Dalit

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Dalits, sometimes called Untouchables in the Indian caste system, are people who according to traditional Indian society are regarded as low caste. In traditional Indian society there are 5 castes "creating a social stratification that has existed for 1500 years" . In this caste system, Dalits are considered the 5th caste and are treated as Untouchables. They suffer the social segregation and ramifications of discrimination. Dalits are a mixed population of numerous caste groups all over India. Though India is the most genetically diverse nation in the world , caste differentiation between Indians is regarded by many as a social construct between Indian people and does not have a genetic basis. Genetic testing further indicates that as a whole, Indian genetic groups do not show a great affinity to any non South-Asian groups .

The term Dalit has been highly misused by people in recent years. Many Indians have used this term as a way to get more benefits from the Indian government. A census of Dalits remains highly speculative and so it is not known how many respondents were ever actually oppressed but claim Dalit status merely as a means of getting benefits from the Indian government. This has resulted in the neglect of people who actually deserve the help. As a result actual Dalits are being sidelined by a large number of people who wrongfully claim Dalit caste status.

Dalits include leather-workers (called chamar), carcass handlers (called mahar), poor farmers and landless labourers, night soil scavengers (called bhangi or chura), street handcrafting people, folk artists, street cleaners, washermen dhobi, etc. The 1991 census reported over 130 million Dalits. Currently, there are an estimated 160 million Dalits in India. Discrimination against Dalits still exists in rural areas (where two-thirds of India's people live) in the private sphere, in common, every-day matters such as access to eating places and water sources. It has largely disappeared in urban areas and in the public sphere, in rights of movement and access to schools. The earliest rejection of caste discrimination was made as far back as the Hindu text Bhagavada Gita, which says that no person, no matter what, is barred from enlightenment.

Related terms

Dalit is the term used in India for the low caste people of India. With respect to the legal terminology in India, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has held the term "Scheduled Castes" to be the proper constitutional usage for the castes identified as Dalits. A Dalit, is hence a person who belongs to one of the castes identified as Scheduled Caste. Offensive terms used in Indian languages include chura, bhangi, neech, kanjjar, mahar and mirasi. Whereas the terms chura and bhangi are profession-based terms for scavengers, they can serve as general terms for the so-called 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. 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:

The usage of the term "dalit" seems to have originated from the Arya Samaj and their dalitoddhâra ("upliftment of the down-trodden"). The Arya Samaj began the All India Shraddhanand Dalitodwar Sabha to specialize in the upliftment of the Dalits.

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, as a part of affirmative action under the Government 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. Ambedkar has never used the word "dalit". He has used the phrase "Depressed Classes" consistently in all his writing and speeches. So it is totally improbable 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")

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). One million Dalits work as manual scavengers, cleaning latrines and sewers by hand and clearing away dead animals. 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 or a school and stayed outside the village), while elaborate precautions were sometimes observed to prevent incidental contact between Dalits and other Hindus.

Most of the Dalits are bonded workers and many work in slave-like conditions to pay off debts that were incurred generations ago. The majority of Dalits live in segregation and experience violence, murder, rape and atrocities to the scale of 110,000 registered cases a year according to 2005 statistics. Common belief is these numbers are nowhere close to the real total of crimes committed against Dalits. Most crimes go unreported, and few registered cases ever get to trial.

One study found some association between caste status and Y-chromosomal genetic markers seeming to indicate a more European lineage of the higher castes. However, there have been other studies done to indicate no racial and genetic differences between upper and lower castes. Many sociologists, anthropologists and historians have rejected the racial origins and racial emphasis of caste and consider the idea to be one that has political undertones.

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.

Discrimination against Dalits is not limited to the Hindu community. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that non-Hindu Dalit groups have traditionally not been recognized as Scheduled Castes under hiring quota laws. The Dalit Muslims or "Arzal", as well as Dalit Christians form an integral part of the caste system in South Asia among Muslims and Christians. Many Dalit Muslims are discriminated against by the upper-caste "Ashraf" Muslims, and Dalit Christians are discriminated against by upper caste Christian priests and nuns.

