Caste Politics and Development of the Marginalized Groups in India – Strategies for Empowerment

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2118″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Abstract:

Post independent India has given assurance, in paper, of human dignity and equality. But there are at least 787,000 engaged in manual scavenging and Human Rights Watch, already in 2008, pointed out the possibility of about 40 million as the number of bonded labourers in India. Most of them are SC/ST population, comprising 700 Scheduled Castes and 461 Scheduled Tribes. They make up 21.1% of Indian population.

 

SC/ST and Dalit people are subjected to inhuman untouchablility. The only parallel to the practices of ‘untouchability’ was apartheid. Untouchability is not just social discrimination. It is a blot on any healthy or decent society. In addition to the social discrimination, the SC and ST are ignored at religious level as well. Many streams of movements addressed the predicament of the disadvantaged. On the one hand the religious streams, mainly through the Christian missionaries tried a multipronged modality with the focus on development. And later the presence of European powers, such as French, Portuguese, and British tried to bring in a sense of liberty for the marginalized. Budhism and Sikhism rose against rampant caste prejudices and practices of untouchability. Bakthi movements and neo-Vedantic movements fought for a change in the existing unjust structures, but little was achieved regarding human dignity and equality as well as political rights for the suppressed.

 

Many types of social movements have had the focus of social change – liberation from the existing unjust structures. Dr Ambedkar with his erudition and commitment to the cause of Dalit liberation relentlessly fought against the unjust caste system and the practice of untouchability. He crystallized his experience and capsuled it in a mantra of Educate – Agitate – Organize. Education, via critical thinking, agitates the mind on the face of inhuman social structure and practices, which in turn leads to organizing the powerless as the power centres. Dalit Panthers Movement in Maharashtra; Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi in Tamilnadu, the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh etc were founded for the uplift of SC/ST and other backward classes. But still meaningful liberation of the SC/ST population remains a mirage.

 

Among a few possibilities, namely, i. collision course (movements) against social discrimination; ii. building parallel power centres (local political parties); or iii. inclusive power structure with religio-political platform (coordination at national level – Hindu, Muslim, Christian) etc, the starting point would be education, now professional education, since education is a powerful tool for human progress and empowerment as well as for social transformation and proactive leadership formation in socio-religio-economic-political level.

 

The paper analyses the status of SC/ST under past suffering and predicament, present social and political movements, and future empowerment and leadership process. Case studies would be taken up for analysis.

 

Keywords: Scheduled Castes/Schedule Tribes, Dalits, Empowerment, Social Movements

Email: francisx@vsnl.com

  1. Introduction:

1.1. Context: India and China have come to occupy the top slots in the emerging global order of economy. India’s share of global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in terms of PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) was 5.9% in 2005. This is the fourth highest in the world (after USA, China, and Japan). Indian contribution to global growth has been about 8%.[i]

 

Post independent India has given assurance, in paper, of human dignity and equality: First Amendment of Indian Constitution (1951) assuring ‘special consideration’ for the weaker sections of the society; Anti-Untouchability Act (1955) as protection of Civil Rights; Abolition of bonded labour (1976); prevention of atrocities on SC/ST (1989); setting up National Commission for SC/ST (1990); banning of manual scavenging (1993) etc have been little effective.[ii] There are at least 787,000 engaged in manual scavenging. Human Rights Watch, already in 2008, pointed out the possibility of about 40 million as the number of bonded labourers in India.[iii]

 

1.2. Demographic Profile: As per 2011 Census, 16.2% and 8.2% are the population of SC and ST respectively in India. The state with the highest proportion of SC is Punjab (28.9%) and of ST is Mizoram with 94.5%.[iv] SC population in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamilnadu make 55% in India.[v] The term ‘Dalit’ is used to imply SCs. Though SCs are considered to be the ‘untouchables’, while there is no untouchability practised among the STs. However, there is the problem of tribal superiority.[vi]

 

1.3. Present Scenario: According to Human Rights Education Movement in India: Every hour, two SC are assaulted; every day three, SC women are raped; and two SC are murdered; two SC houses are burnt. When the issue of untouchability was brought in for discussion in the United Nations World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) held in Durban in 2001, Indian Govt ignored it, stating that ‘caste is not racism’ and caste is an ‘internal matter of India’.[vii] However, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in August 2002 declared caste discrimination as human rights violations.[viii] On Dec 26th 2006, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, stressed that:

Dalits have faced a unique discrimination in our society that is fundamentally different from the problem of minority groups in general. The only parallel to the practices of ‘untouchability’ was apartheid. Untouchability is not just social discrimination. It is a blot on Indian society.

 

1.4. Roadmap: Robert P George of Prinston University, while speaking at the John Paul II Australian Leaders Forum (Aug 11th 2012), said that any healthy or decent society rests on three pillars; and he enumerated the following as the pillars:

  1. Respect for the human person.
  2. The family based on commitment and values is basis of political, social, and legal institutions.
  3. A fair and effective system of law and government to achieve common goals and good.

In additional, he pointed out two additional pillars to ensure a dynamic society:

  1. Institutions of research and education.
  2. Business and organizations to generate and distribute wealth.

Today all these pillars are under attack which brings down the morale of decency in Indian society.[ix]

 

India is politically one country but culturally a continent. But in oppressing and marginalizing the SC/ST population, India seems to be ‘unified’. Politically India is the biggest democratic country and in science and technology India is becoming a power to be reckoned with any other super power in the globe. Economy is booming and education is becoming technical and professional oriented. But the mind-set and attitude of people, when it comes to human equality and dignity, is yet to be conscientized and activated for action.

