Sunday, February 6, 2011
Befriending Dalits
February 06, 2011 5:39:53 PM
Chandrabhan Prasad
They'll become acceptable when they learn to stand on their own
Forget friendships between Dalits and non-Dalits for a moment, and
think of intra-Dalit scenario to begin with — between Dalit middle
class and the Dalit underclass.
Whom do the children of Dalit civil servants get married to? Do they
seek matrimonial alliances with Dalit youth driving auto-rickshaws and
parents employed in Group C or D categories? It is no rocket science
to find the answer.
Forget friendships between Dalits and non-Dalits, and consider the
case of non-Dalits itself. A Brahmin as a priest in a noted temple is
socially more 'correct' than a Brahmin who is a diplomat, or a civil
servant or a newspaper editor. While the Brahmin as a priest is
directly connected to the three thousand million Gods and Goddesses,
the Brahmin as a diplomat or a newspaper editor or as a civil servant
is deprived of that honour and settles at dealing with humans. But,
can the son of a Brahmin priest, a potential priest himself, ever
expect to marry the daughter of a Brahmin who is a diplomat/newspaper
editor/civil servant? Brahmins as priests have a stereotype image that
doesn't fit into the cultural context of the Brahmin elite.
Dalits ought to respect what is central to the human character; the
strong seeks friendship with stronger/equals or near equals. None
likes to seek friendship with the weak or persons below them. There
could be exceptions just as all other rules.
Thus, if in the popular public imagery, Dalits are seen as 'weaker
sections' as they have been so for the past 60 years in all Government
circulars, media publicity and NGO activism.
The impression in the popular non-Dalit public imagery is that Dalits
can't move on their own unless someone let his/her helping hand. The
impression that Dalit students live on scholarships, their parents
live on BPL Cards, and Dalit candidates seeking employment need
lowering down of merit, puts Dalits into a very special category of
human species.
Also, the everyday news that a modesty of Dalit women is attacked,
Dalit man humiliated, and another killed, makes a stereotype of the
entire Dalit mass.
True, in the poverty index, Dalits can be over represented. True, on
the atrocity index, Dalits can be over represented. True, Dalit women
can be at a greater risk of losing their modesty than non-Dalit women.
True, Dalit officers/employees can be more venerable to be described
as 'under-performers' than non-Dalits. The list can be longer and
limitless. This is our lived reality.
With this kind of imagery of Dalits, who would want to befriend
Dalits? Why should the private sector get interested in employing
Dalits when they think that Dalits are a very special category of
people who need concessions all the time? Why should foreign companies
give preferential treatment to Dalits when they are told what kind of
people Dalits are?
The Dalit imagery is built on a single track narrative. The untold,
unsold and unexplored story of the Dalit genius hurts Dalits most.
Were we ever told that there are Dalit students scoring 100 per cent
in a few subjects in examinations? Were we ever told that there are
many Dalit Civil Servants sending their children to study in the US
and UK who were selected purely on the basis of competition held
globally?
Were we ever told that there are so many Dalits teaching sciences and
physics in American and British universities? Were we ever told that
many Dalit IT professionals earn jobs in the world's noted companies
on the basis of their merit alone?
Were we ever told that there is rising class of Dalits as Capitalists
who are employing even Brahmins and Thakurs? Were we ever told that
there are dozens of Dalits who drive cars like Mercedes, BMW and Rolls
Royce? Were we ever told that Dalit men are in get demand and hundreds
of non-Dalit women are risking their lives to marry their Dalit
colleagues?
The Brahmanical media and intelligentsia is not alone to blame for
Dalits' one-sided imagery that they are weak and helpless while their
women are molested Dalit men watch helplessly. Dalit writers,
activists, and most notoriously, certain Dalit NGOs too contribute in
the one-sided imagery of Dalits.
The sooner Dalits start looking good, the better. Remember, strong
prefer befriending the stronger. The American Blacks got Affirmative
Action/Diversity when they became stronger. India's OBCs got their
Mandal when they became stronger. Dalits will become acceptable to the
mainstream when they are seen as a class of people able to stand and
walk on their own.
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