UNTOUCHABILITY
By Parichita Basak
Untouchablity in simple terms can be understood as a practice whereby
a particular class or caste of persons are discriminated with on the
ground of their being born in that particular caste or on the ground of
their being members of those social groups involved in menial jobs. The
discrimination can be in the form of physical or social boycott from the
society. For instance: the members of so-called higher castes such as
Brahmin, Kshatriyas etc would not dine or sit with a person of Bhangi
class.
It was believed that people of higher castes could become impure even
if a shadow of an untouchable person touches him and to re-gain his
purity he had to take a dip into holy waters of the Ganga.
However, historically persons born in lowest castes and classes of
persons doing menial jobs, criminals, persons suffering from contagious
diseases and tribals living outside the so-called civilized world were
considered as untouchables. Their exclusion from the mainstream society
was based on the belief that they are impure and harmful and it was
necessary to ostracized them for the overall benefit of the society.
Untouchability was also practiced as a form of punishment to the
law-breakers and criminals; they were socially boycotted for their
misdeeds.
Untouchables are also known as depressed classes, harijans etc; but
today they are more frequently referred to as ‘Dalits’. In modern times,
‘Dalit’ refers to one’s caste rather than class; it applies to members
of those so-called menial castes which are born with the stigma of
“untouchability” because of the extreme impurity and pollution connected
with their traditional occupations. They are considered impure and
polluting and are therefore physically and socially excluded and
isolated from the rest of society.
Today members of Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes (SC/ST) are
considered as ‘Dalits’ and they are subjected to various forms of
discrimination in the society. Especially, Schedule Castes such as
Chamars, Passi, Bhangis and Doms etc are known as ‘Dalits’; these people
are generally associated with menial jobs such as tanning, skinning of
hides, works on leather goods, sweeping, scavenging etc.
There are various forms of discriminations being practiced against Dalits in India, these are:
- Prohibited from eating with other caste members,
- Prohibited from marrying with other caste members,
- Prohibited from entering into village temples,
- Prohibited from wearing sandals or holding umbrellas in front of dominant caste members,
- Prohibited from using common village pat,
- Separate burial grounds,
- No access to village’s common/public properties and resources (wells, ponds, temples, etc.),
- Segregation (separate seating area) of Dalit children in schools,
- Bonded Labor,
- Face social boycotts by dominant castes for refusing to perform their “duties”
India got Independence on 15th of August, 1947 after long and
painful struggle of more than one hundred years. The struggle was not
only against the foreign rule of British but it was also against the
social evils such as untouchability prevailing from centuries. After
Independence when great leaders of freedom struggle agreed to make our
own Constitution, it was decided that there must be provisions under the
Constitution regarding the abolition of social evils and upliftment of
down-trodden castes and social groups etc.
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