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. In addition, the Burakumin of Japan are also compared to Dalits, as are the Baekjeong of Korea.

Dalits and religion

Hindu Dalits

The large majority of the Dalits are Hindus, although some in Maharashtra have converted to Buddhism, often called Neo-Buddhism mostly by Hindus to mark the line.

Historical attitudes and discrimination

Traditionally, Dalits were not allowed to let their shadows fall upon a non-Dalit caste member 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 lowcast 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 the 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. Each community, including the Dalit see their importance in the history of Hinduism. For example, Sant Tirumalisai was a Hindu saint and Vidura was the ruler of Hastinapur during the Mahabharata war.

The VHP leader Ashok Singhal has said:

Reform Movements

Some of the movements in Hinduism have welcomed Dalits into their fold, the earliest being the Bhakti movements of the medieval period.

In the 19th Century, the Brahmo Samaj under Ram Mohan Roy and later under Keshub Chunder Sen, actively campaigned against "untouchability." The Arya Samaj founded by Swami Dayanand also renounced discrimination against Dalits. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's disciple, Swami Vivekananda, founded the Ramakrishna Mission that actively 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. Ayyankali was a prominent figure in the Dalit emancipation struggle in Kerala in the early 20th century. 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 "outcasts 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, the journey or possesion of The Children of God.

Similar padyatras, borrowing from Gandhi's example, were established to uplift the Harijans (Gandhi's term for Dalits) including Vishwesha Tirtha Swamiji's Padayatras in Bangalore. The Pradeshika Harijan Sevak Sangha was Gandhi's organization aimed at working on uplifting the backward-castes. Mahatma Gandhi is well respected by the Dalits of today. (A few Dalits, such as those of Bhatra, even worship him.)

Doctor B.R. Ambedkar, a Dalit reformer, 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 Dr.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. 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. 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" 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 against Hindu Dalits is on a slow but steady decline. Many 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 struggling to elevate themselves. Government organizations and NGO's work to emancipate them from discrimination, and many Hindu organizations have spoken in their favor.

Brahmins like Subramania Bharati also passed Brahminhood onto a Harijan. For example, in Shivaji's Maratha Empire there were the several Dalit Hindu warriors Mahar Regiment and the Scindia Dalit Kingdom. In modern there are several Dalit Hindu figures BJP leaders Ramachandra Veerappa and Dr. Suraj Bhan.

The Prevention of Atrocities Act

The Prevention of Atrocities Act (POA) is a tacit acknowledgement by the Indian government that caste relations are defined by violence, both incidental and systemic. In 1989, the Government of India passed the Prevention of Atrocities Act (POA), which clarified specific crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (the Dalits) as “atrocities,” and created strategies and punishments to counter these acts. The purpose of The Act was to curb and punish violence against Dalits. Firstly, it clarified what atrocities were: both particular incidents of harm and humiliation such as the forced consumption of noxious substances, as well as the systemic violence still faced by many Dalits, especially in rural areas. Such systemic violence includes forced labor, denial of access to water and other public amenities, and sexual abuse of Dalit women. Secondly, the Act created Special Courts to try cases registered under the POA. Thirdly, the Act called on states with high levels of caste violence to be “atrocity-prone” and to appoint qualified officers to monitor and maintain law and order. The POA gave Dalits vital ammunition in the form of legal redress but only two states have created separate Special Courts in accordance with the law. In practice the Act has suffered from a near-complete failure in implementation. Policemen have displayed a consistent unwillingness to register offenses under the act. This reluctance stems partially from ignorance and also from peer protection. According to a 1999 study, nearly a quarter of those government officials charged with enforcing the Act are unaware of its existence.