 

This paper takes the reader through the predicament of the marginalized, the struggle as well as the process, and the strategies to empower them.

 

 

  1. Predicament:

The SC and ST population have experienced inhuman social, religious, political discrimination. Worse still, they are ‘broken’ due to innumerable and untold atrocities and exploitation committed against them.

 

2.1. Social Situation: Social and Economic condition of SC in India are depicted here:[x]

According to government statistics, an estimated one million SCs in India are manual scavengers (the majority of them women) whose work involves the removal of faeces from public and private toilets and open sewers, and the disposal of dead animals. The human excrement is piled into baskets which are carried on the head to a location which can be up to four kilometers away from the latrine. At all times, and especially during the rainy season, the contents of the basket will drip onto a scavenger’s hair, clothes and body. Needless to say, manual scavengers are exposed to the most virulent forms of viral and bacterial infections which affect their skin, eyes, limbs, respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. TB is rife among the community.[xiii]

 

2.2. Social Discrimination: P. Louis presented the predicament of the marginalized at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban (2001):[xiv]

The institutional form of discrimination and deprivation reduced the Dalits and the downtrodden to a state of lesser being, non-being and being only for the wellbeing of the dominant castes and class. It is not simply illiteracy, poverty, malnutrition, ill-health that became the lot of the Dalits, but in the ultimate analysis they were reduced to resourcesslessness, powerlessness, and baselessness.

According to a study on ‘Untouchability in Rural India’ conducted in 565 villages in 11 states in 2006 by G. Shah and others, the following are a few facts:

In more than 50% of villages, entry into non-SC houses as well as entry into places of worship is denied;

in 40 to 50% villages, cremation/burial grounds as well as water facilities are denied;

in 30 to 40% of villages the SCs cannot sit together with others in schools nor in hotels and even the health workers are not allowed to visit them;

in 25 to 30% of villages, there are separate seatings in schools and in panchayats and they have to stand in the presence of dominant caste people;

in 20 to 25% of villages, lower pay is given to the SCs for the same work; festival procession is banned; there would be separate drinking water in the schools;

in 15 to 20% of villages, there is denial to public road/passage as well as entry into Primary Health Centres;

in 10 to 15% of villages there would be separate line for polling;

in less than 10% villages, no cycling in public road and entry into cinema are denied.

Further, the following incidents would reveal how much even the highly educated persons and persons occupying high legislative and administrative positions are ill-treated because they belong to SC/ST category:

  1. In Nov 2011, a Judge of Chennai High Court indicated that he was humiliated by his fellow judges due to his lower caste in 2001;
  2. In June 2011, the Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Caste was denied entry into a Hindu Temple in Puri (Odisha), because he was a Dalit; and
  3. In July 2011, a SC member of Legislative Assembly in Odisha was not allowed to eat with his colleagues at an official meeting.[xv]

If this could happen to highly educated and qualified administrators, one could imagine the plight of ordinary common people.

 

2.3. Honour vs Right: In Tamilnadu (Dharmapurai Dt), a SC boy (Ilavarasan) and a dominant caste girl (Divya) married amidst opposition. The father of the girl could not tolerate this inter-caste marriage and hanged himself – In the ensuing riot, SC villages were pillaged and set fire to. Eventually the girl was forced to get separated from her husband and after a few days later the body of the boy was found by the railway track (on July 04th 2013) – The case is going on to establish whether it was a suicide or a murder.

 

It is good to analyse the caste-clash as an experience of untouchability.  The inference, in the case of Ilavaran-Divya, will be that Indian society is not a decent society. This idea has been developed by Avishai Margalit in his book: A Decent Society.[xvi] (In a decent society, institutions do not humiliate the people and the citizens do not humiliate one another – In a decent society, people live together without humiliation and with dignity). India is not a decent society because it does not give honour and respect to the Untouchables. They are pushed to a life of shame and humiliation.  The society wants to keep them that way.  Therefore, any developmental efforts, by the individual or government, to give honour and respect to the Untouchables fails, as in reality they are massacred, their property looted, and their women raped etc.  Dharmapuri episode is a good case study. The political groups with vested interest even deny the atrocities against the SCs.[xvii] A dog belonging to a Rajput family was condemned to live with the SC family, since it ate bread fed by the ST lady.[xviii] There are about 140 forms of violence against SCs in India but very few cases are dealt with justice and equality.

 

Every now and then one reads in the Newspapers about honour killing: An honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by others members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community, such as by getting married to a lower-caste or SC person. In June 2010, taking cognizance of increasing number of honour killings, the Supreme Court in India issued notices to the Central Govt and six other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan to take preventive measures against honour killings.[xix]

 

  1. Louis observes the social analysis how the Dalits are affected by the way they are ignored, discriminated, and despised as social lepers in the society:

Forced by these external forces every Dalit child grows with this sentiment that he is an inferior being or not a full being or not a human being at all. A Dalit is often perceived as incapable, illiterate, ignorant, impure and even as an ‘illegitimate’ child. This gets instilled, ingrained and institutionalised in the mind of every Dalit child and ultimately he or she grows up to be an inferior being. This sense of being inferior or being a worthless creature generates a paralysing fear and dread towards the dominant castes.[xx]

Choka Mela, a SC poet saint from Maharashtra, asked God (already in 14th Century):

            If you had to give me this birth,

            Why give me birth at all?       

