India, May 18 -- Dvija (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya) must throw leftover food of Shraddha on the ground for Chandala (Untouchable), dogs, and birds to eat. (Manu Smriti 3.92, Markandeya Purana 26.45-46; Kurma Purana ll.18.105-6.

O Hindu,

You say we are dirty, But it is your gaze That stains. You say we are less than human, But it is your humanity That keeps shrinking To fit inside a caste mark.

Look at your Hindu/Muslim history: A long procession of broken Dalit wrists That still learn to write and learn to read an Oxford book. For every Dalit boy they erase, Another boy carves Ambedkar's name Into his notebook like a wound That refuses to close. Just like my wound in Nagalim or in India. For every Dalit girl they silence, Another ma...