NEW THREAD: The ‘Feminism is Brahmanism' transcript published on Savari is a regressive, reductionist piece of garbage, the likes of which I haven't come across in a long time. This post is not about refuting it. Dalit womxn and Dalit queer people have put forward their responses

and criticisms in varied formats: social media posts, stories, statements, twitter threads, memes, and most recently, a brilliant article by Anannya Madonna. I’m grateful for this and in some ways, quite glad that in responding to misogyny,

we have put aside our differences and personal fall-outs, and have come together. What this transcript has essentially done is polarize the Dalit community (this has happened in the past through other means as well).

Agreed we can have diverse opinions, but not to the extent that we should deny each other’s agency and call it free speech. Ramdas and friends are asking us to choose sides. Are you a feminist? Then you must be pseudo-Dalit. Are you anti-caste? Then you better be anti-feminist.

Barring the fact that this reductionism is attempting to erase years of Dalit feminist articulation, it is also forcing Dalit intellectuals to have rudimentary conversations around agency. This is a useless exercise. This doesn’t save any of us.

And worse, this fundamentalist discourse will only result in heavier reputational losses for cis-het Dalit men. Particularly those that have been accused of sexual harassment.

If I were you, I’d be in deep introspection, having difficult conversations and finding ways to rectify my behavior. The last thing I would do is put up derogatory posts about Dalit womxn and cheer Savarnas that are characterizing Dalit feminism as violent.

What this discourse is doing is giving cis-het Dalit men a cheap thrill, a momentary high that enables them to shitpost. Faces on those zoom calls, try being strategic, if not right. We’re marching towards a feminist, intersectional, egalitarian future.

A better future for all of us, but particularly for the Dalit community that is made of LGBTIQA+ people, womxn, children, and men. You don’t want to be left behind, do you? As someone who is married to a Dalit man, into a Dalit family, has Dalit brothers, had a Dalit father, and

have several Dalit guy friends, I say this in all sincerity. I don’t want my brothers to be stuck in an express train that’s taking them to the 1800s. At some point, we have to come to terms with the patriarchy that exists inside our community, our movements, and our families.

That moment is now. Doesn’t matter if you don’t call yourself a feminist; just find a way to listen to us, like we have for thousands of years.

It is also extremely sad that spaces like RTI and Savari, which I admired for many years now (a small part of me continues to because of past contributors), have come to this. They are no longer spaces that celebrate the work of all Dalit people;

they are no longer spaces that the rest of us can rely on. I feel nothing but hurt and disappointment. Surely, the fact that so many of us are registering protest must add up to something no? Don’t our voices matter?

I’m no scholar on Ambedkar, but I’m fairly sure what’s happening doesn't align with Ambedkarite or Periyarist values. It is a matter of deep embarrassment, that today, the Dalit movement is being weakened by what one can only call a CULT.