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Ssc SOCIAL STUDY CIRCLE di (ESTD
1982) www.dalitindia.com ssc@dalitindia.com *********************************************************************** |
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January 25, 2001
INTER-CASTE
MARRIAGE AND DALITS
Gradual change in social life style, availability of more
and more intellectuals, social engineers and thinkers among Dalits, has become
a matter of concern for all the caste hindus. Caste hindus are finding
challenges in different ways against their social system which is completely
exploitative and based on inhuman ideas. These caste hindus never gave a chance
to Dalits to live, think and grow freely as human beings. Social system based
on religious books of these caste hindus and their so called dharama gurus who
redefined these books time to time are the well known examples of their
conspiracy to keep Dalits away even from the feeling of being human beings.
Before
the arrival of Islamic people and then British people to India, caste hindus
have been the rulers of this country in most of the time in history. This time
definitely was among the most treacherous times on earth in human history. From
the time of creation of books such as manu-smirity caste hindus always have
been in continuous process to update their methods and strategies to suppress
the growth of Dalits in social, economic and intellectual platforms. Thanks to
the revolutionary and social vision of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar, Dalits have realised
and found the way to come up from the dark well of the system of caste hindus.
Dalit
community is mainly a large collection of very poor and uneducated people. To
help this big population of 260 million people to educate, to make them to
realise the importance of their hard work and to make them to understand the
need of developing as a civilised and powerful race, a lot of efforts are
required. For name sake, during earlier governments, there had been a lot of
government programs for upliftment of Dalits but none of these was implemented
seriously due to the biases of caste hindu officers in government. However even
in that situation some extraordinary and struggle loving Dalit people though in
small numbers, but almost in all different places in society, started to come
up from the bottom places. But it could not be continued for long time and
situation has begun worsening because of arising of the caste hindu minded
groups such as VHP, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, BJP etc. and establishing their
Govt. in centre. In such scenario, the
remaining hope of Dalit upliftment is with the Dalit officers, Social workers
and Dalit intellectuals. Due to their education and economic resources, these
few Dalit fellows can be more useful for Dalits to raise the voice for Dalits
and to ensure their safeguards. Already such effective persons are very less
w.r.t the total Dalit population in this country and this is also a matter of
fact that not all of them are serious for Dalits. This is very disappointing
situation in the country where they have to struggle hard against the caste
hindus doctrine of society. Apart from these, a severe threat to Dalits arises
from the marriages in which well established, talented Dalit boys and girls
marry with caste hindu girl or boy. These boys and girls who could play a major
role for upliftment of Dalits are hijacked from Dalit people on the name of
liberal ideas or so called modern society.
Caste
hindus always have been interpreters of the reality in the ways which are meant
to benefit to them only. Inter-caste marriage is also the mean in which they
are finding many fold benefits for them and at the same time many fold loss to
Dalit society. They are ready to marry
their less able girl to the well adjusted Dalit boy and are ready to marry
talented and rich Dalit girl but not ready to accept a poor Dalit person as a
human being in true sense. Such
marriages of course are not only marrying due to falling in love or attraction
for talents but seems to be part of well planned strategy of caste hindus to
ensure their dominance over Dalits in all the means.
This is not only the matter of the loss of current generation which can be more
beneficial and strong for helping Dalits in their struggle. But only those Dalit boys are chosen by girls of
caste hindus who have a strong economic and education base and at the same time
who can be twisted easily according to the mentality of caste hindus. This has
become an easier way for caste hindus to put an easy barrier on Dalit movements
and divert the most important manpower originally meant for Dalit cause. Such Dalit boys who got advantages through
the provisions of constitution which were meant to accelerate the upliftment of
Dalits by ensuring the representation of Dalits in education, at the Government
places, Parliament, State assemblies etc., are diverted by means of such
marriages from the cause which they could serve. Since most of these boys
experience the rude behavior of the caste hindu students, and discriminative
evaluation methods of the caste hindu teachers during their college time. These Dalit boys who had been face to face
with bitter truth of being Dalit at all the social plateforms, could understand
the real problem of our society and do the effort to help the Dalits in proper
way, are diverted from the fact. Caste hindus are using such Dalit boys very
cleverly and frequently to justify their black activities against Dalits.
Whenever any situation arises either in Governemt place or public place, such
boys are no more able to oppose caste hindus for the exploitation, and damage
done by caste hindus against Dalits and thus prove to be the covers for caste
hindus to justify their all kinds of exploitation. Thus caste hindus are
benefited in both the ways i.e. Justifying their wrong activities against
Dalits and diverting the able Dalit boys from their cause. Further more the new
generation of such Dalit boys which grows under the guidance of their mother
mostly are inclined towards the mentality of their mother which is naturally no
more different then a common caste hindu generation. This hybrid generation
uses all the benefits meant for Dalits but are no more interested for helping
the Dalits in their struggle for survival in highly discriminative social
enviourment. Worse and more negative fact is that this hybrid generation also
considers itself more superior in comparison to other Dalit generation. This is
mainly due to their way of learning from mother and the parents of the mother
who play important role in their mental development. Thus the constitutional
provisions and benefits which could be helpful for a suitable Dalit are
diverted for opposite thinking people.
On
other hand when Dalit girl marries to caste hindu boy then it affects Dalits in
more severe way. Such girls are either from economically sound families or well
educated talented girl. Dalit girl of economically sound family is married to a
caste hindu boy only to capture wealth of her family. Thus this is very much
responsible for wealth drain from Dalits to caste hindus. However reverse of
it, is not true. Whenever Dalit boy marries with caste hindu girl then there is
no wealth drain from caste hindus to Dalits. This also has become a trend among
caste hindus in some parts of country, to marry their daughters with Dalit boys
if they don't want to give dowry.
When
a caste hindu boy marries a Dalit girl is not mainly because of love or their
liberal idea. It is only for wealth and able-ness of the girl. Such boys to
much extent want the wealth of parents of girl and not affection with girl.
Again such Dalit girls are not given respect in the family of caste hindu boy
which she could get in the a Dalit boy family.
Another
very much damaging thing for the point of view of education of Dalit society is
when a educated Dalit girl marries to caste hindu boy. An educated girl which
is the need at highest priority for Dalits for lifting the life style of the
next generation is no more available if educated Dalit girl marries with caste
hindu boy. Thus Dalits are not able even to utilise the education and talent of
their girls to teach their children and create strong Dalit generation which
can be more rational and powerful, now have become entirely careless and to
most extent harmful for Dalit society.
Inter caste marriages for Dalits are proving to be very much damaging. However
there may be very very few cases when even after marrying with caste hindu girl
or boy, Dalit boys or girls have worked for Dalit upliftment. But this is very
less in comparison to the damage done by such affairs. So for the major loss a
minor excuse should not be accepted and appreciated. Dalits should be more and
more careful and disciplined while falling in such affairs.
Examples
of some of our present leaders are known to everybody who have changed
themselves entirely after such affairs. They were more concerned with Dalit
problems before such affairs but now have become a typical sample of Dalit
presence in politics.
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