India’s ‘untouchable’ toilet cleaners forge new lives
61
For nearly four decades, Kela Devi worked for a pittance emptying her high-caste neighbours' toilets with her bare hands in the small Indian village where she lives.
But in the last two years she has turned her life around, learning to read and write and opening her first bank account.
Devi is among 21 women in the village of Nekpur who managed to escape their desperate situation with the help of the charity Sulabh International, which provided shelter and a basic education.
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (61) Closed
Nov 19, 2014 01:27pm
Why do they stay part of religion that denies them basic rights? They should follow the example of Dr. Ambedkar.
Recommend
0
Nov 19, 2014 03:51pm
@abdulhakim - Do you accord the same status to a dalit who has converted to Islam ? His caste will not be forgotten whether he becomes a Buddhist like Ambedkar, Christian like Yousuf Yohana or a muslim like Mohammed Yousuf.
Recommend
0
Nov 19, 2014 04:29pm
@abdulhakim : How can a religion deny someone his/her basic rights ? It is the so-called righteous followers who consider others infidel and show their strength .But matter becomes worse when state also follows such people , like in Pakistan , Ahmadis are not muslims and non-muslims can't be state-head.
Recommend
0
Nov 19, 2014 07:41pm
@abdulhakim Religion has nothing to do with these people being denied basic rights.
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 12:46am
Blessed are those who act to uplift less fortunate people.
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 06:17am
@abdulhakim How about shias, Ahamediyas, kurdish... etc?
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 08:06am
A BBC documentry showed how people with master digreees were told to go and clean toilets just because they were Dalits, and that is what they were doing.....shameful society which is very good at criticising others...
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 09:46am
@Munish Their is no cast system in Islam
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 10:31am
I will happily sit with this angels and break bread with them. Waheguru did not make a caste system. It is we humans who are our own worst enemies at categorising and compartmentalising the weaker and poorer members of our human society. Using religion as a weapon to supress the poor and vulnerable.
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 11:11am
This is sad. What is this religion that apart human into casts and snatches away the very basic human rights. It looks like they are still living in the primitive ages, and the progressiveness is a mere ostentation to sell themselves in the civilized modern world.
What a shame !!
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 11:11am
This is sad. What is this religion that apart human into casts and snatches away the very basic human rights. It looks like they are still living in the primitive ages, and the progressiveness is a mere ostentation to sell themselves in the civilized modern world.
What a shame !!
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 12:11pm
This is confusing . Considering Indians claim to be the biggest and most advanced civilisation on earth, how come there are "untouchables" there ? Don't tell me the caste system is still alive and kicking .
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 12:12pm
@kvkr Oh really ? So when it comes to you , religion has nothing to do with it ? Convenient !
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 12:13pm
@shawn Stay on the topic and answer the question with an answer and not another question
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 12:22pm
@shawn It is all a political stunt
Sir Zafrullah the first foreign Minister of Pakistan was a Qadiani
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 04:38pm
Caste system is a backward custom. Even a die-hard Hindu right-winger (as long as he/she has some education and exposure to the outside world) will agree with that. No politician supports this system. While the caste system will be around for a little longer in economically backward and illiterate areas, there isn't a single Hindu intellectual who supports the caste system. Can you say the same thing about Muslim intellectuals with regards to their own backwards customs. The best cure for the caste system is economic growth and literacy.
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 05:00pm
Caste division sadly exits in every Sub continent Religion
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 05:33pm
@rehan - Ask yourself. Isnt it more alive and kicking in Pakistan. In India a Dalit can become Chief Minister of the largest state. In Pakistan they are not even allowed decent education.
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 06:52pm
The tradition was formed by the Brahmins in India. A farm hand in Allahabad can not sit on chair with a upper cast Brahmin, even today. Rest of the claim of equality by Indians is a lie. This tradition is there to stay for a very long time.
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 08:11pm
A commendable work.
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 08:25pm
@Nizamuddin Ahmad Aali Please don't blame the Bramhins for this. Segregation is everywhere. Be it between rich or poor or black or white. Every religion follows some sort of hierarchy though implicitly. This is bad but good thing is that people are changing. Let there be light after the dark tunnel.
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 09:18pm
It's amusing how the word "untouchable" is used only by foreign press agencies and popular media. I'm 40 years old, and I don't recall this word ever being used to describe a section of Indian society in any official or media publication in India in my lifetime. Indians are aware of the movement to eradicate this word and practice throughout the freedom movement by Gandhi, Ambedkar and others. While caste-based discrimination still exists in vast tracts of rural India today, I doubt if any Indian considers any other Indian an "untouchable"...for the current generation of Indians this would be a strange concept indeed!
