Jati Koi Afwah Nahin [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2017] Vemula, Rohith

by Rohith Vemula, Nikhila Henry (Editor), Rajesh Kumar Jha (Translator)

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Genres: Politics, India, Nonfiction, Memoir

302 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2017

About the author

Rohith Vemula, 26, was a brilliant research scholar and a student leader at the University of Hyderabad who strongly believed in Dr B.R. Ambedkar's crusade to annihilate caste. He became the face of a larger protest against Dalit discrimination after he committed suicide on January 17, 2016

Reviews

[Gokul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glimpse into the brilliant mind of a figure around whom we have gathered around to assert our issues with this Brahminical nation. It is hard not to get emotional while reading a few parts.

Nikhila Henry wonderfully gives us a view of the intellectual learning that Rohith underwent through his student days.

We should not have lost him. He will continue to stand tall as a symbol of immense strength for all of us.

[Nikhil · Rating 5 out of 5]

to subversive words and your rebellious grammar... jai bheem!

[Sukaina Majeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't say I was late in reading this book but it surely is a necessary read especially for the young,the ones who have just stepped into adulthood or are headed in that way because if you don't see the caste discrimination around you, this book will AT LEAST open your eyes.
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This is the online diary of Rohith Vemula compiled by a facebook friend of Rohith Nikhila Henry which speaks aloud his opinion,the hard hitting facts, how he became a ambedkarite.
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Rohith talks about the left,right and the centre and the way the A*bvP tried to bring down ASA(Ambedkar Students Association) in University of Hyd
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But most of all the PhD student spoke about the blatant caste discrimination and the RW and other's attempts to remove the reservations and the disillusionment of the UC of "there is no caste".
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This book chronicles the years 2008 to the Christmas of 2015.
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My favourite excerpt from the book is his comment on arundhuti roy and change.org. The latter one had me in splits so loudly I laughed like a maniac for continuously 1 minute.
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We lost a great writer,a human being who was ready to show the country the mirror but alas the Brahmins still are fighting "why are they getting reservations" and "even various UC people are poor".

[j j · Rating 3 out of 5]

The editor's note neatly summarises the relevance of this compilation of facebook posts by Vemula.

"His[Vemula] ability to comment on a wide of spectrum issues that affect life, especially the lives of youngsters from marginalised communities set him apart from other students. From Gaza to Ghaziabad, Vemula's online commentary from 2008 to 2016 covered it all. Vemula's writing brought fresh perspective on what it means to be young in a country riddled with conflicts. His was a voice so clear and shrill that it stood distinct from the others even as it represented so many young lives that live on the fringes of New India."

The editor's decision to not follow the chronology of the posts may have its own reasons, but personally I would have preferred it as it would have given me an opportunity to travel back and follow the changes in the mindset and views of the author over a span of 8 years.