Dhrubo works as an edit resource and writes at the intersection of caste, gender, sexuality and politics. Formerly trained in Physics, abandoned a study of the stars for the glitter of journalism. Fish out of digital water.
Articles by Dhrubo Jyoti
Social Justice Matters | Why some transgender groups want horizontal reservation
While there is no question that transpersons face hurdles in accessing education, employment and health care, some community activists are questioning why the government is lumping all transpersons across caste in the OBC category
Updated on Dec 09, 2021 06:04 PM IST
321 die cleaning sewers in 5 years: Govt to Lok Sabha
The government told Lok Sabha that there were no reports of manual scavengers being engaged in India at present
Updated on Dec 08, 2021 02:04 AM IST
Social Justice Matters: What Ramachandra Manjhi tells us about caste, art
What makes his triumph more remarkable is the burden of caste he carries. Manjhi is Dalit, and Naach is an art form patronised by Dalits and lower-caste communities in the heartland
Updated on Nov 24, 2021 02:16 PM IST
Social Justice Matters | On gender, the conservative backlash hits classrooms
The NCERT pulled down a teachers’ training manual on integration of transgender or gender non-conforming students in schools from its website
Updated on Nov 11, 2021 02:49 PM IST
Social Justice Matters | Is the electoral system in India unjust to Dalits?
Indian elections are a remarkable feat for a new democracy. Yet, the country’s marginalised castes continue to get a raw deal when it comes to their representation, and the system of reserved constituencies is flawed at best
Updated on Nov 04, 2021 02:34 PM IST
How ‘caste bias’ in Bikaner college snuffed out a family’s hope
“He is gone,” she whispers – pointing towards the kitchen where she would make bathua and besan barfis every time her son, 20-year-old Pradeep Meghwal, came home from his college in Bikaner. “It was his favourite,” she says. “And I will never make it for him again.”
Updated on Nov 03, 2021 01:01 AM IST
Dhrubo Jyoti, Hindustan Times, Bikaner
A lifetime of nation building
The legacy of Sukumar Sen, the architect of the modern Indian election, goes far beyond party symbols, indelible ink, and ballot boxes.
Updated on Oct 29, 2021 05:26 PM IST
Social Justice Matters | India must have a caste census
For seven decades, India has made policies that are either caste-blind or aimed at helping marginalised castes, but without any hard data on the numbers of castes other than Dalits. This lack of data on the relative strengths of castes has now fuelled the demand for a caste census
Updated on Oct 27, 2021 12:49 PM IST
India’s first voter readies for a new challenge
Negi holds the unique record of being independent India’s first voter and has exercised his franchise in the last 70 years in every local, state and national election
Updated on Oct 25, 2021 03:12 PM IST
A classroom and a nursery of new democracy
The village of Kalpa, then called Chini, went to the polls months ahead of the rest of the country because the remote village with roughly 60 families would get cut off by snowfall in early November.
Updated on Oct 25, 2021 04:29 AM IST
Dhrubo Jyoti and Gaurav Bisht, Kinnaur/shimla
Caste and EWS quota: The political calm, the legal storm and what we don’t know
Two years on, a series of legal moves have led to renewed churn about EWS quotas – their utility and rationale
Updated on Oct 19, 2021 01:35 PM IST
Amend discriminatory info on LGBTQIA+: NMC to institutes
The advisory referred to a Madras high court judgment last month that said “queerphobia” – prejudicial and abusive attitudes and behavior towards the community – was rampant in medical education.
Updated on Oct 14, 2021 12:35 PM IST
Dhrubo Jyoti, New Delhi
College teacher sentenced to life imprisonment for minor girl’s rape in Raj
The victim, the daughter of a primary school teacher in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, was found dead inside a water tank on the roof of her college in 2016.
Updated on Oct 13, 2021 06:14 AM IST
A new deal on caste: The battle over reservations in promotions
For a nation to progress, caste is important to eradicate. But its perpetuation is also beneficial to many powerful communities
Updated on Oct 12, 2021 11:53 AM IST
Three convicted in rape case that shook Rajasthan
New Delhi: A court in Rajasthan on Friday convicted three people for the rape and suicide of a Dalit girl in a college in 2016 -- a case that had sparked widespread public anger and conversations on caste discrimination and women’s safety
Updated on Oct 09, 2021 07:58 PM IST
Crimes against Dalits, tribals increased in Covid pandemic year: NCRB
Crimes against scheduled tribe (ST) communities also increased by 9.3% to a total of 8,272 cases in the year, according to NCRB data.
