Essays on Untouchables and Untouchability: Social

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Contents

Chapter 1 : Civilisation or felony

Chapter 2 : The house the hindus have built

Chapter 3 : The rock on which it is built

Chapter 4 : Touchables v/s untouchables

Chapter 5 : The curse of caste

Social
(Besides the consolidated scheme on "Untouchables or children of India's Ghetto "
included in Book I in this Volume, there are several other essays by Dr. Ambedkar
which deal with the subject of ' Untouchables and Untouchability '. These essays are
divided into three categories viz., Social, Political and Religious. In Book II, five essays
have been included under " Social".)

CHAPTER 1

CIVILISATION OR FELONY
I. Another cross section view of India's population.

II. Sunken classes seen through it : (a) Primitive Tribes,

(b) Criminal Tribes and (c) Untouchables.

III. Effect of Hindu Civilisation on the condition of these classes.

IV. Difference in the problems of these classes.

The population of India is generally classified on a linguistic or on religious basis. These

are the only two ways of classifying the people of India, which have been persistently in
vogue for a long time. The effect is that outsiders get the impression that, what is of
interest and importance to know about the peoples of India is the religions they profess or
the languages they speak. Limited by this interest, they remain content with a knowledge
they get about the religions and languages that are prevalent in India. All that the outsider
cares to hold in his head is that, in India there are people who are either Hindus or
Mahomedans.if he is interested in religion or that there are people in India some of whom
speak Marathi, some speak Gujarathi, some Bengali and some Tamil, etc.

Of the two ways of classifying people of India the religious classification is the one
which is more impressive and arresting for the foreigner. He is more interested in the
religions than in the languages. But even he is not aware of all the religious communities
in India. He knows only of Hindus and Mahomedans. He sometimes hears of the Sikhs,
very seldom of Christians although they are a growing community and never of the
Buddhists who are of course non-existent so far as India of today is concerned*.

The impression of the foreigner is that there are only Hindus and Musalmans in India and
that there are none others worth bothering about. That this should be his impression is
quite natural. The air is filled with the din and noise of the Hindu-Moslem conflict. How
gravethe conflict is, can be seen from the number of Hindu-Moslem riots that have taken
place in recent years and the casualties and deaths that resulted from them.

But this struggle is a struggle for establishing an empire. There are Hindus who are
agitating for establishing in India a Hindu Raj with Mahomedans as subject only. There
are Mahomedans who are dreaming of Pan Islamism and of making India a part of a
Muslim Empire with a choice for the Hindus between the sword and the Koran. In
between these two extremists, there are sober persons who are for a state in which both
Hindus and Muslims can live as equal partners. Whether the extremists will succeed or
the moderates will succeed time alone can show. In the meantime the extremes in both
the camps are making headlines by their blood baths. But, be that as it may, I venture to
think that there are many who will not feel much interest in this struggle between the
Hindus and the Mahomedans. After all it is a struggle for mastery for dominance.

It is a struggle for liberation. It is a struggle for establishing an empire of one over the
other. They will be more interested in the struggles of the down trodden, of those who are
fighting to obtain the title deeds to respectable humanity. In describing the old quarrel
between the Whigs and Tories in England, Francis Place in describing the political policy
of the Whigs said, they were out to crush the king on the one hand and the people on the
other hand and establish the aristocracy of the governing class.

Those Hindus and Musalmans who are now fighting have the same policy in Indian
politics. They want to establish their classes from them as the governing body. The
masses whether of the Hindus or of the Musalmans are merely used for establishing the
ascendency of the classes. This struggle that is going on is really a struggle of the classes.
It is not a struggle of the masses.

Those who are interested in the struggle of the masses must learn to look at the
population of India from another point of view. They must cease to look at it purely from
the point of view of religion. They must look at the population of India from the social
and economic point of view. This does not mean that one need not care to know how
religion has affected the economic and social life of the people of India. Indeed no study
of the Indian people, be they Hindus or Musalmans, can give an adequate picture of their
life if religion is kept out of consideration. Because religion is supreme in India as was
the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages in Europe. Bryce has described the
dominance of the Church over the lives of the people in terms that are worth recording
"A life in the Church, for the Church, through the

Church; a life which she blessed in mass at morning and sent to peaceful rest by the
vesper hyme; a life which she supported by the constantly recurring stimulus of the
sacraments, relieving it by confession, purifying it by penance, admonishing it by the
presentation of visible objects for contemplation and worship, this was the life which
many of the Middle Ages conceived of as the rightful life of the man; it was the actual
life of many, the ideal of all"

The dominance of religion on the life of the people of India today is no whit less than
the dominance of the Church over the lives of the people in the Middle Ages. It would
therefore be a mistake to leave religion out of consideration. But it is equally true to say
that a purely religious point of view would give only a superficial picture. What is
important to know is how the masses and the classes in India live? What are the social
and economic terms of their associated life? To what extent are these influenced by
religion? The answer to this question is given by the condition in which we find certain
classes who fall within the Hindu fold.

II

It is a pity that Prof. Max Muller did not visit India. On seeing the contrast between
theory and practice he might have explained the contrast. For the present the contrast
remains a riddle.

This is so in spite of the doctrine of Bramha, asserted by the Brahmins to be residing

and pervading every human being. If there is Bramha in a Brahmin so also it is in a
Primitive man, in a Criminal Tribes man and so also in an Untouchable? How are these
two facts to be reconciled the theory of Bramha and as against it the existence of the
Primitive Tribes, the Criminal Tribes and the Untouchables?
 This sunken humanity falls into three distinct categories. One such category is
comprised of people who are called Primitive Tribes. Communities listed as Criminal
classes form a second and separate category and the third category is the one, which
covers what are called the Untouchables.

The total population of persons who fall into these three categories is by no means
small. The population of the Primitive Tribes in India according to the Census of 1931
comes in round figures to 25 millions. The total population of the Criminal classes now
listed as Criminal is somewhere about 41/2 millions. The total population of the
Untouchables according to the Census of 1931 is 50 millions in India as a whole. The
total of these classes comes to 791/2 millions. And the question is what is the position of
these 791/2 million souls?

First as to the Primitive Tribes. In what state of civilization are they?

The name Primitive Tribes is expressive of the present state of people who are called by
that name. They live in small-scattered huts in forests. They live on wild fruits, nuts and
roots. Fishing and hunting are also resorted to for the purpose of securing food.
Agriculture plays a very small part in their social economy. Food supplies being
extremely precarious they lead a life of semi-starvation from which there is no escape. As
to clothes they economise them to a vanishing point. They move almost in a state of
complete nakedness. There is a tribe which is known as "Bonda Porajas" which means
"naked Porajas". Of these people it is said that, the women wear a very narrow strip
which serves as a petticoat almost identical with what is worn by the Momjak Nagas in
Assam, the ends hardly meeting at the top on the left thigh. These petticoats are woven at
home out of the fibre of a forest tree. Girls wear a fillet of beads and of palmyra leaf and
an enormous quantity of beads and neck ornaments extremely like those worn by many
Komjak women. Otherwise the women wear nothing. The women shave their heads
entirely..... Of the Chenchus, a tribe residing near Farhabad in the Nizam's Dominions it
is said that "their houses are conical, rather slight in structure made of bamboos sloping
to the central point and covered with a thinnish layer of thatch...... They have very little
indeed in the way of material effects, the scanty clothes they wear, consisting of a langoti
and a cloth in the case of men and a short bodice and a petticoat in the case of women,
being practically all, besides a few cooking pots and a basket or two which perhaps
sometimes contains grain. They keep cattle and goats and in this particular village do a
little cultivation, elsewhere subsisting on honey and forest produce which they sell".
Regarding the Morias another Primitive Tribe, it is stated the men generally wear a single
cloth round the waist with a flap coming down in the front. They also have a necklace of
beads and when they dance, put cock's plums and peacock's feathers in their turbans.
Many girls are profusely tattooed, especially on their faces, and some of them on their
legs as well. The type of tattooing is said to be according to the taste of the individual and
it is done with thorns and needles. In their hair, many of them stick the feathers of jungle
cocks and their heads are also adorned with combs of wood and tin and brass.

These Primitive Tribes have no prohibition against eating anything, even worms and
insects and in fact there is very little meat that they will not eat, whether the animal has
died a natural death or has been killed four days or more before by a tiger.

The religion of these Primitive Tribes is the worship of demons of all denominations
and dead ancestors of all antiquity. Witchcraft, sorcery, animal and human sacrifice make
up their religion. Without education, with no idea of Science or of the knowledge of the
working of nature, steeped in ignorance and superstition, these Primitive Tribes have
been living on the outskirts and in close conformity with civilisation in a savage stage
which has been their lot for ages. Instead of marching along, they are where they have
been all along doing nothing but marking time. The Criminal Classes at one time
included such well organised confederacies of Professional Criminals as the Pindharies
and the Thugs.

The Pindharies were a predatory body of armed gangsters. Their organisation was an
open military organisation of freebooters who could muster 20,000 fine horse and even
more. They were under the command of brigand chiefs. Chitu, one of the most powerful
commanders had under his single command 10,000 horse, including 5,000 good cavalry,
besides infantry and guns. The Pindharies had no military projects for employing their
loose hands of irregular soldiery, which developed into bodies of professional plunderers.
The Pindharies aimed at no conquests. Their object was to secure booty and cash for
themselves. General loot and rapine was their occupation. They recognised no rulers.
They were subjects of none. They rendered loyalty to none. They respected none and
plundered all high and low rich and poor without fear or compunction.

The Thugs' were a well organised body of professional assassins, who in gangs of from
10 to 200 travelled in various guises throughout India, worked themselves into the
confidence of wayfarers of the wealthier class and, when a favourable opportunity
occurred, strangled them by throwing a handkerchief or noose round their necks and then
plundered and buried them. All this was done according to certain ancient and rigidly
prescribed forms and after the performance of special religious rites, in which was the
consecration of the pickaxe and the sacrifice of sugar. They were staunch worshippers of
Kali, the Hindu Goddess of destruction. Assassination for gain was with them a religious
duty, and was considered a holy and honourable profession. They had in fact no idea of
doing wrong, and their moral feelings did not come into play. The will of the goddess by
whose command and in whose honour they followed their calling was revealed to them
through a very complicated system of omens. In obedience to these, they often travelled
hundreds of miles in company with, or in the wake of their 1 Encyclopaedia Britannica.
11th Ed., Vol. XXVI, p. 896. Intended victims before a safe opportunity presented itself
for executing their design; and when the deed was done, rites were performed in honour
of that tutelary deity,-and a goodly portion of the spoil was set apart for her. The Thugs
had also a jargon of their own, as well as certain signs by which its members recognised
each other in the remotest part of India. Even those, who from age or infirmities could no
longer take an active part in the operations used to aid the cause as watchmen, spies or
dressers of food. It was owing to their thorough organisation, the secrecy and security
with which they went to work, but chiefly to the religious garb in which they shrouded
their murders, that they could continue for centuries to practise their craft. The
extraordinary fact was that Thugee was regarded as a regular profession by the Indian
Rulers both Hindu and Mahomedans. The Thugs paid taxes to the State and the State left
them unmolested.

It was not until the British became rulers of the country that any attempt was made to
suppress the Thugs. By 1835, 382 Thugs were hanged and 986 were transported or
imprisoned for life. Even as late as 1879 the number of registered Thugs was 344 and the
Thuggee and the Dacoity department of the Government of India continued to exist until
1904 when its place was taken by the Central Criminal Intelligence Department.

While these open and professional criminals have been suppressed and are no more to
exact their toll and disturb the peace, there are still in India communities whose
occupation is crime and who are listed by Government as Criminal Tribes.

The Criminal Tribes live in the plains in close proximity, if not in the midst of, civilized
life. Because they subsist by organised robbery and dacoity, they are for this reason
proscribed by the Government of India as Criminal Tribes. Hollius in his "Criminal
Tribes of the United Provinces" gives an account of their activities. They live entirely by
crime. A few may be ostensibly engaged in agriculture but this is only to cover up their
real activities. Their nefarious practices found most scope in dacoity or robbery by
violence, but being a community organised for crime nothing came amiss to them. On
deciding to commit a dacoity in any particular locality, spies would be sent out to select a
suitable victim, study the general habits of the villagers and the distance from any
effective aid, and enumerate the number of men and firearms. The raid usually took place
at midnight. Acting on the information given by the spies, men would be posted at
various points in the village and by firing off their guns, attract attention from the main
gang which would attack the particular house or houses previously appointed. The gang
would usually consist of 30 to 40 men. It is essential to emphasise the great part played
by crime in the general life of these peoples. A boy is initiated into crime as soon as he is
able to walk and talk. No doubt the motive is practical to a great extent in so far as it is
always better to risk a child in petty theft, who if he were caught, would probably be
cuffed, while an adult would immediately be arrested. An important part is also played by
women, who, although they do riot participate in the actual raids, have many heavy
responsibilities. Besides disposing of most of the stolen property, they are also expert
shoplifters.

Like the Criminal Tribes the Untouchables also live in the midst of civilized Hindu
Society and possess a degree of culture and morality which completely separate them
from the Primitive Tribes and the Criminal Tribes. The Untouchables have the culture of
the Hindu Community. They observe the religious rites of the Hindu Community. They
recognise the sacred as well as the secular laws of the Hindus. They celebrate the Hindu
festivities. But they derive no benefit from this. On the contrary they are segregated and
shunned because their physical contact is held by the Hindus to cause pollution. There is
therefore an interdict on all social intercourse with them except for unavoidable purposes.
They live on the outskirts of a village and not in the midst of it. Every village has its
Untouchable quarters, they are attached to the village but are not a part of the village.
Segregated from the rest of the Hindu population they are bound down to a code of
behaviour, which is appropriate to a servile state. According to this code, an Untouchable
may not do anything, which raise him above his appointed station in life. He should not
dress in style superior to that of his status, nor should the untouchable woman adorn
herself with ornaments after the fashion of the higher class Hindu women. He should not
have a house better or bigger than the houses of the rest of the Hindus in the village. In
any case he must not have a tiled roof over his house. An Untouchable must not sit in the
presence of a Hindu and must always salute him first. An Untouchable must not wear
clean clothes, must not use brass or copper pots and must not wear gold or silver
ornaments. When some one dies in the family of a Hindu, an Untouchable must go miles
to convey the message of the death to the relatives of the family, no matter how far away
they might be living, because a Hindu in a village feels disgraced in the eyes of his
relatives if he has to communicate such messages by postal communication. An
Untouchable must accompany the women folk of the Hindus on their journey from their
homes to their parents and vice versa. Their dignity requires that they should have a
retinue and the Untouchable is the only available class from which such a retinue can be
drawn without any cost. At every ceremony at the house of a Hindu, the Untouchables
must come and do menial work. An Untouchable must not own and cultivate land and
lead an independent life. For his livelihood he must depend upon stale remnants of food
left over by the Hindu households and upon meat of cattle that die in the village. These
remnants of food he must collect from door to door. For he must go on his begging round
every evening. Similarly an Untouchable must carry the dead animals out of the village.
Indeed he alone must carry them because no Hindu will agree to do scavenging. An
Untouchable should not take to such services as would give him authority and power over
caste Hindus. He must be humble and must not ask for more than his lot under this code.
It is true that some of the Untouchables have risen above the low status prescribed by this
customary code of conduct and have acquired high place, but the majority of them are
still socially in the most servile position and economically in abject poverty.

Such is the condition of the 791/2 millions of people. The problem of these deadened, if
not dead, souls is no small problem. The total population of these three classes comes to
over 60% of the population of the United States but exceeds the population of the whites
in the British Empire by 91/2 millions. It also exceeds the population of Japan by 91/2
millions. It exceeds the population of Italy by 37 millions. It exceeds the population of
Germany by 131/2 millions and of France by 371/2 millions. It is ten times the population
of Belgium and twenty times the population of Denmark. What a colossal total of sunken
humanity? III

The saddening and if, one may say, annoying part of the story is that the state of these
unfortunate human beings should be what it is although they are surrounded and fed by a
high civilisation. But it must strike any impartial observer that there must be something
very radically wrong with a civilisation, which has failed to elevate to their manhood
791/2 millions of human beings.

Civilisation as comprising and accumulated store of knowledge of man and nature, of

arts and crafts, an ethical code regulating the conduct of man towards his fellows, a social
code laying down the forms and conventions to be observed by individuals, a civil code
prescribing the rights and duties of the rulers and the ruled and a religious creed relating
the natural to the supernatural—is a rare prize. It has not been the good fortune of all
races to develop it in all its fullness. Many have stood where they were at the start. Many
took one or two steps and have been at a halt. Others have only revolved round and
round. The primitive races of Australia and Polenasia, when they were first discovered a
few generations ago, were found to have developed articulate speech and to know how to
make fire. They had not advanced beyond the middle stage of savagery. The
Alliapascous, a Primitive Tribe of the Hudson Bay Territory and the Indians of the valley
of Columbia had not gone beyond the stage of the Bow and the Arrow. They knew
nothing of pottery, domestication of animals or of the smelting of iron. The civilization of
Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria and even of Rome and Greece had only been a revolving
civilization. Their progress and achievements are only the elaboration of the details of
methods and intentions handed down by man when he was in a Barbaric state. They
added nothing revolutionary to the sum total of civilization to which they were heirs.
They merely did better what used to be done crudely by their predecessors. Nor have the
stages of advancement followed in quick succession. That man was for long ages a
savage before he made sufficient progress to be called a Barbarian admits of no doubt.
Equally little in doubt is it that other long ages of Barbarism have preceded the final
ascent to the lowest stage of civilization. The precise period of time covered by these
successive 'ages' is of course only conjectural; but something like one hundred thousand
years may perhaps be taken as a safe minimum estimate.

Civilization is indeed no easy gain. But civilization is a very vital thing, not for one
gereration but also for the next. The civilization of one generation, when inherited
becomes the equipment of the next. This social heritage is absolutely essential for each
generation. All progress will die out if this social heritage is destroyed. As has been well
put, "If the earth were struck by one of Mr. Wells' comets, and if in consequence every
human being now alive were to lose all the knowledge and habits which he had acquired
from preceding generations (though retaining unchanged all his own powers of invention
and memory, and habituation) nine-tenths of the inhabitants would be dead in a month
and 99 per cent of the remaining tenth would be dead in six months. They would have no
language to express their thoughts but vague reverie. They would not read notices or
drive motor cars or horses. They would wander about, led by the inarticulate cries of a
few naturally dominant individuals, drowning themselves, as thirst came on, in hundreds
at the riverside landing places. Men could not invent in time to preserve their lives,
methods of growing food or taming animals or making fire or clothing themselves. Life
would have to be begun over again from the primitive stage. Like the primitive races a
generation which has lost its social heritage would have to begin life on wild fruits and
worms until they had accumulated a new social heritage. After some thousands of
generations they would probably possess some thing which would be recognised as
language, and perhaps some art of taming animals and cultivating land. They might or
might not have created what we should call a religion or a few of our simpler mechanical
inventions and political expedients. They might or might not have such general ideas as
law, liberty, and justice. This is the difference, which social heritage makes and the
difference is no doubt vast.

It is true that civilisation is not the privilege of all and even to those who are fortunate
to have it, it is a matter of slow growth marked by long and monotonous halts. But it is
also true that to those who are possessed of civilisation, their civilisation may be a
hindrance rather than a help. It might have gone on a wrong track, it might have based
itself on false values and false premises. Such a civilisation might easily cause stagnation
of the Community and the stunting of the individual. It would be better to be without
civilisation than to be burdened and unshackled by such a civilisation.

It is the boast of every patriotic Hindu that the Hindu or the Vedic Civilisation is the
oldest in the world. One often hears with fire some repetitions a Hindu stating with a
certain degree of malicious pride that India had reached a very high degree of civilisation
when other people were leading a primitive life and moving naked. One also hears a
Hindu say that his civilisation has inherent strength because it has survived while all
other ancient civilisation such as Egypt, Babylon, Judea, Rome and Greece have
vanished. Such a view however legitimate misses the main point. The main point is not
whether the civilisation is ancient and whether it has survived. The main point is what are
the merits of a civilization ? What is its worth, if it has survived, on what plain ? In other
words the principal question is, is this Hindu civilization, the social heritage a burden or a
benefit ? What does it offer by way of growth and expansion to classes and to individuals
?

What is the contribution of Hindu Civilization to the knowledge of man and nature ?
Many patriotic Hindus like to believe that the knowledge of man and nature began with
the Hindus. Granting that it is so it certainly did not advance beyond the most
rudimentary stage. Can any Hindu doubt that the Hindu Philology, right or wrong, has
remained where Panini and Katyayana left it ? Can he deny that Philosophy right or
wrong has remained where Kapila and Gautama left it? Can he doubt that literature
remained where Vyasa and Valmiki left it. In Metaphysics the Hindus are said to have
reached the stage of perfection. This is what Prof. Har Dayal has to say of Hindu
Metaphysics—

"Metaphysics has been the curse of India. It has blighted her history and compassed her
ruin. It has converted her great men into miserable quibblers, and led them into useless
channels of inquiry and effort. It has been the dangerous will-o'-the-wisp of Indian
intellect during many centuries. It has elevated sophistry to the rank of an Art, and
substituted vain fancies for a knowledge. It has condemned Indians intellect to run in the
same old roove for hundreds of years. It has blinded her seers and led them to mistake
phantoms for realities..... Arrogant, pretentious, verbose and purblind, it has taken its
cackling for an oracle and its fantastic word towers for solid piles of thought masonry....."

.....The Upanishads claim to expound 'that by knowing which every thing is known '.
This mediaeval quest for 'the absolute ' is the basis of all the superior metaphysics of
India. The treatises are full of absurd conceits, quaint fancies, and chaotic speculations.
And we have not yet learned that they are worthless. " Samadhi " or trance is regarded as
the acme of spiritual progress ! How strange it is that a capacity for swooning away
should be considered the mark of wisdom! It is very easy to lose consciousness if one has
strong emotions and a feeble intellect. That is why ladies faint so often on the slightest
provocation. But in India Samadhi is the eighth stage of Yoga, which only ' paramahans '
can reach. These be thy Gods, 0, Israel! To look upon an abnormal psychological
condition produced by artificial means as the sign of enlightenment was a folly reserved
for Indian Philosophers."
 In the domain of science. Arts and crafts the contribution of the Hindu Civilization is of
the most primitive character. Except in some spheres such as weaving, spinning, etc., the
Hindu Civilization has not evolved any technical equipment which can aid man in his
struggle against nature to make a bare living that can be said to be higher than that of the
brute. It is because of the complete absence of scientific and technical equipment and
with all the transcendental nonsense that is being perpetrated that famines are desolating
the land in all ages. Ignorance, superstition and disease which affect the mind, malaria
and plague diseases which affect the body, have hung like a pall over the country
throughout the ages.

In the field of Religion and Ethics the Hindus have made their greatest efforts. Of their
contributions, these are the most elaborately developed. They are undoubtedly the most
vital to man for the simple reason that they help to install in man the springs of thought
and action. They are responsible for the outlook which man has on life. They are
responsible for the attitude one holds towards his fellow man. They prescribe principles
which govern conduct, mould character and implant in man that mysterious thing called
conscience which acts as his sentinel and prevents him from going wrong.

It is when one comes to examine this Hindu Civilisation in the matter of its religious
content, the way of life it prescribes, that one begins to doubt whether this Hindu
Civilisation is at all an advantage to the generations who are fated to inherit it. What does
this civilisation offer to the 25 millions of Primitive Tribes who are living on its
frontiers? What does it offer to the 5 millions of Criminal Tribes who are living in the
midst of that civilisation? What does it offer to the 50 millions of Untouchables who are
not only living in the midst of that civilisation but are required to sustain it? What would
the Primitive Tribes say of a civilisation which has made no effort to adopt them in its
fold ? What would the Criminal Tribes say of a civilisation which has driven them to take
to criminal ways for earning their livelihood? Would it be unjust if they said that this is
not Civilisation, this is infamy?

As to the Untouchables, theirs has been a fate of degradation and destitution in the past
and for whom under the Hindu Civilisation there seems to be no escape in the future.
Even Indians do not seem to realise the extent of degradation and destitution that is
involved in this system of Untouchability. The observations of the Committee appointed
by the Government of Bombay to inquire into the grievances of the Depressed Classes
and Aboriginal Tribes in 1928 are very pertinent. It said.

"There is nothing strange in the idea that an unclean person or thing causes repulsion
which underlies the idea of pollution. But what is regrettable about it as applied to the
(UNTOUCHABLES), is its irrationality. It stamps an individual as untouchable by the
mere accident of his birth. A person born Untouchable, remains Untouchable however
superior he may be in personal cleanliness to the so-called touchable, and there is no way
open to him by which he can escape his fate. What is surprising in all this is that an
Orthodox Hindu, notwithstanding the differences between his religious notions and mode
of living and outlook in life and those of the Mahomedans, Parsis and Christians treat
them as touchables. This has resulted in further aggravating the position of the
(Untouchables). For this unjust discrimination on the part of the Orthodox Hindus, in
some cases being influenced by the Orthodox Hindus especially in villages, even the
Mahomedans, Parsis and Christians observe untouchability towards the (Untouchables)
though their religions teach contrariwise. What we are concerned most to point out are
the evils attributable to it in so far as Untouchability includes isolation and inferiority.
But there are evils specifically attributable to untouchability as such. Pressed to its logical
limit, in an Orthodox Hindu Society it would prevent the (Untouchables) from obtaining
entry into a public school though it is maintained at the expense of the state, it would
prevent them from entering the public services though they may be qualified for it, except
for the services customarily allotted to them. It would also prevent them from taking
water from the public watering places maintained out of public funds. Looked at from
this point of view untouchability is not merely a social problem. It is a problem of the
highest political importance and affects the fundamental question of the civic rights of the
subjects of the state." This states the hardships only of the Untouchables. But
untouchables are not the only people who are subjected to this life of ignominy. There are
classes who are placed in a worse position. Untouchables are those who cause pollution
only by a physical touch. There are people who cause pollution if they come within a
certain distance. They are known as unapproachable. Again there are people who are in a
worse position than the unapproachable. They cause pollution if they come within sight.
They are known as unseeable. It is said of the Nayadis—a people who fall into the
category of the unapproachable, "that they are the lowest caste among the Hindus— the
dogeaters. They are the most persistent in their clamour for charity, and will follow at a
respectful distance, for miles together any person walking, driving or boating. If any
thing is given to them, it must be laid down, and after the person offering it has
proceeded a sufficient distance, the recipient comes timidly forward, and removes it." Of
the same people Mr. Thurston says "The subject (i.e. the Nayadis) whom I examined and
measured at Shoranur, though living only about three miles off had, by reason of the
pollution which they traditionally carry with them to avoid walking over the long bridge
which spans the river, and follow a circuitous route of many miles".

In the Tinnevalley District of the Madras Presidency, there is a class of unseeables

called Purada Vannas. Of them it is said, "that they are not allowed to come out during
day time because their sight is enough to cause pollution. These unfortunate people are '
compelled ' to follow the nocturnal habits, leaving their dens after dark and scuttling
home at the false dawn like the badger, hyaena, aordvark." What must be the hardships of
the unapproachables and unseeables? How must they be passing their lives? If their sight
or their approach even is not tolerated, what work can they obtain? What else can they do
except to beg and live on dog's meat? Surely no civilisation can be guilty of greater
cruelty! It is indeed a great mercy that the population of the unapproachables and of the
unseeables is so small. But are 50 millions of Untouchables entitled to any civilisation?
An Untouchable cannot escape his fate for he cannot pass off as a Touchable. In the
village where he resides he is of course known and there is no room for impersonation
while he is there. If he leaves his village and comes to a town there is a chance for him to
pass off as Touchable. But he knows what would be his fate if he were discovered. The
following incident, which was reported in the papers, will give some idea of the risk
involved in any attempt to impersonate:

Orthodoxy Run Mad.

Alleged Barbarious Treatment of " Untouchables ": Crime of being Mahars.

Mr. Keshavji Ranchhodji Vaghela from Ahmedabad has informed Dr. B. R. Ambedkar,
President, Bahishkrit Hitkarani Sabha as follows:

One Bapoorao Laxman and his brother Kaurao have been residents of Ahmedabad
during the last six years. They used to mix with some people from the Deccan belonging
to Maratha caste. Kaurao's two sons, viz, Damoo and Laxman, used to take part in the
Bhajan parties of the Marathas. The latter, however, recently came to know that the
brothers Damoo and Laxman were Mahars by caste and in order to ascertain this, two
Mahars employed in the parcel train between Surat and Ahmedabad were specially called
to identify Damoo and Laxman. After it was ascertained that Damoo and Laxman were
Mahars they were called at a Bhajan party at Kalupur, Bhandari Pole, at midnight on the
11th instant. Asked as to what caste they belonged to, Damoo and Laxman replied that
they were Somavanshis. This reply enraged the Marathas, who freely abused them for
having defiled their persons and places. The Mahar brothers were assaulted by the
Marathas. One of the brothers had a gold ring on his person. It was forcibly taken away
from him and sold for Rs. 11. Out of this amount Rs. 6 was paid to the Mahar who had
been called from Surat to identify the brothers. Damoo and Laxman entreated and
Marathas were requested to allow them to return to their homes, but the latter refused to
do so unless a fine of Rs. 500 was paid. On the Mahar brothers ** Bombay Chronicle
25th Feb. 1938. pleading their inability to pay such a heavy sum, one of the Marathas
suggested that the Mahar brothers should be fined only Rs. 125. But then one of the
Marathas opposed the proposal for fine saying that they should not be satisfied with fine,
but should punish the Mahars severely for their crime of concealing their caste. Having
decided upon the course, the Mahar brothers were detained and at about 9 o'clock in the
morning they were subjected to barbarous indignities, their moustaches in the left side
and eyebrows on the right side were shaved, their bodies besmeared with soot mixed in
oil and also with dirt, garlands made of old shoes were put around their necks, and one of
them was asked to hold a broom in his hand and the other to hold a placard on which it
was written that the punishment was meted out to the culprits for venturing to touch high
caste people. The Mahar brothers were taken in procession consisting of about 75 people,
a drum being beaten in the front. A complaint has been lodged with the Police by the said
two Mahar brothers. The accused in their statement have admitted that Damoo and
Laxman were treated in the alleged manner, but pleaded that the complainants had
willingly agreed to undergo the punishment. Obviously Damoo and Laxman were
helpless when they were abused, assaulted and threatened with severe punishment and
actually subjected to barbarous indignities. This case has created a great sensation among
the people belonging to the so called Untouchables castes, and efforts are being made to
give proper legal aid to the complainants. But the rules of this Hindu Civilisation are so
meticulous in regard to untouchability as to leave no possibility for an Untouchable to
pose as a Touchable. Consequently there exist rules in certain areas where Untouchables
are required to bear a black thread so as to be easily identifiable and to proclaim by word
of mouth that he is an Untouchable to prevent a Touchable touching him in ignorance and
thereby getting himself polluted. In the town of Dwarka (in the Bombay Presidency)
which is famous as being the shrine of the great Hindu God Krishna it is a rule that every
Untouchable while walking in the streets has to clap his hands and say " Post, Post " so as
to proclaim the fact that he is an Untouchable and let the Touchables beware of him. The
following is recorded of the Cherumans of the Madras Presidency:

" Very low is indeed the social position of these miserable beings. When a Cheruman
meets a person of superior caste he must stand at a distance of thirty feet. If he comes
within this prohibited distance, his approach is to cause pollution, which is removed only
by bathing in water. A Cheruman cannot approach a Brahmin village or temple or tank. If
he does so, purification becomes necessary. Even while using the public road, if he sees
his lord and master, he has to leave the ordinary way and walk, it may be in the mud, to
avoid his displeasure by accidentally polluting him. To avoid polluting the passer-by, he
repeats the unpleasant sound, "0,.Oh, 0" In some places i.e. Palghat, one may see a
Cheruman with a dirty piece of cloth spread on the road side, and yelling in a shrill voice,
" Ambrane, Ambrane, give me some pice and throw them on the cloth ". His position is
intolerable in the Native States of Cochin and Travancore, where the Brahaman influence
is in the ascendant, while in the Palghat Taluka the Cherumans cannot, even to this day
enter the bazaar. In Malabar it is stated that "The man of high caste shouts occasionally as
he goes along, so that the low caste man can go off the road, and allow him to pass
unpolluted. And those of the lowest castes shout, as they go, to give notice of their
Pollution bearing presence, and learning the command of the man of high caste, move
away from the road. It is common to see people of inferior caste travelling parallel to the
road, but not daring to go along it".

What a degradation for these unfortunate souls who have been turned by this Hindu
Civilisation into social lepers! To be called an Untouchable is enough of a misfortune.
But to require an Untouchable to proclaim by his own mouth his shame that he is an
Untouchable is a cruelty to which in my opinion there is no parallel. What would an
Untouchable say of this Hindu Civilisation? Would it be wrong if he said that it is felony
and not civilisation?

That the condition of the Primitive Tribes, of the Criminal Tribes and of the
Untouchables is the result of fundamental doctrines of Hindu Civilisation there can be no
manner of doubt.

Why have there been no missions to bring these Primitive Tribes into the Hindu fold?

Why has crime become an occupation for certain tribes? Why have certain classes been
treated as unfit for human association, as Untouchables?

The answer to each of these questions will have reference to some basic principle of the
Hindu Civilisation.

