By Manjula Pradeep for Twocircles.net
After finishing my Masters in Social Work from M. S. University, Vadodara, I immediately joined Navsarjan Trust, which I am heading at present. Having come from the Dalit community, I never realised that Dalits in India are suffering from various forms of discrimination and if they try to fight against the same, they face violence and atrocities. While moving around in the rural areas of Gujarat and not very far from big cities, I could see the fear and understand the pain of my community of being treated untouchable in their daily lives.
Their silence speaks about their sense of frustration and hopelessness with the system and society, who never accepts them as human beings. We have witnessed and handled several cases of violence against Dalits, when they try to enter village temples that are constructed from panchayat money. There are villages like Galsana, Vanthad, Transad in Ahmedabad district, Rampar in Surendranagar district, Bhetasi in Anand district, Jaspur in Vadodara district, Kherpur in Mehsana district, Radhvanaj in Kheda district, where Dalits have tried to enter village temple or questioned discrimination against them in village temple resulting in mass attacks, serious injuries and also murder.
In 2010, we did a study titled “Understanding Untouchability” covering 1589 villages of Gujarat and one of the core areas within the 98 forms of untouchability against Dalits was discrimination against them at religious places, religious occasions/festivities, religious rituals, use of religious utensils, etc. The findings of this study pertaining to discrimination in this category are as below:
1. Non Dalits not entering religious places of Dalits – 83.1 % villages
2. Dalits cannot participate in Navratri Dance festival organized by village panchayats – 85.2% villages
3. Dalits cannot enter village temples- 90.8% villages
4. Dalits cannot participate in Satsang – 91.1% villages
5. Dalits are discriminated in offering Prasad by the village priests – 92.3% villages
6. Dalits are seated separately or not allowed to attend Katha/parayan organized by village temples – 93.1% villages
7. Dalits are not invited in inauguration of a new temple – 95.6% villages
8. Non Dalit priests refuse to offer services to Dalits – 96.9% villages
9. Dalits are not allowed to enter the temples of Hindu goddesses in the village – 97.2% villages
10. Services of Dalit women or men priests are refused by Non Dalits – 97.2% villages
11. Dalits are not allowed to touch worship articles by Non Dalits – 97.3% villages
The present sad situation in the state of Gujarat is that the State government continues to deny the existence of untouchability in any form against Dalits and hence the Dalits continue to live in fear and hopelessness in so called developed and vibrant state of Gujarat. But they shall continue to strive for their rights, which are guaranteed in the Constitution of India.
Jai Bhim.
Manjula Pradeep is the Executive Director of Navsarjan, a grassroots Dalit organisation. The content was taken from her Facebook post.