Recommend
0
Nov 20, 2014 10:35pm
India...the only country in the world where the caste system and racism is widely accepted and followed.
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 04:53am
@Kalimullah in that case Saudi will be marrying people from South Asia correct? Non Saudi Muslims won't be called "Mawali". There is a caste system of one form or another everywhere.
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 04:56am
@anony unlike in Pakistan. LOL
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 07:20am
@abdulhakim
What has religion to do with it? Do muslim treat all muslims equal? Whenever there is discussion about any topic, muslims start to talk about conversion.
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 07:53am
@anony What do you know about India mussie
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 08:12am
@vijay yes unlike in Pakistan, because it's a Muslim country and caste system is forbidden. In some parts of Pakistan, where old Hindu practises still exist, there is some ' attitudinal problems', like one tribe thinking itself superior to the other, but social workers are eradicating this age old Hindu practise. India should learn from Pakistan.
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 08:14am
@Munish do you hear anything against these two. In fact they live very good lives and are main guest at many functions. Caste system is considered a human rights violation by the UN and IC of Justice.
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 09:22am
@Kalimullah Yes but amongst its followers there is a severe layering of society.
A visiting Pakistani accountant in our company told us about it
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 09:25am
Caste system has its origin from Indus valley civilization....it was for the division of labor based on one's capabilities, it was never based on birth.. it is the greed of people which made the caste systems birth based..caste system is totally irreverent in today era.. unfortunately government not took proper measures to abolish it just for vote bank politics..
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 12:56pm
@Nizamuddin Ahmad Aali And Brahmin (Upper cast) cannot sit before Present CM of Bihar Mr. Jitan Ram Manjhi and Ms Mayawati (Ex Chief Minister of UP). Everything can be changed by education. Post (Position) and education can change everything and it is changing rapidly. You are reading it with taste as it is an Indian news. Come and see, everywhere lower caste is on high position that is not possible in Pakistan.
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 12:57pm
Aiming Mars...reaching amazing heights of hypocrisy...fact check: 25% of India's population is called "Dalit or Untouchables"...believe it or not folks they are considered "impure" and not worthy of even a "physical human touch"...India should immediately remove class barriers and assimilate its disenfranchised population...
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 12:58pm
@Munish : Yes... A dalit is as good a muslim as others.
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 02:46pm
Lets set the record straight - all educated Indians are ashamed of this and the caste system that still remains in parts of India and yes we want to be rid of it. What i see here is an effort to do that.........solution starts when you agree there is a problem, not like some people who feel everything that happens in their country is because of India, America and Israel !
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 03:55pm
There is nothing wrong with cleaning toilets for a living. However condemning someone to do only that due to caste is shameful. And this happens in Pakistan too. Here we too have mostly Hindu and Christians cleaning toilets and acting as sweepers etc. ancient laws prevent Muslims from taking those posts in government service. And even Muslims classify people on the basis of caste.
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 08:15pm
Dawn... I admire you for bringing this to light!!
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 08:17pm
@Kalimullah
Cast system is not a part of religion but society develop a system to degrade people who do certain type of work
Recommend
0
Nov 21, 2014 09:11pm
Mother Teresa, an Indian Christian, stooped down to help many of these people. They were not her people but they were human beings.
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 12:34am
This is a blot on the face of India.. No amount of defensive can defend something as bad as untouchability.. I hang my head in shame..
Until we don't mix our bloods, this will continue to happen...
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 05:03am
When something ill crept in the Hindu society (i.e. treating certain section of society badly), Hindu society is correcting it by providing opportunities... it is responsibility of good society to correct itself as some people with vested interest in the past started to preach themselves as blessed ones... As far as Hindu religion goes all sections of society are equally important for growth and success (Work is worship and no work is lesser than other work)
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 08:40am
@Nizamuddin Ahmad Aali The only good thing I will point out is that we in India are aware and getting active to remove these century old disgraceful short coming and breaking the barriers. In Pakistan it is happening the other way around. There new barriers are being raised where there were none.
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 11:32am
@Munish
Yes Muhammad Yousf have same acceptance as any other Person (by birth Muslim) He can pray anywhere eat any where infact he even preach Islam to people who don't have peoper knowledge
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 11:36am
@rehan Indians are not the greatest civilization but at least we are a CIVILIZATION. What about ur country? Blast every 6hrs, murder, kidnap, rape, lynching of minorities, strikes, political dharnas and finally at loggerheads with all ur neighbours (Iran, India and Afghanistan).