To the first question the answer is that the caste system prevents the Hindu Religion
from becoming a missionary religion and caste is a fundamental part of the Hindu
Civilisation. To the second question the answer is that the system of Chaturvarna limits
the opportunities which a person can have for earning an honourable living. All learned
are the preserve of the Brahmins; all warlike services are the monopoly ** Thurston—
Tribes and castes of Southern India, Vol. 5, p. 196. of the Kshatriya class; trade is open
only to Vaishya, services to the Shudras. Those outside, there being nothing honourable
left, have been driven to dishonourable and criminal ways of earning a livelihood. This is
the result of Chaturvarna and Chaturvarna is again a fundamental part of Hindu
Civilisation.

To the third question the answer is that untouchability is part of the Hindu law as
contained in the Smritis which are again a fundamental part of the Hindu Civilisation.

IV

It is true that as for the past the state of degradation has been the common fate of all the
three categories of this 791/2 millions of India's population. But it cannot be said that
their future destiny will also be common to them. That is because although their
condition is apparently similar, their position is essentially different.

The first thing to note is that the Primitive Tribes and the Criminal Tribes are not
afflicted by this system of untouchability. To a Hindu they do not cause pollution. Indeed
these Primitive and Criminal Tribes observe untouchability towards the Untouchables.
The situation is full of humour when one sees members of these Primitive and Criminal
Tribes feeling that they would be polluted if they would touch an Untouchable. They are
poor, filthy, superstitious, ignorant, far more than the Untouchables yet they pride
themselves as socially superior to the Untouchables. This of course is the result of the
contagion, which they have from the Hindus. But the point to note is that the Hindu does
not treat them as Untouchable. That is an advantage which they have over the
Untouchables and which makes their future assured. If the Primitive Tribes have no
opportunities for advancement it is because they choose to live in isolation. But once they
come out of their forest recesses and take part in civilisation. There is nothing that will
stand in their way. Similarly the Criminal Tribes have their future assured. Government
has established settlements where these Criminal Tribes are kept and taught useful trades.
There is no doubt that in a very short time they will be completely weaned from their
vicious habits.

The case of the Untouchables stands on quite a different footing altogether. Their
disabilities are imposed upon them. Their isolation is really segregation which is enforced
upon them. The problem of the Untouchables is different from the problem of the
Primitive Tribes because in their case the evils of segregation are aggravated by the fact
of untouchability and the result is that while in the case of the Primitive Tribes the
problem is due to geographical isolation combined with lack of desire to avail themselves
of the opportunities for betterment, in the case of the Untouchables the problem is due to
positive denial of opportunities.

There does not seem to be much hope for the emancipation of the Untouchables, at any
rate their emancipation is far more problematical and distant than the emancipation of the
Primitive Tribes. The problem of the slaves was one of denial of political or economic
rights. If the problem of the Untouchables was one of denial of political and economic
rights, it could be solved by legal and constitutional methods. The denial of political and
economic rights is the result of the social psychology of the Hindus. The problem for the
Untouchables arises directly out of the social behaviour of the Hindus. Untouchability
will vanish only when Hindus will change their mentality. The problem is how to make
the Hindus unlearn their way of life. It is no small matter to make a whole nation give up
its accustomed way of life. Besides the way of life the Hindus are accustomed to, is a
way which is sanctified by their religion, at any rate they believe it to be so. To change
their way of life is almost to change their religion.

How can this happen? Only when it is realised that what is tragedy for the
Untouchables is the crime of the Hindus. How long shall the Untouchables have to wait
for this revolution in the religious psychology of the Hindus? Let those who have a gift
for prophecy answer. In the meantime it would be desirable to describe their condition
and to state the problems which they and their friends have to face.

CHAPTER 2

THE HOUSE THE HINDUS HAVE BUILT

I
Is there any thing peculiar in the social organisation of the Hindus ? An unsophisticated
Hindu who is unaware of investigations conducted by scholars will say that there is
nothing peculiar, abnormal or unnatural in the organisation of the society to which he
belongs. This is quite natural. People who live their lives in isolation are seldom
conscious of the peculiarities of their ways and manners. People have gone on from
generation to generation without stopping to give themselves a name. But how does the
social organisation of the Hindu strike the outsiders, non-Hindus? Did it appear to them
as normal and natural?

Megasthenese who came to India as the ambassador of the Greek King Seleukos
Nickator to the Court of Chandragupta Maurya some time about the year 305 B.C. did
feel that the social organisation of the Hindus was of a very strange sort. Otherwise he
would not have taken such particular care to describe the peculiar features of the Hindu
social organisation. He has recorded:

"The population of India is divided into seven parts. The philosophers are first in rank,
but form the smallest class in point of number. Their services are employed privately by
persons who wish to offer sacrifices or perform other sacred rites, and also publicly by
the kings at what is called the Great Synod, wherein at the beginning of the new year all
the philosophers are gathered together before the King at the gates, when any philosopher
who may have committed any useful suggestion to writing, or observed any means for
improving the crops and the cattle, or for promoting the public interests, declares it
publicly. If any one is detected giving false information thrice, the law condemns him to
be silent for the rest of his life, but he who gives sound advice is exempted from paying
any taxes or contributions.
 "The second caste consists of the husbandmen, who form the bulk of the population,
and are in disposition most mild and gentle. They are exempted from military service,
and cultivate their lands undisturbed by fear. They never go to town, either to take part in
its tumults, or for any other purpose. It therefore not infrequently happens that at the
same time, and in the same part of the country, men maybe seen drawn up in array of
battle, and fighting at risk of their lives, while other men close at hand are ploughing and
digging in perfect security, having these soldiers to protect them. The whole of the land is
the property of the King, and the husbandmen till it on condition of receiving one-fourth
of the produce.

" The third caste consists of herdsmen and hunters, who alone are allowed to hunt, and
to keep cattle, and to sell draught animals or let them out on hire. In return for clearing
the land of wild beasts and fowls which devour the seeds sown in the fields, they receive
an allowance of grain from the king. They lead a wandering life and live under tents.

" The fourth class, after herdsmen and hunters, consists of those who work at trades, of
those who vend wares, and of those who are employed in bodily labour. Some of these
pay tribute, and render to the State certain prescribed services. But the armour-makers
and shipbuilders receive wages and their victuals from the king, for whom alone they
work. The general in command of the army supplies the soldiers with weapons, and the
admiral of the fleet lets out ships on hire for the transport both of passengers and
merchandise.

" The fifth class consists of fighting men, who when not engaged in active service, pass
their time in idleness and drinking. They are maintained at the King's expense, and hence
they are always ready, when occasion calls, to take the field, for they carry nothing of
their own with them but their own bodies.

" The sixth class consists of the overseers, to whom is assigned the duty of watching all
that goes on, and making reports secretly to the King. Some are entrusted with the
inspection of the city, and others with that of the army. The former employs as their
coadjutors the courtesans of the city, and the latter the courtesans of the camp. The ablest
and most trustworthy men are appointed to fill these offices.

" The seventh class consists of the councillors and assessors of the king. To them
belong the highest posts of government, the tribunals of justice, and the general
administration of public affairs. No one is allowed to marry out of his own caste, or to
exchange one profession or trade for another, or to follow more than one business. An
exception is made in favour of the philosopher, who for his virtue is allowed this
privilege."
 Alberuni who wrote an account of his travels in India some time about 1030 A.D. must
have been struck by the peculiarity of the Hindu Social Organisation. For he too has not
omitted to make a note of it. He observed:

"The Hindus call their castes varna, i.e. colours, and from a genealogical point of view
they call them jataka, i.e. births. These castes are from the very beginning only four.

1. The highest caste is the Brahmana, of whom the books of the Hindus tell that they
were created from the head of Brahman. And a Brahman is only another name for the
force called nature, and the head is the highest part of the animal body, the Brahmana are
the choice part of the whole genus. Therefore the Hindus consider them as the very best
mankind.

II. The next caste are the Kshatriya, who were created, as they say, from the shoulders
and hands of Brahman. Their degree is not much below that of the Brahmana.

III. After them follow the Vaisya, who were created from the thigh of Brahman.

IV. The Sudra, who were created from his feet, " Between the latter two classes there is
no very great distance. Much, however, as these classes differ from each other, they live
together in the same towns and villages, mixed together in the same houses and lodgings.

"After the Sudra follow the people called Antyaja, who render various kinds of
services, who are not reckoned amongst any caste, but only as members of a certain craft
or profession. There are eight classes of them who freely intermarry with each other,
except the fuller, shoemaker and weaver, for no others would condescend to have
anything to do with them. These eight guilds are the fuller, shoemaker, juggler, the basket
and shield maker, the sailor, fisherman, the hunter of wild animals and of birds, and the
weaver. The four castes do not live together with them in one and the same place. These
guilds live near the villages and towns of the four castes, but outside them.

" The people called Hadi, Doma (Domba), Candala and Badhatau (sic) are not reckoned
amongst any caste or guild. They are occupied with dirty work, like the cleansing of the
villages and other services. They are considered as one sole class, and distinguished only
by their occupations. In fact, they are considered like illegitimate children; for according
to general opinion they descend from a Sudra father and a Brahmani mother as the
children of fornication; therefore they are degraded outcaste.

" The Hindus give to every single man of the four castes characteristic names,
according to their occupations and modes of life, e.g. the Brahman is in general called by
this name as long as he does his work staying at home. When he is busy with the service
of one fire, he is called Ishtin; if he serves three fires, he is called Agnihotrin; if he
besides offers an offering to the fire, he is called Dikshita. And as it is with the
Brahmana, so is it also with the other castes. Of the classes beneath the castes, the Hadi
are the best spoken of, because they keep themselves free from everything unclean. Next
follow the Doma, who play on the lute and sing. The still lower classes practise as a trade
killing and the inflicting of judicial punishments. The worst of all are the Badhatau, who
not only devour the flesh of dead animals, but even of dogs and other beasts.

" Each of the four castes, when eating together, must form a group of themselves, one
group not being allowed to comprise two men of different castes. If, further, in the group
of the Brahmana there are two men who live at enmity with each other, and the seat of
the one is by the side of the other, they make a barrier between the two seats by placing a
board between them, or by spreading a piece of dress, or in some other way; and if there
is only a line drawn between them, they are considered as separated. Since it is forbidden
to eat the remains of a meal, every single man must have his own food for himself; for if
any one of the party who are eating should take of the food from one and the same plate,
that which remains in the plate becomes, after the first eater has taken part, to him who
wants to take as the second, the remains of the meal, and such is forbidden."

Alberuni did not merely content himself with recording what struck him as peculiar in
the Hindu Social organisation. He went on to say:

"Among the Hindus institutions of this kind abound. We Muslims, of course, stand
entirely on the other side of the question, considering all men as equal, except in piety;
and this is the greatest obstacle which prevents any approach or understanding between
Hindus and Muslims."

Duarte Barbosa who was Portuguese official in the service of the Portuguese
Government in India from 1500 to 1517 has left a record of his impressions of Hindu
Society. This is what struck him:

" And before this kingdom of Guzerate fell into the hands of the Moors, a certain race
of Heathen whom the Moors called Resbutos dwelt therein, who in those days were the
knights and wardens of the land, and made war where so ever it was needful. These men
kill and eat sheep and fish and all other kinds of food; in the mountains there are yet
many of them, where they have great villages and obey not the king of Guzerate, but
rather wage daily war against him: who, do what he may, is yet not able to prevail against
them, nor will do so, for they are very fine horsemen, and good archers, and have besides
divers other weapons to defend themselves withal against the Moors, on whom they make
war without ceasing; yet have they no king nor lord over them.
 "And in this kingdom there is another sort of Heathen whom they call Baneanes, who
are great merchants and traders. They dwell among the Moors with whom they carry on
all their trade. This people eat neither flesh nor fish, nor anything subject to death; they
slay nothing, nor are they willing even to see the slaughter of any animal; and thus they
maintain their idolatry and hold it so firmly that it is a terrible thing. For often it is so that
the Moors take to them live insects or small birds, and make as though to kill them in
their presence, and the Baneanes buy these and ransom them, paying much more than
they are worth, so that they may save their lives and let them go. And if the King or a
Governor of the land has any man condemned to death, for any crime, which he has
committed, they gather themselves together and buy him from justice, if they are willing
to sell him, that he may not die. And divers Moorish mendicants as well, when they wish
to obtain alms from this people, take great stones wherewith they beat upon their
shoulders and bellies as though they would slay themselves before them, to hinder which
they give them great alms that they may depart in peace. Others carry knives with which
they slash their arms and legs, and to these too they give large alms that they may not kill
themselves. Others go to their doors seeking to kill rats and snakes for them, and to them
also they give much money that they may not do so. Thus they are much esteemed by the
Moors!

"When these Baneanes meet with a swarm of ants on the road they shrink back and
seek for some way to pass without crushing them. And in their houses they sup by
daylight, for neither by night nor by day will they light a lamp, by reason of certain little
flies which perish in the flame thereof; and if there is any great need of a light by night
they have a lantern of varnished paper or cloth, so that no living thing may find its way
in, and die in the flame. And if these men breed many lice they kill them not, but when
they trouble them too much they send for certain men, also Heathen, who live among
them and whom they hold to be men of a holy life; they are like hermits living with great
abstinence through devotion to their gods. These men louse them, and as many lice as
they catch they place on their own heads and breed them on their own flesh, by which
they say they do great service to their Idol. Thus one and all they maintain with great self-
restraint their law of not killing. On the other hand they are great usurers, falsifiers of
weights and measures and many other goods and of coins; and great liars. These heathen
are tawny men, tall and well looking, gaily attired, delicate and moderate in their food.
Their diet is of milk, butter, sugar and rice, and many conserves of divers sorts. They
make much use of dishes of fruit and vegetables and potherbs in their food. Where so
ever they dwell they have orchards and fruit gardens and many water tanks wherein they
bathe twice a day, both men and women; and they say when they have finished bathing
that they are clear of as many sins as they have committed up to that hour. These
Baneanes grow very long hair, as women do with us, and wear it twisted up on the head
and made into a knot, and over it a turban, that they may keep it always held together;
and in their hair they put flowers and other sweet scented things.

"They use to anoint themselves with white sandalwood mixed with saffron and other
scents. They are very amorous people. They are clad in long cotton and silken shirts and
are shod with pointed shoes of richly wrought cordwain; some of them wear short coats
of silk and brocade. They carry no arms except certain very small knives ornamented
with gold and silver, and this for two reasons: First, because they are men who make but
little use of weapons; and secondly, because the Moors defend them.

" Bramenes. And there is here another class of Heathen whom they call Bramenes, who
are priests among them, and persons who manage and rule their houses of prayers and
idol-worship, which are of great size and have great revenues; and many of them also are
maintained by alms. In these houses are great numbers of wooden Idols, and others of
stone and copper and in these houses or monasteries they celebrate great ceremonies in
honour of these idols, entertaining them with great store of candles and oil lamps, and
with bells after our fashion. These Bramenes and Heathen have in their creed many
resemblance to the Holy Trinity, and hold in great honour the relation of the Triune
Three, and always make their prayers to God, whom they confess and adore as the true
God, Creator and maker of all things, who is three persons and one God and they say that
there are many other gods who are rulers under him, in whom also they believe. These
Bramenes and heathen wheresoever they find our churches enter them and make prayers
and adoration to our Images, always asking for Santa Maria, like men who have some
knowledge and understanding of these matters; and they honour the Church as is our
manner, saying that between them and us there is little difference. These men never eat
anything subject to death, nor do they slay anything. Bathing they hold to be a great
ceremony and they say that by it they are saved.

" There is also in this same Kingdom of Calicut a caste of people called Bramenes who
are priests among them (as are the clergy among us) of whom I have spoken in another
place.

"These all speak the same tongue, nor can any be a Bramene except he be the son of a
Bramene. When they are seven years of age they put over their shoulder a strip of two
fingers in breadth of untanned skin with the hair on it of a certain wild beast, which they
call Cryvamergam, which resembles a wild ass. Then for seven years he must not eat
betel for which time he continues to wear this strap. When he is fourteen years old they
make him a Bramene, and taking off their leather strap they invest him with the cord of
three strands which he wears for the rest of his life as a token that he is a Bramene. And
this they do with great ceremonial and rejoicings, as we do here for a cleric when he sings
his first mass. Thereafter he may eat betel, but not flesh or fish. They have great honour
among the Indians and as I have already said, they suffer death for no cause whatsoever,
their own headman gives them a mild chastisement. They marry once only in our manner,
and only the eldest son marries, he is treated like the head of an entailed estate. The other
brothers remain single all their lives. These Bramenes keep their wives well guarded, and
greatly honoured, so that no other men may sleep with them; if any of them die, they do
not marry again, but if a woman wrongs her husband she is slain by poison. The brothers
who remain bachelors sleep with the Nayre women, they hold it to be a great honour, and
as they are Bramenes no woman refuses herself to them, yet they may not sleep with any
woman older than themselves. They dwell in their own houses and cities, and serve as
clergy in the houses of worship, whither they go to pray at certain hours of the day,
performing their rituals and idolatries.

" Some of these Bramenes serve the Kings in every manner except in arms. No man
may prepare any food for the King except a Bramene or his own kin; they also serve as
couriers to other countries with letters, money or merchandise, passing wherever they
wish to go in safety, and none does them any ill, even when the Kings are at war. These
Bramenes are learned in their idolatry, and possess many books thereof. The Kings hold
them in high esteem.

" I have already spoken many times of the Nayres, and yet I have not hitherto told you
what manner of men they are. You are to know that in this land of Malbar there is another
caste of people, called Nayres, and among them are noble men who have no other duty
than to serve in war, and they always carry their arms whither so ever they go, some
swords and shields, others bows and arrows, and yet others spears. They all live with the
King, and the other great Lords; nevertheless all receive stipends from the King or from
the great Lords with whom they dwell. None may become a Nayre, save only he who is
of Nayre lineage. They are very free from stain in their nobility. They will not touch any
one of low caste, nor eat, nor drink save in the house of a Nayre.

" These men are not married, their nephews (sisters' sons) are their heirs. The Nayre
women of good birth are very independent, and dispose of themselves as they please with
Bramenes and Nayres, but they do not sleep with men of caste lower than their own
under pain of death. When they reach the age of twelve years their mothers hold a great
ceremony. When a mother perceives that her daughter has attained that age, she asks her
kinsfolk and friends to make ready to honour her daughter, then she asks of the kindred
and especially of one particular kinsman or great friend to marry her daughter; this he
willingly promises and then he has a small jewel made, which would contain a half ducat
of gold, long like a ribbon, with a hole through the middle which comes out on the other
side, string on thread of white silk. The mother then on a fixed day is present with her
daughter gaily decked with many rich jewels, making great rejoicing with music and
singing, and a great assembly of people. Then the Kinsman or friend comes bringing that
jewel, and going through certain forms, throws it over the girl's neck. She wears it as a
token all the rest of her life, and may then dispose of herself, as she will. The man departs
without sleeping with her inasmuch as he is her kinsman; if he is not, he may sleep with
her, but is not obliged to do so. Thenceforward the mother goes about searching and
asking some young man to take her daughter's virginity; they must be Nayres and they
regard it among themselves as a disgrace and a foul thing to take a woman's virginity.
And when any one has once slept with her, she is fit for association with men. Then the
mother again goes about enquiring among other young Nayres if they wish to support her
daughter, and take her as a Mistress so that three or four Nayres agree with her to keep
her, and sleep with her, each paying her so much a day; the more lovers she has the
greater is her honour. Each one of them passes a day with her from midday on one day,
till midday on the next day and so they continue living quietly without any disturbance
nor quarrels among them. If any of them wishes to leave her, he leaves her, and takes
another, and she also if she is weary of a man, she tells him to go, and he does so, or
makes terms with her. Any children they may have stay with the mother who has to bring
them up, for they hold them not to be the children of any man, even if they bear his
likeness, and they do not consider them their children, nor are they heirs to their estates,
for as I have already stated their heirs are their nephews, sons of their sisters, (which rule
whosoever will consider inwardly in his mind will find that it was established with a
greater and deeper meaning than the common folk think) for they say that the Kings of
the Nayres instituted it in order that the Nayres should not be held back from their service
by the burden and labour of rearing children.

" In this Kingdom of Malabar there is also another caste of people whom they call
Biabares, Indian Merchants, natives of the land. They were there ere foreign nations had
sailed to India. They deal in goods of every kind both in the seaports and inland, where so
ever their trade is of most profit. They gather to themselves all the pepper and ginger
from the Nayres and husbandmen, and offtimes they buy the new crops beforehand in
exchange for cotton clothes and other goods which they keep at the seaports. Afterwards
they sell them again and gain much money thereby. Their privileges are such that the
King of the country in which they dwell cannot execute them by legal process.

"There is in this land yet another caste of folk known as Cuiavern. They do not differ
from the Nayres, yet by reason of a fault which they committed, they remain separate
from them. Their business is to make pottery and bricks for roofing the houses of the
Kings and idols, which are roofed with bricks instead of tiles; only these, for as I have
already said, other houses are thatched with branches. They have their own sort of
idolatry, and their separate idols.
 " There is another Heathen caste which they call Mainatos, whose occupation is to
wash clothes for the Kings, Bramenes and Nayres. By this they live, and may not take up
any other.

" There is another lower caste than these which they call Caletis, who are weavers who
have no other way of earning save by weaving of cotton and silk cloths, but they are low
caste folk and have but little money, so that they clothe the lower races. They are apart by
themselves and have their own idolatry.

"Besides the castes mentioned above, there are eleven others lower than they within
whom the others do not associate, nor do they touch them under pain of death; and there
are great distinctions between one and another of them, preserving them from mixture
with one another. The purest of all these low, simple folk they call Tuias. Their work is
mainly that of tending the palm-groves, and gathering the fruit thereof, and carrying it
away for wages on their backs, for there are no beasts of burden in the land.

"There is another caste still lower than these whom they call Manen (Mancu in the
printed text) who neither associate with others nor touch them, nor do the others touch
them. They are washermen for the common people, and makers of sleeping mats, from
which occupations all but they are barred; their sons must perforce follow the same trade;
they have their own separate idolatry.

"There is another caste in this land still lower whom they call Canaqus. Their trade is
making buckles and umbrellas. They learn letters for purposes of astronomy, they are
great astrologers, and foretell with great truth things that are to come; there are some
lords who maintain them for this cause.

" There is also another lower caste, also Heathens, called Ageres. They are masons,
carpenters, smiths, metal workers and some are goldsmiths, all of whom are of a common
descent, and a separate caste, and have their idols apart from other folk. They marry, and
their sons inherit their property, and learn their fathers' trade.

" There is another caste still lower in this country called Mogeres, they are almost the
same as the Tuias, but they do not touch one another. They work as carriers of things
belonging to the Royal State when it moves from one place to another, but there are very
few of them in this land; they are a separate caste; they have no marriage law; the most of
them gain their living on the sea, they are sailors, and some of them fishers; they have no
idols. They are as well slaves of the Nayres.

"There is another caste yet lower whom they call Monger, fishers who have no other
work than fishing, yet some sail in the Moors' ships and in those of other heathens, and
they are very expert seamen. This race is very rude. They are shameless thieves; they
marry and their sons succeed them, their women are of loose character, they sleep with
any one-so ever, and it is held no evil. They have their own idolatry.

" In this land of Malabar there is another caste of Heathen even lower than these, whom
they call Betunes. Their business is salt making and rice growing, they have no other
livelihood.

" They dwell in houses standing by themselves in the fields away from the roads,
whither the gentlefolk do not walk. They have their own idolatry. They are slaves of the
Kings and Nayres and pass their lives in poverty. The Nayres make them walk far away
from them and speak to them from afar off. They hold no intercourse with any other
caste.

" There is another caste of Heathen, even lower and ruder, whom they call Paneens,
who are great sorcerers, and live by no other means.

"There is another caste lower and ruder than they, named Revoleens, a very poor folk,
who live by carrying firewood and grass to the towns, they may touch none, nor may any
touch them under pain of death. They go naked, covering only their private parts with
scant and filthy rags, the more part of them indeed with leaves of certain trees. Their
women wear many brass rings in their ears; and on their necks, arms and legs necklaces
and bracelets of heads.

"And there is yet another caste of Heathens lower than these whom they call Poleas,
who among all the rest are held to be accursed and excommunicate; they dwell in the
fields and open campaigns in secret lurking places, whither folk of good caste never go
save by mischance, and live in huts very strait and mean. They are tillers of rice with
buffaloes and oxen. They never speak to the Nayres save from off, shouting so that they
may hear them, and when they go along the roads they utter loud cries, that they may be
let past, and whosoever hears them leaves the road, and stands in the wood till they have
passed by: and if any one, whether man or woman, touches them his kinsfolk slay them
forthwith, and in vengeance therefore they slay Poleas until they are weary without
suffering any punishment.

"Yet another caste there is even lower and baser called Pareens, who dwell in the most
desert places away from all other castes. They have no intercourse with any person nor
any one with them they are held to be worse than devils, and to be damned. Even to see
them is to be unclean and out-caste. They eat yams and other roots of wild plants. They
cover their middles with leaves, they also eat the flesh of wild beasts.
 "With these end the distinctions between the castes of the Heathen, which are eighteen
in all, each one separate and unable to touch others or marry with them; and besides these
eighteen castes of the Heathen who are natives of Malabar, which I have now related to
you, there are others of outlandish folk, merchants and traders in the land, where they
possess houses and estates, living like the natives, yet with customs of their own."

These foreigners were not able to give a full and detailed picture of caste. This is
understandable. For to every foreigner the private life of the Hindu is veiled and it is not
possible for him to penetrate it. The social organism of India, the play of its motive
forces, is moreover, regulated infinitely more by custom, varying according to locality
and baffling in its complexity, than by any legal formula which can be picked out of a
legal text book. But there is no doubt that caste did appear to the foreigners as the most
singular and therefore the most distinguishing feature of Hindu Society. Otherwise they
would not have noted its existence in the record they made of what they observed when
they came to India.

Caste therefore is something special in the Hindu Social organization and marks off the
Hindus from other peoples. Caste has been a growing institution. It has never been the
same at all time. The shape and form of caste as it existed when Magasthenes wrote his
account was very different from what the shape and form it has taken when Alberuni
came and the appearance it gave to the Portuguese was different from what it was in the
time of Alberuni. But to understand caste one must have more exact idea of its nature
than these foreigners are able to give.

To follow the discussion of the subject of caste it is necessary to familiarise the readers
with some basic conceptions, which underlie the Hindu Social organisation. The basic
conception of social organisation which prevails among the Hindus starts with the rise of
our classes or varnas into which Hindu society is believed to have become divided. These
four classes were named: (1) Brahmins, the priestly and the educated class, (2) The
Kshatriyas, the Military Class, (3) The Vaishyas, the trading class and, (4) The Shudras,
the servant class. For a time these were merely classes. After a time what were only
Classes (Varnas) became Castes (Jatis) and the four castes became four thousand.
In this way the modern Caste System was only the evolution of the ancient Varna
System.

No doubt the caste system is an evolution of the Varna System. But one can get no idea
of the caste system by a study of the Varna System. Caste must be studied apart from
Varna.

2
 An old agnostic is said to have summed up his philosophy in the following words:

"The only thing I know is that I know nothing; and I am not quite sure that I know that
"

Sir Denzil Ibbetson undertaking to write about caste in the Punjab said that the words of
these agnostic about his philosophy expressed very exactly his own feelings regarding
caste. It is no doubt true that owing to local circumstances there does appear a certain
diversity about caste matters and that it is very difficult to make any statement regarding
any one of the castes absolutely true as it may be as regards one locality which will not be
contradicted with equal truth as regards the same caste in some other area.

Although this may be true yet it cannot be difficult to separate the essential and
fundamental features of caste from its non-essential superficial features. For easy
approach to this to ascertain by asking what are the matters for which a person is liable to
be excluded from caste. Mr. Bhattacharya has stated the following as causes for
expulsion from caste: (1) Embracing Christianity or Islam, (2) Going to Europe or
America, (3) Marrying a widow, (4) Publicly throwing the sacred thread, (5) Publicly
eating beef, pork or foul, (6) Publicly eating Kaccha food prepared by a Mahomedan,
Christian or low caste Hindu, (7) Officiating at the house of a very low caste Sudra, (8)
By a female going away from home for immoral purposes and (9) By a widow becoming
pregnant. This list is not exhaustive and omits the two most important causes which entail
expulsion from caste. They are (10) intermarrying outside caste, (II) Interdining with
persons of another caste, (12) Change of occupation. The second defect in the statement
of Mr. Bhattacharya is that it does not make any distinction between essentials and
(un)*1essentials. Of course when a person is expelled from his caste the penalty is
uniform. His friends, relatives, and fellow men refuse to partake of his hospitality. He is
not invited to entertainment in their houses. He cannot obtain brides or bridegrooms for
his children. Even his married daughters cannot visit him without running the risk of
being excluded from caste. His priest, his barber and washer man refuses to serve him.
His fellow caste men sever their connection with him so completely that they refuse to
assist him even at the funeral of a member of his household. In some cases the man
excluded from caste is debarred access to public temples and to the cremation or burial
ground.

These reasons for expulsion from caste indirectly show the rules and regulations of the
caste. But all regulations are not fundamental. There are many which are unessential.
Caste can exist even without them.

The essential and unessential can be distinguished by asking another question. When
can a Hindu who has lost caste regain his caste. The Hindus have a system of
Prayaschitas which are penances and which a man who has been expelled from caste
must perform before he can be admitted to cast fellowship. With regard to these
Prayaschitas or Penances certain points must be remembered. In the first place there are
caste offences for which there is no Prayaschita. In the second place the Prayaschitas
vary according to the offence. In some cases the Prayaschita involves a very small
penalty. In other cases the penalty involved is a very severe one.

The existing of a Prayaschita and its absence have a significance which must be clearly
understood. The absence of Prayaschita does not mean that any one may commit the
offence with impunity. On the contrary it means that the offence is of an immeasurable
magnitude and the offender once expelled is beyond reclamation. There is no reentry for
him in the caste from which he is expelled. The existence of a Prayaschita means that the
offence is compoundable. The offender can take the prescribed Prayaschita and obtain
admission in the caste from which he is expelled.

There are two offences for which there is no penance. These are (1) change from Hindu
Religion to another religion, (2) Marriage with a person of another caste or another
religion. It is obvious if a man loses. caste for these offences he loses it permanently.

Of the other offences the Prayaschitas prescribed are of the severest kind are two: (1)
Interdining with a person of another caste or a non-Hindu and (2) Taking to occupations
which is not the occupation of the caste. In the case of the other offences the penalty is a
light one almost nominal.

The surest clue to find out what are the fundamental rules of caste and what caste
consists in is furnished by the rules regarding Prayaschitas. Those for the infringement of
which there is no Prayaschita constitute the very soul of caste and those for the
infringement of which the Prayaschita is of the severest kind make up the body of caste.
It may therefore be said without any hesitation that there are four fundamental rules of
caste. A caste may be defined as a social group having (a) belief in Hindu Religion and
bound by certain regulations as to, (b) marriage, (c) food and (d) occupation. To this one
more characteristic may be added namely a social group having a common name by
which it is recognised.

In the matter of marriage the regulation lays down that the caste must be endogamous.
There can be no intermarriage between members of different castes. This is the first and
the most fundamental idea on which the whole fabric of the caste is built up.

In the matter of food the rule is that a person cannot take food from and dine with any
person who does not belong to his caste. This means that only those who can intermarry
can also interdine. Those who cannot intermarry cannot interdine. In other words caste is
an endogamous unit and also a communal unit.

In the matter of occupation the regulation is that a person must follow the occupation
which is the traditional occupation of his caste and if the caste has no occupation then he
should follow the occupation of his father.

In the matter of status of a person it is fixed and is hereditary. It is fixed because a

person's status is determined by the status of the caste to which he belongs. It is
hereditary because a Hindu is stamped with the caste to which his parents belonged, a
Hindu cannot change his status because he cannot change his caste. A Hindu is born in a
caste and he dies a member of the caste in which he is born. A Hindu may lose his status
if he loses caste. But he cannot acquire a new or a better or different status.

What is the significance of a common name for a caste? The significance of this will be
clear if we ask two questions, which are very relevant, and a correct answer to each is
necessary for a complete idea of this institution of caste. Social groups are either
organised or unorganised. When the membership of the group and the process of joining
and leaving the groups, are the subject of definite social regulations and involve certain
duties and privileges in relation to other members of the group then the group is an
organised group. A group is a voluntary group in which members enter with a full
knowledge of what they are doing and the aims which the association is designed to
fulfil. On the other hand there are groups of which an individual person becomes a
member without any act of volition, and becomes subject to social regulation and
traditions over which he has no control of any kind.

Now it is hardly necessary to say that caste is a highly organised social grouping. It is
not a loose or a floating body. Similarly it is not necessary to say that caste is an
involuntary grouping. A Hindu is born in a caste and he dies as a member of that caste.
There is no Hindu without caste, cannot escape caste and being bounded by caste from
birth to death he becomes subject to social regulations and traditions of the caste over
which he has no control.

