Discrimination against lower castes in India may still be prevalent but they are climbing the economic ladder thanks to education and political self-awareness, a new book by a sociologist says.
The period after independence from Britain in 1947 has seen so-called Dalits, who are at the bottom of Hinduism's ancient caste hierarchy, becoming an increasing social and political force, said Professor Shyam Lal in his book, the Untouchable Movement in India.
Although India banned so-called untouchability after Independence, millions of Dalits are still treated as 'unclean' in many parts of India. Discrimination runs particularly deep in villages where Dalits cannot live with, pray in the same temple as or drink the same water as higher caste Hindus.
However, the situation for Dalits is gradually changing, Lal, himself a Dalit, writes in his book published by Sublime Publications.
He cites the example of the Bairwas in the northern desert state of Rajasthan, who were among the lowest of the 'untouchable castes' and constituted 'an unusual case of political activism among the most depressed people' on the fringes of Hindu society.
At the turn of the 20th century, there were hardly any literates among Bairwas as among other Dalits because they were not admitted to schools. Now, they include doctors, lawyers, teachers and bank officers.
Lal said the advent of British rule set in motion the process of social mobilisation in India, offering Dalits the means to free themselves to some extent from traditional socio-economic and educational restraints.
British rule affected Bairwas, like other untouchable communities, opening up some of them to new ideas, he said.
The Bairwa movement gained momentum in the 1940s to challenge the social and ritual order demanding equal access to the practices of Hinduism.
The earliest sign of political consciousness among the Bairwas can be traced to 1945 when they submitted a petition for their protection in rural areas. This later led to them winning access to schools and non-traditional jobs and they rose to become a part of the political elite.
Like the Mahars in Maharashtra and Chamars and Jatavs in Uttar Pradesh, the Bairwas in Rajasthan have made social strides, Lal concludes.
- AFP
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