The Dalits

The Dalits' Final Frontier

The caste system remains a continual battle in India. Though banned by the government, it is still practiced de facto. An editorial appearing this past summer in The Hindu called it "a curse" yet "very much alive throughout the country" (The Hindu, July 24, 2001). It has become a mark of the society and a long time form of persecution towards the Untouchables, the impoverished who, historically, have been looked upon in disgust by all castes. In A Passage To India, Forster chooses to portray the two views of Untouchables: as those scorned by Indian society and as human beings equal to the rest of Indian society.
The caste system is broken into four separate Varnas. At the top is the Brahman. In earlier eras, members of the Brahman were priests and the educated. Today, occupations of the Brahman include doctors, lawyers, and teachers. The second Varna is the Kshatriya, wealthy aristocrats and rulers of society. The third Varna is the Vaishya, the landlords and businessmen. And the lowest caste is the Shudra, the working class and peasantry. Within each Varna, several Jats exist. These Jats are sub-divisions of the Varnas that, in turn, create more sub-divisions within one Varna because of each Jat's wish to stay separate and distinct from the other. The Shudra is notorious for being in possession of the most Jat communities. Though several Jats are descended from the same Jat and that Jat is descended from the same Varna, each member considers himself different with no similarities to the other, and hence, a strong sense of division and diversity exist in India. Members of each Jat must follow strict specifications to remain loyal to their people. These specifications include one's career choices and marriage: each member must marry within his own Jat.

Here, a small Indian family escorts a young boy to school. While other children arrive at school in rickshaws and cars, this child arrives by foot. An example of the limits set by each social caste.

A fifth demographic still remains scoffed at in India's society, the Untouchables, whose name originates from the caste system's belief that their touch is contaminating. Historically, the Untouchables have lived under the poorest conditions and received treatment that is far from adequate from members of the caste system. The Untouchables suffered as the "whipping boys" of Indian society. In addition to the unfortunate conditions Untouchables are born into, they were once employed only in degrading jobs as a result of social pressure and stigma. Some of these jobs included cleaning public latrines and waste management and disposal. Also, Untouchables found themselves on the outskirts of their own religion since they were not allowed into any Hindu temples, nor were they allowed to read the Vedas (sacred Hindu text). Untouchables were also exiled from villages by law and left to create their own locales. The greatest injustice the Untouchables dealt with was that though many had the intelligence, ambition, and qualifications to rise above their social classification, many could not. In the Hindu religion (as well as in society), one could not break away or rise above his caste or untouchability: the bloodline is the final and deciding factor. This harsh law is still practiced de facto by many in the current era. The Untouchables were the truly deprived people of Hindu society.
Despite the hardship and cruelty towards Untouchables, advancements began to be forged following the consolidation of the British Raj in the mid-nineteenth century. With the establishment of the Pax Britannica in the early nineteen hundreds, the availability of commerce, communication, and education was expanded. For the Untouchables, new social lives and economic activities were granted. For them, formal education has become a reality. The social progress of the Untouchables increased into the twentieth century. By the early 1900's, the Untouchables were fighting feverishly for a voice in Indian society. Their struggle was marked by constant debate in Parliament, though early on their battles were often to no avail. Finally, a breakthrough in Parliament came in 1909. The Act of 1909 led to constitutional reform in India where the Untouchables soon found themselves as direct participants in the politics of constitutional reform as they fought for equality (Verba, 34.) When reading about the opportunities the Pax Britannica opened for the Dalits, I was reminded of the New Deal initiated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States. With Roosevelt's New Deal, the unemployed were returning to work. They were receiving education through the Civilian Conservation Corps and some decent work through the Public Works Administration and the Works Progress Administration. Many of the same jobs that Americans worked in under the New Deal were similar to the jobs many Dalits held under the Pax Britannica. They were not jobs of great importance, but regardless, they employed people in desperate need of work and money. Like those in the Civilian Conservation Corps, Untouchables received formal education as well as jobs that paid in decently. Both programs helped elevate the impoverished and the disenfranchised to new standards among their respected societies as well (Verba, 37).

A sacred Hindu temple found in a rural area of Delhi. Prior to the consolidation of the Pax Brittanica, Untouchables were restricted from worship in such institutions because of caste system politics.

