Being Untouchable

                                                                                                             

                                                     

                                                                    

The older, I grow the better I seems to think of caste and feel the discrimination, I remember that day when I was debating on negativity of caste system with Swami Tathagat, Swami Birendra and others at Osho Sansar bookshop in Kingsway, Kathmandu. Swami Tathagat was in favor of caste system and stressing philosophically that caste is not by birth but it is based on quality. In response I asked him, if it is so than why I am still regarded as untouchable despite of my quality. How do you judge the quality?  If it is judge based on education, economic, religion, politics, cultural civilization and others mental and physical well being than I am equally capable as you. I am still confused what does it mean by quality? Why am I regarded as untouchable and discriminated on the basis of my caste if it is not by birth. I know that even changing of occupation does not change my caste, if it so then, many upper caste people who has adopted the job of untouchable like tailoring, metal works and others but they are still high caste, they are not regarded as untouchable nor untouchable as upper caste by changing their traditional occupation. The caste system is rigid, where there is no social mobility. It is easy to express philosophic idea but ground reality is different. The wearer only knows where the shoe pain.

Later on Tathagat Swami Stress his argument by saying, “there is discrimination among untouchable caste group focusing on Kami on top and Sharki, Damai, Gaine on descending order”. Yes, it is there but who has planted the seed of caste discrimination in their mind? Who has condition them to live accordingly? The answer is the dominant Vedic Brahamanical orthodoxy and its stratified caste system with Brahmin on the top, Kshatrieya, Vishay and Sudra at bottom. What about that discrimination which you practice within your own cast group? The Upadhyaya Brahmin are discriminating Jaisi Brahmin, Brahmin group are discriminating Chhetri and other indigenous groups and so forth, despite of that, you enjoy pointing your finger toward untouchable. You must not forget that when you are pointing your one finger toward others, there are three fingers pointing back to you.

Our castes and our institution are apparently linked with our religion which is not a perfect institution. When we look back to the various stage of development of cast system in Nepal, than we must not forget the Manusmriti, a guided book of Hinduism on stratification of caste, The then first Malla King, Jayasthiti Malla of Kathmandu valley in 1382-1395 AD had brought five Brahmins from India, according to their guidance he segregated the masses into a caste system, second was King Ram Shah of Gorkha in 1606-1636 AD who followed the idea of caste system propounded by Jayasthiti Malla and finally the first Rana Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana.

The Nepali Civil code (Muluki Ain) 1854 AD was introduce and promulgated by Junga Bahadur Rana after his European tour. Nepalese caste system is more complicated because this system was previously prevalent in the core Hindu society but since the unification of Nepal in the 18th century, various indigenous tribes have been incorporated within the caste hierarchy of Hinduism. According to the Nepali civil Code 1854, the cast hierarchy system is as following:

Tagadhari (wears of the holy thread): Udadhyaya Brahman, Rajput (Thakuri), Jaisi Brahman and Chhetri etc.

Namasinya Matawali (Non-enslave able alcohol drinkers): Magar, Gurung, Newar, Sunuwar, Rai, Limbu etc.

Masinya Matawali (Enslaveable alcohol drinkers): Tamang, Sherpa, Chepang, Kumal, Tharu, Gharti etc.

Pani nachalne, chhoi chito halnu naparne (impure but touchable): Jogi, Kashain, Khadgi, Muslim and European.

Pani nachhalne chhoi chitto halnu parne (Untouchable or the caste whose water is defiled): Kami, Damai, Sharki, Gaine etc.

Various legal and constitutional reformed has been made in-between like old wine in new bottle. The laws were passed against the caste discrimination in 1962 AD, caste system and legal code were publicly outlawed by the 1990 AD Constitution and finally by the Interim Constitution of Nepal-2007, No person shall, on the ground of caste, descent, community or occupation, be subject to racial discrimination and untouchability in any form. Such a discriminatory act shall be liable to punishment and the victim shall be entitled to compensation as provided by the law” but the discrimination is still continuing though the rules are not as rigid as they were in the past because of western influence, education and modern communication system.

Sometime, upper caste people blame that lower caste people are unclean so they deserve to be discriminated by preventing them entering into the Hindu temple, receiving education, listening to high caste people’s teaching, worshiping, inter-caste marriage, non-acceptance of cooked food from lower caste and participating in fairs and festival. Yes, I accept the charges they are unclean due to their workshop where they have to work with black coal, above the hundred degree temperature to give the shape to weapon, utensils from a raw metal, Shoe maker has to work with leather, Tailors has to stitches clothes so, time and again they have to put their finger in the mouth to sharpen the thread to enter  into the ear of needle and sweeper has to clean the street, this is their nature of work based on Manusmirti and enforce by legal code of Nepal to Nepalese. No choice, it is choice less choice.

