INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU

Untouchability unlimited

WHEN the Constitution of India outlawed untouchability
in 1950, many national leaders believed that an
obnoxious, “centuries-old” practice had been brought
to an end. But now, nearly 60 years later, no honest
politician can vouchsafe for the total success of the
statutory measure.

Millions of Dalits across the country, who account for
roughly one-fifth of the population, continue to
suffer birth-based discrimination and humiliation.
Ironically, Tamil Nadu, which boasts a long history of
reformist movements, is no exception. In fact,
untouchability has not only survived the
constitutional ban but taken new avatars in many parts
of the State. Caste-based discrimination has often led
to violence, leaving hundreds of the disadvantaged
people in distress, particularly in the 1990s.

Study groups have identified over 80 forms of
untouchability, many of which are apparently free
India’s additions to the list. From time immemorial,
Dalits have been deprived of their right to education
and the right to possess land and other forms of
property. Left with nothing but their physical labour
to earn their livelihood, they have all along been
forced to do the toughest and most menial jobs for
survival.

Apart from the denial of access to public roads,
tanks, temples and burial/cremation grounds, there are
other forms of untouchability. Segregation of Dalits
is seen almost everywhere in Tamil Nadu’s villages.
But nothing can perhaps beat the high wall, 500 metres
long, that has been built at Uthapuram in Madurai
district as a barrier between Dalits and caste Hindus.

While untouchability is still rampant and is taking
new forms, particularly in villages, the
constitutional ban and the compulsions of modernity
and development have to some extent blunted its
rigour.

Rail transport, for instance, has been a unifying
force in society. Yet, the Railways have been among
the worst offenders in respect of the law against
manual scavenging. Dalits constitute a significant
portion of its workforce of manual scavengers along
railway lines. Although all State governments claim
that they have abolished manual scavenging, study
reports reveal that the obnoxious practice is very
much alive in many places.

Postmen have also been found to practise
untouchability. A study conducted in Tamil Nadu noted
that in two villages in Madurai district postmen did
not deliver postal articles to Dalit addressees;
Dalits were required to collect the articles at the
post office.

The study, conducted by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability
Elimination Front (TNUEF), also identified certain
road transport-related violations of the law against
untouchability. Among them is the unwritten rule that
gives caste Hindus priority over Dalits in boarding
buses in many areas, buses not stopping in Dalit
areas, transport employees picking quarrels with Dalit
passengers without provocation, and Dalits not being
allowed to use bus shelters. And how many of us know
that the State government still follows a traditional
procedure of making announcements in villages by
beating a drum, and for that they deploy Dalits?

Worse still are the roles of schools and teachers in
perpetuating untouchability and sowing the seeds of
caste-related discrimination in young minds.

The study found that Dalit children were often
discouraged by teachers and fellow-students belonging
to caste Hindu social groups. In many schools Dalit
pupils were not allowed to share water with caste
Hindus. To punish an erring or naughty Dalit boy,
teachers were known to scold him calling him by his
caste name. If the teacher decided that the boy needed
a beating as punishment, the task was assigned to
another Dalit boy. Above all, the study found a
systematic refusal of admission to Dalits in certain
schools, particularly at the Plus Two level.

One of the findings was that in some areas
untouchability was practised even in the outlets of
the Public Distribution System (PDS). Dalits were
reportedly asked to collect their rations only on
particular days of the week. Even in respect of the
quantum of the supplies, Dalits were discriminated
against, the study found.

These apart, the study found some quirky restrictions
on Dalits. They were, for instance, forbidden from
keeping male dogs. In some villages, during the temple
festival Dalits were supposed to stay hidden from
caste Hindus. The two-tumbler system, under which
Dalits and non-Dalits were served tea in different
vessels, was still prevalent in teashops in many
places and in some village eateries Dalits were
compelled to sit on the floor.

The president of the TNUEF, P. Sampath, told Frontline
that none of the 47 villages the study team visited in
Madurai district was free from untouchability. He
hoped that the government would initiate remedial
measures to end the practise in respect of government
departments, public utilities and State sector
undertakings to start with.