Political Implications of Untouchability (An Old and Rare Book: Only 1 Quantity Available)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

To explore ancient history is itself a difficult and tricky job in India. So much depends on conjecture and so little on tangible evidence, that controversy and confusion are the outcome of almost every investigation. When this is the situation in regard to the ordinary facts of ancient history, one could imagine how much more difficult it should be to probe into the possible motivations and background of a complex practice like untouchability, as we understand it today. On top of it all, to analyse the 'Political implications' of a practice, which, for a long time, did not necessarily emanate from, nor was mainly sustained by, political motivations (again, as we understand these terms today) is, at say the least, a still more bewildering job.

Physically speaking, it is not as though every-thing can or should be touched. The feelings of pleasure and pain create involuntary reflexes very early in the life of an animal which instinctively learns to obey the dictates of its senses. Thus, a child does not require too many lessons or lectures to avoid touching fire. It, however, requires a little knowledge of the contagious nature of leprosy to make a person avoid touching a leprosy patient. It requires a still greater knowledge of the various stages of leprosy and their comparative risk etc, for a person to shed his hesitation in freely touching a 'burnt out' leprosy patient. Thus, in social intercourse, a leprosy patient is shunned more than a patient of tuberculosis, although from the purely health point of view, the latter is a greater hazard than the former. Again, it is a question of certain involuntary reflexes which lead to a given behaviour in a given context.

By social custom, touching is not allowed between certain individuals, though they may be closely related. A Hindu woman, according to the well-known tenets of social behaviour, shall not generally mingle freely so as to come into free physical contact with males other than her husband. Physical touch being the origin of other sensations and emotions, the woman was enjoined to avoid it. Her contact was thus prohibited not because of what it is but of what it can lead to. Over long periods of time, this taboo has built up its own psychological barrier in social behaviour and today we do find some amount of reluctance on the part of average Hindu woman to allow free physical contact to the male species.

Yet another instance is that of a woman during menses. Some orthodox families treat a woman in menses as an untouchable. She is not supposed to do her normal household work during this period - which naturally includes contact with her husband. Over a period of time this taboo became absolute and anyone who, even by mistake, touched a woman in menses - or her clothes had to restore himself back to purity by a thorough bath. It is quite conceivable that this practice was originally based on Vatsayana's edict prohibiting sexual intercourse during the menstrual period and in order to make it more uniformly enforceable, the taboo was extended to mere touch as well. However, in its extended form, it came to be looked upon as unnecesary and even ridiculous in modern times.

Instructions based on the principle of quarantie and isolation are also plentiful from the earliest times. In these cases, not only touching the patient, but even approaching him was prohibited and for every good-reasons. Today in the era of lunar excursions, moon rocks are being treated as the costliest 'untouchable, imaginable.

It will thus be seen that merely to touch or not to touch a person or a thing has never presented any controversy. Depending on the situation, the condition, health, hazard etc touch was either permitted or prohibited. There was nothing objectionable, as such, in these arrangements, as they were invariably for sound reasons.

Hindu society, however, became stagnant and began to resort to rigid ways. in course of time. Classifications originally meant to ensure progress and to pro-mote useful social and economic activity became permanent divisions organised on the hereditary principle Occupational mobility was nullified by the emergence of permanent caste. With multiplicity of castes and sub castes, the Social structure underwent a transformation which could hardly have been envisaged originally.

As originally approved by the Bombay Uuiversity, awarding me the Ph. D. Degree, this Thesis of mine, "Political Implications of untouchability" is now published and my grateful thanks, at the outset, are offered to the University for permitting its publication.

The subject is intertwined with the social philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. To him the removal of Untouchability was religious to the Indian National Congress it was a policy: to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar it was political: to the British Government, it was a matter for responsible government: and to the responsible Indian Government it has been Constitutional. But to the Vedas, Untouchability was unknown.

The Purushasukta, interpolated as it was in the Rig Veda, introducing Varnadharma, neither contemplated upon nor conceived of Untouchability. The Bhagavadgitopanishad did not recognise a fifth varna and much less untouchability. Disregard of Anulomic and Pratilomic marriages, indiscriminate attachments, promiscuity, had led to Varnasankramana and the birth of mixed castes. And, Vedic ritualism reducing itself to symbolism abandoning bloody sacrifices, those adhering or addicted to unwholesome tamasic food and carrion flesh leading uncleanly life with the cordon sanitaire became segregated, untouchable and even unseeable, with the roots of distant pollution. (Protestant) Buddhism recognising the Law and not the Law-Giver, painting it out, stressed upon the oneness of Man. Hinduism bending and absorbing the best of Buddhism drove it out: nor did it break under the democratic Islamic sword. The Bhakti Cult, equating Ram with Rahim, still did not root out untouchability with caste restoring Brahmanism. The Age of Scientific Enlightenment fell short in its practice of its preachings. The religious, political and social reformers attempted to strike at Untouchability. But it was Gandhiji, making the removal of Untouchability, the third pillar of Svaraj, resisted the Communal Award with his life for keeping Hinduism in tact with Joint Electorate. The Yeravada Pact, the Magna Carta of the Untouchables-Harijans, after Gandhiji- was born. Temple Entry, the first step in the removal of Untouchability was fortified by the Interim Congress Ministry. Independent India saw to the Constitutional abolition of Untouchability, penalising its practice and the disabilities arising there-from.

Though untouchability was not rooted out, Gandhiji considered that a great social reform had been achieved. Holding untouchability not the outcome of caste but of the conception of high-and-low, he still wanted that caste must go and with it the sin of untouchability. He wanted to work around the problem going slow, overcoming stout orthodox opposition, effecting silent transformation of the existing social order, avoiding violent revolution. Not untouchability but caste-varna, having Vedic sanction, countermanding existing authorities with Constitutional amendments might be called for; but the mere abolitton of caste on paper retaining it in the hearts of people might not be of any avail. Here the General Will and Common Good should come into fairplay as the end and aim of all this is to usher in equalitarianism with national integration. And, in the untouchables is considered to be lurking the raw material for Socialism.

"Socialism", Gandhiji considered a beautiful word. It is as old as the hills. Isavasopanishad delineates the concept. Ethical in conception and practice, it aims at the socio-political general welfare. The Constitution of India attempts to secure for our Sovereign Democratic Republic, social, economic and political justice, liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, equality of status and of opportunity for the promotion of fraternity, assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity of the Nation. The Fundemental Rights the Directive Principles and the Special provisions constitute an integral part in the direction, to achieve equalitarian-ism and national integration, through discriminative discrimination for non-discrimination, en passant, differing from the Western concepts and conceptions of Socialism and Secularism. And, it is only indigenous and after the Indian genius.

The old adage is that in trying to please everyone none is pleased. Dissatisfaction is apparent, on the one hand that enough has not been done and on the other that vested interests and inertia have come to stay. But they connot stay in the yoke of progress. Government explain that untouchability and caste are of agelong duration and cannot be got rid of in a trice. Social re-forms are brought about non-violently. Progress is there though not spectacular. Knowledge spreading, change of heart over taking, these two evils receding with Parthian fight, are bound, with concerted effort, duly to disappear.