            You cast me away to be born; you were cruel,

            Where were you at the time of my birth?

And the SC poet Kisan Phagu Bansode of Maharashtra raises his poignant voice in prayer:

God! Make me a beast or bird

            But not a Mahar at all.[xxi]

 

2.4. Crimes against SC/STs: Article 46 of the Constitution of India clearly and categorically spelt out that, ‘The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustices and all forms of exploitation’ but the reality is different – The State has failed to protect the vulnerable people.

 

As per Crime Statistics of India, the following atrocities are committed against the SCs:

Every 18 minutes: A crime is committed against a SC

Every day:

Every week:

 

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs Compendium-2011, the rise in crimes against SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act is depicted below (in year vs cases registered):

2007 – 9,819

2008 – 11,602

2009 – 11,143

2010 – 10,513

2011 – 11,342.

The cases in 2011 indicate an increase of 7.9% when compared to 2010.[xxiii]

 

The crimes committed against SCs/STs in the State of Rajasthan, as an example, are given below – These are cases reported to police:[xxiv]

S.No. Crime Head Cases Registered
2010 2011 2012
1. Murder 56 51 66
2. Grievous Hurt 42 56 66
3. Rape 200 216 202
4. Grievous loss 31 28 31

 

National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) reveals that 6,202 cases of crimes were committed against persons belonging to Schedule Caste and 44 against Scheduled Tribe persons as registered in Uttar Pradesh in 2012. The statistics reveal that the state has 18.43% share in all-India figure of crime committed against Scheduled Caste.[xxv]

 

2.5. Religious Neglect: The marginalized are discriminated in all aspects of life. Socially they are ‘untouchables’; and religiously they are ‘insignificant’; and politically they are ‘undesirable’ – everywhere they are ostracised.

 

In addition to the social discrimination, the SC and ST are religiously ignored. During the Gujarat riots (2002), the Hindu fundamentalists instigated and manipulated the marginalized to unleash violence against the Muslims. In a similar way, Khandamal riots (2008) were clever design of divide and attack between the Adivasis and the SCs at one stroke, it ‘victimized the Dalits and criminalized the Adivasis’.[xxvi]

 

In general, the SCs are forbidden to enter Temples for worship. In the Catholic Church, till a few decades ago, the Dalit Catholics cannot sit along with the dominant caste Catholics in the Church – They had segregated places, normally the side wings in the Church, in the parish church. Even today in many places when the Parish Patron/Patroness feast is celebrated the car-procession would not go into the area of Dalits lest the partron saint should become polluted. (Commenting on the Vaikkom temple-entry by the Dalits, E.V. Ramasamy[xxvii] wrote: If the presiding deity gets polluted, then it could not be God.[xxviii]). The Dalits are discriminated even in death. There are, in most places, separate cemeteries for the Caste-dead and the Dalit-dead and even the hearse used to take the dead bodies to the cemeteries would be different. Even death cannot part with untouchability.[xxix]  Even the funds received for the welfare of the marginalized are not spent for them: As per the Foreign Contribution Regulation 2005-06 accounts, the Church has spent only 0.12% and 0.32% for SC and ST welfare respectively out of funds received for SC/ST projects.[xxx]

 

The SC/ST population have become broken people – socially, economically, religiously, and politically. Further, emotionally, educationally, and culturally they are treated as mere entities with no rights. [xxxi] Their dignity and legal protection exist only on papers. The animal abuse laws seem to be implemented more effectively, than the abuse of the marginalized human beings!

 

  1. Movement:

Christians of SC/ST origin are denied the privileges of Govt with regard to education and job opportunities. As per the Presidential Order 1950, regarding inclusion of any particular community within the SC and ST was within the purview of the legislative action. The inclusion of SC/ST Christians within the category of SC/ST had been rejected by the National Democratic Alliance government in 2002. And the apex court had also ruled that the list of entries in the SC and ST categories under the Presidential Order was final and the court could not ‘add or subtract’.[xxxii] Continued efforts by Christian and Muslim activists to include the Christian and Muslim Dalits into SC category are going on. In order to establish the legitimate rights of the marginalized various movements came up.

 

3.1. Social Movements: Many streams of movements tried to understand the predicament of the disadvantaged and attempted to address the issue. On the one hand the religious streams, mainly through the Christian missionaries tried a multipronged modality with the focus on development: houses were built for them, medical facilities were provided, and education institutions founded. But no serious attempt was made to establish human dignity and equality as well as political rights for the suppressed. Even the recent attempt by the Christian Church to establish SC/ST/BC commission(s) seem to be working on a theoretical frame work, rather than working on a concrete roadmap with timeline and milestones.

