INDIA BIBLE COLLEGE & SEMINARY
A Paper Presentation on: DALIT ISSUES
Subject : Christian Ethics
Class : M.Div-II
Submitted by : Manu Cherian Thomas
Submitted to : Dr. Shaibu Abraham
Introduction
Indian society is a caste based society. The people in a society are vertically stratified on the
basis of caste. Caste discrimination is widespread in India even today, though the Constitution of India
has banned it. Dalits are the people who are excluded or isolated from the main framework of society.
Dalit issues are one of the major focal point for India. This paper tries to explain the issues faced by the
dalits and formulating an ethical response to this problem.
The Term ‘DALIT’
Dalits, the plural of dalit, in Sanskrit is both a noun and an adjective. As a noun, dalit can be
used for all three genders, masculine, feminine and neuter. It has been derived from the root dal which
means to crack, open, split, etc. when used as a noun or adjective, it means burst, split, broken or torn
asunder, downtrodden, scattered, crushed, destroyed, etc.1
Etymology
The word "Dalit" comes from the Sanskrit, and means "ground", "suppressed", "crushed", or
"broken to pieces". It was first used by Jyotirao Phule in the nineteenth century, in the context of the
oppression faced by the former "untouchable" castes of the twice-born Hindus. Dalit is a designation
for a group of people traditionally regarded as untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of
numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of
religions. There are many different names proposed for defining this group of people including
Panchamas ("fifth varna"), and Asprushya ("untouchables").2
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi coined the word Harijan, translated roughly as "Children of
God", to identify the former Untouchables. The terms "Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes" (SC/ST)
are the official terms used in Indian government documents to identify former "untouchables" and
tribes. However, in 2008 the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, noticing that "Dalit" was used
interchangeably with the official term "scheduled castes", called the term "unconstitutional" and asked
state governments to end its use.3
Who are the Dalits?
According to ‘traditional theory’, which believes that caste has a divine origin, castes were
created by Brahma, the supreme creator. According to the ‘Purushasukta’ hymn of the Rig-Veda, the
Brahman is supposed to have been born from the mouth of the Supreme Being, the Kshatriyas from the
arms, the Vaishyas from the thighs and the Sudras from the feet. According to the doctrine of Karma
and Dharma, a man is born in a particular caste because of the result of his actions in his previous
incarnation (purva janma). Depending upon the karma of the previous incarnation, a person may ascend
or descend in his caste level.4 From time immemorial, a segment of humanity in India has not been
1
James Massey, ed., Indigenous People: Dalits – Dalits Issues in Today’s Theological Debate (Delhi: ISPCK, 1998), 6.
2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit
3
Ibid.
4
Parimal B. Kar, Sociology The Disciplines and its Dimensions (Kolkata: New Central Book Agency, 1990),132.
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designated in any one of the above caste levels but is considered out-casted and is excluded from the
varnasrama system of Hindu society and are considered as Untouchables. 5 There are a number of
theories put forward by scholars to explain the origin of the Dalits: social ostracism due to mixed
marriage of different groups, subjugation after military defeat of the invaders, economic exploitation
and religious sanction by the dominant castes, etc. It is fairly certain that the origin of this group had an
economic base. The fact is that Dalits occupy the very lowest strata in the caste system. The Dalits
account for 16.48 % of Indian population and they are not a homogeneous group. 6
Social status of Dalits
In the context of traditional Hindu society, Dalit status has often been historically associated
with occupations regarded as ritually impure, such as any involving leatherwork, butchering, or
removal of rubbish, animal carcasses, and waste. Dalits worked as manual laborers cleaning streets,
latrines, and sewers. Engaging in these activities was considered to be polluting to the individual, and
this pollution was considered contagious. As a result, Dalits were commonly segregated, and banned
from full participation in Hindu social life. For example, they could not enter a temple or a school, and
were required to stay outside the village. Elaborate precautions were sometimes observed to prevent
incidental contact between Dalits and other castes. Discrimination against Dalits still exists in rural
areas in the private sphere, in everyday matters such as access to eating places, schools, temples and
water sources. It has largely disappeared in urban areas and in the public sphere. Some Dalits have
successfully integrated into urban Indian society, where caste origins are less obvious and less
important in public life. In rural India, however, caste origins are more readily apparent and Dalits often
remain excluded from local religious life, though some qualitative evidence suggests that its severity is
fast diminishing.7
Modern India
Since 1950, India has enacted and implemented many laws and social initiatives to protect and
improve the socio-economic conditions of its Dalit population. By 1995, of all jobs in India, 17.2
percent of the jobs were held by Dalits, greater than their proportion in Indian population. Of the
highest paying, senior most jobs in government agencies and government controlled enterprises, over
10 percent of all highest paying jobs were held by members of the Dalit community, a tenfold increase
in 40 years. In 1997, India democratically elected K. R. Narayanan, a Dalit, as the nation's President. In
last 15 years, Indians born in historically discriminated minority castes have been elected to its highest
judicial and political offices. The quality of life of Dalit population in India, in 2001, in terms of
metrics such as access to health care, life expectancy, education attainability, access to drinking water,
housing, etc. was statistically similar to overall population of modern India. In 2010, international
attention was drawn to the Dalits by an exhibition featuring portraits depicting the lives of Dalits by
Marcus Perkins.8
Issues or Sufferings Dalits Undergo
They were outcaste and treated as Untouchables and forced to live outside the villages which
were inhabited by ‘pure’ people. They were counted as exterior castes or menial castes. 9 They still face
economic, social, cultural, and political discrimination in the name of caste. Dalits are not allowed to
fetch water from the same wells used by higher castes, visit the same temples, and drink from the same
cup at local tea shops, or claim land that is legally theirs. Dalit children who attend school must sit in
5
Somen Das, Christian Ethics and Indian Ethos (Delhi:ISPCK,2009),125.
