It’s morning –eight
a.m. My companion and I are groggy (seems to be a common occurrence…) and laden
with bags that seem to have gained 50 lbs. overnight. We are in Kanpur, enroute
to Lucknow, the capitol of Uttar Pradesh. I’m stiff from the previous nights
train journey, and staring blankly into space. I am inexplicably calm when, at
this point, I should be completely overwhelmed by my surroundings. There are
hoards of people, and four times as many packages and luggage parcels filling
the platform. Every few minutes I am jostled
by a person or bag and every few minutes one of many men (I presume soldiers or
law enforcement of some kind) walks by carrying an enormous riffle. It also
doesn’t smell like roses. The screech of an engine tells me a train will arrive,
shortly before a blue engine rolls into view. It hasn’t stopped, and certainly
hasn’t officially arrived, but after a few seconds the platform looks like one
of those chaotic clips you see of the New York Stock Exchange the moment the bell
rings. The cars are sliding across the tracks, breaking slightly at each
passing second. People are running towards the train, holding onto the railings,
jumping into moving door-frames and hanging on for dear life as the train
continues to slow, eventually coming to a stop on the platform. In the second
after its arrival, it seems like every last person on the platform has rushed the
tracks, paying little attention to anything between them and the two feet of
air granting entrance to a compartment.
Everyone is determined to be the first through the door. No time for
napping. No time for second-guesses. No time for anything. It’s go time. This
is when I start to get overwhelmed.
Lucky lucky for me I was one of the few not trying to board the train in question. Also lucky for me, my
companion/chaperone mentioned this before I plunged myself into the madness and
ended up who-knows-where. Even luckier
for me, we had purchased reserved seat tickets and thus avoided the similar mad
dash when our own ride arrived. Asssah! I am so lucky!
Now, my friends, we’ve come to the question of the hour? Why
was I getting on this train in the first place? As I said, my companion (and
co-worker) and I were on our way to Lucknow, about 10 hours East of Delhi. The
occasion for the visit was a workshop organized by my NGO, about which I
understand you know very little. To be honest I am still trying to sort everything
out myself, and find myself filling the space between the lines slowly, one day
at a time. I am still working on the big
picture, but I’ll try to answer question number two (What exactly are you doing???) and give you the best I’ve got so
far…
The NGO for which I work (henceforth the foundation) was
founded to promote equal rights for Dalit (formerly “untouchable”) individuals.
In order to do so, the foundation provides small grants to individuals and
organizations working on various Dalit issues at the grassroots level in local
communities. It also provides capacity
building training in areas such as accounting and fundraising, and legal
education and advising, to its partners. Additionally, the foundation provides
training to young Dalit Activists through a young professionals program and
supports and promotes Dalit Artists and their work. Through its grants and
trainings the foundation hopes to empower and aid Dalit’s in their fight for
equality.
Got it? No? Not quite sure why they are doing all of this? Not
even sure what I mean what I say “Dalit??” Ok, a little history/religious
studies lesson…*
India is a predominantly Hindu country and the religion not
only helped shape its history, but also continues to permeate many aspects of
society today. According to the Hindu tradition, (almost) all people are descendant
of the “primal man” Purush and are divided into four castes, or levels, based
on origin. The four major castes and their origins are as follows: Brahmins,
the highest caste, are said to have come from the head of Purush. The Brahmins
are followed by the Kshatriyas from the hands, Vaisyas from the thighs, and
Sudras from the feet. These four groups are then divided further into more sub
castes than I will ever be able to wrap my brain around. Historically, a person’s
caste also dictates their occupation and subsequent place in society. For example,
Brahmins are traditionally priests, while Kshatriyas are warriors, and Vaisyas
are skilled traders and merchants. In addition to (or as a result of) this
system and the occupational roles and social hierarchy it defines, a fourth
group exist outside the traditional castes and occupations. This group, those
designated as not originating from Purush and thus less worthy that the other
groups, were forced into occupations too “impure” for those of the upper
castes. These people, the Dalit’s, were then deemed to be “impure,” themselves
based on their occupations, often involving animal slaughter, or the removal of
animal and human waste or remains. This impurity was deemed so potent, that Dalit’s were
forbidden to even drink from the same well or use the same utensils as a member
of an upper caste, for fear that the impurity would be passed to the later.
Dalits were literally cast to the lowest rungs of society with little means to make
their way up the ladder. The caste system largely prevents any movement between castes,
and inter-caste marriages were in many cases strictly prohibited. A person is born into the caste of his or her
parents, with the knowledge that his/her children will face the same fate.
