The Untouchables: 10 Facts About India's Lowest Caste

In reality, things don't work out that way at all. The most ancient cultures still cultivate the traditions inherited from their ancestors, dividing people by no means according to their qualities - but only by birthright. This is the case, for example, in India, where the untouchable caste makes up as much as 20% of the entire society and has almost no rights.

Faktrum tells about the history and life of the untouchables.

1. Varna system

India still has a caste system. The whole society is divided into four varnas: brahmin scholars, kshatriya warriors, vaishya farmers and sudras, servants. Apparently, such a division was born as a result of the contact of an already existing tribal structure with cultural practices assimilated communities, whose members were distinguished by a different skin color. Representatives of these four varnas can interact with each other - only contacts with shudras are considered undesirable.

Photos: www.dnpmag.com

2. Sudras

Closest to the untouchables is the Shudra caste. These people from time immemorial were forced to do hard and dirty work. Actually, the Shudras can be called some kind of peasants of India, who own large plots of land. People from this caste work in socially acceptable positions. Such a person can be a blacksmith, a carpenter, a distiller, a bricklayer, and even a musician.

3. Untouchables

The untouchable caste is outside the social division of India. They work in the dirtiest places, clean up dead animals, clean toilets and tan leather. The doors of temples are closed for the untouchables. People can do nothing with their position, which is determined only by birthright. Entrance to the courtyards of the houses of any of the members upper castes the untouchables are strictly forbidden, and anyone who dares to desecrate a public well with his bucket will face a quick and cruel reprisal right on the street.

4. Desecration

The untouchables are despised and, at the same time, feared by all other castes. The fact is that a person from the lower stratum of society can defile anyone else with his presence. Brahmins are especially strict about their surroundings: if an untouchable touches at least the edge of a Brahmin’s clothes, the latter will have to spend long years in an attempt to cleanse the stained karma.

5. Where did the untouchables come from

The existence of a whole class of pariahs was determined by history itself. In ancient times, India was conquered by civilized Aryans, who did not integrate representatives of the conquered tribes into their society. Arias preferred to use indigenous people as service personnel. They immediately began to build separate settlements located outside the walls of the main settlements. This practice gradually widened the gap between the conquerors and the oppressed, not giving the latter even a single chance to be integrated into society.

6. Occupation

Worst of all, the untouchables themselves completely accepted the existing tradition of the Aryans for caste division. These people themselves were divided into several sub-castes, according to the type of activity. At the moment, the representatives of Chamar-tanners, dhobi-washerwomen and pariahs, who are engaged in very dirty work - taking out garbage and cleaning toilets, are most common. The society of modern India is 20% untouchable, although the struggle for integration into ordinary society goes already not a decade.

7. Fight for equality

The first sprouts of resistance appeared already in the 20th century. The main activist was Gandhi, who tried to destroy the stereotype cultivated in society by renaming the caste into Harijans, the people of God. The case of Gandhi was continued by the representative of the Brahmin caste, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. The untouchables in his interpretation became Dalits, the oppressed. Ambedkar ensured that the Dalits were given certain quotas in each area of ​​activity. That is, representatives of the untouchables now have, theoretically, the opportunity to merge into Indian society.

But the practical solution of the problem is still very far away. Only in 2008, one of the Dalit caste decided to marry a Kshatriya girl. The arrogant groom was guarded by a detachment of 500 carabinieri - and yet, new family just kicked out of the city.

At the end of July, a 14-year-old untouchable died in a hospital ward in New Delhi, who had been held in sexual slavery by a neighbor for a month. The dying woman told the police that the kidnapper threatened her with a knife, forced her to drink juice mixed with acid, did not feed her, and, together with friends, raped her several times a day. As law enforcement officers found out, this was already the second kidnapping - the previous one was committed by the same person in December last year, but he was released on bail. According to local media, the court showed such leniency towards the criminal, since his victim was from Dalits (untouchables), which means that her life and freedom were worth nothing. Although discrimination based on caste is prohibited in India, Dalits are still the poorest, most disadvantaged and most uneducated part of society. Why this is so and how far the untouchables can rise up the social ladder - Lenta.ru explains.

How did the untouchables appear?

According to the most common version, these are the descendants of representatives of the tribes who lived in India before the Aryan invasion. In the traditional Aryan system of society, consisting of four varnas - Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (merchants and artisans) and Shudras (hired workers) - Dalits were at the very bottom, below the Shudras, who were also descendants of the pre-Aryan inhabitants of India . At the same time, in India itself, a version that arose back in the 19th century is widespread, according to which the untouchables are the descendants of children expelled into the forests, born from the relationship of a Sudra man and a Brahmin woman.

In ancient Indian literary monument"Rig Veda" (compiled in 1700-1100 BC) says that the Brahmins came from the mouth of the great man Purusha, the Kshatriyas - from the hands, the Vaishyas - from the thighs, the Shudras - from the feet. There is no place for the untouchables in this picture of the world. The varna system finally took shape in the interval between the 7th century BC. and II century AD.

