Dalit

In the Indian caste system, a Dalit, often called an untouchable, is a person who does not have any varnas. Varna refers to the Hindu belief that most humans were created from different parts of the body of the divinity Purusha. The part from which a varna was created defines its social status for issues such as who they can marry and what jobs they can do. Dalits fall outside varnas system and have historically been prevented from doing any but the most menial jobs. They are also known as outcastes. Included are leather-workers (called chamar), poor farmers and landless laborers, scavengers (called bhangi or chura), street handicrafters, folk artists, clothes washers dhobi etc. Traditionally, they were treated as pariahs in South Asian society and isolated in their own communities, to the point that even their shadows were avoided by the upper castes. Discrimination against Dalits still exists in rural areas in the private sphere, in ritual matters such as access to eating places and water sources. It has largely disappeared, however, in urban areas and in the public sphere, in rights of movement and access to schools.

Terms associated with the Dalit

Dalit is not a caste name. Dalit is the latest and currently most politically correct of many terms used for the former "Untouchables" of India. Offensive terms used mostly in the past include chura, bhangi, neech, kanjjar, and mirasi. Whereas the terms chura and bhangi are profession-based terms for scavengers, they can serve as general terms for the low-born; others are actual names of the caste. Harijan was a term for untouchable, coined by Mahatma Gandhi, which means Children of God — Hari is another name for the god Vishnu. It is now considered patronizing. The term can also be attributed to Dalits of Pakistan called the haris, who are a group of mud-hut builders. Neo-Buddhist Dalits try to make 'Harijan' appear as a disgrace to all Dalits as it comes from a Hindu name. This term had already been used, in a different form, by the medieval philosopher Ramanuja who uplifted many backward caste peoples: as Thirukulattar, or People of Holy Clan. (He was probably the first to allow the untouchables into temples, albeit for limited periods).

The word 'Dalit(a)' comes from the Indo-Aryan root dal, and means 'held under check', 'suppressed', or 'crushed', or, in a looser sense, 'oppressed'. Maharashtrian Dalit Activist and poet Namdeo Dhasal made it a symbol of pride to fight against social injustice. He said:

Yes, I do feel that the fight to eradicate caste has to be fought by Dalits and caste Hindus together carrying forward the tradition of Adi Shankara, which got broken somewhere in between.

It is possible that Dr. Ambedkar borrowed this term from Swami Vivekananda from his quote, "Deena-Dalita-Dukhi Devo Bhava!" ("Service to the weak, the down- trodden and the suffering masses itself is the worship of God")

Another term used for the Dalits was Matanga named after Maharshi Matanga, a Matanga Bhil and guru of Bhakta Shabari. In fact, Dalits are often addressed as ‘Matanga ’in passages like Varaha Purana 1.139.91.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, a Dalit, and one of the leaders of the Indian independence movement, is considered the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, in which Article 17 abolishes untouchability. Ever since, under the aegis of the Constitution of India, a 'Reservation System' (privilege in education and other services given only to the Dalits) has been implemented for the benefit of the 'Dalits' which is a step towards affirmative action.

The terms scheduled castes/scheduled tribes (SC/ST) and non-caste tribes are also used in the Indian legal system to refer to this social group in India.

Social background and origins

In the context of traditional Hindu society, Dalit status has often been historically associated with occupations regarded as ritually impure, such as any occupation involving killing, handling of animal cadavers or night soil (human feces). Engaging in these activities was considered to be polluting to the individual who performed them, and this pollution was considered to be 'contagious'. As a result, Dalits were commonly banned and segregated from full participation in Hindu social life (they could not enter the premises of a temple), while elaborate precautions were sometimes observed to prevent incidental contact between Dalits and other Hindus.

Historically, there may not have been clear demarcation between Dalit castes and the Shudra castes. Dalits are not a single identifiable race or caste. Instead, like the rest of the Hindu society, they are divided into various subcastes known as 'jātis.

One study found some association between caste status and Y-chromosomal genetic markers seeming to indicate a more European lineage of the higher castes.

Dalit diversity may be due to newly outcaste individuals or communities over the years. It is noteworthy that regional tribes that are considered Dalits are sometimes seen by Indians as racially distinct. In both northern and southern India it is different. For example, in North India, in places such as Rajasthan they are usually lighter because Rajstahan was invaded several times by light-skinned tribes. In addition they also have different color of eyes and sometimes hair. As a result in superstition, it is said to never trust a cat-eyed person. Then, in South India, they are often regarded as more closely related to Tibetans, Burmese, Khmers, Thais, and other Southeast and East Asians.

Many Dalits who have converted to other religions in the past few centuries continue to retain their Dalit heritage. In the 1991 census, Dalits numbered just over 130 million and constituted more than 16% of India's population,.

