V. T. Rajshekar
Encyclopedia
V. T. Rajshekar, in full Vontibettu Thimmappa Rajshekar, also known as V. T. Rajshekar Shetty, (born 1932) is a controversial India
n journalist
who is the founder and editor of the Dalit Voice
, which has been described in a release by Human Rights Watch
as "India’s most widely circulated Dalit
journal".
He is himself not a Dalit, he is the son of late P.S. Thimmappa Shetty, who retired as the Collector of South Kanara District. He is from well-known Vontibettu Beedu family belonging to the higher caste Bunt
community.
He was formerly a journalist on the Indian Express, where he worked for 25 years. He is the founder of the 'Dalit Voice' organisation a radical wing of the broader movement for Dalit interests.
He is also the author
of a great number of pamphlets and books, mainly published by his own organisation.
similar to that of the Nation of Islam
in the USA but it is different from other magazines in many aspects. It is notable for the radical Antisemitism it preaches and also its link to Afrocentrist ideologies. The book declares the Indian castes as nations within the nation of India. It argues for the strengthening of each caste. Rajshekhar says the strenghthening of each caste will lead to destruction of Hinduism
.
ian regime and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial
of the Holocaust.
Given his upper caste origins, many of his detractors have questioned his commitment to the Dalit cause.
ism writings outside of India". The same year, he was arrested in Bangalore
under India’s Terrorism and Anti-Disruptive Activities Act. Rajshekar told Human Rights Watch
that this arrest was for an editorial he had written in Dalit Voice, that another writer who republished the editorial was also arrested, and that he was eventually released with an apology. Rajshekar has also been arrested under the Sedition Act and under the Indian Penal Code for creating disaffection between communities
.
works for Amnesty International
in London.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who is the founder and editor of the Dalit Voice
Dalit Voice
Dalit Voice is a political magazine published in Bangalore, India that claims to express the views of Dalits, Muslims, Sikhs, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes of India which it claims make up 85% of India's population...
, which has been described in a release by Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
as "India’s most widely circulated Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
journal".
He is himself not a Dalit, he is the son of late P.S. Thimmappa Shetty, who retired as the Collector of South Kanara District. He is from well-known Vontibettu Beedu family belonging to the higher caste Bunt
Bunt (community)
Bunt , previously spelled Bant, are a community of erstwhile nobility, feudatory and gentry from the region of Tulu Nadu in the south west of India which comprises the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada in the Indian state of Karnataka and Kasaragod taluk of Kerala...
community.
He was formerly a journalist on the Indian Express, where he worked for 25 years. He is the founder of the 'Dalit Voice' organisation a radical wing of the broader movement for Dalit interests.
He is also the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of a great number of pamphlets and books, mainly published by his own organisation.
Positions and Dalit Voice
Started in 1981, Dalit Voice is a periodical launched by Rajshekhar. Under Rajshekhar's leadership the Dalit Voice organisation formulated an Indian variant of afrocentrismAfrocentrism
Afrocentrism is cultural ideology mostly limited to the United States, dedicated to the history of Black people a response to global racist attitudes about African people and their historical contributions by revisiting this history with an African cultural and ideological center...
similar to that of the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
in the USA but it is different from other magazines in many aspects. It is notable for the radical Antisemitism it preaches and also its link to Afrocentrist ideologies. The book declares the Indian castes as nations within the nation of India. It argues for the strengthening of each caste. Rajshekhar says the strenghthening of each caste will lead to destruction of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
.
Controversy and criticism
Dalit Voice has published articles about 'Zionist conspiracies' regarding Hitler and the Third Reich. They have also supported the IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian regime and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
of the Holocaust.
Given his upper caste origins, many of his detractors have questioned his commitment to the Dalit cause.
Passport confiscation
In 1986 Rajshekar’s passport was confiscated because of "anti-HinduAnti-Hindu
Anti-Hindu prejudice is a negative perception or religious intolerance against the practice and practitioners of Hinduism. Anti-Hindu sentiments have been expressed by Muslims in Pakistan, Bangladesh, leading to significant persecution of Hindus in those regions, such as the 1971 Bangladesh...
ism writings outside of India". The same year, he was arrested in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
under India’s Terrorism and Anti-Disruptive Activities Act. Rajshekar told Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
that this arrest was for an editorial he had written in Dalit Voice, that another writer who republished the editorial was also arrested, and that he was eventually released with an apology. Rajshekar has also been arrested under the Sedition Act and under the Indian Penal Code for creating disaffection between communities
Communalism (South Asia)
This article deals with the use of the word communalism in South Asia, as a name for a force separating different communities based on some form of social or sectarian discrimination...
.
Personal life
Rajshekar was married to Hema Rajshekar until her death. His son Salil ShettySalil Shetty
Salil Shetty has been the director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign since October 2003. Before joining the UN, he served as the Chief Executive of ActionAid. He is an Indian national.-Amnesty International :...
works for Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
in London.
Books and pamphlets
- How Marx Died In Hindu India
- Why Godse Killed Gandhi
- Hindu Serpent And Muslim Mongoose
- Dialogue Of The Bhoodevatas
- Bhoodevtavon Ki Batchit in UrduUrduUrdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
- Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar: Clash of Two Values: The Verdict of History. Bangalore: Dalit Sahitya Akademy, 1989
- Dalit: The Black Untouchables of India (foreword by Y.N. Kly). Atlanta; Ottawa: Clarity Press, c1987 (Originally published under title: Apartheid in India. Bangalore: Dalit Action Committee, 1979)
- Apartheid in India: An International Problem, 2nd rev. ed. Publisher: Bangalore: Dalit Sahitya Akademy, 1983
- Ambedkar and His Conversion: a critique. Bangalore: Dalit Action Committee, Karnataka, 1980
- Judicial Terrorism
- India As A Failed State
- Aggression On Indian Culture
- Development Redefined
- Caste – A Nation within the Nation
- India's Intellectual Desert
- The Zionist ArthashastraArthashastraThe Arthashastra is an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy which identifies its author by the names Kautilya and , who are traditionally identified with The Arthashastra (IAST: Arthaśāstra) is an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and...
(Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion) - Brahminism In India And Zionism In West
- India's Muslim Problem
- India On The Path To Islamisation
- Dalit Voice – A New Experiment in Journalism
- Brahminism
- Weopons To Fight Counter Revolution
- Riddles In Hinduism by Babasaheb Ambedkar
- Know The Hindu Mind