It is believed that the untouchable can defile people from the highest varnas, so their houses and villages were built on the outskirts. The system of ritual restrictions among the untouchables is no less strict than that of the Brahmins, although the restrictions themselves are completely different. The untouchables were forbidden to enter restaurants and temples, wear umbrellas and shoes, walk in shirts and sunglasses, but they were allowed to eat meat - which strict vegetarian Brahmins could not afford.

Is that what they are called in India - "untouchables"?

Now this word is almost out of use, it is considered offensive. The most common name for the untouchables is dalits, "oppressed", or "oppressed". Previously, there was also the word "harijans" - "children of God", which Mahatma Gandhi tried to introduce into use. But it did not take root: the Dalits found it to be just as offensive as the "untouchables".

How many Dalits are there in India and how many castes do they have?

Approximately 170 million people - 16.6 percent of the total population. The question of the number of castes is very complicated, since the Indians themselves almost never use the word “castes”, preferring the more vague concept of “jati”, which includes not only castes in the usual sense, but also clans and communities, which are often difficult to classify as one or the other. another varna. In addition, the line between caste and podcast is often very vague. It can only be said with certainty that we are talking about hundreds of jati.

Dalits still live in poverty? How is social status related to economic status?

In general, the lower castes are indeed much poorer. The bulk of the Indian poor are Dalits. The average literacy rate in the country is 75 percent, among Dalits - just over 30. Almost half of the children of Dalits, according to statistics, drop out of school because of the humiliation they are subjected to there. It is the Dalits who make up the bulk of the unemployed; and those who are employed tend to be paid less than those of the higher castes.

Although there are exceptions: in India, there are approximately 30 millionaire Dalits. Of course, against the backdrop of 170 million poor and beggars, this is a drop in the bucket, but they prove with their lives that you can succeed even as a Dalit. As a rule, this is really prominent people: Ashok Khade, from the Chamar (tanner) caste, the son of an illiterate poor shoemaker, worked as a dock worker during the day and read textbooks at night to get an engineering degree, and at the same time slept under the stairs on the street, since he did not have enough money to rent room. His company is now pursuing deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This is a typical Dalit success story, sort of. blue dream for the millions of the underprivileged.

Have the untouchables ever tried to start a riot?

As far as we know, no. Before the colonization of India, this thought could hardly have occurred at all: at that time, expulsion from the caste was equated with physical death. After colonization, social boundaries began to gradually blur, and after India gained independence, the rebellion for Dalits lost its meaning - they were given all the conditions to achieve their goals through political means.

The extent to which submissiveness has become ingrained in the minds of Dalits can be illustrated by an example given by Russian researchers Felix and Evgenia Yurlov. The Bahujan Samaj Party, representing the interests of the lower castes, organized special training camps for Dalits, in which they learned to "overcome centuries of fear and fear in the face of high-caste Hindus." Among the exercises was, for example, the following: a stuffed high-caste Hindu with a mustache and a tilak (dot) on his forehead was installed. Dalit had to overcome his timidity and go up to the effigy, cut off his mustache with scissors and wipe off the tilak.

Is it possible to escape from the untouchables?

It is possible, although not easy. The easiest way is to change religion. A person who converts to Buddhism, Islam or Christianity technically falls out of the caste system. Dalits first began converting to Buddhism in significant numbers in late XIX century. Mass conversions are associated with the name of the famous fighter for the rights of Dalits, Dr. Ambedkar, who converted to Buddhism along with half a million untouchables. The last such mass ceremony was held in Mumbai in 2007 - then at the same time 50 thousand people became Buddhists at once.

Dalits prefer to turn to Buddhism. Firstly, Indian nationalists treat this religion better than Islam and Christianity, since it is one of the traditional Indian religions. Secondly, among Muslims and Christians, over time, their own caste division was formed, albeit not as pronounced as among the Hindus.

Is it possible to change caste while remaining a Hindu?

There are two options here: the first is all sorts of semi-legal or illegal methods. For example, many surnames that indicate belonging to a particular caste differ by one or two letters. It is enough to slightly corrupt or charm a clerk in a government office - and, voila, you are already a member of another caste, and sometimes a varna. It is better, of course, to do such tricks either in the city, or in combination with moving to another area where there are not thousands of fellow villagers around who knew your grandfather.

The second option is the procedure "ghar vapasi", literally "welcome home". This program is implemented by radical Hindu organizations and aims to convert Indians of other religions to Hinduism. In this case, a person becomes, for example, a Christian, then sprinkles ashes on his head, announcing his desire to perform “ghar vapasi” - and that’s all, he is again a Hindu. If this trick is done outside native village, then you can always claim that you belong to a different caste.

Another question is why do all this. A caste certificate will not be asked when applying for a job or when entering a restaurant. In India during last century there is a demolition of the caste system under the influence of the processes of modernization and globalization. Attitude to to a stranger based on his behavior. The only thing that can fail is the surname, which is most often associated with the caste (Gandhis - merchants, Deshpande - brahmins, Acharis - carpenters, Guptas - vaishyas, Singhas - kshatriyas). But now, when anyone can change their last name, everything has become much easier.

And change the varna without changing the caste?

There is a chance that your caste will undergo a Sanskritization process. In Russian it is called vertical mobility castes”: if one or another caste adopts the traditions and customs of another, higher caste, there is a chance that sooner or later it will be recognized as a member of a higher varna. For example, the lower caste begins to practice vegetarianism, characteristic of the Brahmins, dress like Brahmins, wear a sacred thread on the wrist and generally position themselves as Brahmins, it is possible that sooner or later they will begin to be treated as Brahmins.

