Manila, November 2, 2019: Lenin Raghuvanshi, a crusader for Dalit rights and fighter for the elimination of caste system, has been selected to receive “Karmaveer Maharatna Award.”

The International Confederation of NGOs announced the award to Raghuvanshi to mark 10 noble years of Karmaveers making a difference around the world.

Raghuvanshi, a Dalit rights activist and initiator of the Neo-Dalit movement, will receive the award on November 26, at Ramagya School in Sector 50, Noida, along with other recipients.

“It is a form of recognition of all human rights defenders who are fighting against hegemonic masculinity of caste system and patriarchy. It is honor of continuous commitment and effort for elimination of caste-based slavery,” Raghuvanshi told Matters India.

According to him, “The caste system is one of the main reasons to create slavery, illiteracy and inequalities which created poverty and negative conflict for war-like situation. Mind of caste is destroying inclusive development and democracy which is a threat for a better world and peaceful South Asia.”

The awarding committee will felicitate some past award recipients (1 male and 1 female), from each of the 10 years, reported Youth Ki Awaaz.

The Karmaveer Puraskaar Award is given in recognition of people who have impacted society with their noble work as an inspiration and continue to be ‘being the change’ and ‘make a difference.’

The Karmaveer Puraskaar Award is going to be launched this year.

Growing up Uttar Pradesh, Raghuvanshi witnessed the unequal relationships among the rich and poor, men and women, and high caste and low caste. The caste system intercepted by power relations, patriarchy and social hierarchy has caused dehumanizing results on people.

To counter this discourse, he established the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), a Varanasi-based NGO which works for the upliftment of the marginalized sections of society.

PVCHR fights for the rights of marginalized people in India. As a neo-Dalit movement, it promotes to establish a society based on equal dignity for all humankind. PVCHR abhors the ‘culture of impunity’ and presence of caste system.

Being a Dalit rights activist, he has received other awards in the past, such as Gwangju Human Rights Award (2007), the ACHA Star Peace award (2008), the International Human Rights Prize of the city of Weimar (2010), Public Peace prize (2018) and Special mentions prize of Human Rights of the French Republic (2018).

Though Raghuvanshi is not a Dalit, he has resisted his higher caste Hindu upbringing as “feudal.” From his young age, he has opposed societal feudalism and advocated for Dalit rights and their dignity, and elimination of caste system.

He contributes to various national and international journals including Transdisciplinary Peace Praxis. He has been a member of the editorial board for Torture Journal and the IRCT Data and Research Methods Reference Group (Data Reference Group).

Receiving the news of winning the Karmaveer Maharatna Award, Raghuvanshi said, “It is an honor of a fight against the caste system which is one of the main reasons for fascism in South Asia.”