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 02:53pm
@Krishan Gopal You know when you put out twisted history ,just think there might be readers out there who are well read in ancient history. Cast System is a racist system created by the white Aryans to separate the aboriginal Indians in ancient times and its still going strong it seems.!
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 06:01pm
@rehan Caste system created by human being, caste system not mentioned in Hindu religion. People create caste system for their own benifits. I hope there will be no caste
system in India in the future.
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 06:05pm
@Nizamuddin Ahmad Aali If you are talking about equality in Muslims - then why urdu speaking West pakistan army killed thousands of innocent bengali speaking muslims in east pakistan during 1969-71. and after that pakistan army killing muslims in Waziristan,Balochistan,Sind,Baltistan.
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 09:01pm
@Ahmed USA social changes take century you fool.
Everyone is doing their job, everything can not be hijacked coz we have few things wrong in our society? It's better things move parallel, unlike Pakistan who have held country hostage to Kashmir issue!
I wonder how you manage in USA!
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 09:05pm
@rehan we have had our issues and are dealing with them and it might take many more decades, we have made progress on this issue leap and bound, and we don't call them untouchables, just so you know.
now let's come to another topic, you have been fighting for Kashmir with so much Shiddhat, how come you don't have it, rather it has not moved at all towards you!
Recommend
0
Nov 22, 2014 09:31pm
Claim a biggest democracy in the world but ...... no one had challenged it yet. Obama in his coming can bring a good news for untouchable.
Recommend
0
Nov 23, 2014 07:25am
Pakistan's no better with respect to the minorities.
Recommend
0
Nov 23, 2014 03:18pm
@SKS I m agree with you cast system is very strong in pakistan aswell
Recommend
0
Nov 24, 2014 04:20am
@Kalimullah
Are you sure about no caste system in muslims.My best friend told me you have kind of Sayyeds then Sheikh and flowchart goes on with Ansari and some other down below.
Recommend
0
Nov 24, 2014 06:17am
@rehan bhai this is bad we accept.but it is also true that we are making progress and things have improved a lot ....hopefully in 15 20 years we will eradicate the curse of caste system....Believe me it is really about education and economics ....I am a Brahmin but don't believe in these things
Recommend
0
Nov 24, 2014 06:22am
@Ahmed USA buddy its not like that all 25% are treated in this manner .o am sure we can eradicate this kind of differentiation in few more years ....but what about your minoriities and other muslim sects?
Recommend
0
Nov 24, 2014 06:24am
@Zak Great- India has to learn from Pakistan how to treat its citizens !! What planet are you living.
Recommend
0
Nov 24, 2014 06:43am
I am struggling to understand the title of these articles by dawn. I notice that Dawn does expose the flaws in Pakistan as well as India. But the Indian articles have titles that show Indians as being extremely discriminatory like this one for example. I have yet to see a Pakistani article titled "Sunni extremists kill Shia minorities" or "Local extremists kill Mohajir leader".
A student will excel if he/she can see his flaws and fix them. Another student will never excel if his/her attention is not on himself/herself but on pointing out other person's flaw.
Recommend
0
Nov 24, 2014 09:21am
1. Untouchability is banned by law in india. Call a Dalit, an 'untouchable' and he could ensure you end up in Jail. Though like Pakistan, laws become non existent in interior UP and Bihar
2. the article itself mentions that the people suffering untouchability are coming out of it.
3. Read Guinness book of records. KR Narayanan finds his place as the person having risen highest. He was Dalit and rose to be the president of India. While he was the vice president, he also attended the innaugration on Nelson Mandela in 1993 (Pakistan was represented by BB).
Recommend
0
Nov 24, 2014 10:30am
@MB rightly said!
Recommend
0
Nov 24, 2014 12:18pm
India is changing rapidly and situation of Dalits are far better today than in the past. Still plenty of things to do and I am sure people of India with pressure on their government would achieve it in near future. But Pakistan sill have land laws in favor of Jagirdars and people are working like a slave. They are killed on the name of Sia and Sunni. What a shame when Pakistan was created on the name of religion, their own people need security against each other.
I wish democracy exists in Pakistan. That is the only solution to counter problems of people. Army would let country divided again. All wars against India were lost in the regime of army only.
Recommend
0
Nov 24, 2014 03:52pm
@Kalimullah But slave system exists, who have no rights, and can be used for anything
Recommend
0