 

Suppressed and broken under social and religious suppression and neglect, social movements began fighting for the human equality and dignity of the marginalized people. Many types of social movements, such as reform movements, revivalist movements, resistance movements, reactionary movements, revolutionary movements etc had the focus of social change – liberation from the existing unjust structures. Non-acceptance of unjust hierarchical caste system emerged as movements to ascertain autonomy. Religious movements as well came up to fight against caste discrimination. Budhism and Sikhism rose against rampant caste prejudices and practices of untouchability. Unfortunately these revolt religions have also been fallen prey to caste division as Christianity and Islam have been. Kabir attacked rituals and rejected caste system as there is only one God. Later streams of Bhakti movements attempted to pervade caste barriers.[xxxiii]

 

Dawn of Christian mission and Muslim invasion started questioning the monolithic caste system in India. And later the presence of European powers, such as French, Portuguese, and British tried to bring in a sense of liberty for the marginalized. The marginalized could enter the martial service of the British and through English education and exposure to European economic system gave impetus to the downtrodden to climb the ladder of social power. Opening up schools by the Christian Missionaries and offering of economic succour gave the hope for the marginalized not only membership in Kingdom of God but also formidable rights and power in Indian political scenario.

 

Dr Ambedkar came up with the mantra of Educate – Agitate – Organize. Education, via critical thinking, agitates the mind on the face of inhuman social structure and practices, which in turn leads to organizing the powerless as the power centres. He even dreamt of democratic plateau for the suppressed.

 

3.2. Political Parties: The starting point is fundamental right to education, health, and employment. The Govt affirmative action (Reservation policy) tries preferred employment for the marginalized and disadvantaged. However, what matters is ultimate empowerment, that is ‘power for the powerless’, starting from sharing of economic and cultural resources and effective political participation leading to social, religious, and political leadership with decision-making authority. The model that worked in the United States should be made to work in India: Barack Obama becoming the President of the United States. Of course, we have a handful Dalit, SC/ST leaders on national level such as Ambedkar, Jagjivan Ram, K.R. Narayan, Mayawati, Sangma etc, but they are only exceptions. The great difference with the whites in the US and oppressive caste people in India is this: American whites clearly saw that there was problem with them in the way they, perceived, treated, and decimated the native Americans; and the way they treated the Afro-Americans, and so saw that they needed to change their mind-set. This has never happened in Indian caste consciousness. We don’t see the ‘white honesty’ with the dominant/oppressive caste people in India.

 

Politics is the fight for power and caste continues to be a determining factor in Indian society. In the history of democratic politics in India, manipulating caste equations have been a permanent reality. During the British period by default and by design, the Brahmins came to occupy disproportionately high number of government posts and positions. The non-Brahmin movement came into political arena, resulting in a large share of political power reaching the middle and backward castes but the SC/STs were left out. When the marginalized take recourse to political power, it is derogatively ignored or dismissed as disruptive and ineffective. At the same time, the high caste and elitist political forces (Congress, BJP…) play vote bank politics with the marginalized. The marginalized are counted for vote but not for power sharing. Even the efforts of Mayawati’s using caste politics for SC/ST empowerment have resulted in partial success.[xxxiv]

 

Dalit Panthers movement in Maharashtra (1972) after the model of Black Panthers in the US (in 1960s) was founded by Namdev Dhasal to fight like panthers for the rights of the oppressed.[xxxv]  Ad-Dharm movement in Punjab[xxxvi] and Sakkia Buddhist Association by Ayothiyadas Pandithar in Tamilnadu came up to fight against caste discrimination. Malaichamy, in Tamilnadu, founded DPI (Dalit Panthers India) in the 1980s in Tamilnadu. Thol Thirumavalavan succeeded Malaichamy, after his death, in 1990 and in 1999 DPI became a political party known as VCK (Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi) for the uplift of SC/ST and other backward classes.[xxxvii]  The party could contest in political elections. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), a centrist national political party, founded in 1984 by the Dalit leader Kansi Ram serves the interests of SC, ST, and other Other Backward Castes. This party, claiming to be inspired by the philosophy of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, has been succeeded by Mayawati in 2003 who became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and has 21 Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha).[xxxviii]  Dr Antony Raj, a Jesuit social activist, founded in 1991 Dalit Christian Liberation Movement (DCLM) to fight for the liberation of Christian rights and liberation as they are multi-discriminated.

 

3.4. Education: Taking the ground reality of the marginalized into consideration, the developmental process has to be educational.  Education is also defined as human capital formation. All social reformers who worked with the marginalized underscore the importance of education. Education is the foundation for the subaltern groups.[xxxix] The literacy rate of the SCs and STs was 55 and 47 percent respectively against the national literacy rate of 65 percent.[xl] The trend in the literacy rates for Non-SCs/STs and SC/ST population from 1961to 2001 is given below:

 

Year Non-SCs/STs (%) SCs/STs (%) Gap (%)
1961 27.91 10.27 17.64
1971 33.80 14.67 19.13
1981 41.30 21.38 19.92
1991 57.69 37.41 20.28
2001 68.81 54.70 14.11

While the literacy rates for SCs is highest (upto 70%) in Kerala, followed by Tirpura, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh, it is very low in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Bihar is placed at the bottom of literacy pyramid. [xli]

 

The reason for low literacy rate is due to drop-outs from educational institutions. Based on Census of India 2001, the following is the drop-out rate for SCs/STs in comparison with Non-SCs/STs (male and female):

 

Educational Level Non-SCs/STs (%) SCs/STs(%)
Male Female Male Female
1. Graduate and above 8.8 4.6 3.4 1.0
2. Graduate degree other than technical 68.2 67.5 69.6 70.0
3. Post-graduate degree other than tech. 17.3 21.0 18.6 18.9
4. Technical degrees        
  1. Engineering and Technology
 8.6 4.0 5.1 3.6
  1. Medicine
 2.2 1.9 1.4 2.1
  1. Agriculture and dairying
 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.1
  1. Veterinary
 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0

