Counter-narrative for the oppressed

A magazine that celebrates the stories of people who have triumphed over their caste

Chandra Bhan Prasad is one of India’s most important Dalit thinkers and political commentators. His ideas on the interplay of caste, economy and society have been discussed, quoted, researched — and also questioned. But he is sure about one thing: Dalits are victims of a feudal order, so their only deliverance is capitalism. In order to throw off the yoke of social discrimination, Dalits must establish and run factories, plants, manufacturing hubs and must embrace the market: Because the market doesn’t ask you your caste.

In an interview, Prasad explained: “Capitalism as a socio-economic order got legitimised in India with the economic liberalisation. Between 1990 and 2007, India witnessed its greatest revolution. It was mostly bloodless, and happened without making a statement. No one noticed that the bullock carts had largely disappeared. Like Ambedkar said, villages are dens of ignorance and oppression. The plough and cart system that ensured serfdom collapsed. Do remember that European serfdom ended due to labour shortage, caused by Black Death, and the subsequent rise of capitalism. Why should we be happy about this? I reckon caste and capitalism can’t coexist. Dalit capitalism will soon turn the caste order into a Purana Qila — a relic of sorts”.

It was this belief that entrepreneurship should be fostered because it will set the Dalits free, that propelled Prasad, along with a handful of Dalit entrepreneurs to set up a Dalit Venture Capital Fund that was supported by the previous United Progressive Alliance government and continued by the current National Democratic Alliance government. Along with Milind Kamble (Padmashri), Prasad encouraged the formation of a Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) — so named not just in counterjuxtaposition to FICCI but also to prove a point. 

Dalit Enterprise

Now Prasad has launched another venture: A glossy magazine available both in the print and web version, called Dalit Enterprise. This celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship as well as the idea that it is possible to fashion a counter-narrative to the stories of oppression, suffering and deprivation that come out of the community. It is inspired by Black Enterprise, a magazine that played a pivotal role as a forum for black business in America and sees itself as a way for dalit business to get visibility, a voice and a platform.

The stories in the monthly magazine describe the odds and how to conquer them. Shiv Narayan runs a business that has a turnover of Rs 200 million. He is 41. By the time he is 50, he reckons he will be worth Rs 500 million. “For the record, Shiv Narayan doesn’t produce shoes” says a story about his business. That business was his father’s — leather and caste were interconnected. Shiv Narayan decided he wouldn’t work on the lower part of the shoe: He would manufacture stylish uppers. To give a professional finish, he imported machines from Italy.  He now manufactures uppers and exports them to Korea, Italy, Taiwan and China. He even sells to Bata. 

The most electrifying story is about the hospitals Dalits own and run — 125 in Uttar Pradesh alone. True, they are small and big. But they challenge the prevalent notion that the doctrine of reservation compromises efficiency. Prasad chose the hospitals with care: they are run by doctors who were a product of reservation; they are Dalit run; and they employ upper caste doctors as well. The 100-bed multi-speciality Chirag hospital in Gurugram is run by Dr Shyam Lal who was one among six children of a Dalit couple that was unlettered but had some farm land. They put everything they had into Shyam Lal’s education — he completed high school in 1991 but intermediate in 1995 because of financial pressures. He got a medical degree and joined a charitable hospital — until the management found out what his caste was. He was immediately put on menial duty. When a pay rise was promised but never materialised, he quit and decided to launch his own clinic from one room. His practice grew and now he has a five-floor 100-beddded facility that is a landmark in Gurugram.

Dalit Enterprise chronicles stories of struggle and achievement. They are stories that make you feel good.