Dalit saints in Hinduism

Sant Anayar Nayanar
Sant Atipattar Nayanar
Sant Banka Mahar, Mahar
Sant Bhagu , a devotee of Krishna
Sant Binu, a Bengali Tantrik sage
Sant Chokha Mela, Mahar. He lived at Mangalvedha in Maharashtra. He wrote many Abhangas devoted to Krishna.
Sant Damajipanth, Mahar, devotee of Vishnu
Sant Devi Das, a Chamar disciple of Jagjivan Das
Sant Dhanna Chamar, Chamar (cobbler)
Sant Jiwan Das, a saint of the Satnami sect
Sant Kaliar Nayanar
Sant Kanho or Kanhopatra, Mahar dancer, devotee of Vishnu
Sant Kapinjalada, Chandala, according to Mahabharata (Anushasana Parvan 53.13-19)
Sant Karmamelam, Mahar, devotee of Vishnu
Sant Kurmadas, devotee of Vishnu
Sant Madara Dhulayya
Sant Malamat Shah, a saint of the Satnami sect
Sant Nanhadas, a devotee of Rama and Sant Ramanand's disciple
Sant Nandanar (Nanthanaar) , Athanuur, devotee of Shiva , one of 63 Nayanar Shaivite saints. Chidambaram, the main place where Nandanar practiced austerities is now a place where backward castes have their own ashrams and recite the Upanishads in Sanskrit (Sastri, P. 3 Hindu Feasts, Fasts & Ceremonies).
Sant Nirmala, Mahar
Sant Parshuram, the founder of the Ramnami sect in Chhattisgarh
Sant Prasanna, Bengali, devotee of Durga Maa disciple of Kalachand
Sant Purnananda, became recognized as a Brahmana
Sant Ramdass Gohal, a former member of the Arya Samaj
Sant Rohidas or Ravidas , Chamar member, the Guru of Mirabai. He is said to have taken up his family job of shoe-making and supplied shoes top ascetics. "My caste is low, my lineage is low, and mean is my birth. I have taken shelter, King Rama, says Ravidas the cobbler" (p. 659, Guru Granth Sahib). His disciples are the Ravidasis. He was a disciple of Ramananda, claimed by Harijans to be their master (Singh, P. 98 Leadership Patterns and Village Structure)
Sant Sadna, butcher
Sant Sakhubai, devotee of Vishnu
Sant Sarwan Dass, a follower of Ravi Das
Sant Satyakam Jabali
Sant Shatakopa, Kanjar (prostitute) Alwar devotee, Yamuna Muni declared, "I touch my feet at the holy feet of Shatakopa" (P. 87, Gita Darshan as Bhakti Yoga, as a Chaitanyite Reads it)
Sant Soyarabai, Sant Chokha Mela's wife
Sant Tirukkurippu Tondar Nayanar
Sant Tirumalisai, an Alvar Vaishnava saint
Sant Tiru Nalai Povar Nayanar
Sant Tiru Nilakanta Nayanar, potter, devotee of Shiva
Sant Tiru Nilakanta Yazhpanar, one of 63 Nayanar Shaivite saints
Sant Tiru Panazhwar
Sant Tiruvalluvar, one of 63 Nayanar Shaivite saints, wrote the Tirukkural
Sant Umaid Ram Maharaj, Bhangi, Rajasthani. He was born on the Hindu month of Miskar (November-December) in the Hindu year 1865 on Thursday in Jodhpur. He was a medicant. His successors were Sukaram Maharaj, Deepa Ram Maharaj and the present-day Mangi Ram Maharaj.

