In Ahmedabad, it is customary for the sweepers (I would call them “cleaning helpers” here after) of the colony to go door to door and ask for food which they call ‘vadu’. Every household gives them the leftover food so that they can have dinner. They are not beggars but this is what they charge with minimal fees they get. Since Gujarat is a fast developing state and is more prosperous as compared to any other state of India the following incident came as a shock to me.
I was standing in front of my house while our cleaning helpers were taking food from the opposite house. The lady (Rama) along with her daughters cleans our surroundings with minimal fees of Rs. 20 a month and some food from every household in the evening. Today her daughters were not along with her. She seemed clearly tired.
My neighbor (Let us call her Sonal) is a typical so called broad minded Gujarati lady. While Sonal was giving Rama food carefully so that her plate doesn’t touch Rama’s vessel, Rama asked her for water. Sonal didn’t want to entertain this demand but couldn’t help it as I was standing there. She asked her daughter to get water for Rama.
Sonal’s daughter came and handed over a glass of water to Rama. Sonal was furious. She immediately grabbed the glass back and started yelling at her daughter. She said with anger, “Aavi rite oli achut ne akhu glass hath ma su karva apyu?” (Why did you give the glass to that untouchable?) Tears rolled down from Rama’s eyes. She looked at me and said, “lekhak ben, kaij nathi badlayu.” (Writer madam, nothing has changed). She left dejected.
Sonal was still furious. She looked at me seeking sympathy for her anger and said, “Aa badhi vaaton chopdiyo ma j saari lage.”(These equality talks look good only in books). I was stunned by this incident and never expected this from our “progressive” and “broad-minded” society
According to Wikipedia, Untouchability is the status of certain social groups confined to menial and despised jobs. It is associated with the Hindu caste. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), crime is committed against a Dalit by a non-Dalit every sixteen minutes.
The untouchability dilemma in India reads like an entire data sheet of tragedies. Despite there being provision on abolition of untouchability in our Constitution under Article 17, the evil is still prevailing in our country.
The situation is alarming. It is high time we change this mindset and treat everyone as equal. Practice of untouchability is an offence and anyone doing so is punishable by law. Let’s think on what can be done:
1. Most importantly the upper caste should stop acknowledging themselves as superior and should also stop passing it to their coming generations.
2. All the professions in the world should be treated with respect.
3. Awareness should be spread and rigidity towards caste should be stopped at the earliest.
Only then the “Right to equality” will get its true meaning.
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