Dalit activists and students of the University of Madras staged a protest near the university campus on Wednesday, demanding the removal of some chapters from their curriculum alleging they contained derogatory references to Dalits. The content is part of the syllabus for the Tamil subject introduced this year for students pursuing B.Com, B.B.A, B. C.A and several other courses in over 60 colleges affiliated to the university.
A. Vinoth, Adi Tamilar Viduthalai Iyakam, said the inclusion of Puthamaipithan’s short story Thunbakkeni (1939) and Vannanilavan’s Kadalpurathil (1977) in the syllabus for first-year students was shocking. “In these stories, Dalit men are shown to be without self-respect while Dalit women are said to have no character. This will only further untouchability and revulsion against dalits.”
The protesters demanded the portions be removed at the earliest. The activists also urged the university to probe the selection of these stories for the curriculum. University officials said they would be looking into the matter.
