If dalits, (or untouchables, achoots, periyas,dhobis, namshudras, rajbhars, chamars , bhangis, khatiks, mehtars - the fifth stratum of hindu society, these people have to live on the crumbs left by upper castes) do not do their work then who is going to do? the upper castes ? And lose their castes ?
To force these people to do their heredity jobs the Hindu society uses the methods which were used by Gandhi, MK ( Mahatama Gandhi ) and freedom fighters against the British rule. This non-violent movement was based on, among other things, the notion of boycott and non-cooperation. The British goods were to be boycotted and the govt was not to be cooperated with. The Govt servants were required to not cooperate with the govt but draw the salaries. They simply had to sit on the table and do not move a single file ( there are umpteen exuses to not to do anything) thus bring the govt slowly to a halt. No violence is used . In the same manner nobody touches the untouchables. Nobody would buy anything from them. pollution. They can not enter the temples ( they might run the risk of like). Nobody would give them a job in the fields if he refuses to do his allotted job. All his alternative methods to earn a decent livelihood are blocked through non-cooperation and boycott. He is boycotted. Nobody cooperates with him in business ventures. So when he does not have any source of livelihood then slowly and slowly he is brought round the corner to do the humiliating heredity job. No violence is involved. thus one can say that there are similarities between the action taken against British and untouchable by the Hindu society.
However the violence is involved when these lowly people dare to behave in extremely offending manner like going with their heads held high in the village streets, refusing to go barefoot in the presence of an upper caste man, dare to wear quality clothes, do not stand up when the highs and mighties of the society pass by. In such cases a swift violence results to show these people their place. This tactic unofficially goes in the name of Hindu Dharma and Karma. But that is a long story. I will stop here.
This is an out of the box analysis. The Hindus practiced something against the British which they perfected over dalits for 2000 years.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is a problem. Non-cooperation against the British was non-violent (I 'll give you that), but compartmentalization of Dalits was not. It was violent because it denied life( not better life, because it only denied better life for only for those who could survive)by every possible way, including bloodshed when deemed necessary to contain them within the "not-so-gory" system. As if an extermination process was unleashed upon the pests they would hate to touch.
OT: I have found the same problem with your Rights Theory. Stealing appears so benign(sic). Dalit's rights were not stolen, he was robbed.
I might appear radicalising the issue, but only if we look beyond Mr. M. K. Gandhi's non-violence, we would understand the magnitude of violence involved in this social "boycott".