Maharishis

Maharishi Veda Vyasa, was born of and raised by a fisherwoman and Parashara (See below)
Maharishi Valmiki- author of the Ramayana.
Maharishi Naval Ram, a member of the Rajasthani Bhangi caste. He was born in 1840 on the month of Bhadrapad on Wednesday in Harsala village in Nagaur district. His successors were Daya Ram Maharaj (his son), Ram Baksh Maharaj and the present-day Badri Ram Maharaj.
Maharishi Vithal Ramji Shinde, a member of the Prartna Samaj and founder of the Depressed Classes Mission organization for the upliftment of backward-caste Hindus.
Maharishi Parashara, son of an outcaste woman (Matsyakanya-Satyavathi Devi), was one of the greatest devotes and thinkers in the Hindu Dharma. He was a very powerful Vedic astrologer. His astrological book is the Parasara Hora still used today. He has also written a Smriti known as Parasara Smriti which is held in such high esteem that it is quoted by our present-day writers on sociology and ethics
Maharishi Soot, narrator of the Puranas.

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.

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"

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. 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. Prominent Dalit Sikhs 1. Kanshi Ram - Former President of BSP 2. Charanjit Singh Atwal - Former Lok Sabha Speaker

There are sects such as the Ad-Dharmis who have now abandoned Sikh Temples and the 5 Ks. They are like the Ravidasis and regard Ravidas as their guru. They are also clean shaven as opposed to the mainstream Sikhs. Sant Ram was from this community and a member of the Arya Samak who tried to organize the Ad-Dharmis.

Other Sikh groups include Jhiwars, Bazigars, Rai Sikh (many of whom are Ravidasias.)

Just like the violence against Harijans (Hindu Dalits) and Muhajirs (Muslim Dalits), there has been violence against Sikh Dalits.

Christian Dalits

In the Indian state of Goa, mass conversions were conducted by Portuguese missionaries from the 16th century onwards. Hindu converts often retained their caste prejudices, attributed to the effectively involuntary and spontaneous nature of mass conversions, sometimes of entire villages. Without conscientious understanding of Christian belief, existing social stratification was often left unaffected. 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 were still referred to as "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 nevertheless incorporated into the predominately Christian group "Chaddho".

Attempts by Christian Missionaries to convert Dalits to Christianity continue. The Constitution of India guarantees religious freedom and the right to choose one's religion. However, controversies related to mass-conversions have led to laws being passed against such events in some Indian states.

A 1992 study of Catholics in Tamil Nadu found some Dalit Christians faced segregated churches, cemeteries, services and even processions. Despite Christian teachings these Dalit also faced economic and social hardships due to discrimination by upper-caste priests and nuns. Other sources support these conclusions, including Christian advocacy groups for Dalits. One famous Christian Dalit activist with the nom-de-plume Bama Faustina has written books providing a first-hand account of discrimination by several upper-caste nuns and priests in South India. In the wake of these discriminations, Christian Dalits have started to reconvert back to Hinduism, the most recent ones being the conversion of some 1000 Dalit Christians back into Hinduism as noted by Christian news sources

Dalits and Neo-Buddhism

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".

BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha president Bangaru Laxman (Organiser, 6-8-1995) accused Congress leader Sitaram Kesri, who had bracketed the Dalits with the minorities as "sufferers of Hindu oppression", of thereby showing “disrespect to [Dalit] saints like Ravidas, Satyakam Jabali, Sadhna Kasai, Banka Mahar, Dhanna Chamar and others who protected Hindus against foreign onslaughts.” (most of these were Ramanandi saints of the late Middle Ages).

In the officially Hindu country of Nepal, Dalits and other populations are turning to Buddhism from Vedic Hinduism. Reasons cited are to embrace non-violence and as a response to the caste system, which has led to a substantial increase in Buddhists in the population while those professing Hindusim have decreased from 88% in 1961 to 80% and are declining at present.

Dalits and contemporary Indian politics

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, to "overcome" and bring closure to historical injustices.

Another major politically charged issue with the rise of Hindutva's (Hindu nationalism) 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 due to 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 the Dalits. The Ranvir Sena is considered a terrorist organization.

In 2008, the Dalit Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, is being projected as a future Prime Minister of India. Her Bahujan Samaj Party and several leftist organizations support this move which would be a historic first for India.

Footnotes

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