Some Dalits have successfully integrated into urban Indian society, where caste origins are less obvious and less important in public life. In rural India, caste origins are more readily apparent and Dalits remain excluded from local religious life, though this exclusion in its severity is in fact fast diminishing due to changing social norms of acceptable behavior.

Dalits and similar groups are also found in Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Dalits and religion

Hindu Dalits (Harijans)

The large majority of the Dalits are Hindus, although many in Maharashtra have converted to Neo-Buddhism.In Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim nation, more than 60% of the 1.4 million Hindu minority are Dalits..

Historical attitudes and discrimination

Traditionally, Dalits were not allowed to let their shadows fall upon a non-Dalit caste member (particularly a Brahmin, for fear of ritually contaminating them), and they were required to sweep the ground where they walk to remove the 'contamination' of their footfalls.Dalits were forbidden to worship in temples or draw water from the same wells as caste Hindus, and they usually lived in segregated neighborhoods outside the main village.However, there have been cases of upper caste Hindus warming to the Dalits and Hindu priests, demoted to outcaste ranks, who continued practising the religion. An example of the latter was Dnyaneshwar, who was excommunicated into Dalit status from society in the 13th century, but continued to compose the Dnyaneshwari, a Dharmic commentary on the Bhagwad Gita.Other excommunicated Brahmins, such as Eknath, fought for the rights of untouchables during the Bhakti period. Historical examples of Dalit priests include Chokhamela in the 14th Century, who was India's first recorded Dalit poet, Raidas, born into Dalit cobblers, and others.The 15th century saint Ramananda also accepted all castes, including untouchables, into his fold. Most of these saints subscribed to the Bhakti movements in Hinduism during the medieval period that rejected casteism.Nandanar, a low-caste Hindu cleric, also rejected casteism and accepted Dalits.

Due to their isolation from the rest of Hindu society,many Dalits continue to debate whether they are 'Hindu' or 'non-Hindu'. Traditionally, Hindu Dalits or Harijans have been barred from many activities that were seen as central to Vedic religion and Hindu practices of orthodox sects. Among Hindus each community has followed its own variation of Hinduism. The wide variety of practices and beliefs observed in Hinduism makes any clear assessment difficult.

However, not only have the Harijans been discriminated by other Hindus but by Muslims as well because they were always easily targetable. During theregin of several Islamic regimes in India, the backward-castes would be the servants (or slaves) or the regimes. Even today Islamic violence against backward-caste Hindus continues: "In Ahmedabad, violence broke out on March 17 when Dalits in the Danilimda area were attacked by Muslims."

Reform Movements

Some of the movements in Hinduism have welcomed Dalits into their fold, the earliest being the Bhakti movements of the medieval period. Early Dalit politics involved many Hindu reform movements which arose primarily as a reaction to the advent of Christian Missionaries in India and their attempts to mass-convert Dalits to Christianity under the allure of escaping the caste system (however, the Caste system among Indian Christians remained in full force even after conversions).

In the 19th Century, the Brahmo Samaj under Ram Mohan Roy, actively campaigned against untouchability. The Arya Samaj founded by Swami Dayanand also renounced discrimination against Dalits.Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa founded the Ramakrishna Mission that participated in the emancipation of Dalits. Upper caste Hindus, such as Mannathu Padmanabhan also participated in movements to abolish Untouchability against Dalits, opening his family temple for Dalits to worship.While there always have been places for Dalits to worship, the first "upper-caste" temple to openly welcome Dalits into their fold was the Laxminarayan Temple in Wardha in the year 1928 (the move was spearheaded by reformer Jamnalal Bajaj). Also, the Satnami movement was founded by Guru Ghasidas a Dalit himself. Other reformers, such as Jyotirao Phule also worked for the emancipation of Dalits.Another example of Dalit emancipation was the Temple Entry Proclamation issued by the last Maharaja of Travancore in the Indian state of Kerala in the year 1936. The Maharaja proclaimed that "outcastes should not be denied the consolations and the solace of the Hindu faith". Even today, the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple that first welcomed Dalits in the state of Kerala is revered by the Dalit Hindu community. The 1930s saw key struggles between Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, most notably over whether Dalits would have separate electorates or joint electorates with reserved seats. The Indian National Congress was the only national organisation with a large Dalit following, but Gandhi failed to gain their commitment. Gandhi however, continued to spread his cause for uplifting the Dalits and began the Harijan Yatra. Similar yatras borrowing from Gandhi's example were established to uplift the Harijans including Vishwesha Tirtha Swamiji's Padayatras in Bangalore. Ambedkar, a Dalit himself, developed a deeper analysis of Untouchability, but lacked a workable political strategy: his conversion to Buddhism in 1956, along with millions of followers, highlighted the failure of his political endeavours. India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, based on his own relationship with Dalit reformer Ambedkar, also spread information about the dire need to eradicate untouchability for the benefit of the Dalit community.

