About

Round Table is a collaborative effort of individuals - scholars, activists, students, professionals - who are interested in generating debates and discussions on issues concerning Dalits, Adivasis, Brahmins, Non-brahmins, OBCs, MBCs, EBCs, Minorities, of our country.

The name ‘Round Table’ is our tribute to ‘The Round Table Conferences’ held in between 1930-32 to decide the future Constitution of India. These conferences were a major milestone in the Dalit movement, as it was for the first time in Indian history that the Untouchables were able to stake their claim on the nation and demand equal citizenship rights through political representation.

The name ‘Round Table’ also reflects our aspiration of having discussion and exchange of views without any hierarchy.

Our idea of creating this platform arises from the need to educate media-persons, scholars, artists, businessmen and women, bureaucrats, politicians, students and various opinion-makers on some basic concepts regarding citizenship viz. liberty, community, equality, including equitable distribution of all national resources.

With utmost honesty, commitment and humility, we will try to critically engage with their work, in order to help them come out of their caste-based or any other identity-based prejudices and biases and in the process take the  opportunity to glance at ourselves, too.

‘Round Table’, apart from all our readers, includes:

Rashmi Ekka is a social entrepreneur, interested in issues concerning indigenous people. She is currently residing in the US of A.

Bodhi DSR teaches at the Centre for Social Justice and Governance, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

Gyanendra Kumar is an Indian scientist based in the US of A.

Meena Kandasamy is a Chennai based poet, translator, story writer, lecturer and a PhD student. She blogs at Meena Kandasamy.

Prabin Majhi is about to submit his PhD thesis at the Department of Biosciences, IIT, Mumbai. When he is not in the lab, he is found at apocryphal.

Aditi Ranjan is a post-graduate in Geography from Delhi University. She currently volunteers for grant-writing and is residing in the US of A.

Ranjith Thankappan teaches at the School of Journalism & New Media Studies, IGNOU, New Delhi.

Pardeep Attri is an avid blogger, archivist and engineer, working in a public sector at Varanasi.  He blogs at dalitindia & drambedkarbooks.

Carmel Christy teaches Journalism and Media Studies at Delhi University.

Saptarshi Mandal has just completed LLB from National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata and is working with the Lawyers Collective, New Delhi.

Philip Vinod Peacock teaches Dalit Theology at Bishop’s College, Kolkata.

Anoop Kumar works with Insight Foundation and is constantly losing his hair and gaining weight, trying hard to run ‘Insight: Young Voices’ magazine.

Sandali is pursuing doctoral research at the Department of Sociology, Pune University.

Ashokan Nambiar provides consultancy (often unsolicited) in the National Translation Mission at the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore.

Yogesh Kumar works in the development sector and is based in Lucknow.

Jitendra Makwana is currently enrolled in the MBA programme at AESPGIBM, Ahmedabad.

Karthik Navayan is a writer, communicator and lawyer, based in Hyderabad.

Girija KP is pursuing her PhD from CSCS, Bangalore and is interested in the issues of Education as a tool to promote equality and empowerment of the marginalized.

Saurav Arya is insanely interested in everything. Having graduated from IIT Kharagpur, he is a serial optimist, traveler, photographer & aspiring filmmaker who works 9-6 as supply chain professional and rest of the time as a stumbler.  Often he is found scribbling his poems at aawaaj.

Brahma Prakash is a revolutionary poet, folk artist and is pursuing his PhD in Drama & Theater from Royal Holloway, UK.

Gaurav Himkar has just completed his MBA from IIM Lucknow and is trying to hear his inner voice on career choices.

Cynthia Stephen is a Bangalore based writer, researcher and freelance journalist. She also blogs at cynstepin’s blog.

Anu is a researcher trained in natural science, currently working in the US and also blogs at Time and Us.

Sudeep K.S. has lived in various parts of the country and has been blogging since Januray 2003 at sudeep’s diary

In the name of our much powerful community, whose mere touch renders others completely defenceless, we welcome Dalit, Adivasi students and young professionals to join our team of bloggers. Being votaries of affirmative action in all spheres of life, we might also include others, if found suitable.