Dalit India: Untouchables

Friday, July 25, 2008

Untouchables

"How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting political democracy in peril,"

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Stop Dalit Atrocity

Visit http://dalit.members.winisp.net/

Caste is the longest surviving human institution in which human beings are discriminated based on their birth. This system of slavery and hatred is sanctified by religious scriptures that support graded inequality. This artificial gradation results into many problems and at times atrocities which civil societies cannot withstand.

Caste, as a notion of mind, places limitation on development of human personality. According to state reports, many human beings suffer due to its manifestations such as untouchability, atrocities and hatred all over India. Hundreds of men and women are dehumanised and brutally killed in the name of caste. These killings can be termed as "holocaste".

Every 18 minutes:

A crime is committed against a Dalit

Every day:

3 Dalit women are raped
2 Dalits are murdered & 2 Dalits Houses are burnt in India
11 Dalits are beaten

Every week:

13 Dalits are murdered
5 Dalits home or possessions are burnt
6 Dalits are kidnapped or abducted

Social and Economic condition of Dalits:

37 percent of Dalits living below poverty in India
More than half (54%) of their children are undernourished in India
83 per 1000 live birth children born in Dalit community are probability of dying before the first birthday
45 percent of Dalits do not know read and write in India
Dalits women burden double discrimination (gender and caste) in India
Only 27 percent of Dalits women give institutional deliveries in India
About one third of Dalit households do not have basic facilities
Public health workers refused to visit Dalit homes in 33% of villages
Dalits were prevented from entering police station in 27.6% of villages
Dalit children had to sit separately while eating in 37.8% of Govt. schools
Dalits didn’t get mail delivered to their homes in 23.5% of villages
Dalits were denied access to water sources in 48.4% of villages because of segregation & untouchabilty practices
Half of India’s Dalit children are undernourished, 21% are severely underweight & 12% DIE before their 5^th birthday
Literacy rates for Dalit women are as low as 37.8% In Rural India

Status of Prevention of Atrocities Act:

The conviction rate under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act is 15.71% and pendency is as high as 85.37%. This when the Act has strict provisions aimed as a deterrent. By contrast, conviction rate under IPC is over 40%

On actual crime committed against Dalits

“Even the reports prepared by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and placed before Parliament contain merely factual information received from States about registration and disposal of cases; various administrative arrangements made for the function of the Act and funds spent, without any meaningful analysis of the performance of the States which could form the basis for making corrective interventions." “Under-reporting of Atrocities Act cases is a very common phenomenon and therefore the decline in the number of registered cases does not provide a true picture of the incidence of atrocities.”

“A large number of cases which deserve to be registered under Protection of Civil Rights Act or the SCs & STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act are not actually registered under these Acts, either due to ignorance of law or under pressure from the interested parties. Investigations in even those limited number of cases is often earned out in a slipshod manner and with considerable delay.”

Source: National Human Rights Commission Report on the Prevention and Atrocities against Scheduled Castes

http://www.nhrc.nic.in/Publications/reportKBSaxena.pdf

Untouchables to Dalit…

Untouchables of India had themselves chosen a new identity, that of “DALIT”—ground down, oppressed—to indicate their lack of belief in being polluting, their sense that their condition was the fault of the caste system, and their inclusion in the Ambedkar movement of all those subordinated by their religious, social and economic status. The word is now current among all those who subscribe to these beliefs, although “harijan” is still current among Gandhians and many high castes and “Scheduled Castes” is the legal term for Untouchables.

Teesri Azadi Movie

The movie Teesri Azadi is available at following links, Nothing wrong is shown in the movie, whatever is shown is reality. King Ram is shown killing Shambuk Rishi, isn't it a reality? Nothing wrong is there in showing reality. Buddha and all Sikh Gurus have said “You must not only discard the shastras, you must deny their authority & you should have courage to tell Hindus where they are wrong.”

Its true reality hurts those who are culprit!!