 

Dr S. Thorat, the former Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC), writes in his book, Dalits in India, the following:

The participation of SCs in higher education was also very limited in 2001. In 2001, little more than 5 per cent of SCs aged 20 – 24 were reported to be attending post-higher secondary education. Their presence in vocational courses was miniscule. The pattern of enrolment in higher education has indicated that SCs were in a highly disadvantageous position compared to non-SCs/Sts. Also, SCs and other marginalized social groups from the Muslim, Christian and Sikh religions suffered from lower access to higher education as compared with their higher-caste counterparts.[xlii]

 

3.5. Reservation: In order to promote education among the marginalized, in the spirit of Article 46 of the Constitution, 49.5% seats in the educational institutions are reserved (15% for SCs; 7.5% for STs; and 27% for OBCs). In Northeast India, especially in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram, reservation for ST in State Govt. jobs is 80% with only 20% unreserved. In the Central Universities of NEHU (Shillong) and Rajiv Gandhi University, 60% of seats are reserved for ST students.[xliii] Affirmative action is meant to provide opportunities for education and through this process employment. This affirmative measure is not a favour but it is to rectify the consequences of millennia old social discrimination and exploitation. The reservation policy is in favour of communities that have been victimized by society and in law.[xliv]

 

  1. Empowerment:

The empowerment process presumes, in the first place, awareness of the reality followed by attitudinal change. The empowerment strategy is an outcome of understanding of the exploitation and discrimination of the downtrodden.

 

4.1. Education – Organization – Agitation: Education is one of the means through which the SC/St communities are making intervention in favour of their society. In August 1848, Mahatma Phule started the first school in Pune for the girl students.  He opened the first school for the students of untouchable communities in Pune in the year 1852. The contribution of Dr Ambedkar in the educational development of SC communities has been repeatedly acknowledged. On 14 June 1928, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar established the Depressed Classes Education Society to spread education among the untouchables. He also founded the People’s Education Society (PES) on 8 July 1945 at Bombay.  The said Society began its first college named Siddarth College at Bombay on 20 June 1946. In 1886, John Rathinam, an untouchable leader, set up a Model School in Thousand Lights areas of Chennai for the untouchable students and in 1899 established one hostel for them.[xlv]

 

During the 45th Convocation of Utkal University (25 April 2013), the President of India said: Education is a powerful tool for human progress and empowerment. It is also a strong driver of social thinking and transformation.[xlvi] Education instills in a person self-esteem as well as self-confidence. Relevant education helps one get effective employment leading to economic independence. And this eventually would bring in organization which would fight for human rights and equality as well as dignity.

 

4.2. Integrated Development: Education would lead to integrated development. At the rural level, especially in areas dominated by the marginalized, education would help entry into village Panchayats. Similarly the educated, with support from other enlightened marginalized, could become counsellors in town administration and even they could emerge as MLAs and MPs – This gives political power which would be used for the empowering fellow marginalized.

 

4.3. Entrepreneurship Endeavours: Paving the way for entrepreneurship would empower the powerless. For example, Micro-Finance Institutions would help the marginalized to pick up some business, with the support of cooperatives. This would ensure economic stability ushering in considerable degree of self-reliance, culminating in political dominance. This is the model that has been effective in Jenubhavi in Belgaum (Karnataka) where the Samagars (dealing with shoe-making) could eventually claim not only equality but dominance over the dominant Lingayats. The Samagars were not allowed to enter village temples, nor to draw water from the common well, and they were not served in teashops and hotels. Drinking water was given to the Samagars by dominant castes in such a way as to avoid direct contact between each other’s vessels. But now, in about four decades, as businessmen the Samagars emerged as the main donors for village affairs and they are the decision makers in the village.[xlvii] In Tamilnadu, having gained considerable experience in working with the poor and the marginalized, a group of likeminded professionals promoted Virutcham Microfinance.[xlviii] This is an attempt in entrepreneurship endeavour at the rural level.

 

4.4. Special Component Plan/Tribal Sub-Plan: Special Component Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) is an important and integral part of the planning process intended to ensure the rapid socio-economic development of SC/STs. The plan entitles the SCs and the Tribals for equitable share of the budget outlay in the annual as well as in Five Year Plan budgets both by the centre and the states.[xlix] This plan contains all the concerns like wealth, employment, entrepreneurial access through the accumulated funds, distribution of excess land both from the government and even from the landlords to distribute to the SCs and STs, not only for housing but also for agriculture and other allied activities.

 

Karnataka is known to be one of the pioneer States in the implementation of SCP. All the Development Departments were asked to earmark 15% of their total budget allocation for the welfare of SC people.[l] Andhra Pradesh has already made it an act.

