a copy of my first essay....If your'e interested

 This was a copy and paste job I didn't include resources but trust me they were all cited. I felt weird posting them.

Touching the Untouchable:

Understanding the Lower Caste and its Place in Modern India

For hundreds of years the social caste system in India born from the Hindu ideals and values has caused segregation between India’s people, not because of color but because of an ancient birth right sent down through generations. Abuse is commonly seen in villages and urban streets fueling social dominion and has become an eyesore for the new modern India. With pressure from outside influences and opinions, urban India has taken steps to try and integrate people of all castes. However rural India bears the brunt of this traditional inhumanity, with countless stories of abuse and degrading human behaviors such as flamboyant hand washing rituals if an untouchable has been touched by a higher caste member. Hinduism is renowned for its peaceful, meditative approach to life, love, and family. So how has this practice become acceptable to the people if Hindu scriptures preach equality and education to its followers? Sometimes truth can be distorted over centuries and traditional behavior sets in, untouchables were not originally meant to be treated badly but can tradition see the wrong?  

            My research began as I started to explore Hinduism a bit more than my occasional visit to the local Krishna temple. In the book Two Tales of Crow and Sparrow Alan Dundes teaches that Hinduism derives from the ancient times when the Persians migrated to India; they lived along the Sindhu River, which is now called the River Indus. The inhabitants gave the river a new name Hindu, and the religion practiced by these people adopted the same name. The Hindu holy scriptures are called the Vedas; they are a collection of poems and songs heard from heavenly sources by priests in ancient times and passed down family generations. This religion is heavily based on reincarnation and Karma, the idea of Karma is good deeds promote a happy life next time; bad deeds promote a not so happy life time,

 I found from poking around the web, a general knowledge of the caste system or Varna. Originally, someone's Varna would have been based upon the way they would live their life, but the Varna’s eventually got passed down generations, and becoming a solid way of life instead of merely a guideline. The highest Varna is the Brahman; these people are born to be priests.  A truly invigorating truth I learned; Brahmans are commonly cooks in India, Alan Dundes states: “…the logic being that all castes can take/eat food prepared by Brahmans. That is way Brahmans are also employed as cooks in jails, so that caste susceptibilities cannot be offended”. Next down is the Kshatryia or warriors these people are usually placed into political positions or places of power. Vaishya are merchants, farmers and landowners. The last place goes to the Sudra which is servants, commoners, peasants, the untouchables or Dalit. Dalit also means crushed underfoot, broken into pieces or the oppressed as I learned in the article by Sahaya Arockiasamy. This word is common and used in conversations; it is a name they prefer. There are also hundreds of sub castes called Jati; but I will just stick with the basics.

The untouchables are regarded as unclean; if a person should be brushed or touched, he/she would have to go through a purification ritual immediately. In the book Two tales of a Crow and a Sparrow, Alan Dundes gives a sad account of daily rituals proposed as normality he states:

 “It would be contamination to eat with any member of this class; to touch food prepared by them, or even to drink water which they have drawn; to use an earthen vessels which they have held in their hands; to set foot inside one of their houses, or to allow them to enter houses other than their own. Each of these acts would contaminate the person affected by it, and before being readmitted to his own caste such a person would have to go through many exacting and expensive formalities.”

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I feel degraded just reading this passage. How can humanity which exists in all of us, allow such behavior without some emotional consequence, I am baffled with the seemingly heartless Indians.

The work of the untouchables has traditionally been considered impure, any occupation involving butchering, removal of human feces and leatherwork. Dalits work as manual scavengers, cleaning latrines (places with multiple toilets), and sewers by hand and clearing away dead bodies. This type of work is considered to be polluting to the individual who performed them, and this pollution was considered to be contagious. As a result, Dalits were forbidden participation in Hindu social life, they could not enter the premises of a temple or a school and stayed outside the village. Ritualistic precautions were performed to prevent incidental contact between Dalits and other castes. Discrimination against Dalits still exists in rural areas which make up most of India, in the private sphere, eating places, schools, temples and water wells. It has disappeared largely in the more modern places of India

The humiliation accompanying treatment of these individuals is so expansive I could write a book just the abuse alone. With this basic pyramid of social placements, I had a better outlook on the system itself and the consequences that followed. Unfortunately the caste system had been around for so long the origin had become blurred and contorted.  In an article by Anantanand Rambachan, he says, “How do I as a Hindu and a Hindu scholar respond to this challenge and characterization of my tradition? First, by acknowledging the inhumanity, injustice, and oppression of the caste system and the fact that, although not inseparable from Hinduism, the system has indeed been widely legitimized by the tradition and its practitioners” What I have gathered from the information I have read at this point was it was purely tradition and heredity, but where did it say that Sudra had to be treated so unkindly and unfairly? In the same article by Rambachan, says “Hindus are not exempt from this susceptibility to the corruption of power and the tendency to affirm self-value by devaluing others.”  Inhumanity indeed,  it sounds like bullying to me.

In my research I have found a lot of references to Mahatma Gandhi and his feelings and actionstowards untouchability. I knew what Gandhi stood for and how the Indian people looked up to him and I wondered exactly where he stood in the sense of untouchability. I was surprised that he had advocated for extreme change regarding the caste system. I had assumed he had so much on his plate that a tradition such as this would probably be mentioned as wrong in the eyes of God but wouldn’t have an effect on the people of India; I was wrong of course. Gandhi thought of untouchablility as a stain on Hinduism, he even gave them a new name “Harijan” or “children of God” he gave the word to them. I feel as though this is a loving reference to a people he strived to serve. I can almost feel the love he had for his people and the hope he had for them as a whole. He was disgusted by the treatment of Dalits in some Indian cultures. M.K. Gandhi advocated the Indian National Congress's mission to eradicate untouchability. In fact untouchablility has been officially banned, even though social practice has failed to completely follow through, mostly in rural areas. In these traditional villages, Dalits are still not allowed to let their shadows fall upon Brahmins in case they contaminate them; as well as sweep the ground

where they've stepped to remove the contamination from the ground so to not ritually contaminate other castes. Some of these villages rural Dalits are not to worship in temples or 5draw water from the same wells, and they usually live in separated neighborhoods outside the main village. In urban areas and most villages the old ideal of the caste system and untouchability sometimes doesn’t exist, though most Indians still hold on to their caste origins voluntarily.

I was interested in Dalit women and whether they were treated any differently? I am used to having things done for me because I am female; it’s called chivalry. Everyday doors are opened, and heavy things are lifted. If something is too gross for me to handle I can ask for help. Unfortunately Dalit women don’t have this luxury; they aren’t respected whatsoever. In an article by Ravinda Khare he talks about how the women in India treat each other and other castes, low and upper he says: "Despite the label of the 'lowest of the low' these women had a lot to say, I found, one directly approached and carefully listened to. But initially my own subtle preconceptions (including perhaps my "caste mind" and gender bias), I now think, also stood in my way. I recall how I had bypassed their "everyday concerns" for such 'weighty matters' as reform ideology, caste conflicts, and political power struggles ".⁵ These Dalit women are smart and bright. Because of their circumstances their speech (from what I gathered) is slurred and hard to understand. I imagined an American backwoods hick talking slow and stereotypically stupid.  They have minds that think and hearts that beat just like the rest of us. Dalit women have the added stress of being not only a Dalit but female; they are degraded even by their own men. Dalit women are indeed treated as  the lowest of the low; they get paid lower for doing the same thing men do and are susceptible to rape and sexual favors demanded upon them by upper caste men. Upper caste women have been convinced that the Dalit women have a uncontrollable sexuality and tend to lure their good men astray. In reality Dalit are used for such things because, I feel, they are available and must submit to upper caste wishes, the hypocrisy of sexual favors demanded from upper caste men are baffling. If you have to go through a ritual cleansing ceremony after merely touching a Dalit, why be intimate if it is a social taboo? If you can't eat food prepared by a Dalit why would you subject yourself to something so private? I would certainly eat food prepared by a greasy guy who had been handling poop all day, than have sex with him and his poo hands. Khare talks about the women he interviewed with a great respect, and I feel as though he was humbled by the experience. He talks of these women as strong, opinionated, individuals. in the same article a Dalit woman is quoted as saying " Words mean so much to us. Truthful, soothing words are so rare, while cruel words hurt us all the time. Our own words [have become] bitter, but our hearts are pure. Listen to us [carefully] and you will know yourself if it is true."    In my opinion, those words have been the most beautiful and empowering in all of my research.

My next question led me to education. Can a Dalit get a proper education and work among the upper caste society? Is it necessary to reveal your caste in a job interview? There weren't very many articles for just the education of Dalit but I was able to learn a little here and there. Because of caste discrimination it is very difficult for those lower castes to receive good paying jobs. There are a wide variety of people who attend college every year but there are specific reservations awarded to specific genders, caste, etc. These reservations are called quotas, and are similar to the affirmative action strategy. In the article by Sooryamoorthy Radhamany, Untouchability in Modern India, I learn that the strive for education is all about the quotas given every year to every caste, about 20 percent of those quotas are reserved for lower caste citizens. Since India's population is 80 percent Hindu and around 90 percent of poor Indians are the Dalit, the Indian government has seen the light so to speak and has proposed a 7 percent increase of quotas given to those of lower castes for a total of 27 percent. This of course will boost a growing economy with educated citizens of all castes and backgrounds. Some of the Indian population have retaliated against this system-mostly younger college age adults- are protesting the quota system in favor for meritocracy. But how can the Dalit or other lower caste rise above the judgments of others and prove their ability and achieve what an upper caste could accomplish without the help of quotas issued from government? The quotas are not just for college purposes, seats are reserved in the public sector units, union and state government departments etc. I have learned That many Dalit's have an education; they are board members and politicians and they have talents and ideas. I feel that even though this problem is still apparent in rural villages, there are changes that are being made to further the progression of a caste free society. I feel that India is making positive the changes to help its people and make India a place where all can be created equal. Just like any other country, Africa and apartheid or America and our own race issues, those who are oppressed will be free.   As an American, I can't help but to think of our own mild caste system. In a world where we worship actors and athletes, idolizing the body to the point of sacrificing integrity for the sake of farce beauty. Where debt takes a back seat to the wants of human nature, keeping up with the Joneses so to speak, I have learned so much from my first research paper. I found out how horrible life can be for these individuals, and how people really are trying to make a difference for them and their country. I have always had ultimate respect for the Hindu religion and people. I still want to visit India someday is in my top 5 places to go. The answer to my questions came with surprising facts and interesting revelations. I am content with this subject now, to know that modern India is booming and growing towards a healthier future makes my heart settled. I know that in order for people to be strong they need to go through a lot and make big mistakes, just like we all have. I hope that this country can be a powerful influence on worldly society and present examples to those who are trailing behind in equality of all men regardless of race, or birthrights.