    Much of the reform the Untouchables sought (equality, better education, career options in India's police and army) was finally addressed in international politics by the nineteen-twenties (the era in which A Passage To India is set.) By 1918, conferences known as the All India Depressed Classes Conference took place to discuss and finalize the government's stance on the Untouchables. Although these were strides for India, the Untouchable cause was not fully spearheaded until Gandhi came to assume leadership in Congress in 1919-1920. The Indian government under Gandhi's leadership enacted measures, such as The Government of India Act of 1919, which increased the representation of Indians in legislature and extended the franchise.
    In A Passage To India, Forster creates a fictional environment and characters to blend with the reality of the Untouchables' situation. British woman Adela Quested, fiancée to Ronny Heaslop, City Magistrate to Chandrapore, often finds herself frustrated by trying to find "the real India." She is overwhelmed by the reality of the country's politics. Though she wants to understand Indian culture, her own ignorance blocks her from attaining full understanding. Eventually, her frustration culminates when visiting the Marabar Caves. After inadvertently insulting Aziz by asking how many wives he has, she finds herself alone and exploring the caves. She experiences brief amnesia that leads her to accuse Aziz of assault. As the trial to determine Aziz's guilt approaches, tensions in the city of Chandrapore erupt between the English and the Indians.
    As Adela enters the courtroom on her day to testify, she notices a small man in the back of the room, nearly naked, operating a fan: most likely he is an Untouchable. Forster writes: "He had the strength and beauty that sometimes comes to flower in Indians of low birth. When the strange race nears the dust and is condemned as untouchable, then nature remembers the physical perfection that she accomplished elsewhere, and throws out a god--not many, but one here and there, to prove to society how little its categories impress her" (Forster 241). That the Untouchable has such a job is an example of government reform at the time. Untouchables were still at work in menial jobs, but they were jobs that did not cost the Untouchables their dignity. Even though this Untouchable has risen above what generations before him had settled for, he is still ignored by society -- he is paid no mind in the courtroom. The idea of social alienation continues when the hysteria of the trial's end erupts onto the streets of Chandrapore. Soon following, he is the only one left in the courtroom: "...before long no one remained on the scene of the fantasy but the beautiful naked god. Unaware that anything unusual had occurred, he continued to pull the cord of his punkah, to gaze at the empty dais and the overturned special chairs, and rhythmically to agitate the clouds of descending dust" (Forster 257).
    Later in the novel, when the Hindus gather in a temple in Mau to celebrate the Festival of Krishna, Forster again describes the Untouchables: "They [the group gathering for worship] were a toiling ryot, whom some call the real India... The assembly was in a tender happy state, unknown to an English crowd, it seethed like a beneficent potion" (Forster 318). This scene indicates that by 1924 (the novel's published year), the question and definition of untouchability had arrived at an international forum. If the group is identified as "the real India," then that generalization means that persons had noticed their plight. As well, this group is described as a gathering where all Indians look the same and are happy. They do not seem to be easily distinguishable as a lowly Untouchable or a high Brahman.
    Today, the fight for Untouchable civil rights continues in Indian politics even though untouchability and the caste system were finally wiped away by a ban by the Indian government. Once known as the Harijans, meaning "God's people," now the Untouchables are known politically as the Dalits, or "the depressed." But because the caste system in India has been outlawed does not mean that it is not still practiced de facto. Dalits, the most often persecuted demographic, still faced major discrimination. These facts gave rise to the Naxalite guerilla movement, the majority members of Naxalite squads being Dalits. A prime example of the Naxalite's goal is the city of Telengana, where the city officials claim that within the past two decades, the caste system and untouchability has become obsolete via pressure from local Naxalite squads. But, what keeps the city from returning to caste system politics is the threat of an uprising or "harsh reprisal" from the Naxalites (Hindustan Times, July 9, 2001). In 1996, the Dalits saw an amazing growth in strength when India's vice president became the country's first vice president of Untouchable background. Also, many ministers and members of Parliament have risen to power despite the mark of their Untouchable background.
    Despite their number (those of Untouchable background make up almost seventy per cent of the country's population, as reported by The Washington Post, September 5, 1996), they still have no voice in any of India's major newspapers. Without a voice, the Indian government can still easily silence the Dalit community. Yet, several smaller newspapers have opted to speak on the Dalits' behalf. Sadly as well, several movements to end the reign of the caste system have proved futile, mostly because they lacked a sustained effort. Rivalries among non-Brahman castes swallowed the movement's original purpose. Economic worries began to amass within the movement as well. Finally, the movement's original purpose of achieving tolerance and abolishing the caste system was lost (The Hindu, July 24, 2001).
    On one side, India is a country with a magnificent history and incredibly beautiful landscapes. But, internally, the caste system is still implemented de facto by citizens despite its being banned by law. In my personal thoughts on the caste system and Untouchability, I am disturbed that such discrimination still exists in the world. The caste system is a Hindu belief in a country that has at least three other major religions in it. I feel the caste system acts as an intimidation tactic to keep groups like the Untouchables from rising to better positions. The caste system obviously does not command with the same force as it did decades ago. But sadly, the caste system is something that India cannot seem to shake. In the final scene of A Passage To India, Aziz, an Indian, and Cecil Fielding, an Englishman, who befriend each other in the novel's beginning, set out on horseback to enjoy themselves and speak of India's future. Both feel that a free, independent, and whole (without the blemish of caste system politics, represented by the fanner in the courtroom) India will one day be achieved. They both agree that the future generations will be the ones who will successfully create a new India by finally setting aside the differences that currently divide their country. As the two agree to a lifelong friendship, their horses ride in different directions and the two are not reunited. The novel closes on this note to illustrate that the time for a whole India had not come yet. Before politics could forge any kind of social achievement, tolerance between the English and the Indians had to be achieved. Similarly, Indians must separate themselves from the archaic system of the caste system that has dominated their culture for centuries. Until this happens, India will not be ready to be whole. One day, such an India will exist -- but as Forster pointed out at the end of his novel: "No, not yet" (Forster 362).

Bibliography

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