In more contemporary times, India has had an elected Dalit president, K. R. Narayanan, who has stated that he was well-treated in his community of largely upper-caste Hindus (24 July 2002). Another popular Harijan includes Babaji Palwankar Baloo, who joined the Hindu Mahasabha and was both a politician and a cricketer. He was an independence fighter. Ayyan Kazhi was a Keralite Dalit who was a Hindu reformer. In addition, other Hindu groups have reached out to the Dalit community in an effort to reconcile with them, with productive results. On August 2006, Dalit activist Namdeo Dhasal engaged in dialogue with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in an attempt to "bury the hatchet".

Also, the "Pandaram" are an order of Dalit Hindu priests (a task traditionally reserved for the Brahmins) based largely in Nepal and parts of South India. These Pandaram priests maintain the same tradition as the Brahmin priests, including using Sanskrit for the rituals (a language traditionally reserved for the Brahmins). They perform religious ceremonies from weddings to death rituals. They are not generally as well trained as the Brahmin priests, but are highly respected within their community and are addressed reverentially. Also, Hindu temples are increasingly more receptive to Dalit priests, such as Suryavanshi Das, the Dalit priest of a notable temple in Bihar.

Discrimination and violence against Hindu Dalits has persisted despite legal protections, which are rarely enforced. Some Hindu Dalits have achieved affluence in society, although vast millions still remain poor. Recent episodes of Caste-related violence in India have adversely affected the Dalit community. In urban India, discrimination against Dalits in the public sphere is largely disappeared, but rural Dalits are threatened, harrassed, and subjected to violence by upper caste members with impunity, as noted by leading human rights activists, some of whose lives have been threatened by upper caste members for their work defending Dalit rights. Government organizations and NGO's work to emancipate them from discrimination, and many Hindu organizations have spoken in their favor.

Muslim Dalits (Arzal)

Muslim society in India can also be separated into several caste-like groups. Descendants of indigenous lower-caste converts are discriminated against by "noble", or "ashraf", Muslims who can trace their descent to Arab, Iranian, or Central-Asian ancestors. There are several groups in India working to emancipate them from upper-caste Muslim discrimination [3][4]. The Dalit Muslims are referred to by the Ashraf and Ajlaf Muslims as Arzal or "ritually degraded".They were first recorded in the 1901 census as those “with whom no other Muhammadan would associate, and who are forbidden to enter the mosque or to use the public burial ground”.They are relegated to "menial" professions such as scavenging and carrying night soil. Babasaheb Ambedkar, a renowned Dalit activist and the framer of the Constitution of India, wrote about the Dalit Muslims and was extremely critical of their mistreatment by upper-caste Muslims quoting that "Within these groups there are castes with social precedence of exactly the same nature as one finds among the Hindus" .

In Pakistan, there are estimated to be 6.8 million Mayazurs (bonded laborers) in Punjab and another 7.5 million in Sindh. Although the Pakistani Supreme Court has ruled bonded labor unconstitutional and the National Assembly has passed laws prohibiting it, these laws remain largely unenforced due to the influence of large landlords. . Furthermore, the AIBMM is striving to achieve the SC status for India's Dalit Muslims.

Sikh Dalits

Dalits form a class among the Sikhs who stratify their society according to traditional casteism. Kanshi Ram himself was of Sikh background although converted because he found that Sikh society did not respect Dalits and so became a neo-Buddhist. The most recent controversy was at village Talhan Gurudwara near Jalandhar where there was a dispute between Jatt Sikhs and Ravidasia Sikhs. Jivan Singh, a friend of was a Dalit. Panj Pyars Chosen by Sri was from Dalit Background. The Different Sikh Dalits are Ravidasia Sikh , Ramdasia Sikh , Mazhabi Sikh. Although Sikhism does not recognize the Caste System, many families, especially the ones with immediate cultural ties to India, generally do not marry among different castes. Most of the Dalit Sikhs especially Ravidasia Sikhs live in Doaba Region of Punjab. Still in Doaba villages there are separate Gurudwaras for Higher castes Jatts and lower caste Chamars. Prominent Dalit Sikhs 1. Kanshi Ram - Former President of BSP 2. Charanjit Singh Atwal - Former Lok Sabha Speaker

Christian Dalits

Converts to Christianity (facilitated by the influence of missionaries) have historically retained the caste system in their communities though many Christian leaders publicly reject caste.

In the Indian state of Goa, mass conversions were carried out by Portuguese missionaries from the 16th century onwards. The Hindu converts retained their caste practices. The continued maintenance of the caste system among the Christians in Goa is attributed to the nature of mass conversions of entire villages, as a result of which existing social stratification was not affected. The Portuguese colonists , despite their violent anti-Hindu iconoclasm, were unable to destroy all aspects of the indigenous culture. Thus, the Dalits who converted to Christianity became "Maharas" and "Chambars" (an apellation of the anti-Dalit ethnic slur "Chamaar"). Several ethnic groups who did not convert to Christianity and remained Hindus (such as Marathas) were incorporated into the Christian caste of "Chaddho".

