UNTOUCHABILITY

• While there is some debate about British colonialism amplifying it, the origins of India's caste system go back thousands of years and are deeply entwined in Hinduism, the religion followed by about 80 percent of India's population.'
• Caste is essentially the stratification of people into a rigid occupational hierarchy.
• According to the manusmriti, considered one of Hinduism's most important books for law, people are born into one of four castes, depending on their conduct in past lives.
• The most virtuous come back as Brahmins, the caste of priests and scholars. Next are the Kshatriyas, who are ascribed to be rulers and warriors. Third are the Viashya, the artists and traders. Fourth is the Shudras, only good enough to do manual labor.
•  Below all of them are the Dalits, the "untouchable", excluded from all jobs except the worst-paid and most degrading on the pretext of maintaining the spiritual purity of those in higher castes.
• India officially outlawed caste-based discrimination in 1950. But it continues to be a fact of life for the estimated 200 million of India's 1.4 billion population who are Dalits. They are even discriminated against when applying for programs established to help them.

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3. Abolishing Untouchability

• Two leaders whose names cannot go unmentioned while talking about the abolishment of untouchability are Mahatma Gandhi and Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar. Mahatma Gandhi called them 'Harijans', meaning the children of god. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar called them 'Dalits', the term still widely used today. Social activists like Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule worked tirelessly to put an end to untouchability.
• Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar had their differences while fighting for abolishing untouchability, but their end goal was the same. Gandhi wanted to abolish untouchability, whereas Ambedkar wanted to abolish the root of the problem which was the caste system.
• After numerous movements and struggles, the Indian constitution adopted the motion that untouchability should be abolished. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar the man who drafted the constitution put enough provisions for their upliftment in society.
• There is a dedicated article in the Indian constitution that protects their rights. Article 17 of the constitution aims to empower Dalits, and makes untouchability a punishable offense. If any person practices untouchability, then they would be punished by the court no questions asked.
• Reservation system: To ensure that Dalits are not denied entry into educational institutions and government jobs and that they are not at a disadvantage because of their social and economical conditions, there is a reservation system in place. As per this, the marginalized communities like the Other Backward Communities (OBC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Scheduled Castes(SC) are provided reservation, i.e., a certain percentage of seats would be reserved for them.

4. Conclusion

It is a tool for the oppression of a group of people based on their caste, something which they have no control over. People belonging to lower castes are subjected to discrimination and expected to do jobs that are considered demeaning. For their upliftment and to create a society that is equal and just, untouchability has been recognized as a grave crime by the Indian Constitution.

For Mains

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