Blog Archives

The Story of Lovina Alphonso — A Dalit Heroine of her Time Sourse:medium This account is translated from the research and writings of N.Sarawanan, A Sri Lankan Tamil Dalit activist and author of the piece. You can read his original piece here in Namathu Malayagam. This contribution to Dalit History Month would not be possible without his work and his generosity. Translation from Tamil for this piece was done by Saivi, a Tamil Dalit writer, economist and mother. This piece was edited by Maari Z.Maitreyi. Today in Dalit History, we look at how a Dalit woman, Lovina, negotiated with colonialisms in Sri Lanka and ultimately instituted benefits to her community. The “Rodi” caste people are the most oppressed in the Sinhala community. Historically, this community was involved in folk religion, magic, mantras, and ritualised caste begging. Rodis were treated as untouchables and violently discriminated. ...