The Dalit Movement

The Dalit movement is not simply a fight against economic exploitation or political oppression, though both are important. At its core, it is a struggle for recognition as fellow human beings. It is a fight for self-confidence, for a space to determine one’s own life, and for the abolition of the stigma that untouchability imposed. Activists have described it as a struggle to be touched.

The word Dalit itself carries this meaning. It is commonly used in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, and many other Indian languages to mean the poor and oppressed. It was first used in its current political sense in Marathi by neo-Buddhist activists, followers of Babasaheb Ambedkar, in the early 1970s. The word refers to those who have been broken, ground down by those above them in a deliberate way. Inherent in the word is a denial of the ideas of pollution, karma, and a justified caste hierarchy.

There has never been a single, unified Dalit movement in India, either now or in the past. Different movements have highlighted different issues and worked from different ideologies. However, all of them assert a Dalit identity, even if the exact meaning of that identity is not identical or precise for everyone.

This common quest can be seen in several historical movements:

• The Satnami Movement of the Chamars in the Chhattisgarh plains of eastern Madhya Pradesh.
• The Adi Dharma Movement in Punjab.
• The Mahar Movement in Maharashtra.
• The socio-political mobilisation among the Jatavas of Agra.
• The Anti-Brahman Movement in south India.

In the contemporary period, the Dalit movement has unquestionably acquired a place in the public sphere that cannot be ignored. This has been accompanied by a growing body of Dalit literature. Dalit writers insist on using their own imageries and expressions, rooted in their own experiences and perceptions. Many felt that the high-flown social imageries of mainstream society would hide the truth rather than reveal it. Dalit literature gives a call for social and cultural revolt. While some writers emphasise the cultural struggle for dignity and identity, others also bring in the structural features of society, including economic dimensions.

Sociologists have attempted to classify Dalit movements and believe they belong to all three types: reformative, redemptive, and revolutionary. The anti-caste movement that began in the 19th century under the inspiration of Jotiba Phule, was carried forward in the 1920s by the non-Brahmin movements in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, and then developed under the leadership of Dr. Ambedkar, had characteristics of all types. At its best, it was revolutionary in terms of society and redemptive in terms of individuals. …