However, vertical mobility is characteristic mainly of castes of higher varnas. None of the Dalit castes has yet managed to cross the invisible line that separates them from the four varnas and even become Shudras. But times are changing.

In general, as a Hindu, you are not required to declare belonging to any caste. You can be a casteless Hindu - your right.

Why change caste at all?

It all depends on which way to change - up or down. An increase in caste status means that other people for whom the caste is significant will treat you with more respect. Lowering your status, especially to the Dalit caste level, will give you a number of real benefits, so many representatives of higher castes try to enroll in Dalits.

The fact is that in modern India, the authorities are waging a merciless fight against caste discrimination. According to the constitution, any discrimination based on caste is prohibited, and you will even have to pay a fine for asking about caste when applying for a job.

But the country has a mechanism of positive discrimination. A number of castes and tribes are listed as "Scheduled Tribes and Castes" (SC/ST). Representatives of these castes have certain privileges, which are confirmed by caste certificates. For Dalits, places are reserved in the civil service and in parliament, their children are admitted free of charge (or for half the fee) to schools, places have been allocated for them in institutes. In short, there is a quota system for Dalits.

It's hard to say if this is good or bad. The author of these lines met Dalits who could give odds to any Brahmin in terms of intelligence and general development - quotas helped them rise from the bottom and get an education. On the other hand, one had to see Dalits going with the flow (first by quotas for the institute, then by the same quotas for the civil service), not interested in anything and not wanting to work. They cannot be fired, so their future is secured until old age and a good pension. Many in India criticize the quota system, many defend it.

So Dalits can be politicians?

How else can they. For example, Kocheril Raman Narayanan, former president India from 1997 to 2002, was a Dalit. Another example is Mayawati Prabhu Das, also known as Mayawati Iron Lady, who served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for total eight years old.

Is the number of Dalits the same in all states of India?

No, it varies, and quite significantly. Most Dalits live in the state of Uttar Pradesh (20.5 percent of all Dalits in India), followed by West Bengal (10.7 percent). However, as a percentage of general population Punjab holds the lead with 31.9 percent, followed by Himachal Pradesh with 25.2 percent.

How can Dalits work?

Theoretically, anyone - from the president to the toilet cleaner. Many Dalits act in films and work as fashion models. In cities where caste lines are blurred, there are no restrictions at all; in villages where ancient traditions are strong, Dalits are still engaged in "impure" work: skinning dead animals, digging graves, prostitution, and so on.

If a child is born as a result of an inter-caste marriage, to which caste will he be assigned?

Traditionally in India, the child was recorded in the lowest caste. Now it is considered that the child inherits the caste of the father, with the exception of the state of Kerala, where, according to local law, the caste of the mother is inherited. This is theoretically possible in other states, but in each individual case it is decided through the courts.

A typical story that happened in 2012: then a Kshatriya man married a woman from the Nayak tribe. The boy was registered as a kshatriya, but then his mother, through the courts, ensured that the child was rewritten as a nayak so that he could take advantage of the bonuses provided to disadvantaged tribes.

If I, as a tourist in India, touch a Dalit, can I then shake hands with a Brahmin?

Foreigners in Hinduism are already considered unclean, because they are outside the caste system, therefore they can touch anyone and for whatever reason, without defiling themselves in any way. If a practicing brahmin decides to communicate with you, then he will still have to perform purification rituals, so whether you shook the Dalit's hand before or not is essentially indifferent.

Are Dalits Filming Intercaste Porn in India?

Of course they do. Moreover, judging by the number of views on specialized sites, it is very popular.

In principle, the idea of ​​dividing society into estates has its advantages. We still regularly use it, when one part of society runs for beer, another tunes in a sports channel, and a third lies to everyone on the phone that no one is home. True, now it is called "specialization", but the essence of this does not change.

Almost all the peoples of the world went through a period of strict division of people according to professions - in any case, those peoples who have grown up to agriculture. All sorts of shepherds and hunters could still graze camels with one hand, and cut the throats of enemies with the other, taking away these same camels from them without much harm to the economy. But with the farmers everything was very difficult. These citizens, tied to specific pieces of land, needed protection, and at the same time developed trade.

Therefore, we can meet the division of people into peasants, merchants, military and priest-officials anywhere - from China to the Inca state. Painfully, this is a natural thing at a certain stage in the formation of civilization. And the subtleties of the relationship between all the participants in this action were recorded in sacred books, because there were no labor and civil codes then, and you can always blame anything on God. For it is said from above: “Ham sows wheat, this prays, Japhet has power, the Lord owns everything ...” And those who are dissatisfied can kill themselves on a crocodile.

But time passes, living conditions change, and the sacred books, as we know, are not in a particular hurry to be updated. Why all sorts of trouble comes out. Here in India, according to statistics, there are up to four thousand minor and major troubles weekly, and all because of "Manu-smriti" - "Laws of Manu".

