Commentary: Analysis
Bollywood star reveals discomfiture over India's caste system
Wednesday, May 19, 2010By Joseph D'souza
According to the Bollywood star, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, being an Indian
first means not to believe in caste. That could be one great
definition of being an Indian first and putting India first.
Yet when Mr. Bachchan told the census enumerators that he does not
believe in caste and is an Indian first, did he unwittingly reveal the
discomfiture the privileged castes feel in coming to terms with the
caste issue in modern India? Surely it is the oppressed people who
have the first right to determine if there should be a caste census or
not. Their interpretation of present day life vis-à-vis caste
discrimination needs serious consideration.
In his defense Mr. Bachchan pointed out that he was married to a
Bengali, his brother a Sindhi, his daughter to a north Indian and his
son to a south Indian. That qualifies Mr. Bachchan for being a pan
Indian. We have not heard anyone in the Bachchan family marrying a low
caste or a Dalit!
But he is right about marriage being an important indicator of caste
bias. How many forward caste families in the nation can boast of
marriage to a low caste or a Dalit or a Scheduled tribe? Dr. Ambedkar
saw inter-caste marriages as one final way of doing away with the
caste system. Are we embarrassed about the caste question in the
census because there is nothing to show in our family line in relation
to inter caste marriage?
For now the vision of an inter-caste married, mixed India of Ambedkar
is a far away dream. We will wait and see when caste based matrimonial
columns cease to exist. Till then caste enumeration should continue to
protect those who are constantly humiliated and discriminated.
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Today as our great Constitution is in constant tension with unjust
tradition and vote bank politics with lip service to the downtrodden a
civil society struggle is necessary to ensure that not just social
discrimination but the system that gave rise to it comes to an end.
Mr. Bachchan and all who count themselves Indians first need to engage
in this struggle and ensure that the present Constitution is not
tampered with but it triumphs. Nehru, Gandhi, Ambedkar and others gave
us a great Indian Constitution.
Mr. Bachchan could begin his struggle in his own home ground - the
Bollywood film industry. In his entire career as a film hero he has
never had the privilege of having a lead female Dalit star. Why is
that? Why is there no major lead female Dalit star in our film and TV
industry - the purveyors of our culture! Is it because of merit or
lack of beauty or lack of talent that lead female Dalit stars are
missing in Bollywood and the TV industry or because there is no
proactive affirmative action to include the immense cultural talent of
the Dalits?
How come America and Hollywood with its horrible racist experience can
come up with a Whitney Houston starring with Kevin Costner or a Halle
Berry with Pierce Brosnan or a Denzil Washington with a Julia Roberts?
These are all hot attractive stars who have made successful movies
which audiences the world over love.
Mr. Bachchan runs a film company, his company makes movie stars so
this one job the Indian first can easily do.
Mr. Bachchan's estranged family friends the Gandhis also are wont to
call themselves Indians first. This is the catch-all Rahul Gandhi
phrase: I am an Indian first.
The first family of Indian politics can claim to be Indians first on
the religion issue. Hindu, Parsee and Christian - they have it in the
family and perhaps this is why India trusts their secular credentials.
On the caste issue the nation watches. Robert Vadra is of mixed
lineage. Rahul Gandhi sleeps and eats in Dalit huts but there is a
dearth in the Congress party of Dalit and OBC leaders who can capture
the imagination of the masses and stand on their own. There is no
Dalit leader in the Congress in UP who can challenge Mayawati.
Who is Rahul Gandhi's Dalit friend and competent confidante? We know
who his other friends are. The nation waits for this genuine and open
symbolism- in friendship and marriage. An Indian first.
Joseph D'souza is the International President of the Dalit Freedom
Network (www.dalitnetwork.org) and based in Hyderabad India.
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