 

4.5. Distribution of excess Land – Panchami lands: The SCs form the major agricultural work force of India. But very often they work as bonded labourers. Ownership of land has become a crucial issue for the SC/STs. In a country like India where agriculture is the mainstay of the rural masses, the SC/STs have realized the centrality of access and control over land. Hence, there is an increasing demand from the marginalized for equitable share in land and other resources.[li]

 

As the Dalits were living in the most inhuman of conditions with high level of oppression, J.H.A. Tremenheere, the then collector of Chengelpet (in Tamilnadu), submitted a memorandum to the British Govt to allot lands to the Dalits to improve their socio-economic condition. Accordingly, the Govt of Madras passed order (1010 and 1010A dated 30 Sept 1892) to allot 3.2 lakh acres of land to be gifted to the Dalits. These are called ‘Panchami Lands’. But most of these lands have been encroached upon by landlords and members of dominant castes. It is alleged that even the State has ‘usurped’ the lands and has structures built upon them.[lii] Social activists, like L. Yesumarian, fight for reclamation of Panchami land for the Dalits.

 

4.6. Solidarity of Intellectuals: Those who have already crossed the barrier of discrimination, such as IAS and IPS officers could form an organization. Christudas Gandhi, an IAS officer, has initiated the Palam Association. This organization brings together intellectuals of SC/ST origin and explores the ways and means of shaping up the youth to come up in Govt administration. This would not only be looked up by the struggling youth, but also would be source of help to come up in life.

 

4.7. Empowerment of Scheduled Tribes: The Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007) brought in a Steering Committee for the Empowerment of the Scheduled Tribes in order to evolve strategies for the empowerment of Scheduled Tribes.[liii] Through the historic Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act (2006), National Council for Tribal Welfare and Standing Committee for Tribal Welfare have been constituted with the Prime Minister as the Chairperson. And the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) has disbursed an amount of Rs 25.14 Crores for income generating activities during November, 2010.[liv]

 

4.8. Dalit Discourse: On the one hand, education with the focus on formation of social and political leaders could pave the way for social leadership. Promotion of technical education and business entrepreneurship would take care of the economic side of empowerment. Further, micro-credit system and women education would open up vistas for women empowerment, starting from local administration.

 

The Dalit reality should be seen in perspective. Empowering mind-set would bring in the power for changing the social tide. The following is a caste discourse that throws light on Dalit reality:[lv]

 

Dalit discourse Dominant Caste discourse
Dalits are considered to be impure and polluting but they are the ones who are engaged in purificatory services for the entire  society. Dominant castes are supposed to be pure and superior beings but their attitude and behaviour has constantly been one of impure and unclean towards the lower castes.
Dalit women compared to dominant caste women enjoy greater freedom of movement, speech, decision making power at home. Women from the dominant castes are restricted by very many dos and don’ts.
The practice of dowry, the consequent dowry deaths are unheard of among the Dalits. [This is becoming a reality among the educated Dalits]. Giving and receiving exorbitant dowry and when the exchange turns unpleasant burning of women is somewhat a common practice.
Communitarian in nature and operation and thus are democratic. The dominant castes are individualistic and hence are authoritarian.
Dalits enjoy leisure, love music, dance and gathering etc. Restless and scheming all the time to be on the top of the ladder.
Dalits are critical of the social order, creative and are care-free The dominant castes are status-quo maintaining by nature.
By option the Dalits engage in liberative and emancipatory struggles. Since they are the beneficiaries of the system they opt for reformative policies and programmes.
Dalits are the most productive class/caste of the Indian society. They take the lion’s share in production (agriculture, animal rearing, etc) and construction (infra-structure building like roads, dams, bridges, houses, etc) works. Dominant castes are the consumer class and strive to thrive on the labour of others. They have destructive tendency towards the SCs and they exploit the Dalits (such as bonded labors, sexual exploitation of Dalit and Adivasi women).
Dalits and Adivasis help the nation to survive, replenish, and grow. Oppressive castes corrode the nation by depleting its resources, destroying its culture, climate, and nature.

 

 

4.9. LICET Model: Loyola-ICAM College of Engineering and Technology, founded in 2010 by the Jesuits in Tamilnadu, is a unique model of empowering the marginalized as leaders with social responsibility. The process is very effective to engineer a just society:

  1. 30% of the admissions are for the economically and socially marginalized, especially the Dalits.
  2. The aspiring students from the target group are gathered and offered a summer camp – In addition to academic preparation, they are trained in social awareness and leadership qualities through motivational talks.
  1. After the first internal assessment test, the slow learners are grouped for tutorial and extra care and time are given for effective learning.
  2. Each student gets a faculty member, from another department, as a mentor who accompanies the student all the eight semesters through – This accompanying the students enlightens as well as enlivens the student.
  3. The economically poor students are helped with financial assistance to study well.

The end product is social engineers of creativity, competence, commitment, and compassion. LICET is doing excellently well in academics.

 

4.10. Institutions of Research and Education: In order to enlighten the world on the suffering of the marginalized there is need for institutions of research and education. Here are three models given:

4.10.1. Central American University (UCA): Founded in El Salvador (San Salvador) by the Jesuits in 1965. UCA was outspoken against the abuses of the Salvadoran military and government, and carried out research to demonstrate the effects of the war and poverty in the country. The extreme social conditions in El Salvador provided a very rich empirical basis for innovative research within sociology, social anthropology, philosophy, social psychology and theology. These scholars made important and lasting contributions within these fields. Ellacuría, Martín-Baró and Segundo Montes, along with three other Jesuit professors, their housekeeper and her daughter, were murdered by the Salvadoran Armed forces on November 16, 1989 in one of the most notorious episodes from the Civil War.[lvi] But the people-oriented research continues.