The significance of a separate name for a caste lies in this, namely it makes caste an
organised and an involuntary grouping. A separate and a distinctive name for a caste
make caste asking to a corporation with a perpetual existence and a seal of separate
entity. The significance of separate names for separate castes has not been sufficiently
realised by writers on caste. In doing that they have lost sight of a most distinctive feature
of caste social groups there are and there are bound to be in every society. Many social
groups in many countries can be equated to various castes in India and may be regarded
as their equivalent. Potters, Washermen, Intellectuals, as social groups are every where.
But in other countries they have remained as unorganised and voluntary groups while in
India they have become organised and involuntary i.e. they have become castes is
because in other countries the social groups were not given name while in India they did.
It is the name which the caste bears which gives it fixate and continuity and individuality.
It is the name which defines who are its members and in most cases a person born in a
caste carries the name of the caste as apart of his surname. Again it is the name which
makes it easy for the caste to enforce its rules and regulations. It makes it easy in two
ways. In the first place, the name of the caste forming a surname of the individual
prevents the offender in passing off as a person belonging to another caste and thus
escape the jurisdiction of the caste. Secondly, it helps to identify the offending individual
and the caste to whose jurisdiction he is subject so that he is easily handed up and
punished for any breach of the caste rules.

This is what caste means. Now as to the caste system. This involves the study of the
mutual relations between different castes. Looked at as a collection of caste the caste
system presents several features, which at once strike the observer. In the first place there
is no inter-connection between the various castes, which form a systems each caste is
separate and distinct. It is independent and sovereign in the disposal of its internal affairs
and the endorsement of caste Regulations. The castes touch but they do not
interpenetrate. The second feature relates to the order in which one caste stands in
relation to the other castes in the system. That order is vertical and not horizontal.

In other words castes are not equal in status. Their order is based on inequality. One
caste is higher or lower in relation to another. Castes form an hierarchy in which one
caste is at the top and is the highest, another at the bottom and it is the lowest and in
between there are castes every one of which is at once above some caste and below some
caste, The caste system is a system of gradation in which every caste except the highest
and the lowest has a priority and precedence over some other caste:

How is this precedence or this superiority determined? This order of superiority and
inferiority or this insubordination is determined by Rules (1) which are connected with
religious rites and (2) which are connected with commonality.

Religion as a basis of Rules of precedence manifests itself in three ways. Firstly

through religious ceremonies, secondly through incantations that accompany the religious
ceremonies and thirdly through the position of the priest.

Beginning with the ceremonies as a source of rules of precedence it should be noted

that the Hindu Scriptures prescribe sixteen religious ceremonies. Although those are
Hindu ceremonies every Hindu Caste cannot by right claim to perform all the sixteen
ceremonies. Few can claim the right to perform all. Some are allowed to perform certain
ceremonies, some are not allowed to perform certain of the ceremonies. For instance take
the ceremony of Upanayan, wearing the sacred thread. Some castes can't. Precedence
follows this distinction in the matters of right to perform the ceremonies. A caste which
can claim to perform all the ceremonies is higher in status than the caste which has a right
to perform a few.

Turning to the Mantras it is another source for rules of precedence. According to the
Hindu Religion the same ceremony can be performed in three different ways: (1)
Vedokta, (2) Shastrokta and (3) Puranokta. In the Vedokta form the ceremony is
performed with Mantras (incantations) from the Vedas. In the Shastrokta form the
ceremony is performed with Mantras (incantations) from the Shastras. In the Puranokta
form the ceremony is performed with Mantras (incantations) from the Puranas. Hindu
Religious Scriptures fall into three distinct categories: (1) The Vedas which are four, (2)
The Shastras which are six and (3) The Puranas which are eighteen. Although they are all
respected as scriptures they do not all have the same sanctity. The Vedas have the highest
sanctity. The Shastras stand next in order of sanctity and the Puranas have the lowest
sanctity. The way the Mantras give rise to social precedence will be obvious if it is borne
in mind that not every caste is entitled to have the ceremony performed in the Vedokta
form. Three castes may well claim the right to the performance of one of the sixteen
ceremonies. But it well be that one of it is entitled to perform it in the Vedokta form,
another in the Shastrokta form and the third only in the Puranokta form. Precedence goes
with the kind of Mantra that a caste is entitled to use in the performance of a religious
ceremony. A caste which is entitled to use Vedic Mantra is superior to a caste which is
entitled to use Shastrik Mantra and a caste which is entitled to use Shastrik Mantras is
higher than a caste which is entitled to use only Puranokta Mantras.

Taking the priest as third source of precedence connected with Religion Hinduism
requires the instrumentality of a priest for the derivation of the full benefit from the
performance of a religious ceremony. The priest appointed by the scriptures is the
Brahmin. A Brahmin therefore is indispensable. But the scriptures do not require that a
Brahmin shall accept the invitation of any and every Hindu irrespective of his caste to
officiate at a religious ceremony. The invitation of which caste he will accept and of
which he will refuse is a matter left to the wishes of the Brahmin. By long and well-
established custom it is now settled at which caste he will officiate and at which caste he
will not. This fact has become the basis of precedence as between castes. The caste at
which a Brahmin will officiate is held as superior to a caste at whose religious functions a
Brahmin will not officiate.

The second source for rules of precedence is commonality. It will be noticed that rules
of marriage have not given rise to rules of precedence as rules of commonality have. The
reason lies in the distinction between the rules prohibiting intermarriage and interdining.
That difference is obvious. The prohibition on intermarriage is such that it can not only
be respected but it can be carried out quite strictly. But the prohibition of interdining
creates difficulties. It cannot be carried out quite strictly in all places and under all
circumstances. Man migrates and must migrate from place to place. In every place he
happens to go he may not find his castemen. He may find himself landed in the midst of
strangers. Marriage is not a matter of urgency but food is. He can wait for getting himself
married till he returns to the society of his castemen. But he cannot wait for his food. He
must find it from somewhere and from someone. Question arises from which caste he can
take food if he has to. The rule is that he will take food from a caste above his but will not
take food from a caste, which is below his. There is no way of finding how it came to be
decided that a Hindu can take food from one caste and not from another. By long series
of precedent every Hindu knows from what caste he can take food and from what caste
he cannot. This is determined chiefly by the rule followed by the Brahmin. A caste is
higher or lower according as the Brahmin takes from it food or not. In this connection the
Brahmin has a very elaborate set of rules in the matter of food and water. (1) He will take
only water from some and not from others. (2) A Brahmin will not take food cooked in
water by any caste. (3) He will take only food cooked in oil from some castes. Again he
has as a set of rules in the matter of the vessel, in which he will accept food and water. He
will take food or water in an earthen vessel from some caste, only in metallic vessel from
some and only in glass vessel from others. This goes to determine the level of the caste. If
he takes food cooked in oil from a caste its status is higher than the caste from which he
will not. If he takes water from a caste it is higher than the caste from which he will not.
If he takes water in a metallic vessel that caste is higher than the caste from which he will
take water in an earthen vessel and the caste from which he will take water in an earthen
vessel is higher than the caste from which he will take water in a glass vessel. Glass is a
substance which is called Nirlep (which conserves no stain) therefore a Brahmin can take
water in it even from the lowest. But other metals do conserve stains. Contaminating
character of the stain depends upon the status of the person who has used it. That status
depends upon the Brahmin's will to accept water in that vessel.

These are some of the factors which determine the place and status of a caste in this
Hindu hierarchical system of castes.

Such is caste and such is caste system. Question is, is this enough to know the Hindu
Social Organisation. For a static conception of the Hindu Social Organisation an idea of
the caste and the caste system is enough. One need not trouble to remember more than
the facts that the Hindus are divided into castes and that the castes form a system in
which all hang on a thread which runs through the system in such a way that while
encircling and separating one caste from another it holds them all as though as it was a
string of tennis balls hanging one above the other. But this will not be enough to
understand caste as a dynamic phenomenon. To follow the workings of caste in action it
is necessary to note one other feature of caste besides the caste system, namely class-
caste system.

The relationship between the ideas of caste and class has been a matter of lively
controversy. Some say that caste is analogous to class. Others hold that the idea of caste
is analogous to class and that there is no difference between the two. Others hold that the
idea of caste is fundamentally opposed to that of class. This is an aspect of the subject of
caste about which more will be said hereafter. For the present it is necessary to emphasis
one feature of the caste system which has not been referred to here in before. It is this.
Although caste is different from and opposed to the notion of class yet the caste-system
as distinguished from caste recognises a class system which is somewhat different from
the graded status referred to above. Just as the Hindus are divided into so many castes,
castes are divided into different classes of castes. The Hindu is caste conscious. He is also
class conscious. Whether he is caste conscious or class conscious depends upon the caste
with which he comes in conflict. If the caste with which he comes in conflict is a caste
within the class to which he belongs he is caste conscious. If the caste is outside the class
to which he belongs he is class conscious. Any one who needs any evidence on this point
may study the Non-Brahmin Movement in the Madras and Bombay Presidency. Such a
study will leave no doubt that to a Hindu caste periphery is as real as class periphery and
caste consciousness is as real as class-consciousness.

Caste, it is said, is an evolution of the Varna System. I will show later on that this is
nonsense. Caste is a perversion of Varna, at any rate it is an evolution in the opposite
direction. But while Caste has completely perverted the Varna System it has borrowed
the class system from the Varna System. Indeed the Class-Caste System follows closely
the class cleavages of the Varna System.

Looking at the caste system from this point of view one comes across several lines of
class cleavage which run through this pyramid of castes dividing the pyramid into blocks
of castes. The first line of cleavage follows the line of division noticeable in the ancient
Chaturvarna system. The old system of Chaturvarna made a distinction between the first
three Varnas, the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and the forth Varna namely the
Shudras. The three former were classes as the Regenerate classes. The Shudra was held
as the unregenerate class. This distinction was based upon the fact that the former were
entitled to wear the sacred thread and study the Vedas. The Shudra was entitled to neither
and that is why he was regarded as the unregenerate class. This line of cleavage is still in
existence and forms the basis of the present day class division separating the castes which
have grown out of the vast class of Shudras from those which have grown out of the three
classes of Brahmins, the Kashatriyas and Vaishyas. This line of class cleavage is the one
which is expressed by the terms High Castes and Low Castes and which are short forms
for High Class Castes and Low Class Castes.

Next after this line of cleavage there runs through the pyramid a second line of class
cleavage. It runs just below the Low Class Castes. It sets above all the castes born out of
the four Varnas i.e. The High Castes as well as the Low Castes above the remaining
Castes, which I will merely describe as the ' rest '. This line of class cleavage is again a
real one and follows the well defined distinction which was a fundamental principle of
the Chaturvarna System. The Chaturvarna System as is pointed out made a distinction
between the four Varnas putting the three Varnas above the fourth. But it also made an
equally clear distinction between those within the Chaturvarna and those outside the
Chaturvarna. It had a terminology to express this distinction. Those within the
Chaturvarna high or low. Brahmins or Shudras were called Savarna i.e. those with the
stamp of the Varna. That outside the Chaturvarna were called Avarna i.e. those without
the stamp of Varna. All the Castes, which have evolved out of the four Varnas, are called
Savarna Hindus—which is rendered in English by the term caste Hindus. The 'rest' are
the Avarnas who in present parlance spoken of by Europeans as Non-Caste Hindus i.e.
those who are outside the 4 original castes or Varnas.

Much that is written about the Caste System has reference mostly to the Caste-System,
among the Savarna Hindus. Very little is known about the Avarna Hindus. Who are these
Avarna Hindus, what is their position in Hindu Society, how are they related to the
Savarna Hindus, are questions to which no attention has so far been paid. I am sure that
without considering these questions no one can get a true picture of the social structure
the Hindus have built. To leave out the Class cleavage between the Savarna Hindus and
the Avarna Hindus is to relate Grimm's Fairy Tale which leaves out the witches, the
goblins and the ogres.

The Avarna Hindus comprise three divisions (1) Primitive Castes, (2) Criminal Castes
and (3) The Untouchable Castes. The total population of persons comprising these three
classes is by no means small. The population of the Primitive Tribes in India according to
the Census of 1931 is stated to be about 25 millions. The total population of persons
listed as Criminal is somewhere about 4 1/2 millions. The total population of
Untouchables in 1931 was about 50 millions. The grand total of these three comes to 79
1/2 millions.

What is the relation of the Savarna Castes to the Avarna Castes? The cleavage between
the Savarna Castes and the Avarna Castes is not uniform in its consequences with the
result that the position created is not easy to grasp. The line of the cleavage running
between the Savarna Castes and the Avarna Castes produces a relationship between the
Savarna Castes and the two Avarna Castes—the Primitive and the Criminal Castes which
is different from the relationship which it produces between the Savarna Castes and the
last of the Avarna Castes namely the Untouchables. This line of cleavage between the
Savarna Castes and the first two of the Avarna Castes is a cleavage between kindred and
friends. It does not make intercourse on respectful terms between the two impossible. The
cleavage between the Savarna Castes and the Untouchables is of a different kind. It is a
cleavage between two non-kindred and hostile groups. There is no possibility of friendly
intercourse on respectable terms.

What is the significance of this line of cleavage? On what is it based ? Although the
cleavage is definite the basis of it has not been defined. But it seems that the basis of
cleavage is the same as that which exists between the Dwijas and the Shudras. Like the
Shudras the Avarna Castes are composed of unregenerate people. They are not twice born
and have no right to wear the sacred thread. This also brings out two facts which
otherwise are lost sight of. The first fact is that the difference between the Shudra Castes
of the Savarna division of cast's and the Primitive and the Criminal Castes of the Avarna
division is very thin. Both are touchable and both are unregenerate. The difference is one
of cultural development. But although the cultural difference between the two sections is
great—as great as there is between a highly cultured and the unmitigated barbarian—
from the point of view of the orthodox Hindu, the difference between them is one of
degree. It is to mark this difference in culture that the Hindus invented a new terminology
which recognised two classes of Shudras, (1) Sat-Shudras and (2) Shudras. Calling the
old body of Shudras as Sat Shudras or cultured Shudras and using the term Shudras to
those comprising the Primitive Castes who had come within the pale of Hindu
Civilisation. The new terminology did not mean any difference in the rights and duties of
Shudras. The distinction pointed out those Shudras who were fit for associated life with
the Dwijas and those who were less fitted for it.

What is the relation of Avarna Castes to one another? Do they exist as mere collection
of castes or have they any class cleavages? They are certainly mere collection of Castes.
There are certainly lines of class clevages running through this block of Avarna Castes.
Whether there is a line of class clevage running between the Primitive Castes and the
Criminal Castes may be a matter of some doubt. Perhaps the line is faint. But there is no
doubt that there is a very definite a very broad and a very emphatic line of clevage
between the Primitive Castes and the Criminal Castes and the Untouchables. The former
two have a very clear notion that they are the higher classes and the Untouchables are the
lower classes within this block of Avarna Castes.

The discussion carried on so far reveals three characteristic features of Hindu Social
Organisation: (1) Caste, (2) A hierarchical System of Castes and (3) A Class System
cutting into the Caste System. Undoubtedly the structure is a very complicated one and it
is perhaps difficult for one who has not been woven into it to form a true mental picture
of the same. Perhaps a diagrammatic presentation may be helpful. I give below one such
representation which in my judgment is calculated to give the idea of this social structure
of the Hindus.

A Caste Hindus : C Caste Hindus :E Non-Caste G Non-caste

Hindus Hindus
Avarna
Castes '
Savarna Castes Savarna Castes
Class 1 Class 11 Class III Class IV
High Castes Dwijas Low Caste : Primitive Untouchables
—Castes evolved outShudras-' Castes
of evolved Castes
Criminal
Castes
the three Varnas. out of the
Brahmins, 4th Varna
Kshatriyas and namely Shudras. 1
Vaishas.

This diagram is left blank in the MS.—Ed.

This diagram presents a Class-Caste-System of the Hindus and is so drawn as to give a

true and a complete picture of their social organisation. This diagram brings out several
of its important features. It shows that there are two divisions of Hindus (1) Savarna
Hindus and (II) Avarna Hindus. It shows that within the first division there are two
classes of Castes (1) Dwijas and (2) Shudras and within the second division there are two
Classes of castes (1) Primitive and Criminal Castes and (2) The Untouchable Castes. The
next thing to note is that each caste is enclosed and separated from the rest a fact which is
not shown in the diagram each of the four classes of Castes is grouped together and
placed within a class enclosure. This enclosure segregates a class of a Caste and marks it
off from another class. A class of Castes is not as organised as a Caste is. But a feeling of
Class is there. The third thing to note is the nature of partitions used for the enclosures.
They are of various strengths, some are permanent, some are temporary. The partition
between the Dwijas Castes and the Shudras Castes is not a partition at all. It is only a
curtain. It is not a partition at all. It is intended to keep them aloof. It is not intended to
cut them as under. The line of cleavage between the Shudra Castes and the first two of
the Avarna Castes is a regular partition. But it is both thin and small. It can be jumped
over. The partition separates but does not cause severance. But the partition between
these three classes and the Untouchables is a real and irremovable partition. It is a barbed
wire fence and its intention is to mark a severance. To express the same thing in a
different way the first three enclosures are so placed that they are one within the other.
The first partition between the Dwijas and the Shudra Castes may be removed the two
become the occupants of one enclosure instead of two separate enclosures. Similarly the
second partition may be removed in which case the Castes which are Dwija, Shudra,
Primitive and Criminal form one whole—if not a single whole—occupying one single
enclosure. But the third partition can never be removed. Because all three Classes of
Castes are united on one issue namely that they shall not be one (This space is left blank
in the typed copy of MS. The word ' one ' is introduced by us.—Ed.) with the
Untouchables as one united body of people. There is a bar sinister, which serves the
Untouchables from the rest and compels them to be apart and outside.

The diagram shows the different Classes of Castes one above the other. This is done to
mark the hierarchy, which is an important feature of the Caste System. I have described
the two classes of the Savarna Castes as High Class Castes and Low Class Castes. But I
have not described the other two classes of Avarna Castes as lower Class Castes and
lowest Class Castes. In a sense this would have been correct. In general social esteem
they are no doubt lower and lowest in status. But in another sense this would not be
appropriate. The terminology of high, low, lower and lowest assumes that they are parts
of one whole. But are the Avarna Castes and the Savarna Castes parts of one whole?
They were not. The Primitive and the Criminal Castes were not in contemplation when
the plan of the Varna System, the parent of the present caste system, was laid.
Consequently nothing is said about their status and position in the rules of the Varna
System. But that is not the case with the Untouchables. They were within the
contemplation of the Varna System and the Rule of the Varna System with regard to the
Untouchables is very clear and very definite. The rule as laid down by Manu the Hindu
Law giver is that there are only four Varnas and that there is not to be a fifth Varna. The
reformers who are friends of Mr. Gandhi in his campaign for removal of Untouchability
are endeavouring to give a new meaning to the statement of Manu. They say that Manu
has been misunderstood. According to Manu there is no fifth Varna and therefore he
intended to include the Untouchables into the 4th Varna namely the Shudras. But this is
an obvious perversion. What Manu meant was there were originally four Varnas and four
they must remain. He was not going to admit the Untouchables into the House the ancient
Hindus had built by enlarging the Varna System to consist of five Varnas. That is what he
meant when he said that there is not to be a fifth Varna. That he wanted the Untouchables
to remain out of the Hindu social structure is clear from the name by which he describes
the Untouchables. He speaks of them as Varna—Bahyas (those outside the Varna
System). That is the diference between the Primitive and Criminal Castes and the
Untouchables. There being no positive injunction against their admission in Hindu
Society they may in course of time become members of it. At present they are linked to
Hindu Society and hereafter they may become integrated into it and become part of it.
But the case of the Untouchables is different. There is positive injunction against their
incorporation in Hindu Society. There is no room for reform. They must remain separate
and segregated without being a part of the Hindu Society. The Untouchables are not a
part of the Hindu Society. And if they are a part they are a part but not of the whole. The
idea showing the connection between the Hindus and the Untouchables was accurately
expressed by Ainapure Shastri the leader of the orthodox Hindus at a Conference held in
Bombay. He said that the Untouchables were related to the Hindus as a man is to his
shoe. A man wears a shoe. In that sense it is attached to man and may be said to be a part
of the man. But it is not part of the whole for two things that can be attached and
detached can't be said to form parts of one whole. The analogy though is none the less
accurate.

CHAPTER 3

THE ROCK ON WHICH IT IS BUILT

Hindu Society is a house of Castes. Hindus are not a people. They are the aggregates of
groups of people formed into castes. This is its peculiarity. This is what has struck the
stream of foreigners who have visited India in the course of history. Notwithstanding this
there are however people who endeavour to say that there is nothing peculiar about caste.
For instance Prof. Baines remarks:

"There is little in the system which is not to be found, or which has not at some time or
other existed, in other countries, even of the West, though it has there been long ago worn
away by other influences. The crystallisation of certain bodies into definite orders or
classes, for instance, is a common, almost a universal, trait and among them the tendency
to become hereditary and as exclusive or aspiring as circumstances allow may almost be
called natural ". The argument may be strengthened by reference to the social
organisation of Primitive peoples. In Primitive Society man is never found alone.

The commonest and therefore the most natural condition of men are to live in-groups.
This social grouping has taken many forms in the course of history. The family is one
such social group which is universal and which has survived. The group larger than the
immediate family was the clan. In its lowest terms, the clan (which also called kin, sept
or sib) was supposed to be a group of individuals related to one another either through the
mother or through the father. Far distant cousins might be considered in the relationship,
and were regarded as members of the group. Again, the relationship may be purely
fictitious, but from the social point of view this was as real a bond as that made by
common blood. The next larger division than the clan is a social grouping of the clans.
When the clans are organised into two groups each group is called a moiety. When it is
organised in more than two groups each is called a phratry. This dual system was not by
any means world-wide in distribution and the functions which the phratry or the moiety
was intended to perform are not quite definitely known. But there is no doubt that each
moiety and phratry was a social grouping in which there was a feeling of brotherhood
between the members of clans associated together. The tribal groups come next. There
were wide differences in the nature, character and structure of tribes. Tribes may be made
up of village communities with no divisions into clans or moieties. They may have clans
and no moieties, or moieties and no clans; or they may have both moieties and clans.
Tribal consciousness was sometimes strong or some time weak. Although in the
formation of tribal groups there was neither a definite rule nor a single line of evolution,
there were certain common features present namely a common dialect, common customs,
a more or less definite territory and some form of Government to which the whole tribe
was present. Larger than the tribe was the confederacy or union of Tribes. But this was
very uncommon. A loose and informal alliance to meet some specific danger may bring
about a union of tribes. It is very seldom that a definite compact is found among the
primitive peoples. The famous Iroquois confederacy is one of the exceptions.

These are social groups based either upon the idea of kindred or on that of locality.
There were groups among primitive peoples, where the cleavage is along other lines.
These other lines of grouping took as its basis sex, age or some other criteria. As a form
of social grouping, there is nothing new or nothing peculiar in this institution of caste. A
caste is like a clan and like the clan it is only a form of social grouping.

The analogy between caste and clan may be admitted although it must be strongly
insisted that as to meaning and purpose, caste is antagonistic to clan. There is no clan
system comparable to the caste system. There is no gradation of clans as there is no
Class-Clan System to match the Class-Caste System. Indeed the clan organisation of the
Primitive people is a complete antithesis of the caste organisation of the Hindus. I admit
the analogy only to drive my point. To my mind the question whether the institution of
caste is natural or unnatural, peculiar or common is no doubt an interesting and
instructive. But it is not as important as the question I want to raise. That question is why
has caste endured, remained in tact when similar social groupings which were existing in
other countries have vanished with the growth of civilisation.

The Romans had a Social organisation very similar to the Hindus. When all similar
institutions have vanished why has caste alone endured? Why do people obey its rules,
what is the sanction for Caste?
 Obedience by men to rules of society is everywhere secured by means of four
sanctions. They are (1) the natural, (2) popular, (3) legal and (4) religious. Which of these
supports the caste system? But before going into that question it would be desirable to
describe the manner each of these sanctions operates.

The natural sanction operates through habit. When a person is habituated to act in a
certain way nothing is required to force him to act in that way. He becomes automation
and the regularity of the act is guaranteed as a matter of routine.

Popular sanction works through public opinion. It was the sense of approbation and
disapprobation prevalent in Society in relation to certain ways and practices. A certain
way becomes folkway and Acts in conformity with an established folkway, receives
approbation and an Act contrary to it is regarded with disapprobation.

There is nothing special either in the natural sanction or popular sanction. They are to
be found everywhere and behind everything that is social in its import. Their native force
is precarious and wherever it possesses more than its ordinary efficacy it is only when
they are derived from either of the other two sanctions. Legal sanction and Religious
sanction are the only two sanctions, which are capable of sustaining any given institution.

There is no doubt that caste had the sanction of Hindu Law. Every Hindu Law Book
has recognised Caste as a legal institution a breach of which was an offence and entailing
punishment. The Law Book of Manu called Manav Dharma Shastra is the oldest and the
most authoritative Law Book of the Hindus. It would be enough to quote from it texts
showing that Caste was recognised by Law.

Manu, the Hindu Lawgiver gives legal recognition to the institution of the four Varnas.
To lay down the law of the four Varnas seems to be the principal object of Manu's code.
This is clear from the opening verses of the Code. They state that:

I.1. The great sages approached Manu, who was seated with a collected mind, and,
having duly worshipped him spoke as follows:

I.2. "Deign, divine one, to declare to us precisely and in due order the sacred laws of
each of the (four chief) castes (varna) and of the intermediate ones.".

Not only he gives it his legal sanction, he makes it incumbent upon the King to uphold
the institution:

VII.35. The king has been created (to be) the protector of the castes (varna) and orders,
who, all according to their rank, discharge their several duties.".
 VIII.24. All castes (varna) would be corrupted (by intermixture), all barriers would be
broken through, and all men would rage (against each other) in consequence of mistakes
with respect to punishment."

Manu makes breach of Caste a sin and prescribes three different punishments to one
who has become a Patit by loss of caste.

The first punishment is punishment after death. Manu says:

"XII.60. He who has associated with outcasts, he who has approached the wives of
other men, and he who has stolen the property of a Brahmana becomes
Brahmarakshasa.". In this life the punishment which a Patit has to undergo was twofold.
One was excommunication. The nature and character of excommunication prescribed by
Manu has been prescribed by him in the following terms:

"XI. 181. He who associates with an outcast, himself becomes an outcast after a year,
not by sacrificing for him, teaching him, or forming a matrimonial alliance with him, but
by using the same carriage or seat, or by eating with him.

"XI. 182. He who associates with any one of those outcasts, must perform, in order to
atone for (such) intercourse, the penance prescribed for that (sinner).

"XI. 183. The Sapindas and Samanodakas of an outcast must offer (a libation of) water
(to him, as if he were dead), outside (the village), on an inauspicious day, in the evening
and in the presence of the relatives, officiating priests, and teachers.

"XI. 184. A female slave shall upset with her foot a pot filled with water, as if it were
for a dead person; (his Sapindas) as well as the Samanodakas shall be impure for a day
and a night.

"XI. 185. But thenceforward it shall be forbidden to converse with him, to sit with him,
to give him a share of the inheritance, and to hold with him such intercourse as is usual
among men.". The other was disinheritance.

"IX.201. Eunuchs and outcasts, (persons) born blind or deaf, the insane, idiots and the
dumb, as well as those deficient in any organ (of action or sensation), receive no share".

" XI. 186. And (if he be the eldest) his right of primogeniture shall be withheld and the
additional share, due to the eldest son, and in his stead a younger brother, excelling in
virtue, shall obtain the share of the eldest".
 The only way to avoid these two punishments of excommunication and disinheritance
was to do penance in the prescribed form. Penance was the only remedy. Says Manu:

"XI. 187. But when he has performed his penance, they shall bathe with him in a holy
pool and throw down a new pot, filled with water.

"XI. 188. But he shall throw that pot into water, enter his house and perform, as before,
all the duties incumbent on a relative".

There was a distinction between a male Patit and a female Patit. Neither was exempt.
The Rule applies to both, for Manu says:

"XI. 189. Let him follow the same rule in the case of female outcast; but clothes, food,
and drink shall be given to them, and they shall live close to the (family) house". There
can be no doubt that the legal sanction was powerful sanction. The punishment prescribed
by law for breach of Caste was two folds. It involved excommunication and loss of right
to inherit. How formidable these punishments were has been well described by Sir
Thomas Strange in his treatise on Hindu Law. Referring to the subject he says:

" It remains to consider one case, that may be said to be, with reference to personal
delinquency, instar omnium—occurring in every enumeration on the subject as a cause of
exclusion, namely: degradation, or the case of the outcaste. Accompanied with certain
ceremonies, its effect is, to exclude him from all social intercourse, to suspend in him
every civil function, to disqualify him for all the offices, and all the charities of life;—he
is to be deserted by his connections, who are from the moment of the sentence attaching
upon him, to desist from speaking to him, from sitting in his company, from delivering to
him any inherited, or other property, and from every civil or usual attention, as inviting
him on the first day of the year, or the like, so that a man under these circumstances,
might as well be dead; which, indeed, the Hindu Law considers him to be, directing
libations to be offered to Manes, as though he were naturally so. This system of
privations, mortifying as it must be, was enforced under the ancient law, by denouncing a
similar fate to any one, by whose means they were endeavoured to be eluded; but this
severity was moderated at the beginning of the present age, in which it is said " the sinner
alone bears his guilt ", the law deeming so seriously of non-intercourse, that if one who
ought to associate at meals with another, refuses to do so, without sufficient cause, he is
punishable. And, in the Bombay reports, there is an instance of an action of damages, for
a malicious expulsion from caste.

The analogy between degradation by the Hindu law, and excommunication, as it

prevailed formerly among us, holds, not merely in the general nature and effect of the
proceeding, but in the peculiar circumstance of the one and the other being two-fold. As,
with us, there was the less, and the greater excommunication, so, of offences considered
with reference to their occasioning exclusion from inheritance among the Hindus, they
may also be regarded in a two-fold point of view.

This we learn from a case that was before the Sudder Dewanny Adawlut of Bengal, in
1814, in which the official Pundits, having been referred to, distinguished between "those
which involve partial and temporary degradation, and those which are followed by loss of
caste", observing that "in the former state, that of partial degradation, when the offence
which occasions it is expiated, the impediment to succession is removed; but in the latter,
where the degradation is complete, although the sinfulness of the offence may be
removed by expiatory penance, yet the impediment to succession still remains, because a
person finally excluded from his tribe must ever continue to be an outcaste ".

In the case alluded to, the party in question having been guilty of a series of profligate
and abandoned conduct, having been shamefully addicted to spirituous liquors, having
been in the habit of associating and eating with persons of the lowest description, and
most infamous character; having wantonly attacked and wounded several people at
different times; having openly cohabited with a woman of the Mahomedan persuation;
and having set fire to the dwelling house of his adoptive mother, whom he had more than
once attempted to destroy by other means", the Pundits declared that "of all the offences
proved to have been committed by Sheannauth, one only, namely, that of cohabiting with
a Mahomedan woman, was of such a nature, as to subject him to the penalty of expulsion
from his tribe irrevocably," and of this opinion was the Court.

The power to degrade is, in the first instance, with the Castes themselves, assembled for
the purpose, from whose sentence, if not acquiesced in, there lay an appeal to the King's
Courts. In the case that has been cited, the question arose incidentally, upon a claim of
inheritance, and that case shews that the power amounts to a species of Censorship,
applicable to the morals of the people, in instances to which the law, strictly speaking,
would not perhaps otherwise extend. The sentences can be inflicted only for offences
committed by the delinquent in his existing state; and, where the offence is of an inferior
nature, to justify it, it must have been repeated. What distinguishes degradation from
other causes of exclusion is, that it extends its effects to the son, who is involved in his
father's forfeiture, if born subsequent to the act occasioning it. Born before, he is entitled
to inherit, and takes, as though his father were dead.

Whereas, in every other instance of exclusion, the son, if not actually in the same
predicament with his father, succeeds, maintaining him; the same right extending as far
as the great grandson. And, with regard to the father, or delinquent himself, where the
exclusion from inheriting is not for natural defects, the cause must have arisen, previous
to the division, or descent of the property; if it do not occur till after, the succession is not
divested by it. Hence, adultery in the wife during coverture, bars her right of inheritance;
divesting it also, after it has vested; the Hindu widow resembling, in this respect, the
condition of ours in most instances of copyhold dower, and holding it, like her, Dum
casta fuerit only; according to an opinion of great respectability, that for loss of caste,
unexpiated by penance, and unredeemed by atonement, it is forfeited. In general, the law
of disqualification applies alike to both sexes.

" It appearing, then, that the incapacity to inherit, except in the instance of the outcaste,
is personal merely; that one excluded may be said, in every case, to be entitled to be
maintained; and that, in most, it is in his power, at any time, to restore himself to his
rights;whatever may be thought of the wisdom of some of these provisions, it cannot be
said that they are universally destitute of justice, or, in any instance, totally devoid of
humanity. Nor, in comparing this part of the law with our own, ought we to forget, that
the latter has made none, for preventing the absolute disinheriting of children by will.

" It will appear, in a subsequent chapter, that, on entry into either of the two religious
orders, the devotee (like the professed monk with us before the Reformation) becomes
Civiliter mortuus; and the next heir succeeds, as though he were naturally deceased. and,
as the devotee himself, abdicating secular concerns, is incapacitated from inheriting, so is
the religious pretender, and the eventual Apostate. Under the former term may be
included Hypocrites and Impostors, used synonymously for those who, usurping sacred
marks, practise austerities with an interested design.

