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    The Untouchables in India

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    rainanivedita23

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    The Untouchables in India

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    rainanivedita23
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    3 views1 page

    The Untouchables in India

    Uploaded by

    rainanivedita23

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    Q. Write an essay on untouchables in India.

    Ans. The ideas of purity and impurity make Indian society seem consistent was something said by Louis
    Dumont. Dumont says that most manifestly purity and impurity can be seen in the traditional occupations
    of the two extremes: Brahmans traditionally being priests or men of learning, knowledge, and
    Untouchables - cleaning, removing dead animals and serving the higher castes. According to the
    conventional social stratification, the untouchables are kept at the last rung of the society. They’re often
    discriminated against. Those at the bottom of the hierarchy, who fall outside the four main categories of
    Brahmins (priests and teachers), Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), Vaishyas (traders and merchants) and
    the Shudras (labourers), are considered “untouchables” or Dalits. India's Untouchables are relegated to the
    lowest jobs, merely walking through an upper-caste neighbourhood is a life-threatening offence.
    Discrimination against them takes place in various ways starting with restrictions on temple entry and
    upper caste religious practices. In many places, it wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything prepared by an
    untouchable. They weren’t allowed to drink from public water wells. One of the first movements that
    sought to eradicate this was the Vaikom Satyagraha. It was a historic non-violent movement against
    untouchability and caste discrimination in the country. It marked the start of temple entry movements
    across India.The Kingdom of Travancore had a rigid and oppressive caste system, and the people
    belonging to the oppressed classes, especially the Ezhavas, had no right to walk on the four roads
    surrounding the Vaikom Mahadeva temple. The Congress Untouchability Committee decided to start the
    movement at the Mahadeva temple in Vaikom. On March 30, 1924, volunteers from three different
    communities were sent to walk on the prohibited roads each day. It was one of the most non-violent
    struggles against caste oppression and discrimination.
    Dalits were generally not allowed to wear clean, bright or new clothes or sandals. In some places, if a
    Dalit wore new clothes, they had to be smeared with soot so they would appear unclean. Dalit women
    were not allowed to wear gold or silver jewellery, or saris in which gold thread was used. Dalit men could
    not twirl their moustaches up in the manner of upper caste men. This too is still considered an offence – in
    Mehsana district in Gujarat, a Dalit youth and his family were attacked because he dared to twirl his
    moustache. There’s also a tendency among the lower castes to not be confident enough around the upper
    castes. They find it difficult to sit on the same level as an upper caste. The upper castes often show
    disrespect towards them. The lower castes often had to work as agricultural labourers on the land of the
    upper caste owners for low remuneration or for free. Despite being prohibited in many countries,
    slave-like working conditions are widespread in South Asia. Forced and bonded labour is often
    interlinked with the caste system and related types of customary feudal agricultural relationships. Those
    who are employed as bonded labourers in South Asia are predominantly Dalits. The plight of the
    untouchables in India stands as a stark reminder of the enduring legacy of the caste system and the
    immense challenges faced by marginalised communities striving for equality. Transforming deeply
    ingrained social structures necessitates not only legal measures but also a comprehensive societal
    transformation. It is only through collective efforts, increased awareness, and sustained advocacy that
    India can move closer to a society that affirms the dignity and rights of all its citizens, regardless of caste
    or social background.

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