Download We started with a Dumontian definition of the caste system. The

CHAPTER 1
.
. - CONCLUSON
We
started with a Dumontian definition of the caste system.
The
hierarchy had a
Vedic age.
of politico-economic factors and the consequent upward
restricted
hierarchy.
Brahman,
highest
But, this mobility
those
ends
llr
1
of
status
respect
the
were
1
fixed
reigned
middle
rungs
and
on
to
in
all
the
immutable,
and
supreme.
Thus,
the
received
the
society.
fronts
And
the
untouchable
was
- politico-economic
and
drive home the point that certain values
religio-cultural
system of Hinduism were
the
sanctity of the cow,
its
removal
ritual
excretions,
Secondly, the
so
supreme,
were
the
namely,
with
regarded
as
pollution arising out of human
that those engaged in removing such
also deemed to be in a polluted state.
in
of
so that all those connected
from the village precincts
untouchable.
society
of
It appears as if the untouchable was sacrificed in
status.
with
in
regardless of his secular position,
deprived
order
to
The
consideration
were
post-
Henceforth, there was tremendous scope for the
and downward social mobility of groups.
was
the
This was countered by the movements of Buddhism
and Jainism.
play
tendency to crystallize in
the pre-British era
was an
matter
Thus,
Indian
encapsulated
the Brahman and untouchable upholding certain
and numerous groups in-between jostling for power and
with at best a nebulous position in the hierarchy.
one,
values,
pelf,
356
systemic arragement
This
enabled Indian society to
absorb
groups entering the sub-continent in a manner in
new
they
could
whole
-
which
retain their culture and yet become part
the caste system.
of
a
In this unique way, diversity was
retained, with a unifying thread running through it. Culture
performed the
The
drawback
main
We
untouchable.
Sankara
task of unification.
onwards
position
of
was
the abominable
have
seen that
were
acutely
position
spiritual
aware
of
of
the
leaders
the
from
vulnerable
The bhakti movement was
the untouchable.
an
attempt to bring the low castes within the cultural ambit of
without
Hinduism,
1
hierarchy
1
at
brought
corollary
same
time,
disturbing
the
of the caste system.
This system received a
They
the
with
jolt with the coming of the
them
the notion of
the notion of
British.
equality
'inclusiveness•,
and
by which
avenues of mobility were thrown open to all.
its
secular
This now posed
a threat to the encapsulated system with its dual values for
the ends and the middle of the hierarchy.
Has
this
following
encapsulated
system
given
way
British rule and Independence.
in
found
that indeed,
years
We examined this
problem by taking up the critical category of
We
the
•untouchable'.
the system has given way
but
only
357
The social reform movement of the early decades
partially.
of
the
century
20th
•marginally
served
untouchable•
untouchability.
to
castes
liberate
from
there
are
a few other
have a long way to go.
such
caste,
the
number
of
clutches
of
These castes have gone on to play an impor-
tant part in the economy and polity of
But,
a
Independent India.
•core untouchable•
castes
who
Our analysis involved a study of one
the Madiga.
The Madiga and Holeya and
their
counterparts all over India were ritually more debased
than
the
with
marginally
untouchable castes because they dealt
the polluting carcass of the cow.
of caste,
the
the closer to the polluting substance, the greater
pollution.
deprived,
In the relative hierarchy
The
1
core
untouchables•
were
the
the lowest of the low in terms of status and
most
the
poorest in terms of secular indicators.
Our
study indicates that the notion of purity and pollution
has not given way regarding this segment of the
No
better
incident.
proof
of this can be given than
population.
the
following
During the fieldwork, we had called a few of the
respondents to the house of an Okkaliga constable,
conducted the interviews in a quiet setting.
where we
On completion
of the fieldwork the neighbours, who were largely Okkaligas,
demanded that the house be
purified.
The constable there-
fore had to undertake a purification ceremony of the same.
358
The
lack of doctrinal change in the
Hindu
socio-religious
system in the face of equality professed by the Constitution
has
led
to a peculiar situation with regard to
untouchables•.
but
they
Thus,
continue
within the Colony.
occupations in a
the
•core
an educated Madiga elite has emerged
to reside in a
ghetto-like
situation
Similarly,
the Madiga have entered all
formal sense.
But, they do not enjoy the
benefits of occupational change, partly because their social
interaction
with others is so limited that they are
to develop and take advantage of
Similarly,
in
they have been largely vertically mobilized, i.e.
politics,
they
networks.
unable
have
been
latter 1 s
used by the upper castes to
strength,
for
small
gains
increase
accruing
the
to
the
the
mid-
untouchables.
Movements
of
horizontal
mobilization began
in
seventies and we have observed one such movement
We have pointed out that the function it
Madiga.
is
among
mainly
as a watchdog in the day-to-day affairs
the
performs
of
the
Madiga.
While this is an important task, it is not enough.
We
to
wish
concentrate,
impure
and
point
Only
notion
such
that the
among other things,
movement
will
have
to
on the notion of pure and
press for its removal from the
cultural system.
own
out
Hindu
religio-
Alternatively, it will have to develop its
of •culture• as with
developments
will
the
result
Dravidian
in
the
Movement.
erstwhile
359
untouchable
holding
his head high and taking his
place in the Indian social fabric.
by
no
means
an
leadership.
untouchable
task
of
movement
leadership.
show
However,
the net of
numbers
inhuman practice,
Nevertheless,
population,
system
has
co-opted
they
the
untouchability
of those who are
is
in
the
the
Dalit
marginal
has
rendered
subjected
to
this
thus reducing the pressure they can exert.
it
a
the leaders of
still
figure
are
stands
at
15%
of
which is not entirely
scattered
throughout
breadth of the country and this also poses
with
skills
The removal of the
more promise.
from
the
However,
reservation
great
elite and has rendened them ineffectual in
untouchable
smaller
The task before him
easy one and calls for
The
rightful
the
total
unimpressive.
the
length
problems.
improving communications this problem can be
and
But,
overcome
and may even be an asset in the spread of the movement.
While there are tremendous obstacles,
on
their
society,
forms
side
such
certain modernizing forces
in
as education and the introduction
of technology.
committed
the untouchables have
Moreover,
to the eradication of
present-day
of
the national elite stands
untouchability.
Finally,
the religio-cultural system of Hinduism no longer plays
primary
role of integration,
polity:
hence,
The
newer
the
which is now performed by the
the redundance of the notion of pure-inpure.
day cannot be far off when the caste system
sheds
the
360
notion
of pollution with regard to the
untouchables.
And
then, and only then, will irrevocable and systemic change be
said to have taken place in the caste system.