THUS SAID MANU

The Indians believe that Manu is the first person from whom we all descended. Once upon a time, the god Vishnu saved him from the Flood that destroyed all the rest of humanity (miserable, dissolute and good for nothing, of course), after which Manu, having dried himself, sat down under a banyan tree and quickly threw out the rules that from now on were to be guided by people .

Hindus believe that it was 30 thousand years ago (historians stubbornly date the laws of Manu to the 1st-2nd century BC and generally claim that this collection of instructions is a compilation of works different authors). Like most other religious precepts, the laws of Manu are distinguished by exceptional meticulousness and attention to the smallest details. human life- from baby swaddling to recipes. But there are also much more fundamental things. It is according to the laws of Manu that all Indians are divided into four estates - varnas.

Brahmins

Priests. Appeared from the mouth of Brahma. Today, brahmins most often work as officials. The most famous brahmin is Jawaharlal Nehru.

Kshatriyas

Warriors who came out of the hands of Brahma. Let the Brahmins be considered the highest caste, but the Rajas and Maharajas were usually from the Kshatriyas. Shakyamuni Buddha, for example, is a kshatriya.

Vaishya

Merchants and farmers arose from the thighs of Brahma. The Gandhi family is from the Vaishyas, and at one time the fact that it intermarried with the Nehru Brahmins caused a huge scandal.

Shudra

Laborers, servants, artisans - from the feet of Brahma. There are superior and inferior sudras, the latter are untouchable. Mithun Chakraborty from Disco Dancer is a Sudra.

And then there are the chandalas who eat dogs, but it’s indecent to even mention them, because they are not people at all. And they were born on their own, out of some dirt. By the way, these very non-humans in modern India are about 20% of the population. Mahatma Gandhi, who first began to defend their rights, called them "Harijans" - "God's people." But they prefer to call themselves "Dalites" - "broken".

LOWER OF THE LOWER

AT late XVIII centuries, during the East India campaign, the magical riches of the material and spiritual culture of India caused Europeans to tremble with delight. Dreamland turned out to be a well of romance for every taste: here you have temple dancers, and crowds of suicides under the wheels of the Juggernaut, and princes in turbans with rubies, and elephants in gilded blankets, not to mention high-class muslin at six shillings a yard (Mrs. Allen just I couldn't believe my ears when I heard about it being so cheap. And in general, they have interesting customs! Take, for example, these poor pariahs. From 1780 to 1850, more than a hundred novels, short stories and poems were written, the title of which contained this strange word (the most famous is, undoubtedly, Goethe's poem "The Song of the Pariah").

The idea that some people are born initially afflicted in the simplest rights was completely incomprehensible to Europeans: the right to drink water from a well, go to a temple, talk to other people on the street ... The word "pariah" came into use and acquired romantic veil, becoming, among other things, the designation of a misunderstood and lonely person. In India, it caused embarrassment and disgust, because it meant a terrible muck - a child born from forbidden love representatives of different varnas. Marriages not only between representatives of different varnas, but also of different castes are still an infrequent matter. (The only exception were the kshatriyas, whose men were allowed to take wives from the lower varnas. Well, for the military, all sorts of exceptions always have to be made. Vegetarianism, which is mandatory for most castes of brahmins and vaishyas, is not prescribed for the kshatriyas.)

But the Europeans then did not quite understand the issue, of course. There were few pariahs in India. And the defeatists - the untouchables - included a huge number of people, although their parents led a quite modest sex life, without violating the laws.

Now we will leave humanity for a moment and talk about microbes.

HYGIENE AS A MORALITY

Due to its climatic and geopolitical features, India is a paradise for our smallest brothers.

Humid and warm climate, overcrowding (in India, the population density has been one of the highest in the world for thousands of years), a completely serene attitude to hygiene issues - all the conditions are obvious. The Institutes of Tropical Medicine can't keep up with registering the wonders that delight us in this cradle of microbiology. Even on the plane, they begin to fill up any tourist with brochures on how to scald fruits with boiling water, not to put local ice in glasses, and in no case eat anything on the street (which, however, does not save almost anyone from intestinal disorders).

The British, conquering India, suffered from dysentery and cholera much more than from the sabers of the enemy, and, having conquered another principality, they first tried to teach the local population to wash their hands and only then attended to fortification construction. Although, by the way, the Indians were aware of the danger of infection even when the ancestors of the British warriors smeared their faces with blue fat and ate each other. The complexes of medical knowledge that the Arabs love to show off so much were created here.

And even in China, medical science came precisely from the Aryans, whose surgeons a thousand years before the birth of Christ knew how to vaccinate against smallpox, perform operations under anesthesia and stop the spread of infections with bactericidal substances. And so in India quite consciously divided the population into "clean" and "unclean". Representatives of the pure Varnas washed very diligently, observed the whiteness of their clothes, and, most importantly, did not let anyone within a stick throw distance who, on duty, was supposed to mess around in the mud. Until recently, it was believed that the untouchable castes have a different ethnic composition than most people in India.

Even now in textbooks they write that the tribes conquered by the Aryans became untouchable, because they usually differ from the dominant inhabitants as appearance, as well as language. But if you understand that for centuries and millennia the Dalit castes have been living apart, having practically no contact with anyone except members of their own community, and even more so without marrying anyone other than members of their own caste, then you should not be surprised at the latest “discoveries »geneticists who claim that there is nothing particularly alien to Indians in Dalits. Except perhaps for frequent hereditary diseases caused by centuries of family marriages.