Teesri Azadi – 1

Teesri Azadi - 2

Teesri Azadi – 3

A Day in the Life of an Untouchable Sweeper

A Day in the Life of an Untouchable Sweeper -1

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VVPqgeWPTww

A Day in the Life of an Untouchable Sweeper -2

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uN0g9LhRaeY

A Day in the Life of an Untouchable Sweeper -3

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UXKJHihGbAg

(These videos are very much upsetting, disappointing. I wasn’t even able to watch complete video :( )

People wouldn't do this job for a million pounds and untouchable sweeper is doing just for two times meal!!!

The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act was enacted in 1993, but has proved ineffective in eliminating manual scavenging. The Act prohibits the employment of manual scavengers or construction of dry latrines not connected to proper drainage channels and violations of the provisions of the Act can lead to imprisonment for up to one year and/or a fine of up to 2000 rupees.

In 1989 there were 600,000 scavengers while by 1995-96 the number had increased to 787,000 (a 31.6 % increase in less than a decade). Similarly, there were 720,500,000 dry latrines in 1989, but by January 2000 the number had increased by 9,600,000. With the increase of urbanization, manual scavenging is increasing. More and more Dalits are compelled to take the job as the changing economic scenario is offering less and less jobs for them.

Narendra Modi few months back in his book “Karmayog” has said, “Scavenging must have been a spiritual experience for the Valmiki caste”.

In the book, he goes on to say, “At some point in time somebody must have got enlightenment in scavenging. They must have thought that it is their duty to work for the happiness of the entire society and the Gods.”

I think Narendra Modi should also take this Manual Scavenging job & should get enlightenment as soon as possible!!!

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Parliamentary System Borrowed From Buddhism

It is probable that the tendency towards self-government evidenced by these various forms of corporate activity received fresh impetus from the Buddhist rejection of the authority of the priesthood and further but its doctrine of equality as exemplified by its repudiation of caste. It is indeed to the Buddhist books that we have to turn for an account of the manner in which the affairs of the early examples of representative self-governing institutions were conducted. It may come as a surprise to many to learn that in the assemblies of Buddhists in India 2500 years and more ago are to be found the rudiments of our own parliamentary practice of the present day. The dignity of the assembly was preserved by the appointment of a special officer - the embryo of "Mr. Speaker" in our house of commons. A second officer was appointed to see that when necessary a quorum was secured- the prototype of the Parliamentary Chief Whip, in our own system. A member initiating business did so in the form of a motion which was then open to discussion. In some cases, this was done once only, in others three times, thus anticipating the practice of Parliament in requiring that a bill be read a third time before it becomes law. If discussion disclosed a difference of opinion the matter was decided by the vote of the majority, the voting being by ballot.

-- Marquess of Zetland, a former Viceroy of India, Author of "Legacy of India "

Living in a grateful world

Be grateful to those who have hurted or harmed you,

For they have reinforced your determination.

Be grateful to those who have deceived you,

For they have deepened your sight.

Be grateful to those who have hit you,

For they have reduced your karmic obstacles.

Be grateful to those who have abandoned you,

For they have taught you to be independent.

Be grateful to those who have made you stumble,

For they have strengthened your ability.

Be grateful to those who have denounced you,

For they have increased your wisdom & concentration.

Be grateful to those who have made you Firm & Resolute & Helped in your Achievement.

~ From the teachings of Ven. Master Chin Kung~

Thoughts

"I have never claimed to be a universal leader of suffering humanity. The problem of the untouchables is quite enough for my slender strength. I do not say that other causes are not equally noble. But knowing that life is short, one can only serve one cause and I have never aspired to do more than serve the Untouchables."
"The basis of my politics lies in the proposition that the Untouchables are not a sub-division or sub-section of Hindus, and that they are a separate and distinct element in the national life of India."

"My social philosophy may be said to be enshrined in three words: liberty, equality and fraternity. My philosophy has roots in religion and not in political science. I have derived them from the teachings of my master, the Buddha."

-- Bodhisatta Babasaheb B.R.Ambedkar

Dalit India

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Friday, July 25, 2008

Untouchables

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