6
L.Stanislaus, The Liberative Mission of the Church among Dalit Christians (Delhi: ISPCK, 1999),7-8.
7
M.Stephen, Introducing Christian Ethics (Delhi: ISPCK, 2003), 267-268.
8
Op.cit., L.Stanislaus.
9
Bhagwan Das and James Massey, eds., Dalit Solidarity (Delhi: ISPCK, 1995), 35.
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the back of the classrooms. Moreover, the villages where Dalits live have limited or no access to public
transportation, health care, or educational, political, or legal institutions.10
Caste and Casteism
Whole Indian society is divided vertically into thousands of castes and subcastes. Untouchables
are divided into more than sixty castes. Like all other castes each of the Scheduled Castes
(Untouchables) looks down upon the neighboring caste. Even after conversion to religion like
Christianity, converts remain divided on caste lines. One can change religion but not one’s caste. Caste
is the bane of Indian society but caste is the worst enemy of the Dalits.11
Education
It is often argued that the quality of education in public schools is inadequate compared to
private schools. The poor quality of education, especially in rural areas, can be attributed to inadequate
infrastructure, lack of accountability of teachers to local community (teachers’ salaries are controlled
by the state), and inadequate work conditions of teachers (teachers are often compelled to teach more
than one grade at a time). Of all Indian children, Dalit children suffer the most. For example, school
attendance in 1998–1999 was 65.7% for Scheduled Caste children age 7‐17, compared to 81.3% for
high caste children (Jenkins & Barr, 2006). Furthermore, the completion rate of five years of schooling
for Scheduled Caste from 2002‐2004 was 34%, compared to 44% for higher castes.12
Employment Opportunities
Although outlawed, approximately two‐thirds of bonded laborers (debt servitude or
forced labor) belong to Dalits. Bonded labor is the traditional expectation of free labor or inadequate
compensation for work. Because they are unable to afford basic necessities, such as health care, Dalits
often become indebted to employers after accepting loans which they are unable to repay due to
insufficient wages. Women and children are primarily engaged in “civic sanitation work” (i.e., manual
scavenging, even though this has been outlawed), followed by leather fraying in tanning and footwear
manufacturing; many Dalit men are agricultural workers. Moreover, entrepreneurial opportunities are
extremely limited for Dalits as they lack both capital and the collateral to secure loans. Even if they are
successful in opening small businesses, non‐Dalits will not patronize those shops.13
Dalit Women
Dalit women are kidnapped by upper caste men who after pretending to have fallen in love and
after satisfying their lust throw them in the streets or sell them to brothels in the metropolitan cities.
Dalit women work in the homes, fields, forests, hospitals, hostels, air-ports and railway stations, etc.,
they are exposed to much sexual harassment and exploitation. So, Baba Saheb Ambedkar had advised
the Dalit women to keep some chilly powder handy, to temporarily incapacitate the offenders. 14
Migration
Dalits often migrate in search of work. Although poor non‐Dalits migrate in search of
employment, Dalits are much more afflicted by migration. The main cause of this migration is lack of
10
Somen, Op.cit., 267.
11
Bhagwan Das, op.cit., 59.
12
Op.cit., Stanilaus, 42-48.
13
Ibid.
14
Bhagwan Das, op.cit., 74.