Attempts by Christian Missionaries to convert Dalits to Christianity still continue, often illegitimately. Since the Constitution of India guarantees religious freedom and their right to choose their religion, the conversions have gone unimpeded. However, controversies related to mass-conversions have led to laws being passed against them in some states in India. Several Christian converts have also reconverted back into Hinduism or expressed a desire to do the same as the conversions did not award them the financial rewards that the missionaries lured them with, although there are allegations that some of those conversions are coerced under threats as well.

A 1992 study [5] of Catholics in Tamil Nadu showed that Dalit Christians face segregated churches, cemeteries, services and processions. They also face economic and social hardships due to the discrimination by upper-caste priests and nuns. Other sources support these conclusions [6], including advocacy groups for Dalit Christians[7][8] [9][10] One famous Dalit activist with the nom-de-plume of Bama Faustina has written books that provide a first-hand account of the discrimination against them by nuns and priests in South India..

Dalits and Neo-Buddhism

Main article: Dalit Buddhist movement

In Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and a few other regions, Dalits have come under the influence of the neo-Buddhist movement initiated by Ambedkar. Some of them have come under the influence of the Neo-Buddhist and Christian Missionaries and have converted away from Hinduism into religions such as Christianity and Buddhism in what they have been told is an "attempt to eliminate the prejudice they face". Activists such as Udit Raj have claimed that such conversion will solve all discrimination problems faced by Dalits. Such claims have been criticized as "fragile at best" . The conversion attempts have also been criticized by Hindu advocacy groups as "unhelpful" as Casteism is a complex dynamic that extends across all religions in India.

Dalits and contemporary Indian politics

In urban areas and most villages the old concepts of a rigid caste system and untouchability usually no longer exist, though most Indians still voluntarily hold on to their caste origins, which is intended to reflect that their ancestors belonged to their castes with a sense of pride in the duties and responsibilities as required by the caste rules. In matrimonial matters, whether the wed couple is Dalit or non-Dalit, caste identity is a practical near-must. This is, however, ignored by inter-caste couples, who marry ignoring castes but due to an attraction on the basis of education or economic status, of either or both members of the couple.

While the Indian Constitution has duly made special provisions for the social and economic uplift of the Dalits, comprising the so-called scheduled castes and tribes in order to enable them to achieve upward social mobility, these concessions are limited to only those Dalits who remain Hindu. There is a demand among the Dalits who have converted to other religions that the statutory benefits should be extended to them as well as social relief to "overcome" historical injustices.

Another major politically charged issue with the rise of Hindutva's role in Indian politics is that of religious conversion. This political movement alleges that conversions of Dalits are due not to any social or theological motivation but to allurements like education and jobs. Critics argue that the inverse is true with laws banning conversion, and the limiting of social relief for these backward sections of Indian society being revoked for those who convert.Bangaru Laxman, a Dalit politician, was a prominent member of the Hindutva movement.

Another political issue is over the affirmative action measures taken by the government towards the uplift of the Dalits by implementation of quotas in government jobs and university admissions aimed at improving Dalit representation. About 8% of the seats in the National and State Parliaments are reserved for Scheduled Caste and Tribe candidates, a measure sought by B.R. Ambedkar and other Dalit activists in order to ensure that Dalits would obtain a proportionate political voice.

Anti-Dalit prejudices exist in fringe groups, such as extremist far-right militia Ranvir Sena, largely run by upper-caste landlords in backward areas of the Indian state of Bihar. They oppose equal treatment of Dalits and have resorted to violent means to suppress them. The Ranvir Sena is considered a terrorist organization.

On the other side, extremist groups run by small minority of Dalits such as the "Dalit Panthers Movement" have committed violent acts against Brahmins and middle-caste people.Missionaries have initiated several Dalit organizations. In some regions of India and Nepal, missionaries have been successful among the Dalits, both in Eastern India and Nepal, many Dalits have come under the combined influence of Maoists and the missionaries, even attacking and murdering Hindus [11].

See also

• Backward-caste Hindu Saints
• Backward-caste Hindu Warriors
• 2006 Dalit protests in Maharashtra
• Burakumin
• Coolitude
• Baekjeong
• Dalit Freedom Network
• Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz

External link

• International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN)
• National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights
• Dalit Network Netherlands
• Short Movie on Life in Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar
• Anti-Caste Information Page On caste, communalism, and class struggle.
• [VHP's fight against castism http://www.vhp.org/englishsite/d.Dimensions_of_VHP/aSewa/NSNS/intheserviceofpoor.htm]