The untouchables include lower shudras, as well as castes that are generally outside the varnas and are traditionally scavengers, vacuum cleaners, tanners, flayers, potters, fishermen, itinerant actors, prostitutes, laundresses, shoemakers, road workers. That is, all those who come into contact with one of the three dirty things indicated in the laws of Manu - sewage, corpses and clay - or lead a wandering life on the street.

It’s just that when a junk dealer looks into your house and asks for some water, and then the whole family dies out in a week, covered with a strange scab, you very quickly begin to believe that the gods don’t like it when people don’t observe Manu-smriti.

PRINCE OF MUD

When Ramita Navai, a British journalist of Indian origin, decided to make a revolutionary film that would reveal to the world the terrible truth about the life of Dalits, she endured a lot. She courageously looked at the Dalit teenagers who were roasting and eating rats. At little children splashing in the gutter and playing with the parts of a dead dog. At the housewife who carved more beautiful pieces out of a rotten carcass of a pig. But when the well-groomed journalist was taken with her to the work shift by the ladies from the caste, which traditionally cleans the outhouses by hand, the poor thing vomited right in front of the camera.

“Why do these people live like this?!” - the journalist asked us in the last seconds documentary film Dalit means broken. Yes, because the child of the Brahmins spent the morning and evening hours in prayer, and the son of a kshatriya at the age of three was put on a horse and taught to swing a saber. For a Dalit, the ability to live in the mud is his prowess, his skill. Although the ancient Indians did not know anything about the theory of "trained immunity", they knew very well how it works in practice. When you put your newborn baby in the slop basket, you are protecting him. Modern Indian plumbers, who terrify tourists by diving into sewage, could make their job less nauseating. But the Dalits know that those who are afraid of dirt will die faster than others. Many Dalits are not the poorest people in India, there is always a demand for their work, and they could well afford not to walk around in such dirty clothes and with raven nails. But to engage in their health education is completely useless. Because they know very well what they are doing.

WHAT NOT TO DALIT

The constitution of India does not recognize either varnas or castes, and in this it has gone far ahead of its population, 90% of which honor the instructions of Manu much more than the good wishes of Nehru and Gandhi. in four big cities countries - Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras - the untouchables feel more or less at ease, but in smaller cities and in countryside everything is the same as it was hundreds of years ago. They are not allowed to use public wells and pumps. You can not walk on the sidewalks, so as not to inadvertently come into contact with representatives of the higher caste, because they will have to be cleansed after such contact in the temple. (However, there are castes of untouchables who can contact the higher castes "on business" - for example, hairdressers.)

In some areas of cities and villages, they are generally forbidden to appear. Under the ban for Dalits and visiting temples; only a few times a year they are allowed to cross the threshold of the sanctuaries, after which the temples are subjected to a thorough ritual cleansing. If a Dalit wants to buy something in a store, he must put money at the entrance and shout from the street what he needs - the purchase will be taken out and left on the threshold. Dalit is forbidden to start a conversation with a representative of the highest caste, call him on the phone. After laws were passed in several Indian states to penalize canteen owners for refusing to feed Dalits, most catering establishments set up special cupboards with dishes for them. True, if the dining room has no private room for Dalits, they have to dine on the street (recall, every fifth Indian is a Dalit - this is at least 200 million people).

Dalits are punished for breaking these laws, sometimes very harshly. As mentioned above, in India, there are approximately four thousand incidents of violence against Dalits every week. The Madras social movement "Learning Human Rights" reports that two Dalits are killed every hour in the country, three Dalit women are raped and two Dalit houses are burned down. This is not counting any trifles such as beatings and insults by action.

In 2008, in the city of Mathura, a dalitka and her six-year-old daughter decided to walk along the sidewalk when they encountered a passer-by who, in a rage, grabbed the child and threw him into a fire lit nearby by road workers. The girl miraculously survived.

In 2005, six peasants in a village near Jaipur beat a teenager to death with sticks for talking to a pure-caste girl.

Ended a year ago trial about the construction of a three-meter wall in a South Indian village, enclosing the Dalit settlement from other houses. The protest was not caused by the wall itself, but by the fact that a fence under the current was carefully stretched on top. By a court decision, the current was turned off, the wall was left.

In June 2008, a Dalit fiancé who wished to arrange magnificent wedding, was going to go for the bride, according to local customs, on a horse. Alas, Dalits are not supposed to ride a horse, and local citizens have notified the Dalit community that if the guy tries to put his plan into practice, then he and his neighbors will wash themselves with blood. As a result, the rider had to be escorted to the bride by the police and an ambulance; more than 400 escort vehicles were involved in the cortege.

The temptation to evaluate human problems as something simple and understandable is always present among philosophers, and politicians, and writers, and journalists.

In reality, everything is much more layered: for every action there is a reaction, and for every "a" there is its own "b" with a club at the ready. Can it be said that Dalits are the most miserable and humiliated part of the Indian population and that everything possible should be done to eradicate the vileness of their position? Can. And many smartest people this was done, starting with the same Mahatma Gandhi and ending, for example, with the fighter for the rights of the untouchables, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.

