Dalit writing in India has appeared in vernacular languages for many decades. Many Dalits now also write in English (as did Ambedkar) or are increasingly translated into English—the language of modernity and power in India—which also makes the Dalit experience known to the wider world. Even among this small set, there is great diversity of opinion on the caste system: its current state and trajectory, and strategies to combat it. Here are five articles I’ve read recently that I think illustrate this diversity and offer notable perspectives:

M.
Swathy Margaret:

“I appeal to young Dalit women not to get subsumed in the
relatively macro-identities of mainstream progressive movements such as
the male Dalit movement or the upper-caste feminist movement. It is only
by retaining our unique voice within these movements that we can
contribute meaningfully to these movements and benefit from them. Giving
ourselves a separate space does not mean we want a complete break with
these movements.”

Meena
Kandasamy:

“The
readiness to destroy caste requires us to destroy a
part of ourselves. But finally it will culminate in the end of imagined
or assumed inferiorities and superiorities. That is why, irrespective
of where we find ourselves in that hierarchy, we can militate against
caste only if each of us make it a personal rebellion, a conscious
choice to defy that oppressive, self-defeating system.”

Anand
Teltumbde:

“Contrary to commonplace view, the problem of castes
has
become much simpler today than ever before. The existential castes are
confined to a divide between dalits and non-dalits, quite like the
racial divide between blacks and white or the class division between
capitalists and proletariat. No time in history, castes rendered
themselves as easy for combating against as they do now. The historical
project of annihilation of castes is accomplishable now, provided the
forces swearing by it are ready to act.”

Yoginder Sikand:

“When I say that we must strengthen our caste identities, I don’t say we should do it simply for its own sake, but, rather, in order to challenge caste oppression. Jatis form the bedrock of Indian society and cannot be done away with. So, recognizing this basic sociological fact, what I say is that while each jati must preserve its own identity, the basic principle that governs inter-caste relations must be overturned. In Hinduism, which is simply another name for caste oppression, relations between the different jatis are governed on the basis of the principle of social hierarchy, with the Brahmins at the top and the Dalits at the bottom. What we say is that this hierarchy must be torn down, and that the relations between the different jatis should be on the basis of egalitarianism. All jatis should be considered equal, and each should have its share of power and wealth on the basis of its numerical strength.”

Chandrabhan Prasad:

“There have been several important catalysts
since 1990, which have triggered a social revolution that seems to have
gone largely unnoticed by most ‘thought leaders’. … A combination of several factors – globalisation, capitalism, consumerism, mechanisation, industrialisation and urbanisation – will thus make the caste order obsolete in public life. India may not become caste free in the foreseeable future, but India will become caste-neutral before 2050.”

For additional resources, check out Vedam Books and CounterCurrents.org. Himal’s April 2010 issue on caste is worth a look. To our blogroll, I’ve also added Round Table, a blog with committed writing on Dalit issues. Check it out.