The remaining cause of exclusion to be noticed, is, an Incompetent marriage; that is,
where the husband and wife are descended from the same Stock. Such a marriage being
incongruous, the issue of it cannot inherit, excepting among Shudras. And the
consequence is the same, where the marriage has not been according to the order of
Class.

"The heir, or heirs, under no disability, having succeeded to the inheritance, it is next to
be seen, to what charge this is liable." Has Caste also a religious sanction? The Vedas
recognise Caste. The Rig Vedas recognised Caste and also explains its origin in the
following passage:

" 1. Purusha has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. On every side
enveloping the earth, he overpassed (it) by a space of ten fingers.

2. Purusha himself is this whole (universe), whatever has been and whatever shall be.
He is also the lord of immortality, since (or, when) by food he expands.
 3. Such is his greatness, and Purusha is superior to this. All existences are a quarter of
him; and three fourths of him are that which is immortal sky.

4. With three-quarters Purusha mounted upwards. A quarter of him was again produced
here. He was then diffused everywhere over things, which eat, and things, which do not
eat.

5. From him was born Viraj, and from Viraj, Purusha. When born, he extended beyond
the earth, both behind and before.

6. When the gods performed a sacrifice with Purusha as the oblation, the spring was its
butter, the summer its fuel, and autumn its (accompanying) offering.

7. This victim, Purusha, born in the beginning, they immolated on the sacrificial grass.
With him the gods, the Sadhyas, and the rishis sacrificed.

8. From that universal sacrifice were provided curds and butter. It formed those aerial
(creatures) and animals both wild and tame.

9. From that universal sacrifice sprang the rich and saman verses, the metres, and
yajush.

10. From it sprang horses, and all animals with two rows of teeth; kine sprang from it;
from it goats and sheep.

11. When (the gods) divided Purusha, into how many parts did they cut him up ? What
was his mouth? What arms (had he)? What (two objects) are said (to have been) his
thighs and feet?

12. The Brahman was his mouth; the Rajanya was his arms; the being (called) the
Vaishya, he was his thighs, the Shudra sprang from his feet.

13. The moon sprang from his soul (manas), the sun from his eye, Indra and Agni from
his mouth and Vayu from his breath.

14. From his navel arose the air, from his head the sky, from his feet the earth, from his
ear the (four) quarters; in this manner (the gods) formed the worlds.

15. When the gods, performing sacrifice, bound Purusha as a victim, there were seven
sticks (stuck up) for it (around the fire), and thrice seven pieces of fuel were made.
 16. With sacrifice the gods performed the sacrifice. These were the earliest rites. These
great powers have sought the sky, where are the former Sadhyas, gods."

The Brahmanas also recognise Caste. In the Satapatha-Brahmanas Caste is mentioned

in the following terms:

" 23. Brahma (here, according to the commentator, existing in the form of Agni, and
representing the Brahman caste was formerly this (universe), one only. Being one, it did
not develope. It energetically created an excellent form, the Kshattra, viz., those among
the gods, who are powers (Kshattrani), Indra, Varuna, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama,
Mrityu, Isana. Hence nothing is superior to the Kshattra. Therefore the Brahman sits
below the Kshattriya at the rajasuya-sacrifice; he confers that glory on the Kshattra (the
royal power). This, the Brahma, is the source of Kshattra. Hence, although the king
attains supremacy, he at the end resorts to the Brahman as his source. Whoever destroys
him (the Brahman) destroys his own source. He becomes most miserable, as one who has
injured a superior.

24. He did not develope. He created the Vis.—viz., those classes of gods who are
designated by troops, Vasus, Rudras, Adityas, Visvedevas, Maruts.

25. He did not develope. He created the Shudra Class, Pushan. This earth is Pushan; for
she nourishes all that exists.

26. He did not develope. He energetically created an excellent form, Justice (Dharma).
This is the ruler (kshattra) of the ruler (kshattra), namely Justice. Hence nothing is
superior to justice. Therefore the weaker seeks (to overcome) the stronger by justice, as
by a king. This justice is truth. In consequence they say of a man who speaks truth, 'he
speaks justice"; or of man who is uttering justice, 'he speaks truth'. For this are both of
these.

27. This is the Brahma, Kshattra, Vis and Sudra. Through Agni it became Brahma
among the gods, the Brahman among men, through the (divine) Kshattriya a (human)
Kshattriya, through the (divine), Vaishya a (human) Vaisya, through the (divine) Sudra a
(human) Sudra. Wherefore it is in Agni among the gods and in a Brahman among men,
that they seek after an abode."

Taittiriya Brahmana, i. 2, 6, 7.daivyo vai varno brahmanh assuryyo sudrah. " The
Brahman caste is sprung from the gods; the Sudra from the Asuras."

It must be admitted that the legal and the religious sanction were both powerful engines
to keep caste going. But there is no doubt that the religious sanction was the primary
sanction and caste has been maintained solely by the force of Religious Sanction. This is
clear from two circumstances. That the legal sanction was very seldom invoked will have
to be admitted. That means that the maintenance of caste was secured by other means.
Secondly this legal sanction was in use only till 1850. It was lifted or rather done away
with by the Caste Disabilities Removal Act passed in that year by the British
Government. Although the legal sanction is withdrawn, caste has gone on without
abatement. That could not have happened if caste had not in the Religious Sanction
another and more powerful sanction independent of the legal sanction.

That the Religious Sanction is the highest sanction which an institution or a belief can
have to support and sustain it, is beyond question. Its power is boundless in its measure
and tremendous in its curb. But it is very seldom understood how and whence this
Religious Sanction gets this high-grade horsepower. To appreciate this it is necessary to
note that the sourpuss of authority behind the Religious Sanction is two-fold.

In the first place what is Religious is also social. To quote Prof. Durkheim.*

"The really religious beliefs are always common to a determined group, which makes
profession of adhering to them and of practising the rites connected with them. They are
not merely received individually by all the members of this group; they are something
belonging to the group, and they make its unity. The individuals which compose it feel
themselves united to each other by the simple fact that they have a common faith." In the
second place what is Religious is Sacral. To quote Durkheim again:

" All known religious beliefs whether simple or complex, present one common
characteristic; they presuppose a classification of all the things, real and ideal, of which
men think, into two classes or, opposed groups, generally designated by two distinct
terms- which are translated well enough by the words profane and sacred . . . . . In all the
history of human thought there exist no other example of two categories of things so
profoundly differentiated or so radically opposed to one another. The traditional
opposition of good and bad is nothing besides this; for the good and the bad are only two
opposed species of the same class, namely morals, just as sickness and health are two
different aspects of the same order of facts, life, while the Sacred and the profane have
always and everywhere been conceived by the human mind as two distinct classes, as two
worlds between there is nothing in common. Religious beliefs are the representations
which express the nature of sacred things and the relations which they sustain, either with
each other or with profane things (while) rites are the rules of conduct which prescribe
how a man should comfort himself in the presence of these Sacred objects."
 From this it will be clear that the Social, Religious and Sacral beliefs are closely knit.
Religious is social though all that is social is not religious. Sacral is social though all that
is social is not sacral. On the other hand the religious is both social and sacral.

One source of authority behind the religious sanction comes from the fact, that is,
religion is social and the religious beliefs are social beliefs. Religious beliefs are enforced
on the individual by the group in the same manner and for the same reasons which leads
it to enforce its other non-religious and purely social beliefs. The object is to maintain the
integrity of the group and as the integrity of the group is more closely bound up with its
religious beliefs, the strictness and severity with which a group punishes the breach of a
religious belief is usually greater than the degree of strictness and severity it employs for
the chastisement of a person guilty of a breach of a non-religious belief. Social force has
an imperative authority before which the individual is often powerless. In the matter of a
religious belief the imperative authority of the social force is tempered as steel is by the
feeling that it is a breach of a graver kind and gives religious sanction a far greater force
than a purely social sanction has.

The Sacral source of the authority behind religious sanction comes primarily from the
individual and only secondarily from the group. That is the noteworthy peculiarity of the
social source of religious sanction. It prepares the individual to uphold the religious
beliefs. It dispenses with the necessity of the group using its social group. That is why the
sacral source of its authority makes religious sanction of such high order as to supersede
all other sanctions indeed to dispense with them. That is why the Religious sanction alone
becomes sufficient to maintain the integrity of religious beliefs which even time and
circumstances have proved powerless to affect. The way this happens is easy to follow.
The Sacred inspires in the individual the sentiment of reverence and deference, which he
certainly has not for the profane. To use the language of Durkheim,

"The simple defence inspired by men with high social functions is not different in
nature from religious respect (for the sacred). It is expressed by the same movements: a
man keeps at a distance from high personage; he approaches him only with precautions;
in conversing with him, he used other gestures and language than that used with ordinary
mortals."

The Sacred creates the sentiment of Reverence. It also creates the sentiment that it is
inviolate. When a belief becomes consecrated as a sacred thing, it is forbidden to touch it,
to deny it or to contest it. There is a prohibition of criticism of the Sacred. The Sacred is
'untouchable and above discussion". When an individual is saturated with these
sentiments, when these sentiments become a part of his being, he himself becomes an
upholder and protector of what he is taught to regard as something sacred.
 This is exactly what the Hindus have done in the matter of Caste. They have given caste
a place in the Vedas. Caste has thereby become sacred because the Vedas are Sacred. It
would be wrong to say that the Vedas are sacred because they are religious. The position
is that they are religious because they are sacred.

It might appear that the Hindus have no name for the Veda directly expressing the
feeling of sacredness, which the Hindu entertains towards the Vedas. Veda simply means
knowledge. That may be so. But there can be no doubt that they regard the Vedas as
sacred. Indeed the term they apply to Vedas expresses a far greater degree of reverence
than the word sacred does. They call the Vedas Shruti, which means the word of God
heard by (i.e. revealed to) man. In the primitive religion the Sacred is what man has
made. In the Hindu religion the Sacred is what God has appointed it to be.

The Hindus regard the Vedas as the Sacred Book of their religion. They put the Vedas
in a class by themselves. The Hindus hold that there are cycles of creations called
Kalpas. At the end of every cycle there is a deluge and a new cycle of creation begins. At
the end of a Kalpa, the Vedas are destroyed in the deluge. At the beginning of every
Kalpa they are revealed by God. Accordingly the Vedas were destroyed in the deluge at
the end of the last Kalpa and that the beginning of the present Kalpa commencing with
the Krita Yug, they were revealed by God to the Rishis. The Vedas are regarded by the
Hindus as Nitya (enternal) Anadi (beginningless) and Apaurusheya (not made by man), In
short the Vedas are the words of God and constitute God's ordinances to man.

Even if the Vedas were not called Shruti they would have had the impressiveness of the
' Sacred '. Religions have been variously classified by Prof. Max Muller. Natural as
against Revealed is one way of classifying them. Individual as against National is another
way. The third way of classifying them is to call them Atheistic, Deistic, Dualistic,
Polytheistic, Monotheistic, Henotheistic and Animistic. True and False is also another
way of classifying Religions. Bookless Religions and Religions with books are two
classes into which Religion could be grouped. This probably does not exhaust the ways
of classifying Religions. For there remains one more distinction to be made, namely
Religions which have founders and religions which have no founders.

These distinctions have social significance except two. They are the distinctions
between Natural and Revealed and that between Bookless Religion and Book Religion.
They differ in their function although that difference is not often noted.

The Book religion has a definite advantage over a Bookless religion. A Book religion is
a Religion with a written constitution. A Bookless Religion is a Religion without a
written constitution. A book religion creates the impression that it is true which a
bookless religion cannot. By comparison with a book religion, a bookless religion wears
the inferiority complex of being false. In the language of Max Muller Religions with
books are alone "considered as real religions, and though they may contain false
doctrines, they are looked upon as a kind of aristocracy to whom much may be forgiven,
while the vulgar crowd of bookless or illiterate religions are altogether out of Court ". It is
easy to understand the superiority accorded to a religion with a book over a bookless
religion. When 'black on white' has become synonymous with true, it may seem very
natural that a religion which is written, which is something black on white is not false.
The Book serves as the voucher for truth. A religion without a book has no voucher.

The social significance of a religion with a book lies in the fact that it controls the mind
of the people by giving them the impression that the religion contained in the book is
true. It gives Religion authority over people and induces willing obedience in them.

But however a Religion may appear to be true by reason of the fact that it is a book
religion, such appearance cannot save Religion from going under, if beliefs and rites
empirically erroneous have crept into it. Man may go wrong in theory but his practical
instincts will seldom allow him to go after a wrong theory for a long time. Unless
therefore the religious beliefs of a social group are true, practically Religion must in the
long run give way.

Herein comes the social significance of the distinction between Natural Religion and
Revealed Religion. A Revealed Religion has superiority over Natural Religion. Natural
Religion is used by several writers to certain historical forms of religion. Something
which has grown along with the growth of people as result of the interaction between the
needs of the peoples and the environment in which they are placed. A natural religion is
made by man. Its sanction is the sense of truth and the voice of conscience that is to be
found in man. A Revealed Religion does not rest on the authority of man. It is not man-
made, it is God-made. Its sanction is God who is absolute truth and absolute good. The
function of Revealed Religion is to make religion sacred therefore inviolate and immune
from criticism.

The Vedas have the characteristics of both. They have the advantage, which a Religion
with a book has over the Bookless Religion. They have the advantage, which a Revealed
Religion has over Natural Religion.

This discussion is intended to enforce the conclusion that Caste being preached by the
Vedas, it automatically gets the authority of the written book and the sanctity of the
divine word. As a scheme propounded by the Veda it is doubly protected. Every one must
accept Caste because it is divine truth and no body must attack it as an error without
being guilty of sacrilege because it is sacred.
 This is the Hindu view of Caste and the average Hindu is not impressed by the modern
explanation of it by Risley with his racial theory, by Senart with his occupational theory,
by Nesfield with his functional theory. He knows and he believes that Caste must have
been created by God, because it is mentioned in the Vedas which is Shruti or the word of
God. It is therefore eternal and true.

That Caste is divine, that caste is sacred and that caste must therefore remain eternal
has been the line of defence adopted by the Brahmins whenever they have been called out
to defend ' Caste ' against the criticism of its opponents. This view of Caste comes out in
its luminous colours in the controversy that once raged on the subject of Caste between
Brahmins on the one hand and Buddha and his followers, on the other i.e.:

" If the belief was once established, that not only the simple effusions of the Rishis, but
the pointed doctrines of the Brahmanas also, emanated from a divine source and could
not therefore be attacked by human reasoning, it is clear that every opposition to the
privileges which the Brahmans claimed for themselves, on the sacred authority of the
Veda, became heresy; and where the doctrines of the Brahmans were the religion of the
people, or rather of the king, such opposition was amenable to the hierarchical laws of the
state. The Brahmans themselves cared much more to see the divine authority of the Sruti
as such implicitly acknowledged, than to maintain the doctrines of the Rishis in their
original simplicity and purity. In philosophical discussions, they allowed the greatest
possible freedom; and, although at first three philosophical systems only were admitted
as orthodox (the two Mimansas and the Nyaya), their number was soon raised to six, so
as to include the Vaiseshika, Sankhya, and Yoga-schools. The most conflicting views on
points of vital importance were tolerated as long as their advocates succeeded, no matter
by what means, in bringing their doctrines into harmony with passages of the Veda,
strained and twisted in every possible sense. If it was only admitted that besides the
perception of the senses and the induction of reason, revelation also, as contained in the
Veda, furnished a true basis for human knowledge, all other points seemed to be of minor
importance. Philosophical minds were allowed to exhaust all possible views on the
relation between the real and transcendental world, the Creator and the created, the divine
and the human nature. It was not from such lucubrations that danger was likely to accrue
to the caste of the Brahmans. Nor was the heresy of Buddha Sakya Muni found so much
in his philosophical doctrines, many of which may be traced in the orthodox atheism of
Kapila. His real crime lay in his opposition to the exclusive privileges and abuses of the
Brahmans. These abuses were sanctioned by the divine authority of the Veda, and
particularly of the Brahmans. In attacking the abuses, Buddha attacked the divine
authority on which they were founded, and the argument was short: he is a heretic;
anathema etc.
 " Buddha was Kshatriya. He was of principal origin, and belonged to the nobility of the
land. He was not the first of his caste who opposed the ambition of the Brahmans. Several
centuries before Buddha, Visvamitra, who, like Buddha, was a member of the royal caste,
had to struggle against the exclusiveness of the priests. At that early time, however, the
position of the Brahmans was not yet impregnable; and Visvamitra, although a Kshatriya,
succeeded in gaining for himself and his family the rights for which he struggled, and
which the Brahmans had previously withheld from all but their own caste. King Janaka of
Videha again, whose story is given in the Brahmanas, refused to submit to the
hierarchical pretensions of the Brahmans, and asserted his right of performing sacrifices
without the intercession of priests. However great the difference may have been between
the personal character of these two men and of Buddha, the first principle of their
opposition was the same. All three were equally struggling against the over-wining
pretensions of a selfish priesthood.

" But while Visvamitra contented himself with maintaining the rights of his tribe or
family, and became reconciled as soon as he was allowed to share in the profits of the
priestly power, while King Janaka expressed himself satisfied with the homage paid to
him by Yajnavalkya and other Brahmans, while, in short, successive reformers as they
appeared were either defeated or gained over to the cause of the Brahmans, the seeds of
discontent were growing up in the minds of the people. There is a dark chapter in the
history of India, the reported destruction of all the Kshatriyas by Parsurama. It marks the
beginning of the hierarchical supremacy of the Brahmans. Though the Brahmans seem
never to have aspired to the royal power, their caste, as far as we know the history and
traditions of India, has always been in reality the ruling caste. Their ministry was courted
as the only means of winning divine favour, their doctrines were admitted as infallible,
their gods were worshipped as the only true gods, and their voice was powerful enough to
stamp the simple strains of the Rishis, and the absurd lucubrations of the authors of the
Brahmans, with a divine authority. After this last step, however, the triumph of
Brahmanism was preparing its fall. In India, less than in any other country, would people
submit to a monopoly of truth; and the same millions who were patiently bearing the
yoke of a political despotism threw off the fetters of an intellectual tyranny. In order to
overthrow one of the oldest religions of the world, it was sufficient that one man should
challenge the authority of the Brahmans, the gods of the earth (Bhudeva), and preach
among the scorned and degraded creatures of God the simple truth that salvation was
possible without the mediation of priests, and without a belief in books to which these
very priests had given the title of revelation. This man was BUDDHA, a SAKYA MUNI.
Now if we inquire how Buddha's doctrines were met by the Brahmans, it is true that here
and there in their philosophical works, they have endeavoured to overthrow some of his
metaphysical axioms by an appeal to reason. An attempt of this kind we have, for
instance, in Vachaspati Misra's commentary on the Vedanta Sutras. In commenting on
the tenets of Buddha, that " ideas like those of being, and not being, &c., do not admit of
discussion", Vachaspati observes that the very fact of speaking of these ideas, includes
the possibility of their conception; nay, that to affirm they do not admit of reasoning,
involves an actual reasoning on them, and proves that the mind can conceive the idea of
being as different from that of not-being.

" Such, however, were not the usual weapons with which Brahmanism
fought against Buddhism. The principal objection has always been, that Buddha's
teaching could not be true, because it did not derive its sanction from Sruti or revelation.
The Brahmans, as a caste, would readily have allowed being and not being, and the whole
of Buddha's philosophy, as they did the Sankhya philosophy, which on the most
important points is in open opposition to the Vedanta. But while Kapila, the founder of
the Sankhya school, conformed to the Brahmanic test by openly proclaiming the
authority of revelation as paramount to reasoning and experience, Buddha would not
submit to this, either for his philosophical (abhidharma), or for his much more important
moral and religious doctrines (vinaya). No doubt it would have been easy for him to show
how some of his doctrines harmonised with passages of the Veda, as in the Veda all
possible shades of the human mind have found their natural reflection. If he had done so
only for some of his precepts, such, for instance, as, " Thou shall not murder ", " Thou
shall not drink", "Thou shall eat standing", the Brahmans would readily have passed over
other doctrines, even such as came into practice after Buddha's death, like "Who longs for
heaven, shall worship the holy sepulchre ", " He shall pull out his hair ", &c. As he
refused to do so, the line of argument taken by the Brahmans was simply confined to an
appeal to revelation, in disproof of the possibility of the truth of Buddha's doctrines.

"There must be something very tempting in this line of argument, for we see that in
later times the Buddhists also endeavoured to claim the same divine character for their
sacred writings which the Brahmans had established for the Veda. A curious instance of
this is given in the following discussion, from Kumarila's Tantra-varttika. Here the
opponent (purva-paksha) observes, that the same arguments which prove that the Veda is
not the work of human authors, apply with equal force to Sakya's teaching. His authority,
he says, cannot be questioned, because his precepts are clear and intelligible; and as
Sakya is not the inventor, but only the teacher of these precepts, and no name of an
author is given for Sakya's doctrines, the frailties inherent in human authors affect them
as little as the Veda. Everything, in fact, he concludes, which has been brought forward
by the Mimansakas to prove the authority of the Veda, proves in the same way the
authority of Buddha's doctrine, Upon this, the orthodox Kumarila grows very wroth, and
says: "These Sakyas, Vaiseshikas, and other heretics who have been frightened out of
their wits by the faithful Mimansakas, prattle away with our own words as if trying in lay
hold of a shadow.
 They say that their sacred works are eternal; but they are of empty minds, and only out
of hatred they wish to deny that the Veda is the most ancient book. And these would-be
logicians declare even, that some of their precepts (which they have stolen from us,) like
that of universal benevolence, are not derived from the Veda, because most of Buddha's
other sayings are altogether against the Veda. Wishing, therefore, to keep true on this
point also, and seeing that no merely human precept could have any authority on moral
and supernatural subjects, they try to veil their difficulty by aping our own argument for
the eternal existence of the Veda. They know that the Mimansakas have proved that no
sayings of men can have any authority on supernatural subjects; they know also that the
authority of the Veda cannot be contradicted, because they can bring forward nothing
against the proofs adduced for its divine origin, by which all supposition of a human
source have been removed.

Therefore, their hearts being gnawed by their own words, which are like the smattering
of children, and having themselves nothing to answer, because the deception of their
illogical arguments has been destroyed, they begin to speak like a foolish suitor who
came to ask for a bride, saying, ' My family is as good as your family '. In the same
manner they now maintain the eternal existence of their books, aping the speeches of
others. And if they are challenged and told that this is our argument, they brawl, and say
that we, the Mimansakas have heard and stolen it from them. For a man who has lost all
scheme, who can talk away without any sense, and tries to cheat his opponent, will never
get tired, and will never be put down! " Towards the end of this harangue, Kumarila adds,
what is more to the point, that the Buddhas, who ascribe to everything a merely
temporary existence, have no business to talk of an eternal revelation."

From the foregoing discussion it will be seen that Caste is born in religion which has
consecrated it and made it Sacred so that it can be rightly and truly said that Religion is
the Rock on which the Hindus have built their social structure.

Does this not show that Caste is a very peculiar institution not to be compared with
other forms of social grouping? I venture to say that any one who maintains that there is
nothing strange in caste simply does not know what Caste is. I repeat that Caste is Sacred,
which is its distinguishing feature. Caste is Sacred, which is what makes it abiding.

Prof. Max Muller makes some very instructive observations on the effects of Religion
with Sacred books on the progress of Society. Says Max Muller:

" History, however, teaches us another lesson, namely that codes of law are apt to
become a kind of fetish, requiring an implicit and unquestioning submission, that their
historical or natural origin is often completely forgotten, and that the old ideas of what is
right and just are almost absorbed, nay, almost annihilated, in the one idea of what is
written and legal.

" The study of Eastern religions teaches us the same lesson. Sacred books often become
a kind of fetish, requiring an implicit and unquestioning faith; their historical or natural
origin is often completely forgotten, and the old ideas of what is true and divine are
almost absorbed in the one idea of what is written and orthodox.

" And there is a third lesson which history teaches us. The sense of responsibility of
every citizen for the law under which he lives is in great danger of becoming deadened,
when law becomes a profession and is administered with mechanical exactness rather
than with a strong human perception of what is right and what is wrong. Nor can it be
denied that the responsibility of every believer for the religion under which he lives is in
the same danger of becoming deadened, when religion becomes a profession, and is
administered with ceremonial exactness rather than with a strong human perception of
what is true and what is false.

" My object, however, is not to show the dangers which arise from sacred books, but
rather to protest against the prejudice which prevails so widely against religions which
have no sacred books.

"There is great difference between book-religions and bookless religions, and the
difference offers, from an historical point of view, a very true ground of division. But
because the book-religions have certain advantages, we must not imagine that the
bookless religions are mere outcasts. They have their disadvantages, no doubt; but they
have a few advantages also.

" A Blackfoot Indian, when arguing with a Christian missionary, described the
difference between his own religion and that of the white man in the following words:

'There were two religions given by the Great Spirit, one in a book for the guidance of
the white men who, by following its teachings, will reach the white man's heaven; the
other is in the hands of the Indians, in the sky, rocks, rivers, and mountains. And the red
men who listen to God in nature will hear his voice, and find at last the heaven beyond.'

" Now that religion which is in the head and in the heart, and in the sky, the rocks, the
rivers and the mountains is what we call Natural Religion. It has its roots in nature, in
human nature, and in that external nature which to us is at the same time the veil and the
revelation of the Divine. It is free, it grows with the growth of the human mind, and
adapts itself to the requirements of every age. It does not say, 'Thou shall, but rather, 'I
will'. These natural or bookless religions are not entirely without settled doctrines and
established customs. They generally have some kind of priesthood to exercise authority
in matters of faith, morality, and ceremonial. But there is nothing hard and unchangeable
in them, nothing to fetter permanently the growth of thought. Errors when discovered,
can be surrendered, a new truth, if clearly seen and vigorously defended, can be accepted.
If, however, there is once a book, something black on white, the temptation is great, is
almost irresistible, to invest it with a more than human authority in order to appeal to it as
infallible, and as beyond the reach of human reasoning. We can well understand what the
ancient poets of the Veda meant by calling their hymns God-given, or by speaking of
them as what they had seen or heard, not what they had elaborated themselves. But a new
generation gave a new meaning to these expressions, and ended by representing every
thought and word and letter of the Veda as ' God-given,' or revealed. This was the
deathblow given to the Vedic religion, for whatever cannot grow and change must die.
From this danger the bookless religion are exempt." Similar observations are made by Sir
William Muir. Speaking of Islam he has given powerful expression to the dangers arising
from Sacred Codes of Religion. Sir William Muir says:

" From the stiff and rigid shroud in which it is thus swathed, the religion of Mahomed
cannot emerge. It has no plastic power beyond that exercised in its earliest days.
Hardened now and inelastic, it can neither adapt itself, nor yet shape its votaries, nor even
suffer them to shape themselves, to the varying circumstances, the wants and
developments of mankind ". (Quoted by E de Bunsen in an article in the Asiatic
Quarterly Review, April, 1889, Mahomed's Place in the Church, p. 287.)

Every one who is interested in the progress of humanity cannot fail to echo these
sentiments regarding the social consequences of Sacred Codes of Religion. But it seems
to me that a further distinction is possible within the Class of Religion with Sacred
Codes. It is a pity that Prof. Max Muller did not pursue the matter further. But it is worth
pursuing because it discloses a difference which is very real which marks off the Hindus
as a people with a Sacred Code of Religion from other people also possessing a Sacred
Code of Religion. The difference will be clear if one begins to examine the different
religions to find out what are the objects which religions have sought to consecrate.

Such an examination will show that there are instances where Society has consecrated
inanimate things and inculcated on the minds of its members the religious belief that they
are sacred. There are cases where stones, rivers, trees are made gods and goddesses.
There are instances where Society has consecrated living things and inculcated on the
minds of its members the religious belief that they are sacred. There are cases of animals
which have become clan totems. There are instances where Society has consecrated
human beings and inculcated the religious beliefs that they are sacred. But there are no
instances where a particular Social Order has been consecrated by Religion and made
Sacred. The primitive world had its clan order and its tribal order. But the clan or the
tribal order was only a social order and was never consecrated by religion and made
sacred and inviolate. The ancient world countries like Egypt, Persia, Rome, Greece etc.,
each had its social order in which some were free and some were slaves, some were
citizens, some were aliens, some of one race, some of another. This class order again was
only a social order and was never consecrated by religion and made sacred and inviolate.
The modern world has its order, in some it is Democracy, in some Fascism, in some
Nazism and in some Bolshevism. But here again the order is only Social order. It is not
consecrated by religion and made sacred and inviolate.

Nowhere has Society consecrated its occupations, the ways of getting a living.
Economic activity has always remained outside the sanctity of religion. Hunting society
was not without religion. But hunting as an occupation was not consecrated by religion
and made sacred. Pastrol Society was not without religion. But pasturage was not
consecrated by religion and made sacred. Farming as an occupation did not become
consecrated by religion and made sacred. Feudalism with its gradations, with its Lords,
villains and serfs was a purely social in character. There was nothing sacred about it.

The Hindus are the only people in the world whose Social order the relation of man to
man is consecrated by religion and made sacred eternal and inviolate. The Hindus are the
only people in the world whose economic order the relation of workman to workman is
consecrated by religion and made sacred, eternal and inviolate.

It is not therefore enough to say that the Hindus are a people with a sacred code of
Religion. So are the Zoroastrians, Israelites, Christians and Muslims. All these have
sacred codes. They consecrate beliefs and rites and make them sacred. They do not
prescribe, nor do they consecrate a particular form of social structure the relationship
between man and man in a concrete form and make it sacred inviolate. The Hindus are
singular in this respect. This is what has given caste its abiding strength to defy the
ravages of time and the onslaughts of time.

There is one other respect in which Hindus differ from other folk possessing codified
religions similar to that of the Hindus. The Hindu Code of Religion is a revelation from
God. That is why the Vedas are called Shruti (what is heard). So are the Codes of
Religions accepted by the Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ask to whom this
God's word sent to the Zoroastrian, Jews, Christians, and Muslims was revealed, who
heard this word of God? The Zoroastrian will say that the word of God contained in their
Religious Code was heard by Zoroaster. The Jews will say it was heard by Moses,
Christians will say it was heard by Jesus and Muslims will say it was heard by
Muhammad. Now ask the Hindu who heard the word of God contained in the Vedas, to
whom was it revealed. The Hindu has no answer. He cannot name the person who heard
this word of God. Now the Mantras contained in the Vedas have their authors mentioned
in the Vedas themselves. But the Hindus will not say that these are the persons who heard
the word of God, which is contained in the Vedas. This difference goes a great way to
protect the sacred character of the Vedas. For the Bible as a Sacred Book can be attacked
by attacking the character of Moses or Jesus. Similarly the Koran as a Sacred Book can
be attacked by attacking the character of Mahomed. But the Veda cannot be attacked by
attacking the character of the messenger or the founder. For the simple reason that there
is none.

As I have said Religion is the Rock on which the Hindus have built their house. It will
now be seen that it is not an ordinary sort of hard Rock. It is granite.

CHAPTER 4

TOUCHABLES V/S UNTOUCHABLES

I
A relationship of touchables against untouchables may cause surprize. Such a surprize
will not be altogether without reason. The touchables are not one uniform body of people.
They are themselves divided into innumerable castes. Each Hindu is conscious of the
caste to which he belongs. Given this heterogeneity it does seem that to include all the
touchable castes into one group and put them as forming a block against the untouchables
is to create a division which can have no meaning. But although this division of
touchables against untouchables may require explanation, the division so far as modern
India is concerned is real and substantial.

The explanation of how the touchables have now become one block and are conscious
of their being different from the untouchables means nothing but recounting the mutual
relationship of the four Varnas.

At the outset it must be borne in mind that those who like Mr. Gandhi accept the
Chaturvarna as an ideal form of society, either do not know the history of the mutual
relations of the four Varnas or are cherishing an illusion or conjuring up a vision for
purposes which they are out to serve. For, the fact is that the four Varnas never formed a
society based on loving brotherhood or on economic organisation based on co-operative
effort. The four Varnas were animated by nothing but a spirit of animosity towards one
another. There would not be the slightest exaggeration to say that the social history of the
Hindus is a history not merely of class struggle but class war fought with such bitterness
that even the Marxist will find it difficult to cite parallel cases to match.
 It seems that the first class struggle took place between the Brahmins, Kshatriyas and
Vaishyas on the one hand and the Shudras on the other.

In Katyayana's Srauta Sutras, it is said, that men with the exception of those whose
members are defective, who have not read the Veda, eunuchs, and Shudras, have a right
to sacrifice. It is Brahmanas, Rajanyas and Vaishyas (only who) according to the Veda
(possess this privilege) ".

We are told by Manu that (Quotation not given in the MS.).* Manu also says that
(Quotation not given in the MS.). Compare with this the following instances and
statements relating to the status of the Shudra occurring in the Vedic literature of a period
earlier than Manu and even earlier than Katyayana.

Prof. Max Muller calls attention to two instances showing that Shudras were admitted
to great sacrifices such as " gavedhukacharu ". One is that of Rathakara and the other of
Nishadasthapati, both Shudras.