Ambedkar, a native of the untouchable caste, at the very beginning of the 20th century became one of the first Dalit children who, under pressure from the British, received the right to attend school. True, in the classroom he sat behind a special screen and he had to carry water for drinking with him, since he did not have the right not only to drink from school dishes, but also to defile the water tap in the school toilet with his lips (however, in modern India with its compulsory education, those Dalit children who cannot get to school for their castes are often forced to carry bottles of water with them and sit at desks relegated to a special corner). Ambedkar went to the United States, received a higher education there and returned to "liberate his people."

He found enough like-minded people in pre-socialist India, and today the rights of Dalits are legally protected so reliably that in places there are excesses. For example, a certain percentage of untouchable students must accept each educational institution. The same quotas are obligatory when allocating budget jobs in public institutions, administrations and even in political and power structures. And since among the Dalits themselves the ideas higher education and serene bureaucratic life is not at all as popular as it might seem, then very often a stupid and lazy loser sits on the coveted student bench, ousting more talented and diligent students from the higher castes. But even a capable Dalit will be forced to wear the label of “listed nonentity” all his life: after all, everyone knows that Dalits are hired to study and work simply because they are untouchable.

It is also not entirely correct to speak about the poverty of the Dalits. Those of them who retain ties with their caste and practice their profession have a well-guaranteed income, which often exceeds the average income of their "pure" neighbors. And Dalit strikes can instantly paralyze the life of any city, since no one can do their most important work for society. In India, it is easier to meet starving brahmins or kshatriyas than a family of Dalits who really have nothing to eat (in fairness, we note that a brahmin will not bring some dishes respected by Dalits to his mouth, even dying of hunger). Moreover, Dalit Kocheril Raman Narayanan was the President of India from 1997-2002.

And some Dalits are quite satisfied with this state of affairs. They live in separate neighborhoods, pray in their home temples, enjoy the protection of the community and deal exclusively with their brethren, indifferent to other people and not at all striving to integrate into society. Their psychology is somewhat close to that of hippies, and many tourists note a strange contrast between the poverty and squalor of the Dalit neighborhoods and serene smiles on the faces of their inhabitants. And why should they grieve so much?

Hindu tradition suggests that each person is in his place according to his deserts. past life and worthily following one's present destiny is considered a guarantee of improvements in the life to come. Are you a scavenger? Be the perfect scavenger - and you will be reborn, if not a king, then maybe a magazine editor. Problems begin when a Dalit wants to stop being a Dalit, but wants to live like everyone else: use public transport, wear normal clothes, go to cafes, cinemas and shops ... The law allows him to do this, but even in big cities with more With a less educated population, the untouchable very often encounters, if not direct violence, then disgust.

Even being dressed not according to the customs of their caste, the untouchable often outwardly differs from the main population (hello to centuries-old intra-caste marriages). Yes, and hiding your caste from others is fraught with trouble. Will the deception be revealed? Then this can lead to tragedy if there are zealots of caste purity among the Dalit's acquaintances.

The Dalit poet Nirav Patel wrote about people who were forced to shake hands with him, knowing that he was untouchable: . And, believe me, I actually sympathized with them then.

There are hundreds of untouchable castes. Here is some of them.

Chandala

The most colorful and the most Dalit of the Dalits are, of course, the Chandalas (as well as the Bhangi, Churkha and other castes) - scavengers and sewers. It was they who devoted their lives to the fight against dirt and growing together with it. If you see a child splashing innocently in a puddle public toilet, a woman smeared from head to toe with fish giblets, or a man from whom pieces of something black fall off when walking - in front of you is a chandala. Even the castes of beggars who break their children's backs and blind them for great professional accomplishments treat the Chandalas with disdain.

Devadasi

Temple prostitutes-dancers are obtained from girls whom parents from various castes, for some reason, do not want to raise on their own. Most often, however, Devadasis are Chandalas by birth.

Girls live at temples, take part in ritual dances and are given to especially religious parishioners, and the money goes not to the girls themselves, but to the priests. The untouchability of devadasis, as we understand it, has never been so unconditional. However, sex with them was considered a charitable affair, but even the most loving client would not agree to eat with devadasi from the same plate. Until recently, devadasis were quite common in India, but when Indira Gandhi took up the fight against him, the thousand-year-old traditions faltered. Today temple prostitution outlawed, devadasis are found only in the most remote corners of the southern states.

Hijri

The caste of eunuchs, transsexuals and homosexuals has existed in India since ancient times. A full hijra is a eunuch with his genitals completely removed. But there are also ordinary homosexuals in the caste. Usually hijras travel with families, headed by a "mother". They are all dressed and made up like women. Hijras are engaged in prostitution, songs and dances, and also perform various kinds of sacred services. For example, their presence at a wedding is considered important for those newlyweds who want many children. But hijras can not only bless, but also curse, bringing barrenness and impotence to their victims. To do this, it is enough for them to lift the hem, show a place where there is nothing, and utter a few witching insults.