To this point, I’ve been using the past tense when
describing the plight of Dalit individuals and communities; but the reality is
that, for many of India’s Dalit communities, the situation remains unchanged
and equally bleak. The caste system is still rigidly enforced in many areas and
has pushed beyond religious boundaries, imposing caste hierarchies on
Christians, Muslims, Sikhs etc, as well as various tribal groups and minorities
finding themselves outside the traditional system. The majority of Dalit’s,
whom represent about 16.2 % of India’s 1,170,93800 people, continue to face
various levels of caste discrimination in every aspect of life. This can
involve segregation and prejudice in school and at the work place, being forced
to into bonded labor to pay off enormous debts, having to take up demeaning and
unhygienic professions like manual scavenging and, in many cases, finding themselves
victim to rampant physical and sexual violence.
Honestly, it’s a lot to take in and it’s all very intense
and overwhelming. That being said, as much caste discrimination seems engrained in society
and can seem like an insurmountable problem to solve, there are many dedicated people
fighting to do just that. Even earlier, but more prominently since Gandhi preached equality among castes and
promoted replacing the term “Untouchables” with “Harijans”, or “Children of
G-d,” and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the man
considered by most to be the father of the Dalit Rights Movement, helped
constitutionally ban the practice of untouchability, individuals and
organizations across India have been working tirelessly to eradicate caste-based
discrimination. In 1989, Parliament passed
the Prevention of Atrocities Act protecting scheduled castes and tribes and in
1997 India elected its first Dalit President. Though these notable (but not
all-inclusive) examples mark significant progress in the movement, the race is
far from won. The finish line is nowhere in sight. For the millions of people living
the realities of caste discrimination, and those still living with the outlawed
stigma of untouchability, the fight for equality continues, one day at a time.
So, where does that leave me? It leaves me back in Delhi,
having returned from the Lucknow workshop. Having spent 3 days listening to the
stories and motivation of 30 Dalit activists, and learning about their past
accomplishments, future goals, and work plans. Having met the Young Professionals
and having visited one Foundation partner in the field, to observe her work in
action (more to come). It leaves me having had many hours to think about the
challenges that lie ahead and what my role in the effort will be. Like I said,
it’s a lot to take in.
The fact of the matter is that this problem will not be
solved in the next two and a half months. Those invested in the fight for
equality will continue to fight for years to come with the knowledge that they are
trying to pushing a wagon uphill. There will be moments of success and failure, and
sometimes it may seem to take all the strength one has to keep the wheels from
rolling backwards. All I can do, all I can expect, is to add my hands to the thousands
of others on the back of that wagon, even if it seems I will be a mouse among
lions.
And that’s where I am.
I am finding my way in India and finding my way at work and
reminding myself that a year and a half ago I couldn’t even place my humble
abode in Pyeongtaek on a map or figure out how to eat without launching a
chopstick across the table, let alone understand anything that was going on in
my life. In fact, in the last two weeks I have gained a better understanding of
how the foundation works, than I ever had in regards to the inner workings of
Banji. Now, if I could just find a place to buy some cheese….
One day.
I’m sorry if this post was confusing, and that I didn’t
really get around to a direct answer to question number two. I’ll work on that,
I promise. For the time being, I can’t pretend that I am not confused 90% of the time as well. So, my friends, I ask
that you stick around a bit longer. As I learn more about my work, more about India, and
more about my place in this world, I’ll be sure to share a little bit with all
of you. Maybe, eventually, we will all understand.
For now, I leave you with this little nugget of everyday
life, so we can all remember that life is not all work and no play, and also
that I really love food. In my efforts
to figure out what and where I am supposed to be eating and what will not, in
fact, make my hate my life a few hours down the road, I have taking to snacking
on Sev Puri a few afternoons a week. I
am not sure it passes the “no street food” line of advice I was given at
orientation, but I’m working with what I’ve got. It’s basically an amazingly delicious
concoction, which I can best describe as a sweet, spicy, crunchy chips and salsa
with a spoon type situation. It’s pretty rad, and if it were culturally
appropriate I would probably eat a bucket full in each sitting… Super. Size. Please.
Nomnomnomnomnom.
राम राम,
Emily
*Please
note that I am in no way an expert on either the Hindu religion or the history
of the caste system and its implications. I am doing my best to learn as much
as I can, as quickly as possible, in order to inform my volunteer work, but a
girl can only absorb so much at one time.
What I’ve noted here as a summery of what I have learned so far. Should
I find any mistakes or false assumptions in the future, or should anyone inform me of an error I've made, I will make every effort to correct the information
presented.
Sources:
Caste and Class: U.S. Library of Congress, Wikipedia/org/wiki/Dalit,
www.ambedkar.org... I will try to do this more officially in the future.