It might however be supposed that this was a concession made to the exceptional men
from the Shudras. That it was not a mere concession but a right enjoyed by the Shudras is
beyond question. In the Satapatha Brahmana which is a part of the Veda, the formula for
the Brahmin Priest to call the sacrificer to come and make the oblation is given. He is
asked to say ehi, come, in the case of a Brahman; Agahi 'come hither', in the case of a
Vaishya; Adrava, 'hasten hither' in the case of a Kshatriya and Adhava, 'run hither' in the
case of a Shudra.

This passage is of very great importance. It shows that the Shudra had at one time the
right to sacrifice. Otherwise a form of address for a Shudra sacrificer could not have
found a place in the Vedic precept. If the Shudra had a right to sacrifice, they also must
have had a right to study the Vedas.

For, according to Katyayana, only those who had the right to read the Vedas were
entitled to perform the sacrifice. That the Shudras were at one time entitled to read the
Vedas is a fact which is well supported by tradition which is referred to in the Shanti
Parva of the Mahabharat, where the sage Bhrigu answers the question "How is Varna to
be determined?" in the following terms:

" There is no difference of castes; this world, having been at first created by Brahma
entirely Brahmanic, became (afterwards) separated into castes in consequence of works.
6940. Those Brahmans (lit. twice born men), who were fond of sensual pleasure, fiery,
irascible, prone to violence, who had forsaken their duty, and were red-limbed, fell into
the condition of Kshatriyas. Those Brahmans, who derived their livelihood from kine,
who were yellow, who subsisted by agriculture, and who neglected to practise their
duties, entered into the state of Vaisyas. Those Brahmans, who were addicted to mischief
and falsehood, who were covetous, who lived by all kinds of works, who were black and
had fallen from purity, sank into the condition of Sudras. Being separated from each other
by these works, the Brahmans became divided into different castes. Duty and the rites of
sacrifice have not been always forbidden to (any of) them. Such are four classes for
whom the Brahmanic Sarasvati was at first designed by Brahma, but who through their
cupidity fell into ignorance."

Interpreting the word "Brahmanic" Sarasvati the Commentator says:

" Sarasvati, consisting of the Veda, was formerly designed by Brahma for all the four
castes; but the Shudras having through cupidity fallen into 'ignorance i.e. of darkness,'
lost their right to the Veda."

After the Shudra was reduced came the turn of the Vaishya. The bitterest class war took
place between the Brahmins and the Kashatriyas. The classical literature of the Hindus
abounds in reference to class wars between these two Varnas. First was the conflict
between the Brahmins and King Vena.

" There was formerly a Prajapati (lord of creatures), a protector of righteousness, called
Anga, of the race of Atri, and resembling him in power. His son was the Prajapati Vena,
who was but indifferently skilled in duty, and was born of Sunitha, the daughter of
Mritya. This son of the daughter of Kala (death), owing to the taint derived from his
maternal grandfather, threw his duties behind his back and lived in covetousness under
the influence of desire. This king established an irreligious system of conduct;
transgressing the ordinances of the Veda, he was devoted to lawlessness. In his reign men
lived without study of the sacred books and without the vashatkara, and the gods had no
Soma-libations to drink at sacrifices. 'I', he declared, 'am the object, and the performer of
sacrifice, and the sacrifice itself, it is to me that sacrifice should be presented, and
oblations offered. ' This transgressor of the rules of duty, who arrogated to himself what
was not his due, was then addressed by all the great rishis, headed by Marichi: 'We are
about to consecrate ourselves for a ceremony which shall last for many years, practice not
unrighteousness, o Vena; this is not the eternal rule of duty. Thou art in very deed a
Prajapati of Atri's race, and thou hast engaged to protect thy subjects. ' The foolish Vena,
ignorant of what was right, laughingly answered those great rishis who had so addressed
him: ' Who but myself is the ordainer of duty? Or who ought I to obey? Who on earth
equals me in sacred knowledge, in prowess, in austere fervour, in truth? Yet who are
deluded and senseless know not that I am the source of all beings and duties. Hesitate not
to believe that I, if I willed, could burn up the earth, or deluge it with water, or close up
heaven and earth '. When owing to his delusion and arrogance Vena could not be
governed, then the mighty rishis becoming incensed, seized the vigorous and struggling
king, and rubbed his left thigh. From this thigh, so rubbed, was produced a black man,
very short in stature, who, being alarmed, stood with joined hands. Seeing that he was
agitated, Atri said to him 'Sit down" (nishida). He became the founder of the race of the
Nishadas, and also progenitor of the Dhivaras (fisherman), who sprang from the
corruption of Vena. So too were produced from him the other inhabitants of the Vindhya
range, the Tukharas and Turnburas, who are prone to lawlessness. Then the mighty sages,
excited and incensed, again rubbed the right hand of Vena, as men do the Arani wood,
and from it arose Pritha, respondent in body, glowing like the manifested Agni."

"The son of Vena (Prithu) then, with joined hands, addressed the great rishis: ' A very
slender understanding for perceiving the principles of duty has been given to me by
nature; tell me truly how I must employ it. Doubt not that I shall perform whatever you
shall declare to me as my duty, and its object.' Then those gods and great rishis said to
him: 'Whatever duty is enjoined perform it, without hesitation, disregarding what thou
may est like or dislike, looking on all creatures with an equal eye, putting far from the
lust, anger, cupidity, and pride. Restrain by the strength of thin arm all those men who
swerve from righteousness, having a constant regard to duty. And in thought, act, and
word take upon thyself, and continually renew, the engagement to protect the terrestrial
Brahman (Veda or Brahmans ?)...... And promise that thou wilt exempt the Brahmans
from punishment, and preserve society from the confusion of Castes'. The son of Vena
then replied to the gods, headed by the rishis: 'The great Brahmans, the chief of men,
shall be reverenced by me'. 'So be it,' rejoined those declares of the Veda. Sukra, the
depository of divine knowledge, became his purohita: the Balakhilyas and Sarasvetyas
his ministers; and the venerable Garga, the great rishi, his astrologer. " The second
conflict took place between the Brahmins and the Kshatriya king Pururavas. A brief
reference to it occurs in the Adiparva of the Mahabharat.

"Subsequently the wise Pururavas was born of 11, who, as we have heard, was both his
father and his mother. Ruling over thirteen islands of the ocean, and surrounded by being
who were all superhuman, himself a man of great renown, Pururavas, intoxicated by his
prowess, engaged in a conflict with the Brahmans, and robbed them of their jewels,
although they loudly remonstrated. Sanatkumara came from Brahma's heaven, and
addressed to him an admonition, which, however, he did not regard. Being then
straightway cursed by the incensed rishis, he perished, this covetous monarch, who,
through pride of power, had lost his understanding. This glorious being (virat),
accompanied by Urvasi, brought down for the performance of sacred rites the fires which
existed in the heaven of the Gandharvas, properly distributed into three."
 A third collision is reported to have occurred between the Brahmins and King Nahusha.
The story is given in great details in the Udyogaparva of the Mahabharata. It is there
recorded:

"After his slaughter of the demon Vrittra, Indra became alarmed at the idea of having
taken the life of a Brahmin (for Vrittra was regarded as such), and hid himself in waters.
In consequence of the disappearance of the king of gods, all affairs, celestial as well as
terrestrial, fell into confusion. The rishis and gods then applied to Nahusha to be their
king. After at first excusing himself on the plea of want of power, Nahusha at length, in
compliance with their solicitations, accepted the high function. Up to the period of his
elevation he had led a virtuous life, but he now became addicted to amusement and
sensual pleasure; and even aspired to the possession of Indrani, Indra's wife, whom he
had happened to see. The queen resorted to the Angiras Vrihaspati, the preceptor of the
gods, who engaged to protect her. Nahusha was greatly incensed on hearing of this
interference; but the gods endeavoured to pacify him, and pointed out the immorality of
—appropriating another person's wife. Nahusha, however, would listen to no
remonstrance, and insisted that in his adulterous designs he was no worse than Indra
himself; 373. The renowned Ahalya, a rishi's wife, was formerly corrupted by Indra in
her husband's lifetime; Why was he not prevented by you? 374. And many barbarous
acts, and unrighteous deeds, and frauds, were perpetrated of old by Indra; Why was he
not prevented by you? The gods, urged by Nahusha, then went to bring Indrani; but
Vrihaspati would not give her up. At his recommendation, however, she solicited
Nahusha for some delay, till she should ascertain what had become of her husband. This
request was granted. The gods next applied to Vishnu on behalf of Indra; and Vishnu
promised that if Indra would sacrifice to him, he should be purged from his guilt, and
recovers his dominion, while Nahusha would be destroyed. Indra sacrificed accordingly:
and the result is thus told; " Having divided the guilt of Brahmanicide among trees.
rivers, mountains, the earth, women, and the elements, Vasava (Indra), lord of the gods,
became freed from suffering and sin, and self-governed." Nahusha was by this means,
shaken from his place. But (unless this is said by way of prelepsis, or there is some
confusion in the narrative) he must have speedily regained his position, as we are told
that Indra was again ruined,, and became invisible. Indrani now went in search of her
husband; and by the help of Upasruti (the goddess of night and revealer of secrets)
discovered him existing in a very subtle form in the stem of a lotus growing in a lake
situated in a continent within an ocean north of the Himalaya. She made known to him
the wicked intention of Nahusha, and entreated him to exert his power, rescue her from
danger, and resume his dominion. Indra declined any immediate interposition on the plea
of Nahusha's superior strength; but suggested to his wife a device by which the usurper
might be hurled from his position. She was recommended to say to Nahusha that "if he
would visit her on a celestial vehicle borne by rishis, she would with pleasure submit
herself to him ". The question of the gods accordingly went to Nahusha, by whom she
was graciously received, and made this proposal: "I desire for thee, king of the gods, a
vehicle hitherto unknown, such as neither Vishnu, nor Rudra, nor the asuras, nor the
rakshases employ. Let the eminent rishis, all united, bear thee, lord, in a car: this idea
pleases me". Nahusha receives favourably this appeal to his vanity, and in the course of
his reply thus gives utterance to his self-congratulation: "He is a personage of no mean
prowess who makes the munis his bearers. I am a fervid devotee of great might, lord of
the past, the future and the present. If I were angry the world would no longer stand; on
me everything depends.... Wherefore, O goddess, I shall, without doubt, carry out what
you propose. The seven rishis, and all the Brahman-rishis, shall carry me. Behold
beautiful goddess, my majesty, and my prosperity." The narrative goes on: "Accordingly
this wicked being, irreligious, violent, intoxicated by the force of conceit, and arbitrary in
his conduct, attached to his car the rishis, who submitted to his commands, and
compelled them to bear him ". Indrani then again resorts to Vrihaspati, who assures her
that vengeance will soon overtake Nahusha for his presumption: and promises that he
will himself perform a sacrifice with a view to the destruction of the oppressor, and the
discovery of Indra's lurking place. Agni is then sent to discover and bring Indra to
Vrihaspati; and the latter, on Indra's arrival, informs him of all that had occurred during
his absence. While Indra with Kuvera, Yama, Soma, and Varuna, was devising means for
the destruction of Nahusha, the sage Agastya came up, congratulated Indra on the fall of
his rival, and proceeded to relate how it had occurred. Wearied with carrying the sinner
Nahusha, the eminent divine rishis, and the spotless brahman-rishis asked that divine
personage Nahusha (to solve) a difficulty; "Dost thou, a Vasava, most excellent of
conquerors, regard as authoritative or not those Brahmana texts which are recited at the
immolation of kine?' 'No', replied Nahusha, whose understanding was enveloped in
darkness. The rishis rejoined: 'Engaged in unrighteousness, thou attainest not unto
righteousness: these texts, which were formerly uttered by great rishis, are regarded by us
as authoritative.' The (proceeds Agastya) disputing with the munis, Nahusha, impelled by
unrighteousness, touched me on the head with his foot. In consequence of this the king's
glory was smitten and his prosperity departed. When he had instantly become agitated
and oppressed with fear, I said to him, ' Since thou, O fool, contemnest that sacred text,
always held in honour, which has been composed by former sages, and employed by
brahman-rishis, and has touched my head with thy foot, and employest the Brahma—like
and irresistible rishis as bearers to carry thee, therefore, shorn of thy lustre and all thy
merit exhausted, sink down, sinner, degraded from heaven to earth. For then thousand
years thou shalt crawl in the form of a huge serpent. When that period is completed, thou
shalt again ascend to heaven '. So fell that wicked wretch from the sovereignty of the
gods."
 Next there is reference to the conflict between King Nimi and the Brahmins. The
Vishnu Puran relates the story as follows:

" Nimi had requested the Brahman-rishi Vashishtha to officiate at a sacrifice, which
was to last a thousand years, Vashishtha in reply pleaded a pre-engagement to Indra for
five hundred years, but promised to return at the end of that period. The king made no
remark, and Vashishtha went away, supposing that he had assented to this arrangement.
On his return, however, the priest discovered that Nimi had retained Gautama (who was,
equally with Vashishtha a Brahman-rishi) and others to perform the sacrifice; and being
incensed at the neglect to give him notice of what was intended, he cursed the king, who
was then asleep, to lose his corporeal form. When Nimi awoke and learnt that he had
been cursed without any previous warning, he retorted, by uttering a similar curse on
Vashishtha, and then died. " In consequence of this curse " (proceeds Vishnu Purana, iv.
5, 6) "the vigour of Vashishtha entered into the vigour of Mitra and Varuna. Vashishtha,
however, received from them another body when their seed had fallen from them at the
sight of Urvashi". Nimi's body was embalmed. At the close of the sacrifice which he had
begun, the gods were willing, on the intercession of the priests, to restore him to life, but
he declined the offer, and was placed by the deities, according to his desire, in the eyes of
all living creatures. It is in consequence of this fact that they are always opening the
shutting (Nimishas means " the twinkling of the eye")".

Manu mentions another conflict between the Brahmins and King Sumukha. But of this
no details are available.

These are instances of conflict between the Brahmins and the Kshatriya Kings. From
this it must not be supposed that the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas as two classes did not
clash. That there were clashes between these two classes as distinguished from conflicts
with kings is abundantly proved by material the historic value of which cannot be
doubted. Reference may be made to three events.

First is the contest between the Vishvamitra the Kshatriya and Vashishtha the Brahmin.
The issue between the two was whether a Kshatriya can claim Brahminhood. The story is
told in Ramayana and is as follows:

"There was formerly, we are told, a king called Kusa, son of Prajapati, who had a son
called Kushanabha, who was father of Gadhi, the father of Vishvamitra. The latter ruled
the earth for many thousand years. On one occasion, when he was making a circuit of the
earth, he came to Vashistha's hermitage, the pleasant abode of many saints, sages, and
holy devotees, where, after at first declining he allowed himself to be hospitably
entertained with his followers by the son of Brahma. Vishvamitra, however, coveting the
wondrous cow, which had supplied all the dainties of the feast, first of all asked that she
should be given to him in exchange for a hundred thousand common cows, adding that
"she was a gem, that gems were the property of the king, and that, therefore, the cow was
his by right". On this price being refused the king advances immensely in his offers, but
all without effect. He then proceeds-very ungratefully and tyrannically, it must be
allowed to have the cow removed by force, but she breaks away from his attendants, and
rushes back to her master, complaining that he was deserting her. He replies that he was
not deserting her, but that the king was much more powerful than he. She answers, "Men
do not ascribe strength to a Kshatriya: the Brahmans are stronger. The Strength of
Brahmans is divine, and superior to that of Kshatriya. Thy strength is immeasurable.
Vishvamitra, though of great vigour, is not more powerful than thou. Thy energy is
invincible. Commission me, who have been acquired by thy Brahmanical power, and I
will destroy the pride, and force, and attempt of this wicked prince". She accordingly by
her bellowing creates hundreds of Pahalvas, who destroy the entire host of Vishvamitra,
but are slain by him in their turn. Sakas and Yavans, of great power and valour, and well
armed, were then produced, who consumed the king's soldiers, but were routed by him.

The cow then calls into existence by her bellowing, and from different parts of her
body, other warriors of various tribes, who again destroyed Vishvamitra's entire army,
foot soldiers, elephants, horses, chariots, and all. A hundred of the monarch's sons, armed
with various weapons, then rushed in great fury on Vashishtha, but were all reduced to
ashes in a moment by the blast of that sage's mouth. Vishvamitra, being thus utterly
vanquished and humbled, appointed one of his son to be regent, and travelled to the
Himalaya, where he betook himself to austerities, and thereby obtained a vision of
Mahadeva, who at his desire revealed to him the science of arms in all its branches, and
gave him celestial weapons with which, elated and full of pride, he consumed the
hermitage of Vashishtha, and put its inhabitants to flight. Vashishtha then threatens
Vishvamitra and uplifts his Brahmanical mace. Vishvamitra too, raises his fiery weapon
and calls out to his adversary to stand. Vashishtha bids him to show his strength, and
boasts that he will soon humble his pride.

He asks: "What comparison is there between a Kshatriya's might, and the great might of
a Brahman? Behold, thou contemptible Kshatriya, my divine Brahmanical power. The
dreadful fiery weapon uplifted by the son of Gadhi was then quenched by the rod of the
Brahman, as fire is by water." Many and various other celestial missiles, as the nooses of
Brahma, Kala (time), and Varuna, the discuss of Vishnu, and the trident of Siva, were
hurled by Vishvamitra at his antagonist, but the son of Brahma swallowed them up in his
all-devouring mace. Finally, to the intense consternation of all the gods, the warrior shot
off the terrific weapon of Brahma (brahmastra): but this was equally ineffectual against
the Brahmanical sage.
 Vashishtha had now assumed a direful appearance: "Jets of fire mingled with smoke
darted from the pores of his body; the Brahmanical mace blazed in his hand like a
smokeless mundane conflagration, or a second sceptre of Yama." Being appeased,
however by the munis, who proclaimed his superiority to his rival, the sage stayed his
vengeance; and Vishvamitra exclaimed with a groan: " Shame on a Kshatriya's strength:
the strength of a Brahman's might alone is strength: by the single Brahmanical mace all
my weapons have been destroyed." No alternative now remains, to the humiliated
monarch, but either to acquiesce in this helpless inferiority, or to work out his own
elevation to the Brahmanical order. He embraces the latter alternative: " Having pondered
well this defeat, I shall betake myself, with composed senses and mind, to strenuous
austere fervour, which shall exalt me to the rank of a Brahman".

Intensely vexed and mortified, groaning and full of hatred against his enemy, he
travelled with his queen to the south, and carried his resolution into effect; and we are
first of all told that three sons Havishyanda, Madhusyanda, and Dridhanetra were born to
him. At the end of a thousands years Brahma appeared, and announced that he had
conquered the heaven of royal sages (rajarshis); and, in consequence of his austere
fervour, he was recognised as having attained that rank. Vishvamitra, however, was
ashamed, grieved, and incensed at the offer of so very inadequate a reward, and
exclaimed; " I have practised intense austerity, and the gods and rishis regard me only as
a rajarshi. Austerities, it appears, are altogether fruitless ". Notwithstanding this
disappointment, he had ascended one grade, and forthwith recommenced his work of
mortification.

"At this point of time his austerities were interrupted by the following occurrences:
King Trisanku, one of Ikshvaku's descendants, had conceived the design of celebrating a
sacrifice by virtue of which he should ascend bodily to heaven. As Vashishtha, on being
summoned, declared that the thing was impossible (asakyam), Trisanku travelled to the
south, where the sage's hundred sons were engaged in austerities, and applied to them to
do what their father had declined. Though he addressed them with the greatest reverence
and humility, and added that "the Ikshvaku regarded their family-priests as their highest
resource in difficulties, and that, after their father, he himself looked to them as his
tutelary deities " he received from the haughty priests the following rebuke for his
presumption: " Asakyam " " Fool, thou hast been refused by thy truth speaking preceptor.
How is it that, disregarding his authority, thou has resorted to another school (sakha). The
family priest is the highest oracle of all the Ikshvakus; and the command of those
veracious personages cannot be transgressed. Vashishtha, the divine rishi, has declared
that 'the thing cannot be'; and how can we undertake thy sacrifice? Thou art foolish king;
return to thy capital. The divine (Vashishtha) is competent to act as priest of the three
worlds; how can we shew him disrespect?" Trisanku then gave them to understand that as
his preceptor and "his preceptor's sons had declined compliance with his requests, he
should think of some other expedient." In consequence of his venturing to express this
presumptuous intention, they condemned him by their imprecation to become a
Chandala. As this curse soon took effect, and the unhappy king's form was changed into
that of a degraded outcast, he resorted to Vishvamitra (who, as we have seen, was also
dwelling at this period in the south), enlarging on his own virtues and piety, and
bewailing his fate. Vishvamitra commiserated his condition, and promised to sacrifice on
his behalf, and exalt him to heaven in the same Chandala-form to which he had been
condemned by his preceptor's curse. "Heaven is now as good as in thy possession, since
thou hast resorted to the son of Kusika".

He then directed that preparations should be made for the sacrifice, and that all the
rishis, including the family of Vashishtha, should be invited to the ceremony. The
disciples of Vishvamitra, who had conveyed his message, reported the result on their
return in these words : " Having heard your message, all the Brahmans are assembling in
all the countries, and have arrived, excepting Mahodaya (Vashishtha). Hear what dreadful
words those hundred Vashishthas, their voices quivering with rage, have uttered: 'How
can the gods and rishis consume the oblation at the sacrifice of that man, especially if he
be a Chandala, for whom a Kshatriya is officiating priest ? How can illustrious Brahmans
ascend to heaven, after eating the food of a Chandala, and being entertained by
Vishvamitra?" These ruthless words all Vashisthas, together with Mahodaya, uttered,
their eyes inflamed with anger. Vishvamitra, who was greatly incensed on receiving this
message, by a curse doomed the sons of Vashishtha to be reduced to ashes, and reborn as
degraded outcasts (mritapah) for seven hundred births, and Mahodaya to become a
Nishada. Knowing that this curse had taken effect, Vishvamitra thereafter eulogizing
Trisanku, proposed to the assembled rishis that the sacrifice should be celebrated. To this
they assented, being actuated by fear of the terrible sage's wrath. Vishvamitra himself
officiated at the sacrifice as yajakas; and the other rishis as priests (ritvijah) with other
functions) performed all the ceremonies. Vishvamitra next invited the gods to partake of
the oblations: "When, however, the deities did not come to receive their portions,
Vishvamitra became full of wrath, and raising aloft the sacrificial ladle, thus addressed
Trisanku: ' Behold, O monarch, the power of austere fervour acquired by my own efforts.
I myself, by my own energy, will conduct thee to heaven. Ascend to that celestial region
which is so arduous to attain in an earthly body. I have surely earned some reward of my
austerity ' " Trisanku ascended instantly to heaven in the sight of munis. Indra, however,
ordered him to be gone, as person who, having incurred the curse of his spiritual
preceptors, was unfit for the abode of the celestials; and to fall down headlong to earth.
He accordingly began to descend, invoking loudly, as he fell the help of his spiritual
patron. Vishvamitra, greatly incensed, called out to him to stop: "Then by the power of
his divine knowledge and austere fervour created, like another Prajapati, other Seven
Rishis (a constellation so called) in the southern part of the sky. Having proceeded to this
quarter of the heavens, the renowned sage, in the midst of the rishis, formed another
garland of stars, being overcome with fury. Exclaiming, 'I will create another Indra, or
the world shall have no Indra at all,' he began, in his rage, to call gods also into being.
The rishis, gods (Suras), and Asuras now became seriously alarmed and said to
Vishvamitra, in a conciliatory tone, that Trisanku, "as he had been cursed by his
preceptors, should not be admitted bodily into heaven, until he had undergone some
lustration ". The sage replied that he had given a promise to Trisanku, and appealed to the
gods to permit his protege to remain bodily in heaven and the newly created stars to
retain their places in perpetuity. The gods agreed that "these numerous stars should
remain, but beyond the Sun's path, and that Trisanku, like an immortal, with his head
downwards should shine among them, and be followed by them," adding "that his object
would be thus attained, and his renown secured, and he would be like a dweller in
heaven". Thus was this great dispute adjusted by a compromise, which Vishvamitra
accepted.

"This story of Trisanku, it will have been observed, differs materially from the one
quoted above from the Harivarnsa; but brings out more distinctly the character of the
conflict between Vashishtha and Vishvamitra.

" When all the gods and rishis had departed at the conclusion of the sacrifice,
Vishvamitra said to his attendant devotees; "This has been a great interruption (to our
austerities) which has occurred in the southern region: we must proceed in another
direction to continue our penances ". He accordingly went to a forest in the west, and
began his austerities anew. Here the narrative is again interrupted by the introduction of
another story, that of king Ambarisha, king of Ayodhya, who was, according to the
Ramayana, the twentyeighth in descent from Ikshvaku, and the twentysecond from
Trisanku. Vishvamitra is nevertheless represented as flourishing contemporaneously
with both of these princes. The story relates that Ambarisha was engaged in performing a
sacrifice, when Indra carried away the victim. The priest said that this ill-omened event
had occurred owing to the king's bad administration; and would call for a great expiation,
unless a human victim could be produced. After a long search the royal rishi (Ambarisha)
came upon the Brahman-rishi Richika, a descendant of Bhrigu, and asked him to sell one
of his sons for a victim, at the price of a hundred thousand cows. Richika answered that
he would not sell his eldest son; and his wife added that she would not sell the youngest:
"eldest sons," she observed, "being generally the favourites of their fathers, and youngest
sons of their mothers ". The second son, Sunassepa, then said that in that case he regarded
himself as the one who was to be sold, and desired the king to remove him. The hundred
thousand cows, with the millions of gold-pieces and heaps of jewels, were paid down,
and Sunassepa carried away. As they were passing through Puskara Sunassepa beheld his
maternal uncle Vishvamitra who was engaged in austerities there with other rishis, threw
himself into his arms, and implored his assistance, urging his orphan, friendless, and
helpless state, as claims on the sage's benevolence. Vishvamitra soothed him; and pressed
his own sons to offer themselves as victims in the room of Sunassepa. This proposition
met with no favour from Madhushyanda and the other sons of the royal hermit, who
answered with haughtiness and derision: "How is it that thou sacrifices thine own sons,
and seeks to rescue those of others? We look upon this as wrong, and like the eating of
one's own flesh ". The sage was exceedingly wroth at this disregard of his injunction, and
doomed his sons to be born in the most degraded classes, like Vasishtha's sons, and to eat
dog's flesh, for a thousand years. He then said to Sunassepa: "When thou art bound with
hallowed cords decked with a red garland, and anointed with ungents, and fastened to the
sacrificial post of Vishnu, then address thyself to Agni, and sing these two divine verses
(gathas), at the sacrifice of Ambarisha; then shall thou attain the fulfilment (of thy desire)
".

Being furnished with the two gathas, Sunassepa proposed at once to king Ambarisha
that they should set out for their destination. When bound at the stake to be immolated,
dressed in a red garment, "he celebrated the two gods, Indra and his younger brother
(Vishnu), with the excellent verses. The thousand-eyed (Indra) was pleased with the
secret hymn, and bestowed long life on Sunassepa ". King Ambarisha also received great
benefits from this sacrifice. Visvamitra meanwhile proceeded with his austerities, which
he prolonged for a thousand years.

" At the end of this time the gods came to allot his reward; and Brahma announced that
he had attained the rank of a rishi, thus apparently advancing an additional step.
Dissatisfied, as it would seem, with this, the sage commenced his task of penance anew.
After a length of time he beheld the nymph (Apsara) Menka, who had come to bathe in
the lake of Pushkara. She flashed on his view, unequalled in her radiant beauty, like
lightning in a cloud. He was smitten by her charms, invited her to be his companion in his
hermitage, and for ten years remained a slave to her witchery, to the great prejudice of his
austerities. At length he became ashamed of this ignoble subjection, and full of
indignation at what he believed to be a device of the gods to disturb his devotion; and,
dismissing the nymph with gentle accents, he departed for the northern mountains, where
he practised severe austerities for a thousand years on the banks of the Kausiki river.

The gods became alarmed at the progress he was making, and decided that he should be
dignified with the appellation of great rishi (maharshi); and Brahma, giving effect to the
general opinion of the deities, announced that he had conferred that rank upon him.
Joining his hands and bowing his head, Visvamitra replied that he should consider
himself to have indeed completely subdued his senses, if the incomparable title of
Brahman-rishi were conferred upon him. Brahma informed him in answer, that he had
not yet acquired the power of perfectly controlling his senses; but should make further
efforts with that view.

The sage then began to put himself through a yet more rigorous course of austerities,
standing with his arms erect, without support, feeding on air, in summer exposed to five
fires (i.e. one on each of four sides, and the sun overhead), in the rainy season remaining
unsheltered from the wet, and in winter lying on a watery couch night and day. This he
continued for a thousand years. At last Indra and the other deities became greatly
distressed at the idea of the merit he was storing up, and the power which he was thereby
acquiring; and the chief of the celestials desired the nymph Rambha to go and bewitch
him by her blandishments.

She expressed great reluctance to expose herself to the wrath of the formidable muni,
but obeyed the repeated injunction of Indra, who promised that he and Kandarpa (the god
of love) should stand by her, and assumed her most attractive aspect with the view of
overcoming the sage's impassability. He, however, suspected this design, and becoming
greatly incensed, he dommed the nymph by a curse to be turned into stone and to
continue in that state for a thousand years. The curse took effect, and Kandarpa and Indra
slunk away. In this way, though he resisted the allurements of sensual love, he lost the
whole fruit of his austerities by yielding to anger; and had to begin his work over again.
He resolved to check his irascibility, to remain silent, not even to breathe for hundreds of
years; to dry up his body; and to fast and stop his breath till he had obtained the coveted
character of a Brahman.

He then left the Himalaya and travelled to the east, where he underwent a dreadful
exercise, unequalled in the whole history of austerities, maintaining silence, according to
a vow, for a thousand years. At the end of this time he had attained to perfection, and
although thwarted by many obstacles, he remained unmoved by anger. On the expiration
of this course of austerity, he prepared some food to eat; which Indra, coming in the form
of a Brahman, begged that he would give him. Visvarnitra did so, and though he had
none left for himself, and was obliged to remain fasting, he said nothing to the Brahman,
on account of his vow of silence. As he continued to suspend his breath, smoke issued
from his head, to the great consternation and distress of the three worlds. The gods, rishis,
etc., then addressed Brahma: "The great muni Visvamitra has been allured and provoked
in various ways, but still advances in his sanctity. If his wish is not conceded, he will
destroy the three worlds by the force of his austerity. All the regions of the universe are
confounded, no light anywhere shines; all the oceans are tossed, and the mountains
crumble, the earth quakes, and the wind blows confusedly. We cannot, 0 Brahma,
guarantee that mankind shall not become atheistic..... Before the great and glorious sage
of fiery form resolves to destroy (everything) let him be propitiated." The gods, headed
by Brahma, then addressed Visvamitra: " Hail Brahman rishi, we are gratified by thy
austerities; O Kausika, thou hast, through their intesity, attained to Brahmanhood. I, O
Brahman, associated with the Maruts, confer on thee long life. May every blessing attend
thee; depart wherever thou wilt.' The sage, delighted, made his obeisance to the gods, and
said : ' If I have obtained Brahmanhood, and long life, then let the mystic monosyllable
(omkara) and the sacrificial formula (vashatkara) and the Vedas recognise me in that
capacity. And let Vasishtha, the son of Brahma, the most eminent of those who are
skilled in the Kshattra-veda, and the Brahma-veda (the knowledge of the Kshatriya and
the Brahmanical disciplines), address me similarly.'..... Accordingly Vasishtha, being
propitiated by the gods, became reconciled to Visvamitra, and recognised his claim to all
the prerogatives of a Brahman rishi. . . .. Visvamitra, too, having attained the
Brahmanical rank, paid all honour to Vasishtha." The second event has reference to the
slaughter of the Brahmins by the Kshatriyas. It is related in the Adiparva of the
Mahabharat from which the following account is taken:

There was a king named Kritvirya, by whose liberality the Bhrigus, learned in the
Vedas, who officiated as his priests, had been greatly enriched with corn and money.
After he had gone to heaven, his descendants were in want of money, and came to beg for
a supply from the Bhrigus, of whose wealth they were aware. Some of the latter hid their
money under ground, others bestowed it on Brahmans, being afraid of the Kshatriyas,
while others again gave these last what they wanted. It happened, however, that a
Kshatriya, while digging the ground, discovered some money buried in the house of a
Bhrigu. The Kshatriyas then assembled and saw this treasure, and, being incensed, slew
in consequence all the Bhrigus, whom they regarded with contempt, down to the children
in the womb. The widows, however, fled to the Himalaya mountains. One of them
concealed her unborn child in her thigh. The Kshatriyas, hearing of its existence from a
Brahmani informant, sought to kill it; but it issued forth from its mother's thigh with
lustre, and blinded the persecutors. After wandering about bewildered among the
mountains for a time, they humbly supplicated the mother of the child for the restoration
of their sight; but she referred them to her wonderful infant Aurva into whom the whole
Veda, with its veda Vyas had entered, as the person who (in requisition of the slaughter
of his relatives) had robbed them of their eyesight, and who alone could restore it.