EMIGRANTS OF THE CAST SYSTEM

The Nadars are a small Tamil caste, traditional occupation which, moonshining, for centuries reliably kept them among the untouchables. As early as the end of the 19th century, the Nadars were fed up with this. By hook or by crook, begging for a piece of land from the British administration, the Nadars took up farming. On these lands they built a temple and a school, abandoned their palm moonshine, became vegetarians and introduced daily ablutions in the morning and evening, very clean starched clothes, impeccable hairstyles and manicures as obligatory caste rules. In addition, the Nadars were not too lazy to create their own mini-epos, which tells about the origin of the Nadars from Mahodar, one of the military leaders at the court of Ravana mentioned in the Ramayana. Now the nadars are considered an unconditionally “clean” caste, inspiring respect for those around them with their pride, religiosity and noble origin. Those who do not have an extra hundred years in stock have to use other methods.

One of the most common is the transition from Hinduism to another religion - Buddhism, Islam or Christianity, which do not recognize caste systems. These religious communities often support these refugees by providing them with jobs and places to live and by protecting them from possible violence. However, for Indian Christians and Muslims, alas, the idea of ​​castes is also not too alien. Local customs often take precedence over religious precepts, and in Muslim Rajasthan, for example, there are no fewer attacks on former Dalits than in traditionally Hindu states.

And you can by hook or by crook run away to London or, say, to Los Angeles and forget your homeland like a bad dream. What many do. Some respectable brahmins and kshatriyas, for this very reason, disdain to go to Western countries, because it is teeming with untouchables, while stupid Europeans do not even know what horror they live in.

The session involves 2 operators (O1 and O2).

Q: There are so-called untouchables. They have nothing to do with the untouchable caste in India. Does your EJ know what the untouchables are on Earth?
A1: Which cannot be annihilated and removed, nothing can be done with them. So? Yes, there is. More inviolable, right?
Q: This is called the untouchables, as I received this information earlier. Maybe inviolable, it doesn’t matter, they can’t be touched. I know people who were approached, for example, by gypsies and tried to "bring them to tell fortunes", and then a more experienced gypsy approached and apologized that, they say, she (the first) did not know who you were, that you were untouchable. That is, it is already readable at the level of gypsies. If even gypsies can count it, then specialists can count it, but anyone. Accordingly, until you know about this status, you are just lucky in life, as if straws are being laid everywhere, but if you know about it, you can certainly use it in some way, right? “I have my will, I set such and such an intention, to remove such and such blocks from me.” To what extent is this even possible?

A1: It's possible. Untouchable people are those who are beneficial to everyone. Neither side will dare to remove them, it is impossible, it is, as it were, such a key incarnation that you are important to everyone. Without you, Khan to everyone. Therefore, they can intimidate until you know who you are. They scare you to waste energy. But if you realize it, then it is impossible to influence in any way. Of course, you can also set an intention, but there are such powers!

A2: For such people, it feels differently, they have always been like that and don't know how to do it differently, even in those incarnations that were for recreation. Another issue is that it was very difficult to rebuild at first, because you know that you are very big, you can do anything. And it was very difficult at first to be in this body, in principle, in human bodies. Because you are completely disproportionate. And what to do with it is also unclear. And you need to find the settings in the body so that they are somehow combined with the top, adjust the body

A1: Personal development should go on anyway. One intention here will not work so hard. That is, they (the untouchables) cannot pump much the right now, because for this it is necessary to develop. Come into your own rights and really work on the body. Lots of technicians. The human body, even backward and degradant, is still infinite in some of its foundations. Even it can be shaken to very strong limits. Maybe not like before, giant bodies, or some other. The bodies were completely different. BUT human body You can also bring it - by the way, one of the tasks is to improve your bodies so that there is an example for people, as much as possible.

Because the bodies use somewhere around 3% of the possibilities of what was originally laid in them. And from the fact that people do not remember that there is such power in their bodies - they use only the most simple views energy and just use it for work. Even biorobots. But let's say we take ordinary people - with a developed Spirit, the body can be brought to completely different levels. Up to the point that you can change your appearance - but these are still flowers. You can split, then gather back, and thus move, overcome matter completely. For this you need to work. This needs to be developed. This is where discipline is needed. And we have been given such an undisciplined consciousness, specially built in. Everything is for development, of course, but you need to overcome this undisciplined essence. That's just in the body - if there is more order in itself, then the body will have more strength, and the intention, accordingly, will be much stronger.

To some extent, the untouchables are those who are called magicians, shamans, priests, and even gods. AT different cultures the world they left their imprints and continue to do so to this day. It doesn't matter at all whether you are untouchable or not. Like any conscious being in this universe, you have the right if you think they are being violated.

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The untouchable caste in India is a phenomenon that cannot be found in any other country in the world. Originating in antiquity, the caste division of society exists in the country at the present time. The lowest rung in the hierarchy is occupied by the untouchable caste, which has absorbed 16-17% of the country's population. Its representatives make up the "bottom" of Indian society. Caste structure - complex issue, but still try to shed light on some of its aspects.

Caste structure of Indian society

Despite the difficulty of recreating a complete structural picture of castes in the distant past, it is still possible to single out groups that have historically developed in India. There are five of them.

The highest group (varna) of Brahmins includes civil servants, large and small landowners, and priests.

