I met Pramod tonight in one of the small groups of ten that broke off to caucus during the evening’s General Assembly. The Structure Working Group has proposed a Spokescouncil sparking ongoing debate over power-sharing.

Pramod introduced himself joyfully to our group—excited to be at the GA within hours of his arrival from India. His comments about finance made clear to us that he has deep experience with finance in political grass roots groups in India.

In this interview, Pramod describes his encounter with President Obama in Indian Parliament last year. He gave Obama a book written by the man who wrote the Indian Constitituion—that man was an Untouchable. Pramod gave the book to Obama in the name of 300 million Untouchables.

Pramod, himself, was born in an Untouchable community. There are 300 million Untouchables in India; they are the country’s most-oppressed people. Gandhi did great harm to the Untouchables.

“The so-called nonviolent face of Gandhi, the so-called non violent means—this is not the real face of Gandhi. Gandhi’s real face is something else. He was the biggest upholder of Untouchability….Untouchables which are 25% of the Indian population.