They accordingly had recourse to him, and their eyesight was restored. Aurva,
however, meditated the destruction of all living creatures, in revenge for the slaughter of
the Bhrigus, and entered on a course of austerities which alarmed both gods, asuras, and
men; but his progenitors (Pitris) themselves appeared, and sought to turn him from his
purpose by saying that they had no desire to be revenged on the Kshatriyas : " It was not
from weakness that the devout Bhrigus overlooked the massacre perpetrated by the
murderous Kshatriyas. When we became distressed by old age, we ourselves desired to
be slaughtered by them. The money which was buried by some one in a Bhrigu's house
was placed there for the purpose of exciting hatred, by those who wished to provoke the
Kshatriyas. For what had me, who were desiring heaven, to do with money?" They added
that they hit upon this device because they did not wish to be guilty of suicide, and
concluded by calling upon Aurva to restrain his wrath; and abstain from the sin he was
meditating: " Destroy not the Kshatriyas, 0 son, nor the seven worlds. Suppress thy
kindled anger which nullifies the power of austere-fervour." Aurva, however, replies that
he cannot allow his threat to remain un-executed. His anger, unless wreaked upon some
other object, will, he says, consume himself. And he argues on grounds of justice,
expediency, and duty, against the clemency, which his progenitors recommend. He is,
however, persuaded by the Pitris to throw the fire of his anger into the sea, where they
say it will find exercise in assailing the watery element, and in this way his threat will be
fulfilled."

The third event has reference to the slaughter of the Kshatriyas by the Brahmins. This
story is told in several places in the Mahabharata.

"The magnificent and mighty Kartavirya, possessing a thousand arms, was lord of this
whole world, living in Mahishmati. This Haihaya of unquestioned valour ruled over the
whole sea-girt earth, with its oceans and continents ". He obtained boons from the muni
Dattatreya, a thousand arms whenever he should go into battle power to make the
conquest of the whole earth, a disposition to rule it with justice and the promise of
instruction from the virtuous in the event of his going astray. " Then ascending his chariot
glorious as the resplendent sun, he exclaimed in the intoxication of his prowess, 'Who is
like me in fortitude, courage, fame, heroism, energy, and vigour?' At the end of this
speech a bodiless voice in the sky addressed him: ' Thou knowest not, O fool, that a
Brahman is better than a Kshatriya. It is with the help of the Brahman that the Kshatriya
rules his subjects.' Arjuna answers : 'If I am pleased, I can create, or, if displeased,
annihilate, living beings; and no Brahman is superior to me in act, thought or word.

The first proposition is that the Brahmans are superior; the second that the Kshatriyas
are superior; both of these thou hast stated with their grounds, but there is a difference
between them (in point of force). The Brahmans are dependent on the Kshatriyas and not
the Kshatriyas are beaten up by the Brahmans, who wait upon them, and only make the
Vedas a pretence. Justice, the protection of the people, has its seat in the Kshatriyas.
From them the Brahmans derived their livelihood; how then can the latter be superior? I
always keep in subjection to myself those Brahmans, the chief of all beings, who subsist
on alms, and who have a high opinion of them selves. For truth was spoken by that
female the Gayatri in the sky. I shall subdue all those unruly Brahmans clad in hides.
 No one in the three worlds, god or man can hurl me from my royal authority; wherefore
I am superior to any Brahman. Now shall I turn the world in which Brahmans have the
upper hand into a place where Kshatriyas shall have the upper hand; for no one dares to
encounter my force in battle.' Hearing this speech of Arjuna, the female roving in the
night became alarmed. Then Vayu hovering in the air, said to Arjuna: 'Abandon this
sinful disposition, and do obeisance to the Brahmans. If thou shalt do them wrong, thy
kingdom shall be convulsed. They will subdue thee: those powerful men will humble
thee, and expel thee from thy country." The king asks him, 'Who art thou?' Vayu replies,
'I am Vayu, the messenger of the gods, and tell thee what is for thy benefit.' Arjuna
rejoins, 'Oh, thou displayest today a great warmth of devotion to the Brahmans. But say
that a Brahman is like (any other) earth-born creature."

This king came into conflict with Parasuram the son of a Brahman sage Jamadagni. The
history of this conflict is as follows:

"There lived a king of Kanyakubja, called Gadhi, who had a daughter named Satyavati.
The marriage of this princess to the rishi Richika, and the birth of Jamadagni, are then
told in nearly the same way as above narrated. Jamadagni and Satyavati had five sons, the
youngest of whom was the redoubtable Parasuram. By his father's command he kills his
mother (who, by the indulgence of impure desire, had fallen from her previous sanctity),
after the four elder sons had refused this matricidal offence, and had in consequence been
deprived of reason by their father's curse. At Parasuram's desire, however, his mother is
restored by his father to life, and his brothers to reason; and he himself is absolved from
all the guilt of murder; and obtains the boon of invincibility and long life from his father.
His history now begins to be connected with that of king Arjuna (or Kartavirya). The
latter had come to Jamadagni's hermitage, and had been respectfully received by his wife;
but he had requited this honour by carrying away by force the calf of the sage's sacrificial
cow, and breaking down his lofty trees. On being informed of this violence, Parasurama
was filled with indignation, attacked Arjuna, cut off his thousand arms, and slew him.
Arjuna's sons, in return, slew the peaceful sage Jamadagni, in the absence of
Parasurama."

" Rama, after performing, on his return, his father's funeral obsequies, vowed to destroy
the whole Kshatriya race; and executed his threat by killing first Arjuna's sons and their
followers. Twenty one times did he sweep away all the Kshatriyas from the earth, and
formed five lakes of blood in Samantapanchaka; in which he satiated the manes of the
Bhrigus, and beheld face to face (his grand-father), Richika, who addressed himself to
Rama. The latter gratified Indra by offering to him a grand sacrifice, and gave the earth to
the officiating priests. He bestowed also a golden altar, ten fathoms long and nine highs,
on the mighty Kasyapa. This, by his permission, the Brahmans divided among
themselves, deriving thence the name of Khandavavanas. Having given away the earth to
Kasyapa, Parasurama himself dwells on the mountain Mahendra. Thus did enmity arise
between him and Kshatriyas, and thus was the earth conquered by Rama of boundless
might." The Kshatriyas who were slain by Parasuram are described in the Dronaparvan of
the Mahabharat as of various provinces, viz., Kasmiras, Darads, Kuntis, Kshudrakas,
Malavas, Angas, Vangas, Kalingas, Videhas, Tamraliptakas, Marttikavatas, Sivis and
other Rajanyas.

The means by which the Kshattriya race was restored is also told as part of this story of
annihilation of the Kshatriyas by the Brahmins. It is said:

" Having one and twenty times swept away all the Kshatriyas from the earth, the son of
Jamadagni engaged in austerities on Mahendra the most excellent of mountains. After he
had cleared the world of Kshatriyas, their widows came to the Brahmans, praying for
offspring. The religious Brahmans, free from any impulse of lust, cohabited at the proper
seasons with these women, who in consequence became pregnant, and brought forth-
valiant Kshatriya boys and girls, to continue the Kshatriya stock. Thus was the Kshatriya
race virtuously begotten by Brahmans on Kshatriya women, and became multiplied and
long-lived. Thence there arose four castes inferior to the Brahmans."

CHAPTER 5

THE CURSE OF CASTE

As I have said in the first Essay* there cannot be a caste in the single number. Caste can
exist only in the plural number. Caste to be real can exist only by disintegrating a group.
The genius of caste is to divide and to disintegrate. It is also the curse of caste. Few,
however, realise how great is this curse of caste. It is therefore necessary to illustrate the
vastness of this curse by reference to the disintegration brought about by caste. It is
impossible to deal with each caste to show the evolution of its disintegration. One must
content him self with presenting the caste history of one caste. I take the case of the
Brahmins who have been the originators and upholders of caste to show how they
themselves have been overwhelmed by what I call the curse of caste. The Brahmins of
India are divided into two distinct fraternities. One fraternity is called the Dravidas and
the other fraternity is called the Gaudas.

It must not, however, be supposed that the Dravidas and Gaudas are single
homogeneous unit. They are divided and sub-divided in units so numerous that it is
difficult to imagine their numbers unless one has actual lists of their sub-divisions before
his eye. In the following pages an attempt is made to give the list of castes and sub-castes
into which each sub-division of the fraternity is divided.

THE DRAVIDA BRAHMINS

The fraternity of Dravidas consists of five sub-divisions who are collectively styled the
Panch Dravidas. The five sub-divisions are called:

(1) The Maharashtrians

(2) The Andhras

(3) The Dravidians (proper)

(4) The Karnatakas

(5) The Gurjaras

We may next proceed to note the castes and sub-castes into which each of these sub-
divisions of the Panch Dravidas have disintegrated.

1. THE MAHARASHTRA BRAHMINS

The Maharashtra Brahmins have among them the following castes and sub-castes:

(1) The Deshasthas, (2) The Konkanasthas, (3) The Karhadas, (4) The Kanvas, (5) The
Madhyandinas, (6) The Padhyas, (7) The Devarukhas, (8) The Palashas, (9) The
Kirvantas, (10) The Tirgulas, (11) The Javalas, (12) The Abhiras, (13) The Savashas, (14)
Kastas, (15) The Kunda Golakas, (16) The Randa Golakas, (17) The Brahmana-Jais, (18)
The Soparas, (19) The Khistis, (20) The Huseinis, (21) The Kalankis, (22) The
Maitrayaniyas, (23) The Varadis-Madhyandin-YaJ'ur-Vedi, (24) The Varadis-
Madhyandin-Rig Vedi, (25) The Jhade. The Shenvis are further divided into nine sub-
castes called (26) Narvankar, (27) Keloskar, (28) Bardeshkar, (29)
Kudaldeshkar, (30) Pednekar, (31) Bhalavelekar, (32) Kushasthali, (33) Khadape
and (34) Khajule.

2. THE ANDHRA BRAHMINS

The following is the list of castes and sub-castes which make up the Andhra Brahmins
—
 (1) The Varnasalus, (2) The
Madhyandians, (5) The Tailangas,
Yajnavalkyas, (9) The Kasaranadu,
Vedinadus, (13) The Samavedis,
(16) The Niyogis.
Kamarukubi, (3) The Karanakamulu, (4) The
(6) The Murakanadus, (7) The Aradhyas, (8) The
(10) The Velandus, (11) The Venginadus, (12) The
(14) The Ramanujis, (15) The Madhavacharis,

3. THE TAMIL BRAHMINS

They consist of the following castes— (1) The Rig-Vedis, (2) The Krishna Yajur-
Vedis, (3) The Shukia Yajur-Vedis—Madhyandinas, (4) The Shukla Yajur-Vedis-
Kanvas, (5) The Sama Vedis, (6) The Atharva, (9) The Vaishnavas, (10) The Vira
Vaishnavas, (11) The Shri-Vaishnavas, (12) The Bhagvatas, (13) The Shaktas.

4. THE KARNATIK BRAHMINS

They include the following castes—

(1) The Rig Vedis, (2) The Krishna Yajur-Vedis, (3) The Shukia Yajur-Vedis
Madhyandinas, (4) The Shukla Yajur-Vedis Kanvas, (5) The Sama Vedis, (6) The Kume
Brahmins and (7) The Nagara Brahmins.

5. THE GURJARA BRAHMINS

The list of castes which compose the Gurjara Brahmins is as follows : 1. The Andichya
Brahmins. They are divided into the following

sub-castes:

(1) Siddhpura Andichya, (2) Sihor Andichya, (3) Tolkiya Andhichya, (4) Kunbigor,
(5) Inochigor, (6) Darjigor, (7) Grandhrapagor, (8) Koligor, (9) Marwadi Andichya,
(10) Kachhi Andichya, (11) Vagdiya Andichya. II. The Nagar Brahmins. The following
are the sub-castes of the

Nagar Brahmins:

(12) The Vadanagar Brahmins, (13) The Vishalnagar Brahmins, (14) The Sathodra
Brahmins, (15) The Prashnoras, (16) The Krishnoras, (17) The Chitrodas, (18) The
Baradas. There are also three other divisions among the Nagar Brahmins. They are called
—

(19) Gujarathi Nagars, (20) Sorathi Nagars and (21) Nagars of other Towns.
 III. The Girnar Brahmins. They are divided among the following

castes: (22) The Junagadhya Girnars, (23) The Chorvada Girnars,

(24) The Ajakiyas.

IV. The Mevadas Brahmins. They are distributed among the following castes:

(25) The Bhata Mevadas, (26) The Trivadi Mevadas, (27) The Charosi Mevadas.

V. The Deshavala Brahmins. They have one sub-caste which is called:

(46) The Deshavala Brahman Surati. VI. The Rayakavala Brahmins. They are divided
into two subcastes :

(47) The Navas (new ones) and (48) The Mothas (old ones).

VII. The Khedvala Brahmins. They are divided into five subcastes :

(49) The Khedvala Bajas, (50) The Khedvala Bhitaras, (51) The Khedva Bajas, (52)
The Khedva Bhitaras.

VIII. The Modha Brahmins. They are divided into eleven subcastes :

(53) The Trivedi Modhas, (54) The Chaturvedi Modhas, (55) The Agihans Modhas,
(56) The Tripal Modhas, (57) The Khijadiya Sanvana Modhas, (58) The Ekadashdhra
Modhas, (59) The Tandulotha Modhas, (60) The Utanjaliya Modhas, (61) The Jethimal
Modhas, (62) The Chaturvedi Dhinoja Modhas, (63) The Dhinoja Modhas.

IX. The Shrimali Brahmins. The Shrimali Brahmins are divided

into the following castes:

(64) The Marwadi Shrimali, (65) The Mevadi Shrimali, (66) The Kachhi Shrimali, (67)
The Kathiavadi Shrimali, (68) The Gujarathi Shrimali. The Gujarathi Shrimali are further
sub-divided into

(69) Ahamadabadi Shrimali, (70) Surati Shrimali, (71) Ghoghari Shrimali and
(72) The Khambhati Shrimali. The Khambhati Shrimali are again sub-divided into—

(73) Yajurvedi Khambhati Shrimali, (74) Samavedi Khambhati Shrimali.

 X. The Chovisha Brahmins. They are divided into two subcastes : (75) Mota (Great
ones), (76) Lahana (small ones).

XI. The Sarasvata Brahmins. They are divided into two subcastes : (77) Sorathiya
Sarasvata, (78) Sindhava Sarasvata.

XII. The following is the list of castes of Gujaratha Brahmins which have not
developed sub-castes:

(79) The Sachora Brahmins, (80) The Udambara Brahmins,

(81) The Narsipara Brahmins, (82) The Valadra Brahmins,

(83) The Pangora Brahmins, (84) The Nandodra Brahmins,

(85) The Vayada Brahmins, (86) The Tamil (or Dradvida) Brahmins,

(87) The Rodhavala Brahmins, (88) The Padmivala Brahmins,

(89) The Gomativala Brahmins, (90) The Itavala Brahmins,

(91) The Medhatavala Brahmins, (92) The Gayavala Brahmins,

(93) The Agastyavala Brahmins, (94) The Pretavala Brahmins,

(95) The Unevala Brahmins, (96) The Rajavala Brahmins,

(97) The Kanojiya Brahmins, (98) The Sarvariya Brahmins,

(99) The Kanoliya Brahmins, (100) The Kharkheliya Brahmins,

(101) The Parvaliaya Brahmins, (102) The Sorathiya Brahmins,

(103) The Tangamadiya Brahmins, (104) The Sanodiya Brahmins,

(105) The Motala Brahmins, (106) The Jhalora Brahmins,

(107) The Rayapula Brahmins, (108) The Kapila Brahmins,

(109) The Akshayamangala Brahmins, (110) The Gugli Brahmins,

(111) The Napala Brahmins, (112) The Anavala Brahmins,

(113) The Valmika Brahmins, (114) The Kalinga Brahmins,

(115) The Tailinga Brahmins, (116) The Bhargava Brahmins,

(117) The Malavi, (118) The Banduan Brahmins,

(119) The Bharathana Brahmins, (120) The Pushkarana Brahmins,

(121) The Khadayata Brahmins, (122) The Maru Brahmins,

(123) The Dahima Brahmins, (124) The Chovisa Brahmins,

(125) The Jambu Brahmins, (126) The Maratha Brahmins,

(127) The Dadhicha Brahmins, (128) The Lalata Brahmins,

(129) The Valuta Brahmins, (130) The Borshidha Brahmins,

(131) The Golavala Brahmins, (132) The Prayagvala Brahmins,

(133) The Nayakvala Brahmins, (134) The Utkala Brahmins,

(135) The Pallivala Brahmins, (136) The Mathura Brahmins,

(137) The Maithila Brahmins, (138) The Kulabha Brahmins,

(139) The Bedua Brahmins, (140) The Ravavala Brahmins,

(141) The Dashahara Brahmins, (142) The Karnatika Brahmins,

(143) The Talajiya Brahmins, (144) The Parashariya Brahmins,

(145) The Abhira Brahmins, (146) The Kundu Brahmins,

(147) The Hirayajiya Brahmins, (148) The Mastava Brahmins,

(149) The Sthitisha Brahmins, (150) The Predatvala Brahmins,

(151) The Rampura Brahmins, (152) The Jila Brahmins,

(153) The Tilotya Brahmins, (154) The Durmala Brahmins,

(155) The Kodva Brahmins, (156) The Hanushuna Brahmins,

 (157) The Shevada Brahmins, (158) The Titraga Brahmins,

(159) The Basuladas Brahmins, (160) The Magmarya Brahmins,

(161) The Rayathala Brahmins, (162) The Chapila Brahmins,

(163) The Baradas Brahmins, (164) The Bhukaniya Brahmins,

(165) The Garoda Brahmins, (166) The Taporana Brahmins. II

II

THE GAUDA BRAHMINS

Like the Dravida Brahmins the Gauda Brahmins also consist of a fraternity of five
different groups of Brahmins. These five groups are known as:

(1) The Sarasvata Brahmins, (2) The Kanyakubja Brahmins,

(3) The Gauda Brahmins, (4) The Utkala Brahmins,

(5) The Maithila Brahmins.

An inquiry into the internal structure of each of these five groups of Panch Gaudas
reveals the same condition as is found in the case of the five groups, which form the
fraternity of Panch Dravidas. The only question is whether the internal divisions and sub-
divisions are fewer or larger than are found among the Panch Dravidas. For this purpose
it is better to take each group separately.

THE SARASVATA BRAHMINS

The Sarasvata Brahmins fall into three territorial sections:

(1) The Sarasvatas of the Punjab, (2) The Sarasvatas of Kashmir and (3) The Sarasvatas
of Sindh.

1. THE SARASVATAS OF PUNJAB

There are three sub-sections of the Sarasvatas of the Punjab:

(A) Sarasvatas of the districts of Lahore, Arnritsar, Batala, Gurdaspur, Jalandar,

Multan, Jhang and Shahpur. They are again divided into High Caste and Low Caste.
HIGH CASTES

(1) Navale, (2) Chuni, (3) Ravade, (4) Sarvaliye, (5) Pandit,

(6) Tikhe, (7) Jhingan, (8) Kumadiye, (9) Jetle, (10) Mohle or Mole,

(11) Tikhe-A'nde, (12) Jhingan-Pingan, (13) jetli-Petli,

(14) Kumadiye-Lumadiye, (15) Mohle-Bohle, (16) Bage,

(17) Kapuriye, (18) Bhaturiye, (19) Maliye, (20) Kaliye,

(21) Sanda, (22) Pathak, (23) Kural, (24) Bharadwaji,

(25) Joshi, (26) Shori, (27) Tiwadi, (28) Marud, (29) Datta,

(30) Mujhal, (31) Chhibar, (32) Bali, (33) Mohana, (34) Lava,

(35) Vaidya, (36) Prabhakar, (37) Shame-Potre, (38) Bhoja-Potre,

(39.) Singhe-Potre, (40) Vatte-Potre, (41) Dhannan-Potre,

(42) Dravade, (43) Gaindhar, (44) Takht Laladi, (45) Shama Dasi,

(46) Setpal (or Shetpal), (47) Pushrat, (48) Bharadvaji,

(49) Katpale, (50) Ghotke, (51) Pukarne.

LOWER CLASSES

(52) Diddi, (53) Shridhara, (54) Vinayaka, (55) Majju,

(56) Khindariye, (57) Harad, (58) Prabhakar, (59) Vasudeva,

(60) Parashara, (61) Mohana, (62) Panjan, (63) Tivara,

(64) Kapala, (65) Bharkhari, (66) Sodhi, (67) Kaijar,

(68) Sangad, (69) Bharadvaji, (70) Nage, (71) Makavar,

(72) Vashishtha, (73) Dangaval, (74) Jalap, (75) Tripane,

(76) Bharathe, (77) Bansale, (78) Gangahar, (79) Jotashi,

(80) Rikhi (or Rishi), (81) Mandar, (82) Brahmi, (83) Tejpal,

(84) Pal, (85) Rupal, (86) Lakhanpal, (87) Ratanpal,

(88) Shetpal, (89) Bhinde, (90) Dhami, (91) Chanan,

(92) Randeha, (93) Bhuta, (94) Rati, (95) Kundi, (96) Hasadhir,

(97) Punj, (98) Sandhi, (99) Bahoye, (100) Virad, (101) Kaland,

(102) Suran, (103) Sudan, (104) Ojhe, (105) Bramha-Sukul,

(106) Hariye, (107) Gajesu, (108) Bhanot, (109) Tinuni, (110) Jalli,

(111) Tole, (112) Jalap, (113) Chitchot, (114) Padhe or Pandhe,

(115) Marud, (116) Laladiye, (117) Tote, (118) Kusarit,

(119) Ramtal, (120) Kapale, (121) Masodare, (122) Ratniye,

(123) Chandan, (124) Churavan, (125) Mandahar,

(126) Madhare, (127) Lakarphar, (128) Kund, (129) Kardam,

(130) Dhande, (131) Sahajpal, (132) Pabhi, (133) Rati,

(134) Jaitke, (135) Daidriye, (136) Bhatare, (137) Kali,

(138) Jalpot, (139) Maitra, (140) Sankhatre, (141) Ludra,

(142) Vyasa, (143) Paitu, (144) Kirar, (145) Puje, (146) Isar,

(147) Latta, (148) Dhami, (149) Kalhan, (150) Madarkhamb,

(151) Bedesar. (152) Salvahan, (153) Dhande, (154) Marud,

(155) Bature, (156) Joti, (157) Soyari, (158) Tejpal, (159) Kuralpal,

(160) Kalas, (161) Jalap, (162) Tinmani, (163) Tanganivate,

(164) Jalpot, (165) Pattu, (166) Jasrava, (167) Jayachand,

(168) Sanwal, (169) Agnihotri, (170) Agraphakka, (171) Ruthade,

 (172) Bhaji, (173)Kuchhi, (174)Saili, (175)Bhambi,

(176)Medu, (177) Mehad, (178) Yarnye, (179) Sangar,

(180) Sang, (181) Nehar, (182) Chakpaliye, (183) Bijraye,

(184) Narad, (185) Kutwal, (186) Kotpal, (187) Nabh, (188) Nad,

(189) Parenje, (190) Kheti, (191) A'ri, (192) Chavhe, (193) Bibde,

(194) Bandu, (195) Machhu, (196) Sundar, (197) Karadage,

(198) Chhibbe, (199) Sadhi, (200) Tallan, (201) Karddam,

(202) Jhaman, (203) Rangade, (204) Bhog, (205) Pande,

(206) Gande, (207) Pante, (208) Gandhe, (209) Dhinde,

(210) Tagale, (211) Dagale, (212) Lahad, (213) Tad, (214) Kayi,

(215) Ludh, (216) Gandar, (217) Mahe, (218) Saili, (219) Bhagi,

(220) Pande, (221) Pipar, (222) Jathee.

(B) Sarasvata Brahamins of Kangada and the adjacent Hill Country. These too are
divided into High Class and Low Class.

HIGH CASTES

(1) Osdi, (2) Pandit Kashmiri, (3) Sotri, (4) Vedve, (5) Naga, (6) Dikshit,

(7) Misri Kashmiri, (8) Madihatu, (9) Panchkarn, (10) Raine, (11) Kurudu,

(12) A'Chariye.

LOWER CLASSES

(13) Chithu, (14) Panyalu, (15) Dumbu, (16) Dehaidu, (17) Rukhe,

(18) Pambar, (19) Gutre, (20) Dyabhudu, (21) Make,

(22) Prot (Purohita) Jadtotrotiye, (23) Visht Prot, (24) Padhe Saroj,
 (25) Padhe Khajure, (26) Padhe Mahite, (27) Khajure, (28) Chhutwan,

(29) Bhanwal, (30) Rambe, (31) Mangrudiye, (32) Khurvadh, (33) Galvadh,

(34) Dangmar, (35) Chalivale.

(C) Sarasvata Brahmins of Dattarpur, Hoshyarpur and the adjacent Country.

These are also divided into High Class and Low Class.

1. HIGH CASTES

(1) Dogre, (2) Sarmayi, (3) Dube, (4) Lakhanapal, (5) Padhe Dholbalvaiya,

(6) Padhe Ghohasniye, (7) Padhe Dadiye, (8) Padhe Khindadiya, (9) Khajurive.

II. LOWER CLASSES

(10) Kapahatiye, (11) Bharadhiyal, (12) Chaprohiye, (13) Makade,

(14) Kutallidiye, (15) Sarad, (16) Dagadu, (17) Vantade,(18) Muchle,

(19) Sammol,(20) Dhose,(21) Bhatol, (22) Rajohad, (23) Thanik,

(24) Panyal, (25) Chibbe, (26) Madote, (27) Misar, (28) Chhakotar,

(29) Jalreiye, (30) Lahad, (31) Sel, (32) Bhasul, (33) Pandit,

(34) Changhial, (35) Lath, (36) Sand, (37) Lai, (38) Gadottare, (39) Chirnol,

(40) Badhie, (41) Shridhar, (42) Patdu, (43) Juwal, (44) Maite, (45) Kakliye,

(46) Tak, (47) Jhol, (48) Bhadoe, (49) Tandik, (50) Jhummutiyar,

(51) A'l, (52) Mirat, (53) Mukati, (54) Dalchallie, (55) Bhatohaye,

(56) Tyahaye, (57) Bhatare.

2. THE SARASVATAS OF KASHMIR

There are two sub-sections of the Sarasvatas of Kashmir. (A) Sarasvata Brahamans of
Jammu, Jasrota and the neighbouring Hill Country.
 They are divided into three classes. High, Middle and Low.

1. HIGH CASTES

(1) Amgotre, (2) Thappe, (3) Dube, (4) Sapoliye Padhe, (5) Badiyal,

(6) Kesar, (7) Nadh, (8) Khajure Prahot, (9) Jamval Pandit, (10) Vaidya,

(11) Lava, (12) Chibar, (13) aliye, (14) Mohan, (15) Bambhaval.

II. MIDDLE CASTES

(16) Raine, (17) Satotre, (18) Katotre, (19) Lalotre, (20) Bhangotre,

(21) Samnotre, (22) Kashmiri Pandit, (23) Pandhotre, (24) Vilhanoch,

(25) Badu, (26) Kernaye Pandit, (27) Danal Padhe, (28) Mahite,

(29) Sudhraliye, (30) Bhatiad, (31) Puroch, (32) Adhotre, (33) Mishra,

(34) Parashara, (35) Bavagotre, (36) Mansotre, (37) Sudathiye.

III. LOWER CLASSES

(38) Sudan, (39) Sukhe, (40) Bhure, (41) Chandan, (42) Jalotre,

(43) Nabhotre, (44) Khadotre, (45) Sagdol, (46) Bhuriye,

(47) Baganachhal, (48) Rajuliye, (49) Sangde, (50) Munde,

(51) Surnachal, (52) Ladhanjan, (53) Jakhotre, (54) Lakhanpal,

(55) Gauda Purohita, (56) Shashgotre, (57) Khanotre,

(58) Garoch, (59) Marotre, (60) Upadhe, (61) Khindhaiye Padhe,

(62) Kalandari, (63) Jarad, (64) Udihal, (65) Ghode,

(66) Basnotre, (67) Barat, (68) Chargat, (69) Lavanthe,

(70) Bharangol, (71) Jaranghal, (72) Guhaliye, (73) Dhariancha,

(74) Pindhad, (75) Rajuniye, (76) Badakulive, (77) Sirkhandiye,

(78) Kirpad, (79) Balli, (80) Salurn, (81) Ratanpal, (82) Banotre,

(83) Yantradhari, (84) Dadorich, (85) Bhaloch, (86) Chhachhiale,

(87) Jhangotre, (88) Magdol, (89) Phaunphan, (90) Saroch,

(91) Gudde, (92) Kirle, (93) Mansotre, (94) Thammotre,

(95) Thanmath, (96) Bramiye, (97) Kundan, (98) Gokuliye Gosain,

(99) Chakotre, (100) Rod, (101) Bargotre, (102) Kavde,

(103) Magdiyaliye, (104) Mathar, (105) Mahijiye, (106) Thakure Purohita,

(107) Galhal, (108) Cham, (109) Rod, (110) Labhotre, (111) Redathiye,

(112) Patal, (113) Kamaniye, (114) Gandhargal, (115) Prithvipal,

(116) Madhotre, (117) Kambo, (118) Sarmayi, (119) Bachhal,

(120) Makhotre, (121) Jad, (122) Batialiye, (123) Kudidab,

(124) Jambe, (125) Karanathiye, (126) Suthade, (127) Sigad,

(128) Garadiye, (129) Machhar, (130) Baghotre, (131) Sainhasan,

(132) Utriyal, (133) Suhandiye, (134) Jhindhad, (135) Battal,

(136) Bhainkhare, (137) Bisgotre, (138) Jhalu, (139) Dabb,

(140) Bhuta, (141) Kathialu, (142) Paladhu, (143) Paladhu,

(144) Jakhotre, (145) Pange, (146) Solhe, (147) Suguniye,

(148) Sanhoch, (149) Duhal, (150) Bando, (151) Kanungo,

(152) Jhavdu, (153) Jhaphacu, (154) Kaliye, (155) Khaphankho.

(B) THE SARASVATAS OF KASHMIR

The following is a list of Kashmiri Brahmins.

(1) Kaul, (2) Rajdan, (3) Guriti, (4) Jitish, (5) Dar, (6) Trakari,
(7) Mujhi, (8) Munshi, (9) Butal, (10) Javi, (11) Bajai, (12) Rei,

(13) Hundo, (14) Dipti, (15) Chhichvali, (16) Rugi, (17) Kall,

(18) Sum, (19) Hanji, (20) Hastivali, (21) Mutu, (22) Tikku,

(23) Gais, (24) Gadi, (25) Brari, (26) Ganj, (27) Vangan,

(28) Vagana, (29) Bhut, (30) Bhairava, (31) Madan, (32) Dina,

(33) Shargal, (34) Hakchar, (35) Hak, (36) Kukar, (37) Chhatari,

(38) Saunpuri, (39) Matti, (40) Khush, (41) Shakdar,

(42) Vaishnava, (43) Kotar, (44) Kak, (45) Kachari, (46) Tote,

(47) Saraph, (48) Gurah, (49) Thanthar, (50) Khar, (51) Thaur,

(52) Teng, (53) Saiyad, (54) Trupuraya, (55) Muthi, (56) Saphai,

(57) Bhan, (58) Vanya, (59) Garial, (60) Thapal, (61) Nauri,

(62) Masaldan, (63) Mushran, (64) Turki, (65) Photedar,

(66) Kharu, (67) Karbangi, (68) Bhath, (69) Kichilu, (70) Chhan,

(71) Mukdam, (72) Khapari, (73) Bulaki, (74) Kar, (75) Jelali,

(76) Saphayu, (77) Batphali, (78) Hukhi, (79) Kukpari, (80) Kali,

(81) Jari, (82) Ganj, (83) Kim, (84) Mundi, (85) Jangal, (86) Jati,

(87) Rakhyas, (88) Bakayi, (89) Geri, (90) Gari, (91) Kali,

(92) Panji, (93) Bangi, (94) Sahib, (95) Belab, (96) Rayi,

(97) Galikarap, (98) Chan, (99) Kababi, (100) Yachh,

(101) Jalpuri, (102) Navashahari, (103) Kisi, (104) Dhusi,

(105) Garnkhar, (106) Tholal, (107) Pista, (108) Badam,

(109) Trachhal, (110) Nadir, (111) Lidarigari, (112) Pyal,

(113) Kabi, (114) Chhatri, (115) Vanti, (116) Vatlilu, (117) Khari,

(118) Vas, (119) Lati, (120) Sabanj, (121) Dandi, (122) Raval,

(123) Misari, (124) Sibbi, (125) Singari, (126) Mirje,

(127) Mal, (128) Variki, (129) Jan, (130) Lutari, (131) Parim, (132) Hali,

(133) Nakaib, (134) Main, (135) Ambaradar, (136) Ukhal, (137) Kanth,

(138) Bali, (139) Jangali, (140) Duli, (141) Parava, (142) Harkar,

(143) Gagar, (144) Pandit, (145) Jari, (146) Langi, (147) Mukki,

(148) Bihi, (149) Padaur, (150) Pade, (151) Jand, (152) Teng,

(153) Tund, (154) Drabi, (155) Dral, (156) Phambbi, (157) Sajavul,

(158) Bakhshi, (159) Ugra, (160) Nichvi, (161) Pathan, (162) Vichari,

(163) Unth, (164) Kuchari, (165) Shal, (166) Babi, (167) Makhani,

(168) Labari, (169) Khanya, (170) Khanyakati, (171) Shah,

(172) Pir, (173) Khurdi, (174) Khunki, (175) Kalposh, (176) Pishan,

(177) Bishan, (178) Bul, (179) Choki, (180) Chak, (181) Rai,

(182) Priti, (183) Pati, (184) Kichili, (185) Kahi, (186) Jiji, (187) Kilmak,

(188) Salman, (189) Kadalbaju, (190) Kandahari, (191) Bali,

(192) Manati, (193) Bankhan, (194) Hakim, (195) Garib,

(196) Mandal, (197) Manjaha, (198) Shair, (l99) Nun, (200) Teli,

(201) Khalasi, (202) Chandra, (203) Gadir, (204) Jarabi, (205) Sihari,

(206) Kalvit, (207) Nagari, (208) Mungvuch, (209) Khaibari,

(210) Kulli, (211) Kabi, (212) Khosa, (213) Durani, (214) Tuli, (215) Garib,

(216) Gadi, (217) Jati, (218) Rakhsas, (219) Harkar, (220) Grad,
 (221) Vagari, etc. etc.

