India Untouched is a must-watch documentary for every Indian. I watched parts of this documentary on Amir Khan's TV show Satyamev Jayate. I am not recommending it just because of its subject which is the practice of untouchability in Indian society at various levels and in various ways but also to understand how deep-rooted this problem is, how brainwashed people are, even after all the economic and intellectual progress which we have achieved over these years, even after presence of glorious past which we all Indians proudly mention everywhere, how our present society is still engaged in practicing this heinous discriminatory culture.
This documentary is very well made and doesn't target any particular religion or region of India, rather, it tries to show how this social evil is practiced all over India and by almost all religions in India. This practice is not only among uneducated or poor people as normally educated people would like to think but people from all sections of society engage in these discriminatory activities. The documentary shows very nicely how these things are cultivated in people's minds as a part of tradition and culture. Even if they know untouchability is not right still they feel obliged to practice it because they were told to do so. Even two best friends don't drink water at each other's home just because they belong to different castes. They love each other and help each other but cannot break this social barrier and they don't even feel that there is any need to break this tradition. It shows how deep-rooted this discriminatory mindset is and how challenging it is to remove it. The documentary also does a good job of showing how kids learn about these things at a very early age from their elders or surroundings and start practicing it even in their schools where it should not be allowed at all. Even people from so-called lower castes discriminate among themselves. They face discrimination from the so-called upper caste people but in turn, they also discriminate against some castes who are supposedly even lower than them and don't even feel they are doing anything wrong. There is no surprise that women face discrimination at every level doesn't matter which caste or religion they belong to.
Today many people like to believe that untouchability is an outdated concept in Indian society, and as we don't see it anymore so it doesn't exist. I agree that it's not visible in its old form but one can feel it in many different ways. The way of discrimination has changed but the spirit of untouchability is still very much there. The mindset is changing very slowly but still, there is something that stops many people from forgetting about their caste and their social status because of that caste. Still, many are there who feel that they are superior or inferior to people around them just because they belong to some particular caste. We can still see many associations, groups, and even Facebook pages based on castes and religions. People like to sing glories about their own superiority and the qualities of their caste. These all look harmless activities but some of these actions breed feelings of hatred towards others who don't belong to that group and then this is the same feeling that eventually leads to social evils like untouchability or discrimination. Untouchability should not have any place in today's society. Wherever we see it we should question and protest against it. If we remain just a silent witness then this is indirect approval from our side. So, let's have zero tolerance for such discriminatory practices. This horrible practice can be eliminated only by people, no law or punishment can change the mindset of people. The fight against this social evil has been going on for decades but still, this thing managed to survive in the name of culture, religion, and tradition. Please watch this documentary and get educated about this issue and let's try our best to eradicate it from this world.
Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.
Today many people like to believe that untouchability is an outdated concept in Indian society, and as we don't see it anymore so it doesn't exist. I agree that it's not visible in its old form but one can feel it in many different ways. The way of discrimination has changed but the spirit of untouchability is still very much there. The mindset is changing very slowly but still, there is something that stops many people from forgetting about their caste and their social status because of that caste. Still, many are there who feel that they are superior or inferior to people around them just because they belong to some particular caste. We can still see many associations, groups, and even Facebook pages based on castes and religions. People like to sing glories about their own superiority and the qualities of their caste. These all look harmless activities but some of these actions breed feelings of hatred towards others who don't belong to that group and then this is the same feeling that eventually leads to social evils like untouchability or discrimination. Untouchability should not have any place in today's society. Wherever we see it we should question and protest against it. If we remain just a silent witness then this is indirect approval from our side. So, let's have zero tolerance for such discriminatory practices. This horrible practice can be eliminated only by people, no law or punishment can change the mindset of people. The fight against this social evil has been going on for decades but still, this thing managed to survive in the name of culture, religion, and tradition. Please watch this documentary and get educated about this issue and let's try our best to eradicate it from this world.
Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.
(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)
Reference:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgDGmYdhZvU
No comments:
Post a Comment