Christian
convention
Sir,
It is really
heartening that Mr. S Peter look the initiative
in organisaing a Dalit Christian Convention to
bring to fore the problems faced by the Dalit
Christians. (Refer "communal virus to be
fought unitedly, Dr. Abdullah" Daily
Excelsior April 16).
From the Census of
India taken in 1991, the following data is
available. High Caste Hindus 15 percent; S.C.
15.7 percent ST 7.8 percent, OBC 46.5 percent,
Muslims 11 percent, Sikhs 1.5 percent and
Christians 2.5 percent. It is calculated that 60
percent of the Indian Christians are converts
from scheduled castes. This section forms 1.3
percent of the total population and 8 percent of
the scheduled castes. The question is whether the
Christians of the scheduled caste origin have any
right to ask for their political privileges
guaranteed in the Constitution on the basis of
their social and educational backwardness
(Article 340) arising from the millennium-long
practice of untouchability. One of the reasons to
continue to deny the reservation privileges to
the Dalit Christians is the abstract egalitarian
principle of equality of humans in the sphere of
faith. The fact that this sublime Christian ideal
has not yet been realised in any human community
on earth and so to deny a fact against an ideal,
principle is to throw away the body with bath
water.
The present term
scheduled caste is an artificially created
minority. There is a long history behind the
evolution of this term. During the Census of 1880
Dalits were counted under the head "Vagrant,
Menial, and Artisan castes" The word
depressed class for untouchables seems to have
been in use about 1920. Dr. B R Ambedkar was
against the use of the term and he substituted
Baishkit Samaj in its place. In a letter issued
by the Government of India in 1911, ten criteria
and disabilities were given to collect
information about the castes which were not
hundred percent Hindus. A list of 429 who were
treated as untouchables was prepared by the
Census commissioner JH Hutton and it was appended
to Government of India Act 1935 as scheduled
caste order 1936. The constitution of India
accepted the term scheduled caste and defined it
in Article 366 and authorised the President of
India to prepare and notify the list of the
scheduled caste for the first time (341) and the
Parliament to amend it as the need arises. The
word Harijan popularised by Gandhi is considered
as a word of abuse and therefore, is rejected by
the erstwhile untouchables and its use is now
prohibited under penalty by an official
declaration on November 24, 1985. The word
'Dalit' is now being used to mean and include all
those who have been once treated as untouchables.
It is therefore, a
historical fact that there are Dalit Christians
in the Church, who need special attention and
support from the whole church and with regard to
our State from Dr. Farooq Abdullah and his party
and from the Christian community from Mr. S Peter
and Mr. S M Gill.
Yours etc...
Predhuman K. Joseph Dhar
Member Indian Catholic Press
Association, Jammu.
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