3. THE SARASVATAS OF SINDH

The Sarasvatas of Sindh are sub-divided as follows:

(1) Shikarpuris, (2) Barovis, (3) Ravanjahis, (4) Shetpalas

(5) Kuvachandas, and (6) Pokharana.

11. THE KANYAKUBJA BRAHMINS

The Kanuakubjas take their name from the town Kanoj which was the capital of the
Empire. They are also called Kanoujas. There are two denominations of the Kanyakubja
Brahamins. One is called the Sarvariyas and the other is called the Kanyakubjas. The
Sarvariyas got their name from the ancient river Saryu to the east of which they are
principally found. They are a provincial offset from the Kanaujas, with whom they do not
now intermarry. The sub-divisions among the Sarvariyas are generally the same as those
found among the Kanaujas. It is therefore enough to detail the sub-divisions among the
Kanaujas. There are ten divisions of the Kanyakubja Brahmins:

(1) The Mishra, (2) The Shuklas, (3) The Tivaris, (4) The Dubes,

(5) The Pathaks. (6) The Pande, (7) The Upadhya, (8) The Chaubes,

(9) The Dikshitas, (10) The Vajapeyis.

Each of these sub-divisions has many sub-divisions. They are mentioned below:

1. THE MISHRAS

The Mishras consist of the following sections:

(1) The Madhbani, (2) The Champaran, (3) The Patlal or Patlayala,

(4) The Ratanvala, (5) The Bandol, (6) The Matol or Matevala,

(7) The Katariya of the same Veda, (8) The Nagariya of the Vatsa Gotra,

(9) The Payasi of the Vatsa Gotra, (10) The Gana,

(11) The Teunta or the Tevanta, (12) The Marjani, (13) The Gurha,
(14) The Markara, (15) The Jignya, (16) The Parayana, (17) The Pepara,

(18) The Aterva or Atharva, (19) The Hathepara, (20) The Suganti,

(21) The Kheta, (22) The Grambasi, (23) The Birha, (24) The Kausi,

(25) The Kevati, (26) The Raisi, (27) The Bhahajiya, (28) The Belva,

(29) The Usraina, (30) The Kodiya, (31) The Tavakpuri, (32) The Jimalpuri,

(33) The Shringarpuri, (34) The Sitapuri, (35) The Putavha,

(36) The Sirajpuri, (37) The Bhampuri, (38) The Terka,

(39) The Dudhagaumi, (40) The Ratnapuri, (41) The Sunhanla.

2. THE SHUKLAS

The Shukias consist of the following sections:

(1) The Khakhayijkhor named from two villages,

(2) The Marnkhor named from two villages, (3) The Tipthi,

(4) The Bhedi, (5) The Bakaruva, (6) The Kanjahi, (7) The Khandail,

(8) The Bela, (9) The Change the Avasthi, (10) TheTevarasi Parbhakar,

(11) The Mehuliyar, (12) The Kharbahiya, (13) The Chanda,

(14) The Grga, (15) The Gautami, (16) The Parasa, (17) TheTara,

(18) The Barikhpuri, (19) The Karyava, (20) The Ajmadgadhya,

(21) The Pichaura, (22) The Masauvas, (23) The Sonthianva,

(24) The Aukin, (25) The Bir, (26) The Gopinath.

3. THE TIVARIS

The Tivaris consist of the following sections:

(1) The Lonakhar, (2) The Lonapar, (3) The Munjauna, (4) The Mangraich,
(5) The Jhunadiya, (6) The Sohgaura, (7) The Tara, (8) The Gorakhpuriya,

(9) The Daurava, (10) Pendi, (11) The Sirjam, (12) The Dhatura,

(13) The Panauli, (14) The Nadauli or Tandauli, (15) The Burhiyabari,

(16) The Gurauli, (17) The Jogiya, (18) The Dikshita, (19) The Sonaura,

(20) The Agori, (21) The Bhargava, (22) The Bakiya, (23) The Kukurgariya,

(24) The Dama, (25) The Gopala, (26) The Govardhana, (27) The Tuke,

(28) The Chattu, (29) The Shivali, (30) The Shakharaj, (31) The Umari,

(32) The Manoha, (33) The Shivarajpur, (34) The Mandhna,

(35) The Sape, (36) The Mandan Tirvedi, (37) The Lahari Tirvedi,

(38) The Jethi Tirvedi.

4. THE DUBES

The Dube's consist of the following sections:

(1) The Kanchani, (2) The Singhva, (3) The Belava, (4) The Parava,

(5) The Karaiya, (6) The Bargainya, (7) The Panchani, (8) The Lathiahi,

(9) The Gurdvan, (10) The Methiber, (11) The Barhampuriya,

(12) The Singilava, (13) The Kuchala, (14) The Munjalva, (15) The Paliya,

(16) The Dhegava, (17) The Sisra, (18) The Sinani, (19) The Kudavarye,

(20) The Kataiya, (21) The Panva.

5. THE PATHAKS

The following are the sections composing of the Pathakas:

(1) The Sonaura, (2) The Ambatara, (3) The Patakhavaliya,

(4) The Dhigavach, (5) The Bhadari.

6. THE PANDES

The Pande's are divided into the following sections:

(1) The Tirphala or Triphala, (2) The Jorava, (3) The Matainya,

(4) The Toraya, (5) The Nakchauri, (6) The Parsiha, (7) The Sahankol,

(8) The Barhadiya, (9) The Gegas, (10) The Khoriya, (11) The Pichaura,

(12) The Pichaura Payasi, (13) The Jutiya or Jatya, (14) The Itar or Intar,

(15) The Beshtaul or Beshtavala, (16) The Charpand, (17) The Sila,

(18) The Adhurj, (19) The Madariya, (20) The Majgaum,

(21) The Dilipapar, (22) The Payhatya, (23) The Nagav, (24) The Talava,

(25) The Jambu.

7. THE UPADHYAS

There are five sections among the Upadhyas:

(1) The Harainya or Hiranya, (2) The Devarainya, (3) The Khoriya,

(4) The Jaithiya, (5) The Dahendra, (6) The Gorat, (7) The Ranisarap,

(8) The Nizamabad, (9) The Dudholiya, (10) The Basgava.

8. THE CHAUBES

The principal sub-divisions of the Chaube's are:

(1) The Nayapuras, (2) The Rargadis, (3) The Chaukhar, (4) The Katayas,

(5) The Rampuras, (6) The Paliyas, (7) The Hardaspuras, (8) The Tibaiyas,

(9) The Jamaduvas, (10) The Gargeya.

9. THE DIKSHITAS

The Dikshitas have the following sub-divisions:

 (1) The Devagaum, (2) The Kakari, (3) The Nevarshiya, (4) The Anter,

(5) The Sukanta, (6) The Chaudhari, (7) The Jujatvatiyas.

10. THE VAJAPEYIS

The Vajapeyi's consist of the following sub-divisions:

(1) The Unche, or the High, (2) The Niche or the Low. Besides the divisions and sub-
divisions of the Kanyakubjas mentioned above there are Kanyakubjas who are regarded
as inferior and therefore isolated from the main divisions and sub-divisions. Among them
are the following:

(1) The Samdariya, (2) The Tirguvati, (3) The Bhaurha, (4) The Kabisa,

(5) The Kevati, (6) The Chandravala, (7) The Kusumbhiya,

(8) The Bisohya, (9) The Kanhali, (10) The Khajuvai, (11) The Kisirman,

(12) The Paihtiya, (13) The Masonad, (14) The Bijara, (15) The Ansnaura.

III. THE GAUDA BRAHMINS

The Gauda Brahmins derive their name from the Province and (now ruined) city of
Gauda, for long the capital of Bihar and Bengal (the seat of the Angas and Vangas or
Bangas). The subdivisions among the Gauda Brahmins are very considerable in number.
The most conspicuous of them are the following:

(1)The Gaudas or Kevala Gaudas, (2)Adi-Gaudas,

(3) Shukiavala Adi-Gaudas, (4) Ojhas, (5) Sanadhya Gauda,

(6) Chingalas, (7) Khandevalas, (8) Daymias, (9) Shri-Gaudas,

(10) Tamboli Gaudas, (11) Adi-Shri Gaudas, (12) Gurjar Gaudas,

(13) Tek Bara Gaudas, (14) Chamar Gaudas, (15) Hariyana Gaudas,

(16) Kirtanya Gaudas, (17) Sukul Gaudas.

IV. THE UTKAL BRAHMINS

 Utkal is the ancient name of Orissa and Utkal Brahmins means Brahmins of Orissa.
They are divided into:

(1) The Shashani Brahmins, (2) The Shrotriya Brahmins,

(3) The Panda Brahmins, (4) The Ghatiya Brahmins,

(5) The Mahasthana Brahmins, (6) The Kalinga Brahmins.

The Shashani Brahmins have the following sub-divisions.

(1) The Savanta, (2) The Mishra, (3) The Nanda, (4) The Pate,

(5) The Kara, (6) The Acharya, (7) The Satapasti, (8) The Bedi,

(9) The Senapati, (10) The Parnagrahi, (11) The Nishank,

(12) The Rainipati.

The Shrotriya Brahmins have the four following sub-divisions:

(1) Shrotriyas, (2) Sonarbani, (3) Teli, (4) Agrabaksha.

V. THE MAITHILYA BRAHMINS

The Maithilya Brahmins derive their designation from Mithila, an ancient division of
India and which includes a great portion of the modern districts of Tirhut, Saran, Purnea
and also parts of the adjacent tracts of Nepal. The following are the sub-divisions of the
Maithilya Brahmins:

(1) The Ojhas, (2) The Thakurs, (3) The Mishras, (4) The Puras,

(5) The Shrotriyas, (6) The Bhuiharas.

Of these the Mishras have the following sub-sections:

(1) The Chandharis, (2) The Rayas, (3) The Parihastas, (4) The Khanas,

(5) The Kumaras.

Ill
OTHER BRAHMINS

The Panch Dravidas is a generic name for Brahmins living below the Vindhya and the
Panch Gaudas is a generic name for Brahmins living above the Vindhyas. In other words,
Panch Gauda is a name for Northern Brahmins and Panch Dravidas, a name for Southern
Brahmins. What is, however, to be noted is that the five divisions of Brahmins
composing the Northern Fraternity and Southern Fraternity of Brahmins do not exhaust
all the divisions of Brahmins living in Northern or Southern India. To complete the
subject it is necessary not only to refer to them but also to record their sub-divisions.

OTHER BRAHMINS OF SOUTH INDIA

In this category fall the following:

(1) The Konkani Brahmins

(2) (2) The Hubu ,

(3) (3) The Gaukarna ,

(4) The Havika ,

(5) (5) The Tulva ,

(6) The Amma Kodaga ,

(7) The Nambudri

The Nambudri Brahmins are the principal group of Brahmins living in Malabar.
Besides the Nambudris there are also other sections of Brahmins. They are:

(1) The Pottis, (2) The Muttadus, (3) The Fledus, (4) The Ramnad-writ Parasahas, (5)
The Pattaras, (6) The Ambalvasis.

OTHER RAJPUTA BRAHMINS

The Varieties of Rajputa Brahmins not mentioned in the list of Gurjar Brahmins are:

(1) The Shrimalis Brahmins, (2) The Sachoda Brahmins,

(3) The Pallivalar Brahmins, (4) The Nandanas Brahmins,

 (5) The Pushakars Brahmins, (6) The Pokhar Sevakas Brahmins,

(7) The Medatvala, (8) The Parikha Brahmins, (9) The Lavanas Brahmins,

(10) The Dakotas Brahmins, (II) The Garudiyas Brahmins,

(12) The Acharjas, (13) The Bura Brahmins, (14) The Kapidas,

(15) The Dahimas, (16) The Khandelvalas, (17) The Divas,

(18) The Sikavadas, (19) The Chamatvalas, (20) The Marus,

(21) The Shrivantas, (22) The Abhiras, (23) The Bhartanas,

(24) The Sanacadas, (25) The Vagadis, (26) The Mewadas,

(27) The Rajgurus, (28) The Bhats, (29) The Charanas.

97 There is a very feeble attempt at revival carried on by the Maha Bodhi Society of Calcutta. (This and other
information is taken from Census of India, 1931, Vol. I Part. 3)

97 1 Holy Roman Empire. P. 367.

97 1 See my 'Annihiliation of Caste'

97 Modern Review. July 1912

97 Malabar Manual.

97 The original word in the MS was 'essentials'. The editors felt it to be 'unessential 'and therefore corrected
it accordingly. — Ed.

97 Elementary Forms of Religious Life. pp. 37-40

97 Ibid.. p. 43.

97 M. Krishnamachariar—Classical Sanskrit Literature. Introduction, pp. vii-viii and p. 836

97 Introduction to the Science of Religion.

97 Natural Religion, p. 549.

97 Soure of the following quotations upto page 167 is not mentioned in the M.S.—Ed.

97 Attention of the reader is however, drawn to Chapter 16 of vol. 3 of the present series which deals with Laws of
Manu relating to the degradation of the Shudras and which seems relevant at this place.—Ed.
98 IThis has a reference to ' The Castes in India '. published in Vol. 1 of this series.—Ed.

98 There is a difference of opinion about the Kashmir Brahamins being Sarasvatas. Some say they are. Others say they
are not.

98 The Konkani Brahmins are to be distinguished from the Konkansthas who belong to Maharashtra. The
Konkani Brahmins belong to the Portuguese territory of Goa.

98 They come from Karwar.

98 They come from. (Place not mentioned in MS.—Ed.)

98 They are to be found in the vicinity of Tellicheri.

98 They are to be found near about Udipi.

98 They are to be found in Coorg.

Essays on Untouchables and Untouchability: Political

_______________________________________________________________________
_________________

Contents

Chapter 1 : From millions to fractions

Chapter 2 : The revolt of the untouchables

Chapter 3 : Held at bay

Chapter 4 : Their wishes are laws unto us

Chapter 5 : Under the providence of Mr. Gandhi

Chapter 6 : Gandhi and his fast

Chapter 7 : A warning to the untouchables

Political
 (Seven essays on the political issues previously not published have been included
under the category 'Political' in this Book.)

CHAPTER 1

FROM MILLIONS TO FRACTIONS

I. Population of the Untouchables long unknown.

II. The Census of 1911 and the first attempt at separate enumeration.

III. Confirmation of the findings of 1911 Census.

V. Lothian Committee and the Hindu cry of "no Untouchables".

V. Reasons for the cry.

VI. Attitude of the Backward Classes and the Muslims.

What is the total population of the Untouchables of India? This is bound to be the first
question that a person who cares to know anything about them is sure to ask. It is now
easy to answer this question. For the Census of India taken in 1931 gives it as 50
millions. While it is possible now to give more or less exact figures of the Untouchable
population in India it was not possible to do so for a long time.

This was due to various causes. Firstly untouchability is not a legal term. There is no
exact legal definition of untouchability whereby it could be possible to define who is an
Untouchable and who is not. Untouchability is a social concept which has become
embodied in a custom and as custom varies so does untouchability. Consequently there is
always some difficulty in the way of ascertaining the population of the Untouchables
with mathematical exactitude.

Secondly there has always been serious opposition raised by high caste Hindus to the
enumeration by caste in the Census Report. They have insisted on the omission of the
question regarding caste from the schedules and the suppression of the classification of
the population by caste and tribe. A proposal to this effect was made in connection with
the 1901 Census mainly on the ground that the distribution of various castes and tribes in
the population changed at large intervals and that it was not necessary to obtain figures at
each decennial enumeration.
 These grounds of objection did not have any effect on the Census Commissioner. In the
opinion of the Census Commissioner enumeration by caste was important and necessary.
It was argued by the Census Commissioner that,

" Whatever view may be taken of the advantages or disadvantages of caste as a social
institution, it is impossible to conceive of any useful discussion of the population
questions in India in which caste would not be an important element. Caste is still 'the
foundation of the Indian social fabric," and the record of caste is still 'the best guide to the
changes in the various social strata in the Indian Society'. Every Hindu (using the term in
its most elastic sense) is born into a caste and his caste determines his religious, social.
economic and domestic life from the cradle to the grave. In western countries the major
factors which determine the different strata of society, viz. wealth, education and
vocation are fluid and catholic and tend to modify the rigidity of birth and hereditary
position. In India spiritual and social community and traditional occupation override all
other factors. Thus, where in censuses of western countries, an economic or occupational
grouping of the population affords a basis for the combination of demographic statistics,
the corresponding basis in the case of the Indian population is the distinction of religion
and caste. Whatever view may be taken of caste as a national and social institution, it is
useless to ignore it, and so long as caste continues to be used as one of the distinguishing
features of an individual's official and social identity, it cannot be claimed that a
decennial enumeration helps to perpetuate an undesirable institution."

The objections to the enumeration by castes in the census were urged with greater force
on the occasion of the census of 1911 when the special questionnaire containing ten tests
was issued for the purpose of grouping together castes which satisfied those tests. There
was no doubt that those tests were such as would mark off the Depressed Classes from
the Caste Hindus. It was feared by the Caste Hindus that this circular was the result of the
Muslim Memorial to the Secretary of State and its aim was to separate the Depressed
Classes from the Hindus and thereby to reduce the strength of the Hindu Community and
its importance.

This agitation bore no fruit and the objection of separately enumerating in the Census
Report those castes which satisfied those ten tests was carried out. The agitation however
did not die out. It again cropped up at the Census of 1920. At this time, effort was made
to put forth the objection to the caste return in a formal manner. A resolution was tabled
in the Imperial Legislative Council in 1920 attacking the caste inquiry on the grounds (a)
that it was undesirable to recognise and perpetuate, by official action, the system of caste
differentiation and (b) that in any case the returns were inaccurate and worthless, since
the lower castes took the opportunity of passing themselves as belonging to groups of
higher status. If this resolution had been carried, it would not have been possible to know
the population of the Untouchables. Fortunately owing to the absence of the mover, the
resolution was not discussed and the Census Commissioner of 1921 remained free to
carry out his inquiries in the usual manner.

Thirdly no attempt was made for a separate enumeration of the Untouchables by any of
the Census Commissioners previous to the year 1911. The first general Census of India
was taken in the year 1881. Beyond listing the different castes and creeds and adding up
their numbers so as to arrive at the total figure of the population of India, the Census of
1881 did nothing. It made no attempt to classify the different Hindu castes either into
higher and lower or Touchable and Untouchable. The second general Census of India was
taken in the year 1891. It was at this census that an attempt to classify the population on
the basis of caste and race and grade was made by the Census Commissioner for the first
time.

The third general Census of India was taken in 1901. At this census a new principle of
classification was adopted namely "Classification by Social precedence as recognised by
native public opinion." For a society like the Hindu society which does not recognise
equality and whose social system is a system of gradation of higher and lower, this
principle was the most appropriate one. Nothing can present a more intelligible picture of
the social life and grouping of that large proportion of the people of India which is
organised admittedly or tacitly on the basis of caste as this principle of social precedence.

II

The first attempt of a definite and deliberate kind to ascertain the population of the
Untouchables was made by the Census Commissioner in 1911.

The period immediately preceding the Census of 1911 was a period during which the
Morley-Minto Reforms were in incubation. It was a period when the Mahomedans of
India had started their agitation for adequate representation in the legislatures by separate
electorates. As a part of their propaganda, the Mahomedans waited upon Lord Morley,
the then Secretary of State for India in Council, in deputation and presented him a
Memorial on the 27th January 1909. In that memorial there occurs the following
statement: (The statement is not recorded in the MS.—Ed.) Whether there was any
connection between what the Muslim deputation had urged in their memorial regarding
the Untouchables in 1907 and the idea of the Census Commissioner four years after to
make a separate enumeration of the Untouchables, is a matter on which nothing definite
can be said. It is possible that what the Census Commissioner proposed to do in 1911 was
only a culmination of the
 ways adopted by his predecessors in the matter of the demographic study of the
population. Be that as it may, there was a great uproar on the part of the Hindus when the
Census Commissioner announced his plan of separate enumeration of the Untouchables.
It was said that this attempt of the Census Commissioner was the result of a conspiracy
between the Musalmans and the British Government to divide and weaken the Hindu
Community. It was alleged that what was behind this move was not a genuine desire to
know the population of the Untouchables but the desire to break up the solidarity of the
Hindu Community by separating the Untouchables from the Touchables. Many protest
meetings were held all over the country by the Hindus and condemned in the strongest
terms this plan of the Census Commissioner.

The Commissioner of Census however undaunted by this storm of protest decided to

carry out his plan. The procedure adopted by him for a separate enumeration of the
Untouchables was of course a novel one. The Census Superintendents for different
Provinces were instructed by the Census Commissioner to make separate enumeration of
castes and tribes classed as Hindus but who did not conform to certain standards or who
were subject to certain disabilities.

Under these tests the Census Superintendents made a separate enumeration of castes
and tribes who (1) denied the supremacy of the Brahmins, (2) did not receive the Mantra
from Brahmana or other recognized Hindu Guru, (3) denied the authority of the Vedas,
(4) did not worship the great Hindu Gods, (5) were not served by good Brahmanas, (6)
have no Brahman priests at all, (7) have no access to the interior of the ordinary Hindu
temple, (8) cause pollution, (9) bury their dead and (10) eat beef and do not revere the
cow.

The investigation conducted by the Census Commissioner left no room for guessing.
For he found as a fact what the population of the Untouchables was. The table below
gives the population of the Untouchables, province by province, as found by the Census
Commissioner of 1911.*

Province Total Population of Total seats Seats for the

Population in Depressed Classes in depressed classes
Millions Millions
Madras 39.8 6.3 120 2
Bombay 19.5 0.6 113 1
Bengal 45.0 9.9 127 1
United Provinces 47.0 10.1 120 1
Punjab 19.5 1.7 85
Bihar and Orissa 32.4 9.3 100 1
Central Provinces 12.0 3.7 72 1
Assam 6.0 0.3 54
Total 221.2 41.9 791 7
 An outsider might not realise the significance and the bearing of these tests. They might
ask what all this got to do with untouchability. But he will realise the significance and the
bearing on the question of ascertaining the population of the Untouchables. As has been
said there is no legal definition of untouchability and there cannot be any. Untouchability
does not express itself through the hair of the head or the colour of the skin. It is not a
matter of blood. Untouchability expresses itself in modes of treatment and observance of
certain practices. An Untouchable is a person who is treated in a certain way by the
Hindus and who follows certain practices, which are different from the Hindus. There are
definite ways in which the Hindus treat the Untouchables in social matters. They are
definite practices, which are observed by the Untouchables. That being so the only
method of ascertaining who are Untouchables is to adopt their ways and practices as the
criteria and find out the communities which are subject to them. There is no other way. If
the outsider bears this in mind, he will understand that even though the tests prescribed
by the Census Commissioner do not show any colour of untouchability, they are in fact
the hall marks of untouchability. That being so, there can be no manner of doubt that the
procedure was proper and the tests were correct. Consequently it can be truly said, the
results of this investigation were valuable and the figures obtained were accurate as far
they can be in a matter of this sort.

Ill

The findings of the Census Commissioner of 191I regarding the total population of the
Untouchables were confirmed by the Census Commissioner of 1921.

The Census Commissioner of 1921 also made an investigation-to ascertain the

population of the Untouchables. In this Report Part I para 1931 the Census Commissioner
observed:

" It has been usual in recent years to speak of certain section of the community as
'depressed classes'. So far as I am aware, the term has no final definition nor is it certain
exactly whom it covers. In the Quinquennial Review on the Progress of Education from
1912/17 (Chapter XVIII paragraph 505) — the depressed classes are specifically dealt
with from the point of view of Educational assistance and progress and in Appendix XIII
to that Report a list of the castes and tribes constituting this section of the Community is
given. The total population classed according to these lists as depressed amounted to 31
million persons or 19 per cent of the Hindu and Tribal population of British India. There
is undoubtedly some danger in giving offence by making in a public report social
distinction which may be deemed invidious; but in view of the lists already prepared and
the fact that the " Depressed Classes " have, especially in South India, attained a class
consciousness and a class organisation, are served by special missions, " raised " by
philanthropic societies and officially represented in the Legislative Assemblies, it
certainly seems advisable to face the facts and to attempt to obtain some statistical
estimate of their numbers. I therefore asked Provincial Superintendents to let me have an
estimate based on census figures of the approximate strength of the castes who were
usually included in the category of "depressed".

" I received lists of some sort from all provinces and states except the United Provinces,
where extreme delicacy of official sentiment shrank from facing the task of attempting
even a rough estimate. The figures given are not based on exactly uniform criteria, as a
different view is taken of the position of the same groups in different parts of India, and I
have had in some cases to modify the estimates on the basis of the figures in the
educational report and of information from the 1911 reports and tables. They are also
subject to the general defect, which has already been explained, that the total strength of
any caste is not recorded. The marginal statement gives however a rough estimate of the
minimum members which may be considered to form the "depressed classes" of the
Hindu community. The total of these provincial figures adds up to about 53 millions.
This, however, must be taken as a low and conservative estimate since it does not include
(1) the full strength of the castes and tribes concerned and (2) the tribal aborigines more
recently absorbed in Hinduism, many of whom are considered impure. We may
confidently place the numbers of these depressed classes all of whom are considered
impure, at something between 55 and 60 millions in India proper."

Then came the inquiry by the Simon Commission which was appointed by the British
Parliament in 1929 to examine the working of the Reforms introduced by the
Government of India Act of 1919 and to suggest further reforms.

At the time when the reforms which subsequently became embodied in the Act of 1919
were being discussed, the authors of the Montague-Cheirnsford Report clearly recognised
the problem of the Untouchables and the authors pledged themselves to make the best
arrangement for their representation in the Legislatures. But the Committee that was
appointed under the chairmanship of Lord South borough to devise the franchise and the
electoral system ignored them altogether. The Government of India did not approve of
this attitude and made the following comments:

"They (Untouchables) are one fifth of the total population and have not been
represented at all in the Morley-Minto Councils. The Committee's report mentions them
(Untouchables) twice, but only to explain that in the absence of satisfactory electorates
they have been provided for by nomination. It does not discuss the position of these
people, or their capacity for looking after themselves. Nor does it explain the amount of
nomination which it suggests for them........ The measure of representation which they
propose...... suggested that one fifth of the entire population of British India should be
allotted seven seats out of practically eight hundred. It is true that in all the Councils there
will be roughly speaking a one-sixth proportion of officials who may be expected to bear
in mind the interests of the (Untouchables); but that arrangement is not, in our opinion,
what the Report on reforms aims at. The authors stated that the (Untouchables) also
should learn lessons of self-protection. It is surely fanciful to hope that this result can be
expected from including a single member of the community in an assembly where there
are sixty or seventy caste Hindus. To make good the principles of the Report we must
treat the outcastes more generously ".

The Government recommended that the seats allotted to the Untouchables by the
Committee should be doubled. Accordingly in place of seven they were given fourteen
seats. It will be seen that the generosity of the Government of India when put into
practice did not amount to much. It certainly did not do to the Untouchables the justice
that was their due.

Among the problems that were not properly settled in 1919, was the problem of the
Untouchables, which was bound to loom large before the Simon Commission. Quite
unexpectedly the problem received a special emphasis at the hands of the late Lord
Birkenhead who was then the Secretary of State for India. In a speech which he made on .
.. ......... just before the appointment of the Simon Commission he said— (Left blank in
the MS.—Ed.).

Naturally the problem became a special task of the Simon Commission. Although the
problem as presented was one of providing representation—and in that sense a political
problem at the bottom it was a problem, of ascertaining the population of the
untouchables, Because unless the population was ascertained, the extent of representation
in the legislature could not be settled.

The Simon Commission had therefore to make a searching inquiry into the population
of the untouchables. It called upon the various provincial governments to furnish returns
showing the numbers of untouchables residing in their area and it is well known that the
provincial governments took special care in preparing these returns. There can therefore
be no question regarding the accuracy of the figure of the total population of the
untouchables. The following table gives the figures for the population of the untouchables
as found by the Southborough Committee and by the Simon Commission.

IV

It is thus clear that the population of the Untouchables has been estimated to be
somewhere about 50 millions. That this is the population of the Untouchables had been
found by the Census Commissioner of 191I and confirmed by the Census Commissioner
of 1921 and by the Simon Commission in 1929. This fact was never challenged by any
Hindu during the twenty years it stood on the record. Indeed in so far as the Hindu view
could be gauged from the reports of the different Committees appointed by the Provincial
and Central Legislatures to co-operate with the Simon Commission, there can be no
doubt that they accepted this figure without any demur.

Suddenly however in 1932, when the Lothian Committee came and began its
investigation, the Hindus adopted a challenging mood and refused to accept this figure as
the correct one. In some provinces the Hindus went to the length of denying that there
were any Untouchables there at all. This episode reveals the mentality of the Hindus and
as such deserves to be told in some details.

The Lothian Committee was appointed in consequence of the recommendations made

by the Franchise Sub-Committee of the Indian Round Table Conference. The Committee
toured the whole of India, visited all the Provinces except Central Provinces and Assam.
To aid the Committee, there were constituted in each Province by the provincial
Government, Provincial Committees comprising, so far as possible, spokesmen of the
various schools of thought and of the various political interests existing in each Province.
These Provincial Committees were in the main composed of members of the Provincial
Councils with non-officials as Chairmen. With a view to concentrating discussion, the
Indian Franchise Committee issued a questionnaire covering the field included in its
terms of reference. The procedure laid down by the Franchise Committee was that
Provincial Governments should formulate their own views on the points raised in the
questionnaire and discuss them with the Committee and that the Provincial Committees
who were regarded as the authoritative advisers should independently formulate their
views and should at their discretion conduct a preliminary examination of witnesses on
the basis of their written statements. The Report of the Indian Franchise Committee was
therefore a thorough piece of work based upon detailed investigation.

The letter of instruction sent by the Prime Minister to Lord Lothian as Chairman of the
Indian Franchise Committee and which constituted the terms of reference of the
Committee contained the following observation:

" It is evident from the discussions which have occurred in various connections in the
(Indian Round Table) Conference that the new constitution must make adequate
provision for the representation of the depressed classes and that the method of
representation by nomination is no longer regarded as appropriate. As you are aware,
there is a difference of opinion whether the system of separate electorates should be
instituted for the depressed classes and your committee's investigation should contribute
towards the decision of this question by indicating the extent to which the depressed
classes would be likely, through such general extension of the Franchise as you may
recommend, to secure the right to vote in ordinary electorates. On the other hand, should
it be decided eventually to constitute separate electorates for the depressed classes, either
generally or in those Provinces in which they form a distinct and separate element in the
population, your Committee's inquiry into the general problem of extending the franchise
should place you in possession of facts which would facilitate the devising of a method of
separate representation for the depressed classes ". Accordingly in the questionnaire that
was issued by the Indian Franchise Committee there was included the following
Question:

" What communities would you include as belonging to Depressed Classes? Would
you include classes other than Untouchables, and if so which"?

I was a member of the Indian Franchise Committee. When I became a member of the
Committee, I was aware that the principal question on which I should have to give battle
with the Caste Hindus was the question of joint versus separate electorates for the
Untouchables. I knew, that in the Indian Franchise Committee, the odds would be heavily
against them. I was to be the only representative of the Untouchables in the Committee as
against half a dozen of the Caste Hindus. Against such an unequal fight I had prepared
myself. Before accepting membership of the Indian Franchise Committee, I had
stipulated that the decision of the question whether the Untouchables should have joint or
separate electorates should not form part of the terms of reference to the Committee. This
was accepted and the question was excluded from the purview of the Indian Franchise
Committee. I had therefore no fear of being out voted on this issue in the Committee— a
strategy for which the Hindu Members of the Committee did not forgive me. But there
arose another problem of which I had not the faintest idea. I mean the problem of
numbers. The problem of numbers having been examined between 1911 to 1929 by four
different authorities, who found that the population of Untouchables was somewhere
about 50 millions, I did not feel that there would be any contest over this issue before the
Indian Franchise Committee.

Strange as it may appear the issue of numbers was fought out most bitterly and
acrimoniously before the Indian Franchise Committee. Committee after Committee and
witness after witness came forward to deny the existence of the Untouchables. It was an
astounding phenomenon with which I was confronted. It would be impossible to refer to
the statement of individual witnesses who came forward to deny the existence of such a
class as the Untouchables. It would be enough if I illustrate my point by referring to the
views of the Provincial Franchise Committees and their members relating to the question
of the population of the Untouchables.

PUNJAB

Opinion of the Punjab Government.

