Booshakthi Kendra

Wed Aug 4 01:02:33 2004

Friends,

It has been a long time since we communicated to you. We are sure some of you have got our bulky surface mail inviting you to be a Founding Member of the Booshakthi Forum International. Our thanks to all those who have responded. We shall come back to you with personal letters soon. Sorry for this common one.

All of us in REDS and DJS and the Booshakthi Kendra were fully busy with a pre-finance evaluation of our Organizational endeavor and simultaneously the Festival of the Dalit Woman in six taluks. It was a hectic time and we are happy that our evaluator is happy about our work.

This year we celebrated the Festival of the Dalit Woman on 03 June in almost the entire District. Each Taluk organized the Festival in different ways. There were public meetings with a lot of celebration, there were meetings in big halls etc. The restoration of the primacy of women in general and of Dalit women in particular will spell the beginning of the liberation of human society. Governance in nations of the world must go into the hands of women for the establishment of justice and equality and consequent peace in the world. This is what we believe in and what we are working for. It is tough. But we are enjoying it.

Now comes our next Festival. On 04 August the Dalit people are celebrating the Festival of Booshakthi, the Mother Earth. This is the most significant of the five Dalit festivals in a calendar year. This festival must be celebrated not only by the Dalits but also by all those who believe in equality and in governance based on the values of unlimited space for all people of the earth. All those who believe in drawing energy from Mother earth should celebrate the Earth as our Mother. The life-giving cycle of a woman is closely akin to the life cycles of the Earth making the worldview of the Dalits cyclic. Hence the fertility cult of our Ancestors centered around Earth Mother (Booshakthi). The Dalit people have been magnanimous as the Earth who provides a space even for those who dig her womb and blast nuclear bombs. Today the Dalit people have changed their history into one of celebration amidst the debris of inexplicable human violations in their daily lives. Yet the dominant caste society cannot stop the brimming of the creative energy of the Dalit people. Through the celebration of the Festival of Booshakthi we shall restore once again governance of our country on equal distribution of values, both material and spiritual.

We invite you our friends, irrespective of the faith you profess to celebrate Booshakthi in your homes on 04 August and express your solidarity with the Dalit struggles for 5 acres of land to each Dalit family. We shall come again to you explaining to you the practical ways in which you can show your solidarity with this struggle. Till then we wish you, your family members and all those who are dear to you all the creative energies of Booshakthi. May you have prosperity and happiness.

Jyothi, Raj and all the members of the REDS, DJS and Booshakthi Family.