What about the so called upper caste people? Are they clean enough if it is the matter of cleanliness? What about those Brahmin who are unconsciously laying in the gutter due to excessive consumption of alcohol? You must have notice those Brahmin sitting entrance of the Hindu temple as their business to recite the mantra and other ritual things.  If yes, then I must say that they are the most unclean creature for that holy business because of their ugly uncut nail, stinking shocks and mouth, having cigarette and offering holy thread and vermilion with same hand, polluting surrounding and holy rivers banks with plastic and flowers, offering falls promises of heaven to the innocent one. Did you ever notice the cleanliness of the Church, Mosque, Synagogue, and other type of Monasteries? Which one is clean? Definitely, other temples are clean in-comparison to Hindu temple. The Brahmins are the unclean one who has been polluting the Hindu temple since aged. If I am right, cleanliness means pure consciousness which is possible through the process of clean and health body, healthy vegetarian food, honesty and clean vision with moral living. We must not forget that our consumption disrupts the psychological balance which reflects itself in mind and therefore the consciousness of consumers.

I want to say that untouchables are the most creative people. Can you imagine those times when there was no global market system? In those days people were depending in their own internal local market. Blacksmith/ Goldsmith were the one who used to make utensil, weapon, ornament, musical instrument and statue of God and Goddess, Shoe makers were the one who used to make shoes, tailor used to make clothes and others works like  singing and playing musical instrument in fair and festival etc. What did you make and gave to the humanity? Nothing accept the misinterpreting the perfect holy scripture into imperfection. The Holy Scripture is misinterpreted by you to divide the other cast group to rule, for dirty politics and to discriminate. You must not forget that untouchable were the one who made you civilized, they made weapon for you to expand the territory of nation, they made the statue which you worship, and they made the clothes, ornament and shoes to protect you from heat and cold. What have you given to them, nothing accept hatred and discrimination. Can you imagine yourself without cloths and utensils? I can visualize you as beggar, a jungle man without cloths and utensil.

Not only that, you don’t accept the water touch by untouchable but in the time of urgency, you accept their blood to protect your beloved one, you enjoy the hidden sexual relation with the brother and sister of untouchable groups, sometime forcefully raped and abuse them but you guys remain still holy because you got that privilege by birth. You upper caste people are just nursing your false pride of birth; you are hypocrite, living in double standers.

You ask untouchable to read and write to be like Upper caste, forget about education, how it was possible than while untouchable were not allowed to reading and hearing from educated Brahmin. You were the privileged on by birth not us. The then existed system denied untouchable to read and write. We have the brain and more energy and more guts than you but we were chained by your law, now time has change, untouchable are educating themselves but still you are discriminating innocent brother and sister by not letting them sit together in school and not letting them drinking water from the same water jar of the very class room.

Many untouchable are turning into Christianity and other religion, why? Don’t think that this is due to their hunger and lust of other opportunity; it is because of your discrimination in religious practice, social affairs, political participation, economical and other daily affairs. Person like Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar know as Babasaheb converted to Buddhism and is also credited with providing a spark for the conversion of hundreds of thousands of lower caste into Buddhism.

Dr. Ambedkar was appointed chairman of the constitution drafting committee, charged by the assembly to write India’s new constitution in 1947. He declared that he was born as a Hindu but will not die as a Hindu”.  I would like to add one more saying from Swami Bibekananda, According to him, “We are day and nights calling out to them don’t touch us! Don’t touch us! The religion has entered in the cooking pot. Is there any compassion of kindliness of heart in the country? Only a class of don’t touchism; kick such custom out! Don’t touchism is form of mental disease”.

Tathagat swami ji, I know what you mean by, I accept that caste system was designed for division of labor, stability of job in society but the noble idea has been corrupted by so called cunning criminal minded Brahmin. They became more intelligent than lord Krishna so, they interpreted the noble idea into their own intelligence to dominate other caste group. The Bhagvad Gita, Chapter-4, Verse: 13 lord Krishna say, “The fourfold caste has been created by me according to the differentiation of Guna and Karma” He is therefore the creator of the four divisions of the social order, beginning with the intelligent class of men, Brahmins who are predominated by Sattva-guna and they are assigned the task (Karma) of Meditation due to their being situated in the mode of goodness. Next is the administrative class, Kshatriyas, they are predominated by Raja and Sattva guna and they are assigned to be warrior due to their being situated in the mode of passion. Third is the mercantile men named as Vaishya, they are predominated by Raja and Tama-guna being situated in the mixed modes of passion and ignorance, assigned to be farmers and traders and finally comes the Sudras or laborer class, predominated by Tamas and Raja-guna and their Karma (task) is to serve other, they are situated in the ignorant mode of material nature.