 

4.10.2. Centre of Concern: A Jesuit Centre (in Washington DC) that is committed to the welfare and uplift of the Afro-Americans in the United States.

 

4.10.3. Indian Social Institute: The Indian Social Institutes, established in Delhi (1951) and in Bangalore (1963) by the Jesuits in response to the challenges of nation-building and a new emerging social order of independent India, evolved vision, mission, goals and objectives in responding to the changing situation in the country in the spirit of a learning organization over the years especially for the rights of the marginalized.

 

  1. Conclusion:

India is a country of contradiction: On the one hand, India is making lightning progress in technology and economy but on the other hand it has got stuck with regard to fundamental principle of human equality, rights, and dignity. Even educated people have not got rid of the shackle of caste oriented minds, as though Casteism and caste-oriented discrimination is genetic in India. The marginalised face innumerable forms of discrimination in their personal as well as public life in India. Even the constitutional provisions and affirmative/reservation policies have not done much to elevate these people to socio economic equality. Martin Luther King said: do not judge people by the colour of their skin but by the content of character. India has to enter into the phase of judging people not by their origin of birth (SC/ST) but by their academic ability, social credibility, and content of character.

 

Each one who is interested in the second independence of India, namely India with equality and dignity for all its citizens, should ask the following three questions:

  1. What have I done to eliminate the discrimination of the SC/ST people?;
  2. What am I doing to alleviate their suffering and agony and what am I doing to address the injustice meted out to them?; and

This would bring in the consciousness efforts to meet the challenging realty squarely. This should start with mind-set that all are equals and the SC/STs, given opportunity for education and employment, would strengthen India in every way.

 

Possibilities: A few possibilities could be contemplated:

  1. collision course (movements);
  2. building parallel power centres (local political parties); or

Collision course would wound the society; parallel power would isolate the marginalized; and the affirmative action, with inclusive power, would build an integrated people’s power in India. So need of the hour is proactive leadership formation in socio-religio-economic-political level.

 

Barack Obama in his US Presidential inaugural address said: “a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath”.[lvii] The marginalized should have their recognition and their rightful place in the society. Till then they will fight until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream’ (Amos 5:24), since they would express their might, in the words of Nelson Mandela: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us”.[lviii]

 

All the social and righteous minded people and organizations should start with action program. It is time to begin to act here and now. As John F Kennedy said during his presidential inaugural address, “all this will not be finished in the first hundred days; nor will it be finished in the first thousand days…nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin”.[lix] And the journey would not be easy as Obama said, “our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.”[lx] Finally, we could say with Rabindranath Tagore:

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls….

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.[lxi]

We could start with effective educational institutions that form the students, especially the SC/ST students, to engineer a just society. As Jesus of Nazareth we can take upon ourselves to proclaim liberty to the social captives (such as bonded labourers); and to set free the socially, politically, emotionally, and culturally oppressed (the SC/STs).[lxii]

 

Acknowledgment: The author is grateful to Dr Antony Raj, Dr Prakash Louis, Fr Yesumarian, and Fr Manu, all of them social activists, for their contribution in preparing this paper.

 

Talk delivered on the invitation from Indian Council for Social Science Research at Assam Don Bosco University on Sep 17th 2013.

Cf Man and Society, XII 2015 23-46.

 

[i] Praveen Fernandes and George Ignatius, Role of India in the global economy, The Economic Times of India, Oct 28, 2006.

[ii] A. Joseph Xavier, The role of social movements and political parties in strengthening Dalit Identity and Dalit Christian Identity and participation of Dalits in democratic process, p. 5.

[iii] Business India, Aug 31st 2013.

[iv] http://www.iloveindia.com/population-of-india/sc-st.html; http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/India_at_glance/scst.aspx.

[v] S.Thorat, Dalits in India, SAGE, New Delhi, 2009, p.40.

[vi] The word Dalit is inclusive of all oppressed and broken people.  It has a Marxian connotation.  The Dalit intellectuals and leaders appropriated the word and applied it exclusively to the Untouchables.  The Vedas do not mention Untouchables in any one of their hymns.  It is a later accretion and stand outside Hinduism.  The Sanskritic terms Antyaja (the last born), Mlecha (the non-Aryan), Avarna (outside the four varna) and Chandala (outcaste) differentiate the pure from the impure.  Gandhi used the word ‘Harijans’ (children of Hari), which was detested by the Dalits.  The British coined the word Scheduled Caste (SC) for administrative purpose. Scheduled Tribe (ST) is a colonial construct to indicate their backwardness, geographical isolation, and primitiveness.  Originally they were known as Adivasis. It focuses on the relationship  between the forests, the forest and forest dwellers. The Adivasis do not belong to the caste system. Therefore there is no question of untouchability, but there is tribal superiority. Some of tribes have assimilated Hindu customs even religious practices.

[vii] A. Joseph Xavier, The role of social movements and political parties in strengthening Dalit Identity and Dalit Christian Identity and participation of Dalits in democratic process, p. 7.

[viii] Ibid

[ix] http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/a-decent-society

[x] http://darkindia.wordpress.com/dalit-in-india-facts-and-figures/

[xi] This is the standard set by Indian economists. The percentage will go below 80 if we apply international standard of poverty line. A study done and published by Oxford University in 2010 shows that 8 Indian states are far below 26 sub-sharan countries. And most of the people pointed out in those 8 states (all of them from the north, north-eastern and north-western states) are all Dalits and Adivasis.

