Dalits

Dalits are known by several different names, like "untouchables" or later, "Harijans." Dalit translates from both Sanskrit and Hindi as "scattered" or "broken".

They are a class beyond the varna system of Aryan origin, created specifically to out caste impure/polluting people, in a very literal sense. Purity requirements were so strict that even Sudras would be considered far beyond them.

They would be given ritually impure jobs, handling dead bodies or human waste, that would pollute those performing them, as well as anyone who came into contact with them. Because of this, they were banned from participating fully in Hindu religious life due to the risk that "pure" members of society would have to overcome to interact with them.

They suffered extreme oppression and restriction, forced to live outside the limits of villages, barred from temples, and segregated from the rest of society entirely. There were explicit prohibitions around them coming into contact with members of higher varnas as they would then be required to engage in long, rigorous rituals to cleanse themselves.

This social and spiritual rejection is still evident today, especially in rural, traditional areas. In some, Dalits are not allowed to let their shadow fall upon Brahmins for fear of polluting them. In urban areas, no strong caste system continues to exist, however, there is still systemic evidence of it.

Gandhi & Untouchability

Gandhi was a proponent of Varnashramadharma as an important characteristic of Hindu society, but believed it was simply an indicator of social role rather than personal worth. He considered the varnas to be closer to social classes, determined by birth, associated with an inherited profession. He advocated for an equal society and fought against the institution that varna had become, instead believing in it as a "law of life" that governed human society.

Although determined by birth, a person could only remain in that varna by fulfilling their varnadharma. Gandhi recognises the possibility of social mobility - being born in one varna but belonging to another because of the qualities of their character.

He separated varnas from castes (jatis) which had introduced a division of people based off of worth. He wrote extensively about the suffering of those affected by caste.

He opposed the concept of untouchability and regarded it as little more thana gateway into inequality and exploitation, opposing segregation entirely.

He called the Untouchables, "Harijans" meaning "the children of G-d" or "children of Vishnu" and campaigned them to be included in the Sufra varna. He wrote about the conditions they were forced to live in - unable to find employment and having to pick out undigested grain from cattle dung to grind to make chapatis. It is no wonder he thought this was a blot on the name of Hinduism.

He hoped to rouse India's conscience, especially with his statements during his imprisonment in 1932, writing: 

Gandhi: "Socially, they were lepers, economically, there were worse than slaves, religiously, they were denied entrance to places that were miscalled houses of G-d."

At the age of 12, he argued against untouchability in his own home. As a young lawyer in South Africa, he cleaned his own latrine to emphasise the dignity of menial labour. In India, he adopted an Untouchable girl as his daughter and insisted his political followers, many of them Brahmins, do their own sweeping, toilet cleaning, and rubbish disposal.

Ambedkar & Untouchability

Dr AMbedkar was born an Untouchable in Maharshtra, however, was able to get an education with the help of his family and high caste Hindu reformers. He gained a BA in Bombar, an MA and PhD in economics from Columbia University, and passed the bar from Grey's Inn in London.

He devoted is life in India to improving the status of Untouchables, clashing with Gandhi on both symbolic and practical levels. He rejected Gandhi's use of the term "Harijan", finding it patronising and preferring the term Dalit. He also fought to wipe out the varna system entirely, beginning from a political and legal perspective, believing it was easier to change laws that hearts. Gandhi, however, started by appealing to emotions.

He campaigned for Dalit-specific electoral colleges to insure political power in newly independent India, and usher in the collapse o the varna system. Gandhi disagreed with this as it was still, in a way, segregation 

Ambedkar led campaigns to improve Dalit access to education and civil/religious rights. In 19335, after 5 years of unsuccessful campaigning to enter Hindu temples, he declared, "I was born a Hindu, but I will not die a Hindu," an converted to Buddhism alongside 4 million other Dalits.

Upon independence, he became India's first Minister of Law and chairman of the committee that drafted the constitution. Under his leadership, untouchability was legally abolished.

He made reference to The Laws of Manu to demonstrate that it was a religious, systemic problem rather than a social problem:

Laws of Manu: "All those tribes in the world, which are excluded from the community, born from the mouth, the arms, the thighs and the feet of the Brahman are called Dasyus (Dalit). Their dress shall be the garments of the dead, they shall eat their food from broken dishes, black iron shall be their ornaments, they must wander from place to place. A man who fulfils his religious duty shall not seek contact with them, their associations must be among themselves and they must only marry their equals, If one of these peoples intentionally defiles by his touching a member of the twice born caste he shall be put to death."

Contemporary status of Dalits

After independence, India has taken affirmative action to help "Scheduled Castes and Tribes."

In 1997, India elected its first Dalit president. Some argue purity discrimination no longer exists, but many Dalits exist in poverty inherited from previous systems of oppression. However, many Dalits have been successful in public life, contributing in various ways to modern Indian society.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has been succcessful in various changes. It was founded by Kanshi Ram in 1984 - a Dalit inspired by the teachings of Dr Ambedkar. "Bahujan" means "the majority of the poeple" and "samaj" means "society". THe BSP fights for the oppressed, aiming for "social transformation" and "economic emancipation".

The BSP opposes the social system practiced by upper-caste Hindus, especially Brahmins. It is pro-Dalit, strongly devoted to improving the social status of Dalits and has suceeded in impacting their lives.

However, especially in rural areas, Dalits still suffer from discrimination. In Guharat, the Dalit rights organisation "Navsarjan Trust" has studied caste discrimination in Gujarat alongside the Robert  Kennedy Centre for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Centre). Titled Understanding Untouchability, it found that untouchability was still prevalent and the legal system was failing to deal with it. It effected access to education, medical facilities, housing, and work. It can be argued it is ffound in urban areas as well. 

QUOTE BANK!!

Gandhi: "I draw, as I have always done; a sharp distinction between castes and varnas. Castes are innumerable and in their present condition they are a drag upon Hinduism. Therefore you and I do not observe caste distinctions. Varna stands on a different footing, and it means profession. It has nothing to do with interdining and intermarriage. People belonging to the four professions used to interdine and even to intermarry and by so doing they naturally could not and did not leave their vana. This is absolutely clear from the definitions of the different varnas in the Bhagavad Gita. A man falls from his varna when he abandons his hereditary profession."

Gandhi: "I am touchable by birth but and Untouchable by choice."

Gandhi: "What I want, what I am looking for, and what I should delight in dying for is the eradication of untouchability, root and branch. If untouchability is rooted out it will not only purge Hinduism of a terrible blot, but its repercussions will be worldwide; my fight against untouchability is a fight against the impurity in humanity."

Gandhi: "If untouchability lives, Hinduism perishes and even India perishes, but if untouchability is eradicated from the Hindu heart, root and branch, then Hinduism has a definite message for the world"

Gandhi: "Socially, they were lepers, economically, there were worse than slaves, religiously, they were denied entrance to places that were miscalled houses of G-d."

Ambedkar:  "I was born a Hindu, but I will not die a Hindu."

Laws of Manu: "All those tribes in the world, which are excluded from the community, born from the mouth, the arms, the thighs and the feet of the Brahman are called Dasyus (Dalit). Their dress shall be the garments of the dead, they shall eat their food from broken dishes, black iron shall be their ornaments, they must wander from place to place. A man who fulfils his religious duty shall not seek contact with them, their associations must be among themselves and they must only marry their equals, If one of these peoples intentionally defiles by his touching a member of the twice born caste he shall be put to death."

Article 46 of the Indian Constitution: "The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker section of the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation"