Untouchability - how a precautionary practice turned into a horrible custom?

Untouchability is one of the horrible practices which is still practiced in some parts of India. This evil practice was so common and ingrained in people's minds that it not only became an integral part of Hinduism but also got imported into other religions that are practiced in India. These religions like Christianity or Islam don't have a system of upper caste or lower caste in other parts of the world, but in India, they inherited this local practice as they found it very difficult to break this ancient custom so they just adapted it. I saw this being practiced on many occasions as a child and always wondered why some people are treated like this? This practice raised many questions in my mind, why it is not proper to touch people belonging to a particular caste? What will happen if we drink or eat with the same utensils? I asked many people about why some people are treated in such an inhuman way, but very few offered me any rational explanation apart from giving the standard answer that these people belong to some lower caste that's why they are treated like this or it is their bad karma or it's their fate. These pathetic explanations never satisfied my curiosity, I continued to do my research on this and discussed it with many people who had anything to share related to this subject. My guess is that originally it was some precautionary practice that was started during the pre-sanitation era to avoid the spreading of germs and infections from people who do work where there is a high chance of spreading germs, for example, jobs like cleaning and animal slaughtering. This made sense to control the spread of germs when there was no other way to sanitize things, but only till these people cleaned themselves after finishing their jobs. However, some people in power decided to abuse this by making these people untouchables so that they could force these sections of society into the same professions for generations.

It is possible that many years ago people doing certain types of jobs like waste removal, dead body and animal disposal, haircutting and shaving, butchery, and meat selling, were quarantined because of the nature of their jobs. Basically, people doing all such types of work were at a very high risk of infection or high chances of contamination of some really bad smell or germs and they were treated with special precaution while doing that job so that others around them don't get affected by these things. This was supposed to be a precautionary method to avoid a health risk. Even today we still practice these things in medical science, people use gloves, masks, or special protective clothing to avoid infections or contamination, they don't shake hands while working, and only interact with others outside their professional group after using proper methods of sanitization and cleaning. People with serious infectious diseases like tuberculosis, SARS, or Ebola are quarantined so that infection doesn't spread and becomes a public health crisis. Whenever we go to see a newborn baby we take all precautions so that we don't infect it with germs. But this all is part of a precautionary hygienic lifestyle to avoid health risks. We don't treat a doctor like an untouchable outside the operation theater, we shake hands with janitors or meat factory workers when they are not working and are not required to wear gloves and other protective equipment. In a way, Hinduism is a very tolerant religion so it is strange that such a horrible practice became part of it. One of the biggest failures of Hinduism is its inability to stop such traditions. Discriminatory systems such as the caste system and untouchability are integral parts of Hinduism and even after knowing this, such systems still exist. Things like casteism and untouchability have no place in modern society but still, some people try to keep them alive for their own selfish gains.

We as a society collectively need to fight against such discriminatory practices, no matter what the original intention behind these practices or traditions was, these are social evils and we need to eliminate them. The way these things were practiced in the past and are practiced today is shameful and I hope people stop practicing these things.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

India Untouched - a must watch for every Indian

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.

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)

Reference:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgDGmYdhZvU

Who is Guilty?

This is a very special post, which is why it might look very emotional, lengthy, or even over the top. Many incidents mentioned here are directly or indirectly from my real-life experience.

Recently, I wrote a post about the book Bhagavad Gita As It Is. I discussed a few lines and paragraphs from that book that I found highly objectionable and shallow in their content. I thought those lines were conveying the wrong message to their readers. I received lots of positive as well as negative feedback about this post, on the blog, and also on Facebook, where I share all my posts. People wondered why I could not ignore a few comments from the book; many books make these types of comments, and people should ignore them. This book is not a novel or any magazine for entertainment purposes; it is one of the religious books that people study, read, and derive their beliefs from. Some said it's a great book because it attracts a lot of devotees from the Western world towards Hinduism (I think most people can become ISKON members after reading this book, but not Hindus, as the book is not about Hinduism). Many also advised me that, as a Hindu myself, I should feel happy that my religion is spreading in the world because of this book. Some said it was just a small black spot on a big white paper; I should look at the white paper, not the black spot. But I disagree with all of them, any religious book, Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Qu'ran, or their translations, or any other book if it preaches hatred or discrimination against women or any section of society should be condemned and exposed in a timely manner; otherwise, consequences can be disastrous. Many of these small black spots have, over time, become black pages of our history, for example, untouchability, casteism, Sati Pratha (burning of a woman alive along with her husband after her husband's death), child marriage, forced widowhood, slavery, racial discrimination, and many more things.

I mainly objected to the lines from the book, which, according to me, spread the message of hatred about nonbelievers and treat women as an inferior sex compared to men. I have seen enough hatred and women's suppression in my life. As a kid, I watched the life of my Nani (my maternal Grandma, in Uttar Pradesh, from where I come, we call Nana and Nani to maternal Grandpa and Grandma). She was a great lady, uneducated but with great courage and great devotion towards God. She became a widow at a very young age (maybe 20 or 22), soon after my mother's birth. Society at that time treated widows very kindly but not very fairly. Men, after their wife's death, could remarry within months, but women were not allowed to remarry. In the event of their husband's death, first of all, they used to get the blame for that death (bad omen), and then widowhood was forced on them. Their heads used to get shaved, and they were only allowed to wear white or any pale-colored clothes, no ornaments, and no makeup (reason: to protect them so that other men wouldn't get attracted towards them). They have to behave as if they are not alive; they used to be there as shadows of their bodies, devoid of any color, any desires, just moving bodies. My Nani at least had a daughter to look after; she devoted all her attention toward her, but many are not that lucky. She was very well respected because of her kind behavior and dedication toward God; she always worked hard. I always saw her doing some work for somebody; she never sat quietly, as if she didn't know how to rest, as if her life depended on her usefulness in the family. She used to be possessed by a ‘Deity’ or ‘Devi [‘Devi Angat Yene’(in Marathi)] sometimes. [During this condition, the individual completely transforms his or her expression and behavior (personality) to resemble some deity. The person is then supposed (or pretends) to be possessed by a deity during that period. He/she behaves in a convincing manner, making appropriate actions and sounds to appear as if he is in a trance and pretends to know answers to all questions by devotees surrounding her/him]. This still happens in many villages, and it is mostly women who do it. I knew this was not the real herself, but I think this was her only chance to command, her only chance to dominate the world around her, her only chance to dictate terms and feel in control of something. She never complained about her situation; she believed it was her fate, and she saw how other widows are treated in society. Her belief in God was unshaken. She was convinced that it was how God wanted them to live, it was how written in the scriptures, what she or people around could do? Nothing, as it was all her fate and her fault. I salute her every time I remember her. It's not easy to live life like that. She is the person who gave me the inspiration to fight against all these malpractices. She and the people around her were not bad, but were hypnotized by centuries of false propaganda about these scriptures, how men are superior to women, how women are to blame for their misfortune, and how or girl child is a burden on a family.  Their thinking was paralyzed, and society was conditioned to think in a particular way. Pundits, many scholars quoted lines from scriptures to authenticate these traditions, to support these beliefs.

She died at the age of ~60. I wonder whether she ever lived her life after her husband's death; she only lived for others after that fateful tragedy. That single incident defined the rest of her life. Sati Pratha was banned decades ago. After the sati ban, a widow was not burned alive after their husband's death, but was not allowed to live a normal life either. The widowhood was forced on them. I knew something was wrong. How could God be so cruel to some people for no fault of theirs? But I realized later it was not God, it was God's words, the words from the Vedas, Gita, Bible, Qu'ran, and many other scriptures used to justify these acts. People twisted words, extracted whatever meaning they wanted, gave references from age-old books that have no relevance in today's world, and justified these practices. They gave a divine angle to their desire to rule, a desire to use women and other weak sections of society for their benefit. I saw it happening with many other people, including my neighbors and my sisters; they were suppressed just because they were women. "God made them women, and now they should behave and live as God wants women to behave and live; we can't interfere in this, it's God's will," this was the justification offered for these things. We worship women in our society, but never ask them if they want to be worshiped or not. Qualities like tolerance, patience, selflessness, and dedication are good, but they were forced on women so that they won't be able to even protest where it's necessary to protest. Their wings were clipped so they couldn't fly, and after some time, they forgot that they could fly. They started believing it was not meant for them. People of my generation who lived in Indian villages and even in some cities must have seen many women like this, and I hope they understand what I am talking about.

The reason why I am so sensitive towards such comments about women or weaker sections of society lies in all these experiences. I can understand Dr. Ambedkar's anger when he said, 'I was born as a Hindu but will never die as a Hindu'. I can understand when in spite of being a woman, she doesn't want to give birth to a girl child, even willing to kill her, she is scared to bring her into this world. Did we ask why?. It's not only her who is responsible for this, but it's the society, it's the years of discrimination, it's the justification of male dominance and preference, and the belief that women are inferior to men, and yes, holy books, they have their share in this crime too. If these books get the credit for all the good things that are in our society, these books should share the blame for these bad practices. These prejudices and fears are deeply rooted in society; unless we remove them, we cannot stop any of the above. Laws can only be effective to a limited extent, and we need to reform the thinking of society. 

This article is not against Hinduism or any society, culture, or country. I was born in a Hindu family and lived most of my life in India, which is why most experiences are from there. India is my motherland, a beautiful place, and a lovely country. I am sure people from other religions and countries must have faced or seen similar situations in their lives and might have felt similar pain. A lot of things have changed now, and the situation is much improved in urban areas of India, but still, a lot needs to be done, and we cannot allow the wheels of time to go backward by neglecting such texts, as you never know which holy book might become authoritative in the future, and people start following it.

It is not only about my grandma and her life, but it is also about the countless women (and other social classes like untouchables) who suffered and are still suffering because of this prejudice. We all can point fingers at each other; each generation will point the finger at its previous generation and say they started it, and we just followed. I am sure this long trail of blame will end with some person (or a group of people) who twisted the meaning of texts to preach their own philosophy, or even they might point their finger at some book, whose authors we are not sure about, they are long dead, and that book can't defend itself, so who is guilty here?. Are those women guilty just because they were born as women? Is society guilty, which watched this happening and even participated in the crime actively? Are those males guilty who believe that women are inferior to them? Are we guilty who still can't convince people to correct mistakes if they find them in the scriptures or in any holy book? The book becomes important because of its readers, and the movement becomes popular because of its followers, so we are all part of this crime, and we cannot escape the blame.  Now it's our chance to rectify it, so let's not make the same mistake.

If people can't understand after reading the reason behind my reaction to certain lines from "Bhagavad Gita as it is," then they may never understand it. I share my views on the blog, so I thought I should also share the reason behind those views. It's a very long post, but the topic is very important and close to my heart. Thanks for reading and for your patience. Please share your views.

Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing.