Conversion of Untouchables to Islam has assumed great significance in Indian life. Many moralists are vocal on this issue. Dalits have gruesome tale to tell, for centuries they have been denied equal share in society. They have not been considered even as human beings by the Hindus. Never did men suffer such a series of misfortune for so long a time as did the Untouchables.
The Hindu Dharma Shastras have prescribed that Dalits cannot own land, cannot wear new clothes, cannot enter temples and schools, they cannot read and hear scriptures. They are unseeables, unapproachable. How to survive under these conditions has been a question. They should eat coarse grains and wear worn-out clothes. In no part of the world human beings are subjected to such intense torture, that also in the name of religion. Such is the remarkable feature of Hindu religion. How can a true religion divide humans into touchables and Untouchables?
I am not criticizing Hindu religion but pointing out only naked facts. A handful of foreign invaders defeated such a big country as India and ruled over it for centuries, plundered its wealth and valuables. While the high castes managed to adjust with every foreign rule, Dalits had to bear the burden. They were driven deeper and deeper into sub human level. This imparted in them a profound sense of inferiority complex. Hindus missed one vital thing that social cohesion, rather than promotion of religious dogmas could strengthen the nation. On the contrary the landlords, businessmen, religious leaders, the fashionable elite conspired against the innocent poor, starving, naked Indian masses, particularly the Untouchables.
The Dalits indeed are the greatest asset of India and the real producers of wealth. This must not be lost sight of. But Dalits are used only as servants of Hindus. They are made to live below the poverty line by drugging them with the dope of Karma theory. It is a wonder how this Karma theory is applicable only to the people living in India where a section is made Untouchables by the god. How can god discriminate between man and man? It is a remarkable feature of Dalits that even under most hostile circumstances they earned their living by the sweat of their brow. They worked hard, however menial it might have been, but they never resorted to begging. Therefore, they never became a burden to the society. History bears witness that during the Muslim rule, Hindus became second-class citizens and when the British came both Muslims and Hindus became second-class citizens. In 1947, the Hindus regained power. Now, who are the second-class citizens? Not the Muslims. Having ruled the country for centuries they are refusing to yield to Hindu supremacy. Also not the Sikhs, because they have a magnificent history of valour and sacrifice behind them. The Dalits alone are left to be the second-class citizens under the Hindu rule. They are starved, naked, illiterate, meek, dumb and deaf. How can anybody say India is a secular state where a Brahmin feels himself polluted even by the shadow of an Untouchable ? In order to deny justice to Dalits, Hindus have a lot of arguments to offer. They are prepared for anything except social equality. But nothing short of social equality is acceptable to us. This is the crux of the problem. The Hindus monopolize the public services by violating every law and the Constitution. They have always utilized the discretion vested in them by virtue of their position in government services to the gross disadvantages of Dalits. Many types of atrocities are committed even upon those Dalits who have nothing to do with reservations just because they demanded the barest minimum for their survival. Conversion to Islam symbolizes the extreme frustration of Dalits. It has become a fashion with Hindus to speak contemptuously of SC/ST in regard to their intelligence and understanding. “Merit theory” is discovered solely to deny justice to Dalits. If Dalits think that Hindus would ever concede social equality, it would be the biggest folly. Equality can be fostered only among equals. It is impossible to realise equality among unequals even if they are economically equal. It is foolish to think of reforming Hinduism as long as the corrupting influence remains in their “sacred scriptures”. Meanwhile, Dalits should leave those professions and occupations which are responsible for hatred and humiliations.
