Society lacks heart for untouchables (The Daily Star (Dhaka))
“The Dalits–the muchis (cobblers), the dhopas, the methors (sweepers) and the napits (barbers)–live a life of social exclusion. Restaurants don’t serve them; those that serve keep separate plates and glasses.
“‘We are not allowed to even touch any vegetable or chicken or anything for that matter in the market,’ Robi Das explains, as he comes out of the tea stall empty-handed. ‘They say if we touch anything, it is spoilt.’
“In Jessore, about 5,000 Dalits live in about 50 villages. Throughout the country there are about 55 lakh. They are the low caste Hindus, and the caste system that started in India ages ago–the exact time and how it was introduced is still debatable–keeps the children of the Dalits secluded in schools. Nobody sits next to them. Nobody plays with them. They just live like shadows, as Robi Das does.”
Comments