The Dalit Movement In India

Dalit Movement in India: In the light of four literatures

Chet Ram Meena (Advocate)

Research Scholar

M.J.R.P.University Jaipur Rajasthan

Mob.No. 9024250059

[e-mail]

Abstract

History testifies the presence of cleavages in every society, characterized by atrocities, discrimination, exploitation and subordination that raised peoples demand for justice and equality. It is this idea of equality that forced people to protest in the form of movements. The Dalit Movement also began as a protest movement in India. The Dalits, also called as Atisudra, Panchama or Outcasts, at present constitute one of the most depressed and marginalized sections of Indian society. Socio-cultural

Dalit women are the worst affected and suffer the three forms oppression caste, class and gender. Today, the Dalit women have extremely low literacy and education levels, heavy dependence on wage labour, discrimination in employment and wages, heavy concentration in unskilled, low-paid and hazardous manual jobs, violence and sexual exploitation, being the victims of various forms of superstitions. The very condition of the Dalit women has its root in the Vedic period. They have to work either as maids or bonded labourers, where they have to face sexual harassment from the upper caste male , or they will be turned as prostitutes by society. Bhimrao Shirwale, in the story Livlihood has explored the real face of Brahmanisn which exists even today. The story depicts how a poor Dalit girl in order to fill her stomach was compelled to sell her body. Her beauty became the greatest hurdle of her life which made the men to look at her with lusty eyes. This is not the only instance, such things are common to all the Dalit girls. Woman is the root of any society and if women are controlled, the entire community can be controlled. Hindu religious institution were used as an instrument to exploit the Dalit women, and thereby, making them silent. It was thus, the famous ritual of Devadasi‘ was formed , whereby the non-Brahmin women, in the name of

Since Dalits were assigned the duties of serving the other three Varnas, that is all the non– Dalit, they were deprived of higher training of mind and were denied social-economic and political status. The division of labour led to the division of the labourers, based on inequality and exploitation. The caste system degenerated Dalit lifes into pathogenic condition where occupations changed into castes. The higher castes of the society looked down upon the Shudras. It was a general belief that the Dalits are part of the lowest of low Varnas. Thus for centuries Dalits have been positioned at the bottom of the rigid Indian caste society. People from other castes, who considered themselve to be higher, believe that Dalits are impure by birth and that their touch or sheer presence could be polluting. Hence, they are assumed to be untouchable. For centuries, Dalits were excluded from the mainstream society and were only allowed to pursue menial occupations like cleaning dry latrines, sweeping, tanning or working as landless labour for meager daily wages. They were the people who cultivated the land and worked as bonded labour , did the work of scavenging and did all types of manual works. The most inhuman practice is that of untouchability, which made the Dalits to live in