and making caste discrimination cognizable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964[110]. These efforts were led by Sumit Anand[111] and India based policy think tank Maadhyam’s Maansi Verma[112]
 

Conclusion

AIC follows radical Dalit activism which is not only focused on upliftment of Dalits and annihilation of caste but forced acceptance caste and destruction of Hinduism.
 

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