Even after 70 years of commencement of the Constitution of India, we are shocked to see the news of a 17 years old boy shot dead in UP. Why? Because he tried to enter into a temple in Uttar Pradesh. The people are still instilled with hatred for the conventional “untouchables”, the Bahujans or the Dalits. Why is that? Why are we not able to secure equality, liberty and justice for the Dalits and other “lower castes”? Why are they still discriminated even after having “Right to Equality”? Have our Constitution failed us or we have failed our Constitution? These are a few questions which are pertinent for discussion in the 21st century.
What could be the real method of breaking up the caste system? It is, definitely, to destroy the religious notions on which Caste was founded. Just like we threw Englishmen out of our nation because no country is fit to rule another; the same way no caste is fit to rule another. No one can tell any other person what to do or what not to do. The rights flow from the Constitution and not even the Parliament is bigger than the Constitution. But the Constitution cannot (and it has failed to) bring a revolution, unless it is preceded by social and religious revolutions.
This could be illustrated by the fact that religion is the source of power where a priest holds a sway over the common man often greater than the magistrate and where everything, even such things as strikes and elections, so easily take a religious turn ad can so easily be given a religious twist. Afterall, religion is the opium of the masses. The Hindu religion, since ancient era, has been inculcating the poison of chaturvarna into the masses where the individuals are blind folded by the “strap of religion”. The human does not care about a fellow human. Humans are stamped as soon as they are born- Brahmins, Kshatriya, Shudra etc. Today, turn in any direction you like, caste is the monster that crosses your path. Neither any political reform nor any economic reform is possible, unless we kill this monster called “caste”.
In Hindu religion, there is no place for individual sentiment, individual preference. Everything is based on the dogma of predestination. Destiny of an unborn child is decided, even before he/she is born. It is social system which embodies the arrogance and selfishness of a perverse section of the Hindus who were superior enough in social status to set it in fashion and who had authority to force it on their inferiors. Caste does not result in economic efficiency. Caste cannot and has not improved the race. Caste however done one thing: it has completely disorganised and demoralised the Hindus, especially the Scheduled Castes. The chaturvarna is impracticable, harmful and has turned out to be a miserable failure.
The Bahujans are still not allowed to enter the temples, the Bahujans cannot sit and eat with the so called “upper caste”, the Bahujans are denied promotions in their service because of the caste and what not. People say the caste does not matter in India now in 2020, but the matter of fact is a teenager belonging to the Scheduled Caste community is afraid to tell his/her friends about his/her caste because there is a fear that he/she will be rejected or looked down upon by his friends. Why is it so, even after so many guarantees under the Constitution? It is because minds are poisoned with caste. Furthermore, our adivasis are still denied of many rights even after “guaranteed” constitutional rights. Why? It is because of one reason, in my knowledge – Caste. The Caste is the real explanation as to why the Hindu has let the savage remain a savage in the midst of his civilisation without blushing or without feeling any sense of remorse or repentance.
Conclusions
Why all the reforms have failed? Why do we have to say that the Constitution has failed to provide enough security to our brothers and sisters from marginalized communities? The reason could be many, but one reason is that, caste in the hands of the orthodox has been a powerful weapon for persecuting the reforms and for killing all reforms. Hence, the minds of the orthodox followers must be revamped, if we want to bring out any reform in the society. If we need to make India great again, if it is good for the social body to get the most out of its members, it can get most out of them only by making them equal as far as possible at the very start of the race. If we want to build a society, then it must not be on the foundations of caste because it will crack and will never be a whole. Destruction of caste is a notional change and it is not just a physical barrier.
So, let us all re-unite and educate those who think that “equality has been achieved” and “the scheduled castes have now come on the same starting line”, because they have not and there is a need to bring a social and religious reform!
References: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Annihilation of Caste, Dalit Sahitya Prakashan (New Delhi)
Editors Note – This article was Appeared first on Dalit Lives Matter Blog