[xii] http://www.wakeupcall.org/administration_in_india/poverty_line.php

[xiii] http://www.indianet.nl/manscav.html

[xiv] P. Louis, Casteism is more Horrendous than Racism, World Conference against Racism, Durban, 2001.

[xv] http://www.slideshare.net/devidasshambharkar/discrimination-and-atrocities-against-scheduled-castes-in-india-a-historical-injustice

[xvi] A Decent Society, Avishai Margalit, Harvard University Press, Boston, 1996.

[xvii] P. Antony Raj, Manuscript

[xviii] The Times of India, 24 September 2010.

[xix] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killing (Times of India, 21st June 2010)

[xx] P. Louis, Casteism is more Horrendous than Racism, World Conference against Racism, Durban, 2001.

[xxi] G. Shah, Dalit Movement and the Search for Identity, In: G. Shah (Ed), Dalit Identity and Politics, Sage Pub., New Delhi, 2001, p.198f.

[xxii] http://www.nhrc.nic.in/Publications/reportKBSaxena.pdf

[xxiii] http://www.slideshare.net/devidasshambharkar/discrimination-and-atrocities-against-scheduled-castes-in-india-a-historical-injustice

[xxiv] http://police.rajasthan.gov.in/Rajpolice/Crbranchscst.aspx

[xxv] http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-24/allahabad/40771250_1_ncrb-figures-cognizable-crimes-total-such-crimes

[xxvi] A. Joseph Xavier, The role of social movements and political parties in strengthening Dalit Identity and Dalit Christian Identity and participation of Dalits in democratic process, p. 10.

[xxvii] E.V. Ramasamy was a dogmatic exponent of the philosophy of ‘rationalism’ and fought against caste-discrimination.

[xxviii] C.J. Fuller, Caste Today, Oxford Uni Press, Delhi, 1996, p.280.

[xxix] F.P. Xavier, The Rights of the Marginalized,DHRC, Chengalpattu, 2009, p.7.

[xxx] The Hindustan Times, Sep 15, 2008.

[xxxi] http://dalitrightsforum.blogspot.in/2009/03/contemporary-dalit-scenario.html

[xxxii] http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/feb/11dalit.htm

[xxxiii] A. Joseph Xavier, The role of social movements and political parties in strengthening Dalit Identity and Dalit Christian Identity and participation of Dalits in democratic process, p. 2.

[xxxiv] M. Alphonse, Manuscript

[xxxv] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit_Panther

[xxxvi] Ad-Dharm movement, drawing inspiration from the Bhakthi Movements, founded by Mangoo Ram in 1926 was recognized, in 1931 census, as the religion of untouchables: http://ad-dharm.com/home/

[xxxvii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viduthalai_Chiruthaigal_Katchi; http://viduthalai-chiruthaigal.blogspot.in/2009/03/vc-katchi.html

[xxxviii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahujan_Samaj_Party

[xxxix] P. Antony Raj, Manuscript

[xl] http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/sc-st-school-dropout-has-gone-up-cag-report_10079311.html

[xli] S. Thorat, Dalits in India, SAGE, New Delhi, 2009, p.98 and Registrar General and Census Commissioner: Census of India, Population Census 1961-2001.

[xlii] Ibid, p.109.

[xliii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reservation_in_India

[xliv] P. Louis, The Reservation Debate, Economic and Political Weekly, XXXVIII (25), June 21-27, 2003.

[xlv] P. Louis, Dalit Issues, Interventions and Movements, 31st July 2004.

[xlvi] University News, 51 (33), Aug 19-25, 2013.

[xlvii] E.N.A.Kumar, Upward Mobility or Class Formation? – SamagarsofJenubhavi, In: S.R. Charsly and G.K. karanth (Ed), Challenging Untouchability – Dalit Initiative and Experience from Karnataka, Sage Pub., New Delhi, 1998, p.252f.

[xlviii] Having gained considerable experience in working with the poor and marginalized, a group of likeminded professionals promoted Virutcham Microfinance.

[xlix] http://www.bing.com/search?q=special+component+plan+in+budget&form=UP97DF&pc=UP97&dt=071113

[l] http://karunadu.gov.in/socialwelfare/Pages/specialplan.aspx

[li] P. Louis, Dalit Issues, Interventions and Movements, 31st July 2004.

[lii] http://dalitskerala.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/panchami-land-in-tamil-nadu/

[liii] http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/str2_4.htm

[liv] http://indiacurrentaffairs.org/review-of-the-year-2010-empowerment-of-scheduled-tribes-in-india/

[lv] P. Louis, Casteism is more Horrendous than Racism, World Conference against Racism, Durban, 2001.

[lvi] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_American_University

[lvii] B. Obama, Presidential Inaugural Address: Jan 20th 2009 at Washington DC, USA

[lviii] Though ascribed to the inaugural address of N. Mandela (1994), the quote is from: M. Williamson, Return to Love, Harper Collins, 1992, p.190.

[lix] J.F. Kennedy, Presidential Inaugural Address, Jan 20th 1961.

[lx] B. Obama, Presidential Inaugural Address, Jan 20th 2009.

[lxi] R. Tagore, Gitanjali.

[lxii] Lk 4:18

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