THE “Organizer” the English weekly of the RSS, published an article, “Some thoughts to ponder for the Harijan brothers”,(Sept. 13, 1987) expressing fears that the Untouchables are becoming Muslims and Christians and they are demanding a separate spiritual identity. Dalits have also started saying that they are of prevedic origin. Their anti— Hinduism rests on the fact that Hinduism is nothing but Brahminism and that “Hindu moral order is based on birth”. Besides this, they think Hindu worldview is hierarchical, and that the term ‘Hindu’ is “amorphous”.

The discussion on the spiritual side of the Dalit problem is not as important as the religion social side or it. Dualism, monism, etc., are all matters of discussion only for those who lead a comfortable life, free from persecution.

The article accuses Harijans of entertaining ‘hatred’ against the upper castes (UCs) (DV edit, April 1). As a Dalit living in a village, I say this charge is false. If the Dalits were to actually learn to strike back at upper class, with the same weapon of ‘hatred’, which the upper castes had so long used against us, the question of separate identity would not have arisen at all. From the day Buddhism was destroyed down to our age, the “hatred” of the upper castes against Dalits has been ever on the rise. A reading of the Govt. of India report on violence on Dalits will convince the truth of the argument. The same upper castes are accusing us of “hating” them. It is like thieves crying out ‘thief,

“Thief” to outwit the people trying to spot the real thief getting mingled with the crowd. Upper castes have no heart to treat us as human beings. Drona cut off the thumb of Ekalavya merely for the ‘offence’ that being an Untouchable, he became a good archer and surpassed upper castes Arjun.

Vivekananda, who is said to have made a religious conquest in the west, had to face the ire of the Brahmins when he went to Madras. Tamil Brahmins asked him why being a Sudra (Vivekananda was a Kayasth) he could read the Veda. In reply, he said “If lama sudra, then, you the Brahmins of Madras, are the pariah of pariahs”. Brahmins refused to meet his travel expenditure to USA to attend the World Congress of Religions. Finally it was some non-Brahmin ruler of South who paid the bill. There is no word which Vivekananda spared to expose Brahmins (Read: Vivekananda’s own book: Caste, Culture and Socialism.

Dal it’s are pre Aryan: Dalits are also being accused of thinking. Themselves to be preAryan. Their fear is that such an identity will separate them from the brahmanical order. Is it erroneous on the part of the Dalits to think that “Hinduism” is nothing but Brahminism? That Dalits as original inhabitants of India are of prevedic origin is a historical fact. And that is why Brahmins assigned them the lowest place in the social hierarchy. The “Hindu” society is divided into 1,000 castes and 30,000 subcastes in a hierarchical order Brahmins put at the top of the ladder and the Dalits thrown to the bottom of this pit. Untouchables and Brahmins have ever remained human gods (Bhoodeyatas). Even now, these children of god (Harijans) are not allowed to enter the abode (the temple) of their father. Then how can they think themselves to be “Hindus”?

So far as the term ‘Hindu’ is concerned it is certainly “amorphous’. It is a derogatory term, used by the Persians to describe those who lived on the banks of the river Sindhu.

Upper caste monopoly: Though these statements have been made in the form of an accusation, the truth inherent in them is incontrovertible. It is only the deaf and the blind who will disown this truth. Upper castes who constitute only 10% of the total population have a firm hold on India’s political, economic and religious field. In the religious field, they are the gods and semi gods. In the economic field, they are the owners of all industries and business. They control the banks. In the political field, they are the leaders of all parties, ministers, MPs and MLAs. Again in the administrative field, they hold all key posts. They control the police, judiciary and the press. They are also controlling field, only the upper castes are holding all the key posts, To speak the truth, the position of the Dalits, tribals and backward castes is worse than animals.

Who kept us separate?: The Organiser article wanted “to keep aside theoretical and historical dissection of the claim” of Dalits “for original and separate identity”.

I think, if a historical dissection is made, it would be quite clear that “separate identity” is imposed upon Dalits by the upper castes. It is they who are compelling us to be separate even when we wanted to unite with them.

Brahminism, in its present form, does not allow the sudras to take part in worshipping the gods and goddesses, they are not allowed to enter the temple even to offer “prayers”. Upper castes are seen fondling dogs on their laps. But, if Dalits go near them, they set these dogs against them. That means they love dogs more than human beings. Dalits are worse than animals.

Islam & Christianity: Does Islam preach this sort of thing? Does Christianity say that human beings are untouchables? NO. But Brahminism says so. Then, how can it be said that Islam? For the last few years Dalits are being burnt alive, their villages attacked. A few years ago, in Gujarat, upper caste medicos started antireservationists agitation against scheduled castes on the ground that reservation system is killing “merit” and upper caste are being denied admission to the medical colleges. Soon the antireservationists agitation turned into a “caste war”. Does this prove that upper caste have a “Harijan Hindus”. If Harijans are Hindus why did the upper caste Hindus kill our people? Does it prove that they belong to the same religion, same society? Upper castes since the days of the Mahabharat have never learnt to treat Dalits as human beings. Hatred of the Dalits is in their blood.

Now, the same upper castes are blaming us that we are fanning hatred against them.

 

Of late, one thing has become prominent scheduled castes and backward classes have started protesting any beastly treatment by the upper castes, that is why this conflict between scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward classes and upper castes. We are asserting our human rights which upper castes describe as fanning hatred.

Conversions: Conversion to egalitarian religions is increasing. Whole North West India has become Christian. Assam has become a Muslim majority province. West Bengal is also heading towards Islam. Mass conversion ta. Islam in Meenakshipuram rocked the whole country. Already the death knell of upper caste imperialism is being heard. But upper castes are deaf,

Who persecuted Shivaji? History says even Shivaji, who fought Aurangzeb and considered by upper castes as the “savior of Hinduism”, suffered at the hands of the Brahmins, They refused to crown him saying that a shudra cannot claim the Kshatriya status. He then bribed a Brahmin from Banares who fabricated the caste status of Shivaji.

Is war Chandra Vidya Sagar despite being a Brahmin had to fight Brahmins all his life for introducing widow marriage?

Raja Rammohan Roy, also a Brahmin, had to fight against the Brahmins to do away with the sati (widow burning)

Devadasi, prostitution of Dalit girls, is still prevalent in South India, but no Shankaracharya has denounced this criminal custom.

Seeing all these, if anyone thinks that beastliness is the other name of Brahminism, will he be wrong? Upper castes should ponder whether beastly acts can be permitted in the name of “Hinduism”?

A religion devoid of humanism is no religion at all. It is a stinking dead body.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 13, 1988