Securing the rights of India’s ‘untouchables’

India’s “untouchables” have attracted attention around the world. Assigned from birth to an inferior station in society, the untouchables are the victim of institutional discrimination. This situation, which has existed for centuries, is simply unacceptable in modern India. There is no role for prejudice in any faith tradition, least India’s predominant Hindu religion, to which the untouchables have contributed so much.

Who are the untouchables or Dalits? The Dalits, often translated as the oppressed, are communities that have been excluded from having a role in India’s caste system. Living outside of India’s system of social stratification, the Dalits are reduced to the lowest of the low. Untouchability was assigned to a community of people who did work that no other members of Indian society were willing to do — work that was often considered dirty, branding those who did this work as dirty.

Hindu scriptures do not support the caste system by birth. Historically caste was defined by profession, occupation or function in society. Such systems exist or have existed in other cultures around the world, assigning a group of people based on birth to work that was outside what the dominant society was willing to undertake. Jim Crow assigned freed slaves by birth as a result of race to a position often indistinguishable from slavery itself. As in so many other cases, the elites misused this to their advantage. 

{mosads}There is no place for caste-based differentiation in the Hindu religion or in any other of the world’s major religions. Those who discriminate based on caste fail to understand the essence of Hinduism.

Every Hindu needs to be educated about the fact that many of the sacred texts he or she reads were written by Dalits. Historically, many of the revered Rishis (sages) were Dalits. The Dalit contribution to the Hindu literature is commendable. For instance, the narrator of the Puranas, Soota Maharishi, was a Dalit.

Shaabara Rishi, born into an untouchable family, was highly revered as a scholar and a sage. Rishi Shaabara’s commentary on the Vedas is a highly regarded reference book for the most learned of Hindu scholars. The greatest of the Hindu epics, the Ramayana, was written by a Dalit.The current generation of upper castes and elites in Indian society are not exposed to this knowledge or do not wish to acknowledge it. This is the reason why, in the villages, people continue to indulge in discriminatory practices. The first line of attack against discrimination in all of its forms is education.

Dalits are one of us. It is not only the Dalit community who is fighting for its rights; many upper caste Indians are fighting for their cause. Not all upper caste people are oppressors. They too partake in the growing recognition that religion does not sanction oppression. This vicious cycle of hatred and revenge is employed all too often to promote political gains and monopolize power. Brotherhood and empathy for our Dalit family members are vital for healing our wounds as a nation and developing modern India. If discrimination against Dalits is permitted, then the social fabric and promise of India cannot continue, much less progress. 

Peace and progress can only happen through reconciliation and reform. Reform cannot happen out of anger or hatred. We need a calm and clear mind, and a compassionate approach, along with the whole-hearted participation of the parties concerned.

I am proud to have worked with both Dalit and Hindu leaders to end untouchability in India. In 2007, I hosted the “Truth & Reconciliation Conference” in New Delhi at which we adopted a seven-point action plan to end this tragic designation of our fellow citizens. 

Our efforts stressed the need for reconciliation and the conference action plan focused on guaranteeing temple admission for Dalits, organizing joint community events, the empowerment of women, educational opportunities, the rescinding of the practice of keeping separate utensils for Dalits, providing spiritual and religious education to Dalit children and ensuring equality and justice for all.

This action plan was necessitated as a result of countless illegal incidents of violence and oppression against the Dalits, many of which go unreported. Sadly, anti-discrimination laws have failed to change the attitudes of too many people.

Happily, there are religious, civic and educational leaders who are taking a stand to remove prejudice and bring about rapprochement. They are teaching about the Dalits’ contributions to the Hindu faith and speaking out against beliefs that sanction discrimination by birth. Dalits are also speaking out — courageously asserting their social and philosophical rights rather than surrendering their heritage as a mark of shame. These brave civil rights heroes and their role in this important struggle — often amid threats of violence — need to be recognized. 

Fighting for the rights of Dalits is our responsibility as a free people. It is an important stepping stone to our maturing Indian democracy.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the founder of the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values which collaborate on humanitarian initiatives worldwide. Sri Sri’s work includes armed conflict resolution, U.S. Veteran PTSD relief, prisoner rehabilitation, addiction treatment, poverty alleviation and human rights advocacy. His programs have reached an estimated 370 million people in 155 countries.