The four-fold order is designed for human evolution; Lord Krishna verse has been misused by social criminals to justify the perverted form of the Caste System. “Varna” or caste refers to different shades of color but not in the context of the color of a person’s skin but Hindus are discriminating European and American brothers and sister on the basis of color and not letting them entering into the Hindu temple while they do not discriminate Hindus entering into their Church and Mosque. God does not discriminate but the so called Brahmin does so.

 Lord Krishna does not belong to any of these divisions, because He is not one of the conditioned souls. Human society is similar to any other animal society, but to elevate men from the animal status, the above-mentioned divisions are created by the Lord for the systematic development of Krishna consciousness. Lord Krishna emphasis on Guna (aptitude or modes of instinct) those are pre-installed in all being and Karma (function), not on caste by birth. The Verna whom we belong is independent of sex, birth or breeding.  A Verna is determined by temperature and vocation not by birth or heredity. There is caste in religion but no caste discrimination; it is social custom which is discriminating certain caste group by few cleavers Brahmin.

I remember that day too when swami Tathagat’s eyes became wet when he read my status on face book with the title of “Kami Dai”, I know that you are not the man who discriminate the untouchable. I am happy that we are sannyasin (monk) initiated by Osho where a man from the highest caste and a man from the lowest caste become equal, no discrimination, and I believe that it is a perfect communism where we meditate together, eat together, worship together and celebrate together. Sannyas system is the ultimate communism where there is no discrimination on the basis of cast.

I sometimes feel the urge to break the barriers of untouchability by bringing together to those who are downtrodden and discriminated on the basis of cast, a bloody revolution to terminate the evil practice of society. The problem of untouchability supposed to be a matter of class struggle, struggle between caste Hindu and the Untouchables, a class struggle for social status but so called Brahmin had divided untouchable into many class so there is no question of unity among them though they have similar type of class consciousness, few untouchable elite group are silently running their business out of it in the name of NGO and other type of organization, untouchable are divided into many political parties. For the unity, untouchable have to mingle with each other to eliminate untouchables practice within and united together under one umbrella system to bring revolutionary social change but they are enjoying the blessing of political parties for their personal goal rather than communal. I don’t mean to say that they have not done anything politically, they have, but it is in black and white form, not in practical. I like the idea of  Karl Marx, “Change comes from the barrel of a gun” but I don’t want to seize the opportunity of fighting in the name of caste, I am not a influential political figure for that job, no use of fighting on which cast is high and which cast is low, what success will it achieve? It will divide us, weaken us, and degrade us; the solution is not by bringing down the upper caste but by raising the lower caste up to the level of higher with positive discrimination, no privilege for anyone, equal chance for all.  It is the nature of society to form itself into group. I can perform my on duty in social life and you another; there is no reason why you are greater than I.  We are dependent to each others.

 I just want to let you know that my quality will not change my caste neither your effort because the Holy Scripture has been already polluted, raped and murdered by so called Brahmin. I am unique in my quality and happy for it.  It is not my mistake to be born in untouchable family. You can’t change my caste because it is by birth, you just need to cooperate with us and support us by not discriminating and not humiliating. After all untouchable are also human being as you are, they are God’s creation, how can you neglect them? Are you superior to the God? Don’t you love God’s creation?

Religion is major concern of man. Lord Krishna is encouraging people to change their existing miserable life through different means of Yoga like Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga, Gyana yoga and Raja yoga while Brahmin are discouraging people from attempting to change their life situation.The Brahmins are the part of superstructure in society; they are misinterpreting Holy Scripture for controlling and maintaining social inequality through means of religion. Brahmin are promoting and trying to sustain the existing religious practice, socio-economic and political inequality. How long the social injustices remain? The present social reality is different than lord Krishna’s Gita. The Brahmins are imposing falls consciousness in society, they are trying to distract the present situation of people blaming to their past Karma, creating more hopeless situation for untouchables. Hello! Lord, Krishna, your Gita has been misinterpreted, raped, abused and polluted, why do you providing more fertile ground for such Brahmins? When do you supposed to come back to punish these criminals? What about your promises of “yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham” (whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I descend myself.)? The issue of caste-based discrimination against untouchable is of great importance in the 21st century, and remains one of the last customary bastions of discrimination, resulting in a mixture of both short term atrocities and long term effects on untouchable’s dignity. We want liberation from the bondage of caste system which you designed.

-By Giri Bahadur Sunar

Email: girithejorba@gmail.com