Trigger warning: casteism, death, sexual violence
Jai Bheem karein! Chalo bhaiyon, aage badhe, chalo! (Say victory to Bheem! And, let’s move forward, brothers!)
At present, we are hearing of instances of Muslim hatred and Islamophobia all around the world. There is now a list of useless, hate speeches by mongers.
In such an environment, I am touched by a story I read recently: Karukku. It is the autobiography of a Dalit, woman writer named Bama. The book symbolises Dalit upheaval. I am an admirer of Bama since my college days. I love reading her work. I have also read her other works “Sangati” (1994) and “Vanmam” (2002).
Bama fits well into our current times as a voice of the marginalised section of India. By this, I intend to highlight her intersectionality as a Dalit, Christian woman, and the agony she experienced in her life.
Karukku gives a us a gist of the miseries and humiliations of Bama. In this work, she expressed her sorrows as a Dalit, deprived female. After reading it, I realised that we are in need of rising up against this discrimination and torture now.
Atrocities Against Dalit People Are Rising
My voice is always with my Dalit brothers and sisters who have been tortured since many years. They are marginalised, oppressed and subjugated on the educational and social fronts. It is interesting to note that the word “Dalit” was first used by Jyotirao Phule in the 19th century.
Crimes against Dalits happen all across India, but some states are dominating others. Uttar Pradesh recorded an extreme of 36,467 cases of crime against scheduled castes (SC) in three years, according to data from the home ministry. They are targeted by Savarna castes and molested by them.
Moreover, Bihar recorded 20,973 cases; Rajasthan saw 18,418 cases; and Madhya Pradesh 16,952 cases.
It would be apt to read some lines by poet Rahul Gade here:
“now hear the unheard cries
of dalit women plight
upper caste takes pride
humanity here despise
seeing the cruelty dies
of high caste females crucify
mercilessly their own gender
in the name of caste blunder
mutely supporting the plunder
of dalit women, who wonder
the silence of own gender
on the sight of femininity”
Dalit People Face Discrimination And Casteism
I usually discuss these issues with the sweepers and other people from the Dalit community around me. The ground reality is full of agony. They told me that, “We cannot sit in front of people from Savarna castes and classes.”
People from the Dom caste cremate the dead bodies of Hindu persons. They pull the heavy stems of trees and arrange them properly. If they don’t, who will cremate dead bodies and do the other work related to the funeral rituals. Will the so-called “upper” Hindu castes be able to perform this task?
We can’t access education. If we get a good job, the privileged classes can’t bear it. If we progress, “upper” castes cannot tolerate it and they suppress us. Currently, the voice of Dalits that has been emerging, is considerable.
The caste structure is entrenched in our social fabric. It is very difficult to expel this structure. Unfortunately, the gang rape of a girl and the gang rape of a Dalit girl, change the seriousness with which these heinous crimes are treated.
One question that always shakes me up is if Dalits are perceived as “muddy”, “untouchable” and “profane” by the Savarna castes, then how are they okay with raping Dalit people? This bigotry must end!
Babasaheb Ambedkar Showed Us The Way Forward
Dalits have been killed and raped, but no one came to their rescue. Sometimes, a Dalit person has been tortured by taking off their clothes, beating them and humiliating them. Recently, a Dalit man was killed in Rajasthan merely for growing a moustache.
It’s disheartening to see these instances happening endlessly, throughout the country. Cases have been registered, but our Dalit brothers and sisters are not getting the justice they deserve. They are forced to live their lives in terrible conditions.
Raising their volume against discrimination, injustice, racism, casteism and hatred, from all the crooks in our country, is the right way to deal with monsters who are brutally suppressing the Dalits. Dalits shine with dignity when they stand up for themselves.
Also, education is the way to gain jobs and respect in society. It will help us eliminate Brahminism and casteism from our society. This was our Babasaheb’s (BR Ambedkar) way, on which he marched and became a great person and Indian. He is our role model and we just need to march on the way he showed us.
Jai Bhim!