India's Untouchables'

"A tradition that goes on for generations, gets into the blood"

duration approx 30mins per video


"Self dignity and self respect is much more important than anything else.."

" .. we remain within our boundaries because, they are the high lot and we are the lowly ones.. its good to follow the rules.."



What value human life - one over another?
Caste Culture Colour Class?. How do you construct your life, choose your friends, your spouse, your partner?
Tradition, Tribalism, Religion?
Could you honour (and serve) a god' that didn't honour (and serve) you?..
Are you.. 'untouchable?'
Who decides your value.. you? or the society in which you live?



" Culture is a country's main asset .. you loose it.. you loose your country"



About the film

'The film introduces leading Benares scholars who interpret Hindu scriptures to mean that Dalits 'have no right' to education, and Rajput farmers who proudly proclaim that the police must seek their permission before pursuing cases of atrocities on Dalits. The film captures many 'firsts-on-film, ' such as Dalits being forced to dismount from their cycles and remove their shoes when in the upper caste part of the village.

It exposes the continuation of caste practices and Untouchability in Sikhism, Christianity and Islam, amongst the Community's in Kerala and within some of India's most revered academic and professional institutions.

In an age where the media projects only one image of a 'rising' or 'poised' India, this film reminds us how far the country is from being an equal society. Traveling through eight states and four religions, this film is perhaps the deepest exploration of caste oppression ever undertaken on film.

Stalin K is a human rights activist and award-winning documentary filmmaker. He is the Co-Founder of DRISHTI- Media, Arts and Human Rights, Convener of the Community Radio Forum-India, and the India Director of Video Volunteers. He is a renowned public speaker and has lectured or taught at over 20 institutions ranging from the National Institute of Design and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in India, to New York University and Stanford and Berkeley in the US.

INDIA UNTOUCHED is Stalin's second film on the issue of caste -- his earlier film 'Lesser Humans', on manual scavenging, won the Silver Conch at the Mumbai International Film Festival and the Excellence Award at Earth Vision Film Festival, Tokyo, and helped to bring international attention to the issue of caste'

**
Funny story..

Indian guy asked me out a few months back. I told him to go home and ask his family if he's allowed to date black girls.
He said 'it's fine', he can.
I asked him if he could bring one home
He said 'yes'
I laughed
'Your mother wouldn't mind'? I asked
He said 'no, of course not'..
I asked him if he could ever have a serous relationship with a black woman
He said 'of course' he could
I laughed
He laughed too
We both knew that wasn't true
He said Caribbeans and Indians were the same, at least similar, the foods we eat, family values etc
He asked 'What about you?..I bet you couldn't
I said my family are not racist. Told him my family are very welcoming
He said I was making excuses, used the famous.. 'most of my friends are black' line
'Good for you' I said...'Keep away.. if you wanna keep your inheritance' I joked
He said I was cheeky
'So are you' I said.
..'and while your at it'.. I said.. 'Go and have a word with those guys in that shop and tell them to stop following us around..'

Funnily enough.. we get along.(as i'm sure you've picked up)
but underneath it all..are the very 'real' are very serious cultural divisions traditions and superstitions that if allowed to ..keep people apart