Updated on Sep 16, 2021 03:29 AM IST
Dhrubo Jyoti, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Badaun twin tragedy: Sanitation, dignity in tussle with poverty, customs
Badaun tragedy: Poverty, imbalance, sanitation — the horrors remain. The tragic deaths of 14-year-old and 16-year-old girls, who were found hanging from a mango tree in an orchard seven years ago in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun, still haunts the family.
Updated on Sep 15, 2021 03:57 AM IST
Dhrubo Jyoti, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Hathras rape: A year on, still living in fear, buried under social stigma
In Hathras, exactly one year ago, on September 14, 2020, a 19-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped and assaulted. Days later, amid national outrage, her body was cremated in the dead of the night.
Updated on Sep 14, 2021 04:54 AM IST
Dhrubo JyotiShiv Sunny, Hindustan Times, Hathras
Section 377, 3 years on: Freedom to love takes root
The landmark ’18 verdict prompted LGBT people across India to seek their rights from courts and society. The key to this advancement were residents of small towns and villages
Updated on Sep 07, 2021 01:06 PM IST
Dhrubo JyotiDhamini Ratnam
IIT prof alleges irregularity in caste bias probe
In the letter, Vipin P Veetil, a 36-year-old assistant professor of economics who resigned citing caste bias in July, said that the head of the department – who was named in his complaint -- was allegedly liaising with members of the investigation committee looking into his claims of caste-based discrimination at the institution.
Published on Aug 28, 2021 12:10 AM IST
Dhrubo Jyoti, New Delhi
Chronicling BR Ambedkar’s life in London
The time he spent in London earning his law and second doctorate degrees was among the most important part of the polymath’s life. The interrupted stint shaped his worldview and philosophy, introduced him to new and exacting teachers, and sharpened his legal skills
Updated on Aug 19, 2021 05:55 PM IST
Post-Independence, three people’s movements that changed the game
In a complex nation, in a changing world, there is always work to be done. Take a look at three key movements that have driven India towards greater justice and equity for all citizens.
Updated on Aug 13, 2021 05:33 PM IST
Dhrubo Jyoti & Dhamini Ratnam
No manual scavenging deaths, 941 died while cleaning sewers: Govt
Union social justice minister Virendra Kumar also told the Rajya Sabha that 58,098 manual scavengers were identified across the country in two separate surveys in 2013 and 2018
Updated on Aug 05, 2021 04:03 PM IST
‘The men told us to go home and sleep... But I couldn’t keep quiet’
She was the only child of the couple, who belong to the impoverished Valmiki caste and made their living by picking off scraps and rags and begging near a local Muslim shrine.
Updated on Aug 05, 2021 04:02 AM IST
Shiv SunnyDhrubo Jyoti, New Delhi
Haven’t you heard? Aunty tales from around the world
In Critical Aunty Studies, a project by researcher and artist Kareem Khubchandani, the figure of the Aunty is explored through diverse strands drawn from India, Africa, the Caribbean and beyond. Aunties make their presence felt, and while this can be annoying, it can also be especially powerful, Khubchandani says.
Updated on Jul 30, 2021 07:49 PM IST
2 labs move HC over fake testing charges at Kumbh
The developments came four days after police booked Delhi-based Lalchandani Labs, Hisar-based Nalwa labs and Noida-based Max Corporate Services for allegedly conducting 100,000 fake rapid antigen tests during the Kumbh mela in April.
Updated on Jun 22, 2021 04:14 AM IST
Neeraj Santoshi and Dhrubo Jyoti, Hindustan Times, Dehradun/new Delhi
Same-sex love: The family abuse that led to the Madras HC order
The two women – aged 20 and 22 — met in 2019 and fell in love but battled fierce disapproval from their conservative families who lived in the rural parts of Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district
Updated on Jun 09, 2021 01:32 PM IST
‘Change must take place’: HC bans attempts to ‘cure’ gender identity
Chennai/New Delhi: The Madras high court on Monday banned any attempts to “cure” the gender identity or sexual orientation of people as part of a sweeping set of orders to sensitise state agencies and the central government and protect the rights of LGBTQIA+ communities
Published on Jun 07, 2021 11:29 PM IST
Divya Chandrababu and Dhrubo Jyoti
There is a gender gap in India’s vaccination coverage
It is important to get an in-built statistical bias out of the way before looking at probable causes. Men outnumber women in India. So, is the number of vaccinated men outnumbering women just a function of India’s skewed sex-ratio?
Updated on Jun 08, 2021 07:33 AM IST
Abhishek Jha & Dhrubo Jyoti
See what’s playing on India’s first LGBTQ streaming service, PlanetOut
On offer is a mix of documentaries, love stories and small indie gems. More vitally, the service indicates how far we’ve come.
Updated on May 28, 2021 04:57 PM IST