Next comes the Kshatriya varna, which includes the military and agricultural castes - Rajaputs, Jats, Maratha, Kunbi, Reddy, Kapu, etc. Some of them form a feudal stratum, whose representatives further replenish the lower and middle links of the feudal class.

The next two groups (Vaishyas and Shudras) include the middle and lower castes of farmers, officials, artisans, and community servants.

And finally, the fifth group. It includes castes of community servants and farmers, deprived of all rights to own and use land. They are called untouchables.

"India", "caste of the untouchables" are concepts that are inextricably linked with each other in the minds of the world community. Meanwhile, in the country ancient culture continue to honor the customs and traditions of their ancestors by dividing people according to their origin and belonging to any caste.

History of the Untouchables

The lowest caste in India - the untouchables - owes its appearance historical process that took place in the Middle Ages in the region. At that time, India was conquered by stronger and more civilized tribes. Naturally, the invaders came to the country with the aim of enslaving its indigenous population, preparing it for the role of servants.

To isolate the Indians, they were settled in special settlements, built separately according to the type of modern ghettos. Civilized outsiders did not allow natives into their community.

It is assumed that it was the descendants of these tribes that later formed the caste of the untouchables. It included farmers and servants of the community.

True, today the word “untouchables” has been replaced by another - “Dalits”, which means “oppressed”. It is believed that "untouchables" sounds offensive.

Since Indians often use the word "jati" rather than "caste", it is difficult to determine their number. But still, Dalits can be divided according to the type of activity and place of residence.

How do the untouchables live

The most common Dalit castes are Chamars (tanners), Dhobi (washerwomen) and pariahs. If the first two castes have in some way a profession, then pariahs live only at the expense of unskilled labor - export household waste, cleaning and washing toilets.

Hard and dirty work - such is the fate of the untouchables. The lack of any qualification brings them a meager income, allowing only

However, among the untouchables, there are groups that are at the top of the caste, for example, the Hijra.

These are representatives of all kinds of sexual minorities who are engaged in prostitution and begging. They are also often invited to all kinds of religious rituals, weddings, birthdays. Of course, this group has much more to live on than an untouchable tanner or laundress.

But such an existence could not but arouse protest among the Dalits.

Protest struggle of the untouchables

Surprisingly, the untouchables did not resist the tradition of division into castes implanted by the invaders. However, in the last century the situation changed: the untouchables under the leadership of Gandhi made the first attempts to destroy the stereotype that had developed over the centuries.

The essence of these speeches was to draw public attention to caste inequality in India.

Interestingly, the Gandhi affair was picked up by a certain Ambedkar from the Brahmin caste. Thanks to him, the untouchables became Dalits. Ambedkar ensured that they received quotas for all types of professional activity. That is, an attempt was made to integrate these people into society.

Today's controversial policy of the Indian government often causes conflicts involving the untouchables.

However, it does not come to rebellion, because the untouchable caste in India is the most submissive part of the Indian community. Age-old timidity in front of other castes, ingrained in the minds of people, blocks all thoughts of rebellion.

Government of India and Dalit policy

The untouchables... The life of the most severe caste in India evokes a cautious and even contradictory reaction from the outside, since we are talking about the centuries-old traditions of the Indians.

But still, at the state level, caste discrimination is prohibited in the country. Actions that offend representatives of any varna are considered a crime.

At the same time, the caste hierarchy is legalized by the country's constitution. That is, the untouchable caste in India is recognized by the state, which looks like a serious contradiction in government policy. As a result, the modern history of the country has many serious conflicts between separate castes and even within them.

The untouchables are the most despised class in India. However, other citizens are still madly afraid of Dalits.

It is believed that a representative of the untouchable caste in India is able to defile a person from another varna by his mere presence. If the Dalit touches the clothes of a Brahmin, then the latter will need more than one year to cleanse his karma from filth.

But the untouchable (the caste of South India includes both men and women) may well become the object of sexual violence. And no defilement of karma happens in this case, since this is not prohibited by Indian customs.

An example is the recent case in New Delhi, where a 14-year-old untouchable girl was kept by a criminal for a month as a sex slave. The unfortunate woman died in the hospital, and the detained criminal was released by the court on bail.

At the same time, if an untouchable violates the traditions of their ancestors, for example, dares to publicly use a public well, then the poor fellow will face an immediate reprisal on the spot.

Dalit is not a sentence of fate

The untouchable caste in India, despite the policy of the government, still remains the poorest and most disadvantaged part of the population. The average literacy rate among them is just over 30.

The situation is explained by the humiliation to which they are subjected in educational institutions children of this caste. As a result, illiterate Dalits are the bulk of the country's unemployed.

However, there are exceptions to the rule: there are about 30 millionaires in the country who are Dalits. Of course, this is minuscule in comparison with 170 million untouchables. But this fact says that Dalit is not a sentence of fate.

An example is the life of Ashok Khade, who belonged to the leatherworking caste. The guy worked as a docker during the day, and studied textbooks at night to become an engineer. His company is currently closing deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

And there is also an opportunity to leave the Dalit caste - this is a change of religion.

Buddhism, Christianity, Islam - any faith technically takes a person out of the untouchables. This was first used at the end of the 19th century, and in 2007, 50 thousand people immediately converted to Buddhism.