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land ownership, exacerbated by droughts. The majority of Dalit in rural areas have no financial
recourses, such as loans, to survive economic hardships.15
Land Disputes
These disputes relate to land redistribution, allotment of housing sites by the government,
cultivable land, irrigation rights, and land alienation (e.g., land grabbing). For example, Dalits lose their
land in acquisition or to irrigation projects under the garb of development. Use of common pasture and
farming in community lands in the villages have also led to disputes between higher‐caste landlords
and Dalits. Most often, the powerful upper castes encroach upon Dalits’ lands and resistance is met
with violence. About 75% of Dalits are considered completely landless. Some examples: In 2003, 7,000
Dalits were forced from their homes in Calcutta so that plans for beautification and development could
be undertaken. Bulldozers, fire brigades, ambulances, and a 500‐man Rapid Action Force entered the
community, and demolished hundreds of houses, temples, statues, and a school. Seven hundred families
were with nowhere to live.16
Lack of Civic Facilities
The word ‘atrocity’ is used in India in relation to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled tribes etc.,
who are subjected to violence and brutalities, especially in the rural areas by the upper caste. ‘Atrocity’
is not a legal term.17 Atrocities pertaining to civic facilities are frequently related to lack of essential
facilities or limited access to facilities in Dalit localities. For example, in central state of Madhya
Pradesh an entire village was set on fire by a mob of 300 people, resulting in the death of 3Dalits. This
incident was provoked by the installation of a new hand‐pump for a water‐starved Dalit village. In the
southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, the dead bodies of two aged women were held on
the pathway because of disputes regarding access to the segregated Dalit burial ground. This is because
of the lack of the civic facilities to the Dalit peoples.18
Theological – Ethical Response Of Christians and Church
God Jesus Christ is a sensitive God – sensitive about age-old, institutionalized suffering and
oppression of a vast segment of the Indian society called the Dalits. The suffering servant in the Old
Testament, passion narratives and particularly, the story from Gethsemane to Golgotha are reminders of
God’s involvement in and of identification with human and historic suffering. God comes to liberate
and save. As Christians, as Pentecostals, it is our responsibility to work for the liberation of the dalits at
the socio-economic-political level without separating these three areas of human life. We have to work
at a structural-systematic level. In this way, we demonstrate our faithfulness and obedience to a faithful
and righteous God.
According to Christian faith, God sees that the earth and the creatures that He has created are
good (Gen. 1:18, 21, and 31). God created the world through His Word. The cosmos is described as the
visible expression of the invisible power of God. God created man in His own image and likeness. The
image of God is being handed down from generation to generation. The dignity of human person lies in
his/her being created in God’s own image. This means a call to love one another and to look at others
equally considering them equal to us. The Triune God is a God of community, justice and fraternity.
15
Op.cit., Stanislaus., 52-53.
16
Ibid.
17
Bhagwan Das, op.cit., 88.
18
Ibid.
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Each human person shares the same dignity, and so Dalits and all humans are equal. Hence, they are
entitled to equal rights and responsibilities in the society.
The Bible states that all human beings are created with equal dignity and no one is to be
discriminated against. Jesus Christ regarded highly the dignity and status of all so called outcastes like
Samaritans, lepers, diseased, non-Jews and the poor. The Christian community and Church should be
an agent of transformation in the society to challenge what is evil. It should also act as a model by
which others can also follow the right path. It is important to know that man is God’s creation and he
should not be discriminated against for any reason.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we must assert that the Indian Christian Ethics must go beyond the colonial-
missionary, Brahmanic-sanskrit categories. It must develop a definitive post-colonial, post-missionary,
post-brahmanic-sanskritic Indian Christian Ethics. To do this, it will be necessary for theologians and
ethicists to incorporate in their formulations the stories, the experiences, the suffering of the dalits. The
church must unite and stand against this evil practice of discriminating people on the basis of caste,
because we are all created in one image and likeness.
Bibiography
Das, Bhagwan and James Massey. Eds. Dalit Solidarity. Delhi: ISPCK, 1995.
Das, Somen. Christian Ethics and Indian Ethos. Delhi: ISPCK, 2001.
Dionysius Rasquinha. The Dalit Quest. Delhi: ISPCK, 2013.
L. Stanislaus. The Liberative Mission of the Church among the Dalit Christians. Delhi: ISPCK, 1999.
Massey, James. Ed. Indigenous People: Dalits – Dalits Issues in Today’s Theological Debate. Delhi:
ISPCK,
1998.
Mabry, Hunter P. Ed. Doing Christian Ethics: Context and Perspective. Bangalore: Board of
Theological
Education of the Senate of Serampore College, 2004.
Stephen. M. Introducing Christian Ethics. Delhi: ISPCK, 2003.
Tayongtemjen. Introduction to Christian Ethics. Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2013.
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