Problems and Prospects of Dalits

Dalits are India's former “untouchables”, so called because their touch was considered polluting due to the work they did – handling dead matter (the hides of animals, tanning, and cutting hair) or faeces. The fight against untouchability is of long standing. The efforts of two great modern Indian leaders, however, had the greatest impact in bringing public awareness of the need for eradicating this acute and particu¬lar form of oppression: Mahatma Gandhi – who called them “Harijans” or “children of God”, and B.R. Ambedkar, a brilliant lawyer, himself from an untouchable caste. In this paper I wish to present the devastating effects of the caste system on the educational, social, and economical status of dalits. My aim is to highlight the harsh reality of the suppression, struggle and torture, a dalit faces every day of their miserable lives. The hardships of dalit are not simply due to their poverty, economical status, or lack of education, but are a direct result of the severe exploitation and suppression by the upper classes, which is legitimized by Hindu religious scriptures.