 "The Punjab Government is of opinion that the enfranchisement of the tenant will give
the vote to a considerable number of the Depressed Classes and to that extent will give
them influence in the election of representatives to the Council. "

" As regards the Depressed Classes, the Punjab Government has no reason to depart from
the view which it has already expressed in para 25 of the Memorandum containing the
opinions of the official members of the Government on the recommendations of the
Indian

Statutory Commission, that these classes are not a pressing problem in the Punjab and
will get some representation as tenants. " Opinion of the Punjab Provincial Franchise
Committee.

"K. B. Din Mahomed and Mr. Hansraj (who represented the Untouchables on the
Committee) held that, while there are no depressed classes among the Musalmans, there
exist depressed classes among the Hindus and Sikhs..... Their total number being
1,310,709. Mr. Hansraj considers this list incomplete."

"They held that provision should be made for separate representation by treating the
depressed classes as a separate community. Mr. Nazir Husain, Rai Bahadur Chaudhri
Chhotu Ram, Mr. Own Roberts, K. B. Muhammad Hayat, Mr. Qureshi, Mr. Chatterji,
Sardar Bhuta Singh and Pandit Nanak Chand held that it is impossible to say that there
are depressed classes in the Punjab in the sense that any person by reason of his religion
suffers any diminution of civic rights..... The Chairman, Pandit Nanak Chand and Sardar
Bhuta Singh are of opinion that the depressed classes do not exist in the sense in which
they exist in Southern India, and that, while there are in the villages certain classes who
occupy a very definitely inferior economic and social position, it is not possible to
differentiate the Hindu leather worker or Chamar who is claimed as a depressed class
from the Musalman leather worker or Mochi who no one alleges belongs to a separate
class. "

It will thus be seen that the Punjab Provincial Government avoided to answer the
question. The Punjab Provincial Committee by a majority denied that there existed a class
such as depressed or untouchable.

UNITED PROVINCES

Opinion of the Provincial Franchise Committee.

"The United Provinces Franchise Committee is of opinion that only those classes
should be called "depressed" which are untouchable. Judged by this test, the problem of
untouchability is non-existent in these provinces except in the case of Bhangis, Doms and
Dhanuks, whose total population, including those sections which are touchable is only
582,000."

Babu Ram Sahai, a member of the United Provinces Pronvincial Franchise Committee
representing the untouchable classes, in his minute of dissent gave the numbersof the
Untouchables in U. P. as 11,435,417. Rai Sahib Babu Ramcharan another member of the
United Provinces Provincial Franchise Committee representing the Depressed Classes in
his minute of dissent gave the numbers of the Depressed Classes in U.P. as 20 millions.

The Government of the United Provinces reported that the maximum estimate amounts
to 17 million persons; the minimum something less than one million. In its opinion the
least number was 6,773,814.

BENGAL
The Bengal Provincial Franchise Committee in its first Report said.

" The Committee could come to no decision on this question and resolved to put it back
for consideration along with the Central Committee." In its final Report the same
Committee said—

" According to the criterion laid down viz, untouchability and un-approachability, as
these terms are understood in other parts of India, the Committee consider that, except
Bhuimalis only, there is no such class in Bengal."

Mr. Mullick who was a representative of the Depressed Classes on the Bengal
Provincial Franchise Committee in his minute of dissent gave a list of 86 castes as
belonging to the Untouchable Classes.

BIHAR AND ORISSA

The population of the Depressed Classes in Bihar and Orissa according to the Census of
191 I was 9,300,000 and according to the Census of 1921 was 8,000,000 6.

But the Bihar and Orissa Provincial Franchise Committee in its provincial
memorandum7 observed—

" It is difficult to give an exhaustive list of the castes or sects who come under the
definition of Depressed Classes. The only classes which can be called depressed are
Mushahars, Dusadhs, Chamars, Doms and Mehtars. Their number is not sufficiently
large to justify their being grouped in a separate electoral roll. The problem of Depressed
Classes is not so acute in Bihar as in Bombay or South India. The Committee considers
that there is no need for special representation of the Depressed Classes."

The same Committee in its final report said :

"The classes which are commonly regarded as Untouchables are Chamar, Busadh,
Dom, Halalkhor, Hari, Mochi, Mushahar, Pan Pasi. . . .. The majority of the Committee,
however consider that there is no need for special representation as the Depressed Classes
as their grievances are not so acute here as in Bombay or South India".

Why did the Hindus suddenly turn to reduce the population of the Untouchables from
millions to fractions? The figure of 50 millions had stood on the record from 1911. It had
not been questioned by any one. How is it that in 1932 the Hindus made so determined an
effort without any regard to the means to challenge the accuracy of this figure?

The answer is simple. Up to 1932 the Untouchables had no political importance.

Although they were outside the pale of Hindu Society which recognises only four classes
namely Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, yet for political purposes they were
reckoned as part of the Hindu Society. So that for political purposes such as
representation in the Legislature etc., the question of the population of the Untouchables
was of no consequence. Up to 1932 the political question was one of division of seats in
the Legislature between Hindus and Musalmans only and as there was no question of the
seats that came to the lot of the Hindus being partitioned between the Touchables and the
Untouchables and as the whole share went to the Touchables they did not care to inquire
what the population of the Untouchables was. By 1932 the situation had completely
altered. The question of partition was no longer a question between Hindus and
Musalmans. The Untouchables had begun to claim that there should not only be a
partition between the Hindus and Musalmans but that the share allotted to the Hindus
should be further partitioned and the share of the Untouchables given to them to be
enjoyed by them exclusively. This claim to separation was recognised and the
Untouchables were allowed to be represented by members of their own class at the Indian
Round Table Conference. Not only was the separate existence of the Untouchables thus
recognised but the Minorities Subcommittee of the Indian Round Table Conference had
accepted the principle that under the new Constitution the depressed classes should be
given representation in all Legislatures in proportion to their population. It is thus that the
population of the Untouchables became a subject of importance. The less the population
of the Untouchables the greater the share of the political representation that would go to
the Touchable Hindus. This will explain why the Touchables who before 1932 did not
care to quarrel over the question of the population of the Untouchables, after 1932 began
denying the very existence of such a class as Untouchables.
 The ostensible grounds urged by the Hindus before the Lothian Committee for reducing
the population of the Untouchables were two. One was that the figures given by the
Census Commissioner were for Depressed Classes and not for Untouchables and that
Depressed Classes included other classes besides Untouchables. The second ground
urged by them was that, the definition of the word should be uniform throughout all India
and should be applied in all Provinces in determining the population of the Untouchables.
In other words they objected to a local test of untouchability.

The first contention was absolutely untrue. The term Depressed Classes was used as a
synonym for Untouchables and the term Depressed Classes was used instead of the term
Untouchables because the latter it was felt, would give offence to the people meant to be
included under the term. That, it was used to denote only the Untouchables and it did not
include the Aboriginals or the Criminal Tribes was made clear in the debate that took
place in the Imperial Legislative Council in 1916 on the Resolution moved by the
Honourable Mr. Dadabhoy. The second contention of the caste Hindus was that the test
of untouchability should be uniform. The object of putting forth this contention was to
reduce the number of Untouchables. It is well known that there are variations in the forms
which untouchability assumes in different parts of India. In some parts of India,
Untouchables are un-seeables i.e. they cause pollution if they come within the sight of a
Touchable Hindu. In some parts Untouchables are unapproachables i.e. they cause
pollution if they come within a certain distance of a Touchable Hindu. Of these
unapproachables there are two classes. There is a class of unapproachables who cannot
come within a certain fixed distance of a Touchable Hindu. There is another class of
unapproachables who cannot come so near a Hindu as to let his shadow fall upon him. In
some parts of India an Untouchable is not an unseeable or unapproachable. It is only his
physical contact which causes pollution. In some parts an Untouchable is one who is not
allowed to touch water or food. In some parts an Untouchable is one who is not allowed
to enter a temple. With these variations it is clear, that if unseeability was taken as the
only test of untouchability, then the unapproachables would have to be excluded from the
category of Untouchables. If unapproachability was taken as a test, then those whose
touch only caused pollution will have to be excluded from the category of Untouchables.
If causing pollution by touch be taken as a test, then those whose disability is that they
are not allowed to touch water or food or those whose only disability is that they are not
allowed to enter the temple, shall have to be excluded. This is what the Hindus wanted to
do. By insisting upon uniform test they wanted to eliminate certain classes from the
category of Untouchables and thereby reduce the population of the Untouchables.
Obviously their point of view was fallacious. Untouchability is an outward expression of
the inner repulsion which a Hindu feels towards a certain person. The form which this
repulsion takes is comparatively a matter of small moment. The form merely indicates the
degree of repulsion. Wherever there is repulsion there is untouchability. This simple truth
the Hindus knew.

But they kept on insisting upon uniformity of test because they wanted somehow to
reduce the population of the Untouchables and to appropriate to themselves a larger share
of political representation.

VI

This struggle between the Hindus and the Untouchables constituted undoubtedly the
main episode. But within this episode there was another which though of a smaller
character, was yet full of significance. It was the struggle between the Backward Classes
and the Untouchables. The representatives of the Backward Classes contended that the
category known as Depressed Classes should not only include Untouchables in the strict
sense of that term but should also include those classes which are economically and
educationally backward.

The object of those that wanted, that not only the Untouchables but also those who are
educationally and economically backward shall also be given separate representation,
was a laudable one. In putting forth this contention they were not asking for anything that
was new. Under the reformed constitution that came into operation in 1920, the right of
the economically and educationally backward communities was recognised in the two
provinces of India namely Bombay and Madras. In Bombay the Marathas and allied
castes and in Madras the Non-Brahmins were given separate representation on the only
ground that they were economically and educationally backward.

It was feared that if special representation was not given to those communities, they
would be politically suppressed by the minority of high caste Hindus such as Brahmins
and allied castes. There are many communities in other Provinces who are in the same
position and who need special political representation to prevent their being suppressed
by the higher castes. It was therefore perfectly proper for the representatives of the
Backward Classes from the Hindus to have claimed special representation for themselves.
If their point of view had been accepted the total number of Depressed Classes would
have swelled to enormous proportions.

But they received no support either from the Untouchables or from the high caste Hindus.
The Hindus were opposed to the move which was calculated to increase the population of
the Depressed Classes. The Untouchables did not want to be included in their category
any class of people who were not really Untouchables. The proper course for these
backward communities was to have asked to make a division of Touchable Hindus into
advanced and backward and to claim separate representation for the Backward.
 In that effort the Untouchables would have supported them. But they did not agree to
this and persisted in being included among the Depressed Classes largely because they
thought that this was easier way of securing their object. But as the Untouchables
opposed the backward communities turned and joined the Hindus in denying the
existence of Untouchables, more vehemently than the Hindus.

In this struggle between the Touchables and Untouchables the latter did not get any
support from the Mahomedans. It will be noticed that in the Punjab Provincial Franchise
Committee, only one Mahomedan supported the representative of the Untouchables in his
assertion that there are in the Punjab communities, which are treated as Untouchables.
The rest of the Mahomedan members of the Committee did not join. In Bengal the Hindu
and the Mahomedan members of the Bengal Provincial Franchise Committee agreed not
to express any view on the matter.

It is rather strange that the Mahomedans should have kept mum. It was in their interest
that the Untouchables should be recognized as a separate political community. This
separation between the Touchables and the Untouchables was to their benefit. Why did
they not help the Untouchables in this struggle for numbers? There were two reasons why
the Mahomedans took this attitude. In the first place the Mahomedans were asking for
more than their population ratio of representation. They were asking for what in Indian
political parlance is known as weightage.

They knew that their weightage must involve a loss to the Hindus and the only question
was which section of the Hindus should bear the loss. The Touchable Hindus would
notmind the weightage if it could be granted without reducing their share. How to do this
was the problem and the only way out of it was to reduce the share of the Untouchables.
To reduce the share meant to reduce the population. This is one reason why the
Mahomedans did not help the Untouchables in this struggle for numbers. The second
reason why the Mahomedans did not help the Untouchables was the fear of exposure by
the Hindus. Although Islam is the one religion which can transcend race and colour and
unite diverse people into a compact brotherhood, yet Islam in India has not succeeded in
uprooting caste from among the Indian Musalmans. Caste feeling among the Musalmans
is not so verulent as it is among the Hindus. But the fact is that, it exists. That this caste
feeling among the Musalmans leads to social gradation, a feature of the Muslim
Community in India, has been noticed by all those who have had an occasion to study the
subject. The Census Commissioner for Bengal in his report says: (The quotation is not
recorded in the MS.—Ed.)

These facts are quite well known to the Hindus and they were quite prepared to cite
them against the Muslims if the Muslims went too far in helping the Untouchables in this
struggle for numbers and thereby bringing about a dimunition of the seats for Caste
Hindus in the Legislature. The Mahomedans knew their own weak points. They did not
wish to give an excuse to the Hindus to rake up the social divisions among the
Musalmans and thought that their interest would be best served by their taking a non-
partisan attitude.

The Untouchables were thus left to themselves to fight for their numbers. But even they
could not be depended upon to muster for the cause. When the Hindus found that they
could not succeed in reducing the number of the Untouchables, they tried to mislead the
Untouchables. They began telling the Untouchables that Government was making a list
of the Untouchable communities and it was wrong to have a community's name entered
in such list because it would perpetuate untouchability. Acting on this advice, many
communities who were actually an Untouchable community would send a petition stating
that it was not classed as Untouchable and should not be listed. Much effort had to be
made to induce such communities to withdraw such petitions by informing them that the
real purpose was to estimate their numbers in order to fix their seats in the Legislature.

Fortunately for all, this struggle is now over and the controversy is closed and the
population of the Untouchables can never be open to dispute. The Untouchables are now
statutorily defined. Who are Untouchables is laid down by a schedule to the Government
of India Act 1935, which describes them as Scheduled Castes. But the struggle reveals a
trait of Hindu character. If the Untouchables make no noise, the Hindu feels no shame for
their condition and is quite indifferent as to their numbers. Whether they are thousands or
millions of them, he does not care to bother. But if the Untouchables rise and ask for
recognition, he is prepared to deny their existence, repudiate his responsibility and refuse
to share his power without feeling any compunction or remorse.

CHAPTER 2

THE REVOLT OF THE UNTOUCHABLES

The movement of the Untouchables against the injustice of the Hindu Social Order has
a long history behind it, especially in Maharashtra. This history falls into two stages. The
first stage was marked by petitions and protests. The second stage is marked by open
revolt in the form of direct action against the Hindu Established Order. This change of
attitude was due to two circumstances. In the first place it was due to the realisation that
the petitions and protests had failed to move the Hindus. In the second place
Governments had declared that all public utilities and public institutions are open to all
citizens including the Untouchables. The right to wear any kind of clothes or ornaments
are some of the rights which the British Indian Law gives to the Untouchables along with
the rest. To these were added the rights to the use of public utilities and institutions, such
as wells, schools, buses, trams. Railways, Public offices, etc., were now put beyond the
pale of doubt. But owing to the opposition of the Hindus the Untouchables cannot make
any use of them. It is to meet the situation, the Untouchables decided to change the
methods and to direct action to redress their wrongs. This change took place about 1920.

Of such attempts at direct action only few can be mentioned so as to give an idea of the
revolt of the Untouchables against the Hindu Social Order. Of the attempts made to
vindicate the right to use the public roads, it is enough to mention one, most noteworthy
attempt in this behalf was that made by the Untouchables of Travencore State in 1924 to
obtain the use of the roads which skirted the temple at Vaikorn. These roads were public
roads maintained by the State for the use of everybody, but on account of their proximity
to the temple building, the Untouchables were not allowed to use certain sections, which
skirted the temple too closely. Ultimately as a result of Satyagraha, the temple compound
was enlarged and the road was realigned so that there the Untouchables even if they used
it were no longer within the polluting distance of the temple.

Of the attempts made to vindicate the right to take water from the public watering
places, it is enough to mention the case of the Chawdar Tank.

This Chawdar Tank is situated in the town of Mahad in the Kolaba District of Bombay
Presidency. The tank is a vast expanse of water mainly fed by the rains and a few natural
springs. The sides of the tank are embanked. Around the tank there are small strips of
land on all sides belonging to private individuals. Beyond this strip of land lies the
Municipal road which surrounds the tank and beyond the road are houses owned by the
Touchables. The tank lies in the heart of the Hindu quarters and is surrounded by Hindu
residence.

This tank is an old one and no one knows who built it or when it was built. But in 1869
when a Municipality was established by the Government for the town of Mahad, it was
handed over to the Municipality by the Government and has since then been treated as a
Municipal i.e., public tank.

Mahad is a business centre. It is also the headquarters of a taluk. The Untouchables

either for purposes of doing their shopping and also for the purpose of their duty as
village servants had to come to Mahad to deliver to the taluka officer either the
correspondence sent by village officials or to pay Government revenue collected by
village officials. The Chawdar tank was the only public tank from which an outsider
could get water. But the Untouchables were not allowed to take water from this tank. The
only source of water for the Untouchables was the well in the Untouchables quarters in
the town of Mahad. This well was at some distance from the centre of the town. It was
quite choked on account of its neglect by the Municipality.

The Untouchables therefore were suffering a great hardship in the matter of water. This
continued till matters got going. In 1923 the Legislative Council of Bombay passed a
resolution to the effect that the Untouchable classes be allowed to use all public watering
places, wells, Dharmashalas which are built and maintained out of public funds, or are
administered by bodies appointed by Government or created by Statutes as well as public
schools, courts, offices and dispensaries. Government accepted the resolution and issued
the following orders:

"In pursuance of the foregoing Council Resolution the Government of Bombay are
pleased to direct that all heads of offices should give effect to the resolution so far as it
related to the public places, institutions belonging to and maintained by Government. The
Collectors should be requested to advise the local bodies in their jurisdiction to consider
the desirability of accepting the recommendations made in the Resolution." In accordance
with this order of the Government, the Collector of Kolaba forwarded a copy thereof to
the Mahad Municipality for consideration. The Mahad Municipality passed a resolution
on 5th January 1924 to the effect that the Municipality had no objection to allow the
Untouchables to use the tank. Soon after this resolution was passed there was held at
Mahad, a Conference of Untouchables of the Kolaba District over which I presided. The
Conference met for two days, the 18th and 20th March 1927. This was the first
Conference of the Untouchables held in the Kolaba District. Over 2,500 Untouchables
attended the Conference and there was great enthusiasm. On the first day of the
Conference, I delivered my presidential address, in which I exhorted them to fight for
their rights, give up their dirty and vicious habits and rise to full manhood. Thereafter
high caste Hindus who were present and, who held out that they were the friends of the
Untouchables, addressed the gathering and told the Untouchables to be bold and exercise
the right that is given to them by law. With this, the proceedings of the first day were
closed. The subject committee met at night to consider the resolution to be moved in open
conference the next day. In the Subject Committee, attention was drawn by some people
to the fact that there was great difficulty at Mahad for the Untouchables in the matter of
obtaining water for drinking purposes, and that this difficulty was felt particularly by the
members of the Reception Committee of the Conference which had to spend Rs. 15 an
enormous amount to employ caste Hindus to dole out water in sufficient quantity to
satisfy the needs of those who had attended the Conference.
 Next day on the 20th, the Conference met about 9 in the morning. The resolutions
agreed upon in the Subject Committee were moved and passed by the Conference. It took
about three hours in all. In the end one of my co-workers in moving a vote of thanks to
the President and others who had helped to make the Conference a success referred to the
question of the difficulty in the matter of getting water and exhorted the Untouchables
present to go to the tank and exercise their right to take water from Chawdar tank,
especially as the Municipality had by resolution declared it open to the Untouchables and
that their Hindu friends were ready to help them. The Hindus who had exhorted them to
be bold and begin fearlessly to exercise their rights, instantly realised that this was a
bombshell and immediately ran away. But the effect upon the Untouchables was very
different. They were electrified by this call to arms. To a man they rose and the body of
2,500 Untouchables led by me and my co-workers marched in a procession through the
main streets. The news spread like wild fire while crowds thronged the streets to witness
it.

The Hindu inhabitants of the town saw the scene. They were taken by storm. They
stood aghast witnessing this scene which they had never seen before. For the moment
they seemed to be stunned and paralysed. The procession in form of fours marched past
and went to the Chawdar tank, and the Untouchables for the first time drank the water.
Soon the Hindus, realising what had happened, went into frenzy and committed all sorts
of atrocities upon the Untouchables who had dared to pollute the water. These atrocities
will be narrated in their proper places.

The assault committed by the Hindus on the Untouchables at Mahad when they entered
the Chawdar tank was undoubtedly a challenge to the Untouchables. The Untouchables
on the other hand were determined not to be satisfied with merely exercising their right
but to see it established. They naturally felt that they must take up the challenge thrown at
them by the Hindus. Accordingly a second Conference of the Untouchables was called.
The Untouchables were told that they must come fully prepared for all eventualities for
Satyagraha (i.e., for civil disobedience and even for going to gaol).

The Hindus, when they came to know of this, applied to the District Magistrate of
Kolaba for issuing an order under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code against
the Untouchables, prohibiting them from entering the Chawdar Tank and polluting its
water. The District Magistrate refused and said that the tank was a public tank open to all
citizens and he could not by law prevent the Untouchables from taking water therefrom.
He advised them to go to a Court of law and get their right of exclusive user established.
The dates fixed for the Conference were 25th, 26th, 27th of December 1927. As these
dates drew near, and as they heard that the Untouchables were quite in earnest, and
knowing that the District Magistrate had refused to come to their rescue, they did the only
thing that was open to them, namely, to get their right to exclude the Untouchables from a
public tank established by law. Accordingly, nine Hindus drawn from different castes
joined as Plaintiffs in filing on 12th December 1927 a suit No. 405 of 1927 as
representatives of the Hindus, in the Court of Sub-Judge of Mahad. I and four others were
made defendants as representing the Untouchables. The suit was for obtaining a
declaration 'that the said Chawdar tank is of the nature of private property of the
Touchable classes only and that the Untouchable classes have no right to go to that tank
nor take water therefrom and also for obtaining a perpetual injunction restraining the
defendants from doing any of those acts.' On the same day on which the suit was filed,
the plaintiffs applied to the Court for a temporary injunction against the defendants
restraining them from going to the tank and taking water therefrom pending the decision
of the suit. The judge holding that it was a fit case, granted a temporary injunction against
me and the other defendants on the 14th December 1927.

The temporary injunction issued by the Judge was sent to Bombay and was served upon
me two or three days before the Conferences actually met. There was no time to have
consultation and no time to postpone the Conference either. I decided to leave the matter
to the Conference to decide.

The Conference was called with the specific object of establishing the right to take
water from the tank, which was challenged by the Hindus last time. The District
Magistrate had left the way open. But here was a Judge who had issued an order banning
such action. Naturally, when the Conference met, the first question it was called on to
consider was whether to disobey the order of injunction issued by the Court and enter the
tank. The District Magistrate who had been favourable to the Untouchables now took a
different view. He explained his view very clearly to the Conference, which he came and
addressed personally. He said that if the Civil Court had not issued an injunction, he
would have helped the Untouchables in their attempt to enter the tank as against the caste
Hindus, but that as the Sub-Judge had issued his order, his position had become different.
He could not allow the Untouchables to go to the tank because such an act would amount
indirectly to help them to break the order of His Majesty's Court with impunity. He
therefore felt bound to issue an order prohibiting the Untouchables, should they insist on
going to the tank notwithstanding the injunction not because he wanted to favour the
Hindus but because he was bound to maintain the dignity of the Civil Court by seeing to
it that its order was respected.

The Conference took what the Collector had said into its consideration and also the
reaction of the Hindus to the attempt of the Untouchables going to the tank in defiance of
the order of the Court, which they had obtained. In the end, the Conference came to the
conclusion that it was better and safer for them to follow law and see how far it helped
them to secure their rights. It was therefore decided to suspend civil disobedience of the
order of the Judge till the final decision of the suit.

The occasion for civil disobedience never came because the Untouchables won the suit
and the Hindus lost it. One of the principal reasons which led the Untouchables to follow
law and suspend civil disobedience was that they wanted to have a judicial
pronouncement on the issue whether the custom of untouchability can be recognised by
the Court of law as valid. The rule of law is that a custom to be valid must be
immemorial, must be certain and must not be opposed to morality or public policy. The
Untouchables' view is that it is a custom which is opposed to morality and public policy.
But it is no use unless it is declared to be so by a judicial tribunal. Such a decision
declaring the invalidity of the custom of untouchability would be of great value to the
Untouchables in their fight for civil rights because it would seem illegal to import
untouchability in civic matters. The victory of the Untouchables in the Chawdar tank
dispute was very great. But it was disappointing in one way that the Bombay High Court
did not decide the issue whether the custom of untouchability was valid or not. They
decided the case against the Hindus on the ground that they failed to prove that the
custom alleged by them in respect of the tank was not immemorial. They held that the
custom itself was not proved. The tank became open to the Untouchables. But the
Untouchables cannot be said to have gained their point. The main issue was whether the
custom of untouchability was a legal custom. Unfortunately the High Court avoided to
give judgement on that issue. The Untouchables had to continue their struggle.

IV

The next item in this history of direct action which is worthy of mention relates to the
entry in the famous Hindu Temple at Nasik known as the Kala Ram Temple. These are
instances of direct action aimed to achieve specific objects. The movement includes two
cases of direct action aimed at the demolition of the Hindu Social Order by applying
dynamite to its very foundations. One is the burning of the Manu Smriti and the second is
the mass refusal by the Untouchables to lift the dead cattles belonging to the Hindus and
to skin them.

The Burning of Manu Smriti took place at Mahad on the 20th of December 1927. The
function was a part of the campaign for establishing the right to take water from the
Chawdar tank. The Burning of the Manu Smriti took place publicly and openly in a
Conference of Untouchables. Before burning the Manu Smriti, the Conference passed
certain resolutions. As these resolutions form a land mark in the history of the movement
of the Untouchables they are given below:
 "Resolution 1.—Declaration of the rights of a Hindu. This conference is firmly of
opinion that the present deplorable condition of the Hindu Community is only an
illustration of how a community becomes fallen by reason of its tolerating social
injustice, following erroneous religious beliefs and supporting economic wrongs. The fall
of the Hindu community is due entirely to the fact that the masses have not cared to know
what are the birth-rights of a human being and much less have they cared to see that they
are recognised and not set at naught the base acts and deeds of selfish people. To know
what are these birth-rights of man and to endeavour to see that they are not trampled upon
in the struggle between man and man and class and class, are the sacred duties of every
person. In order that every Hindu may not know what are in the opinion of the
Conference the inalienable birthrights of man, this Conference resolves to issue the
following proclamation containing a list thereof—

(0 All Hindus have the same social status from birth. This equality of social status is an
attribute, which they retain till death. There may be distinctions and differences between
them in point of their functions in society. But that must not cause differences in their
social status. This Conference is therefore opposed to any action—whether in the
political, economic or social field of life— which would result in producing a difference
in social status.

(ii) The ultimate aim of all political, economic or social changes should be to maintain
intact the equal status of all Hindus. That being the view of the Conference, the
Conference strongly disapproves of all literature of the Hindus, whether ancient or
modern, which supports in any way the pernicious doctrine of inequality underlying the
Hindu social system.

(iii) All power is derived from the people. The privileges claimed by any class or
individual have no validity if they are not granted by the people. This Conference
therefore repudiates the social and religious privileges enjoyed by some classes of Hindus
in as much as they are founded upon the Vedas, Smritis and Puranas and not upon the
free consent of the people.

(iv) Every person is entitled as his birthright to liberty of action and speech. This liberty
could be limited only for the purpose of saving the right of another person to his liberty
and for no other purposes. Further this limitation can be imposed only with the sanction
of the people and not by any injunction of the Hindu Shastras. This Conference therefore
repudiates all restraints on religious, social and economic freedom imposed upon the
thought and action of the Hindus in as much as they are imposed by the Shastras and not
by the people.
 (v) Hindus can be deprived of their rights other than their birthrights only by law. What
is not prohibited by law, a Hindu must be free to do and what is not obligatory by law, a
Hindu must not be forced to do. For this reason there must be no obstruction to persons
using public roads, public wells and tanks, public temples and all other public utilities.
Persons, causing obstruction in matters where law has laid down no prohibition, are in the
opinion of this Conference enemies of the public.

(vi) Law is not a command of an individual or a body of individuals. Law is the peoples
prescription for change. That being so, law to be respected, must be made with the
consent of ail and must have equal application to all without any distinction. Social
divisions if they are necessary for the ends of society can only be made on the basis of
worth and not of birth. This Conference repudiates the Hindu caste-system firstly as
being detrimental to society, secondly as being based on birth and thirdly as being
without any sanction from the people." The Second Resolution passed by the Conference
was worked as follows:

" Resolution No. 2.—Taking into consideration the fact that the laws which are
proclaimed in the name of Manu, the Hindu lawgiver, and which are contained in the
Manu Smriti and which are recognised as the Code for the Hindus are insulting to
persons of low caste, are calculated to deprive them of the rights of a human being and
crush their personality. Comparing them in the light of the rights of men recognised all
over the civilised world, this conference is of opinion that this Manu Smriti is not entitled
to any respect and is undeserving of being called a sacred book to show its deep and
profound contempt for it, the Conference resolves to burn a copy thereof, at the end of the
proceedings, as a protest against the system of social inequality it embodies in the guise
of religion." A cursory reading of these resolutions will show the line which the
Conference adopted. Although the Conference met to redress a particular wrong, it
showed that it was not going to be satisfied with the redress of petty wrongs. The
Conference felt that the time had arrived for laying down the goal of the Untouchables.
The goal laid down by it was far-reaching. The Conference proclaimed that the
Untouchables wanted a complete overhauling of the Hindu social system. It proclaimed
that this reconstruction must not be on the old foundation of Shastras. It proclaimed that
whatever character of the new foundations, they must be consonant with justice and
equity between Hindu and Hindu and to leave no doubt that in the matter of this
reconstruction, they would not consent to the Hindu shastras being drawn upon. The
Conference not only repudiated them but actually went to the length of burning them to
ashes.
 It was an echo of Voltare's denunciation of the Catholic Church of his time. For the first
time a cry was raised against the Hindu Social Order " Ecraze la Infame". It is also clear
that these resolutions were absolutely revolutionary in character.

The rock on which the Hindu Social Order has been built is the Manu Smriti. It is a part
of the Hindu Scriptures and is therefore sacred to all Hindus. Being sacred it is infallible.
Every Hindu believes in its sanctity and obeys its injunctions. Manu not only upholds
caste and untouchability but gives them a legal sanction. The burning of the Manu Smriti
was a deed of great daring. It was an attack on the very citadel of Hinduism. The Manu
Smriti embodied the spirit of inequality which is at the base of Hindu life and thought just
as the Bastille was the embodiment of the spirit of the Ancient regime in I France. The
burning of the Manu Smriti by the Untouchables at Mahad in 1927 is an event which has
the same significance and importance in the history of the emancipation of the
Untouchables which the Fall of Bastille had in the liberation of the masses in France and
Europe.

The second instance of direct action against the frame of the Hindu Social Order itself
is the refusal to skin the dead animals belonging to the Hindus and carrying them.

One often hears the Untouchables being condemned for having brought upon
themselves the curse of untouchability. The main ground on which this accusation rests is
the adoption by the Untouchables as their occupation, the carrying of the dead animals of
the Hindus and skinning them and eating the carrion.

Even so great a friend of the downtrodden as the Abe Dubois writing about the Pariahs
of the Madras Presidency said:

" What chiefly disgusts other natives is the revolting nature of the food which the
Pariahs eat. Attracted by the smell, they will collect in crowds round any carrion and
contend for the spoil with the dogs, jackals, crows and other carnivorous animals. They
then divide the semi-putrid flesh and carry it away to their huts, where they devour it,
often without rice or anything else to disguise the flavour. That the animal should have
died of disease is of no consequence to them, and they sometimes secretly poison cows or
buffaloes so that they may subsequently feast on the foul, putrefying remains. The
carcasses of animal's that die in a village belong by right to the thoti or scavenger, who
sells the flesh at a very low price to the other Pariahs in the neighbourhood. When it is
impossible to consume in one day the stock of meat thus obtained, they dry the remainder
in the sun, and keep it in their huts until they run short of their food. There are few Pariah
houses where one does not see festoons of these horrible fragments hanging up; and
though the Pariahs themselves do not seem to be affected by the smell, travellers passing
near their village quickly perceive it and can tell at once the caste of the people living
there....

Is it to be wondered at, after what has been just stated that other castes should hold this
in abhorrence? Can they be blamed for refusing to hold any communication with such
savages, or for I obliging them to keep themselves aloof and to live in the separate
hamlets?...."

It is true that this occupation has created a feeling of repugnance against the
Untouchables in the mind of the Hindus. But the Abe or those who adopt his reasoning
forget to raise two very important questions. First is why do the Untouchables eat
carrion? Will the Hindus allow the Untouchables the freedom to give up skinning and
carrying their dead animals? The answer to the question why the Untouchables eat
carrion has already been given in previous chapters.

No one would prefer carrion to flesh meat if it is available. If the Untouchables have
been living on carrion it is not because they like it. They eat carrion, because there is
nothing else on which they can live. This will be clear to anyone who realises that on
account of untouchability they have no way left to earn a living. All professions have
been closed to them. There is no land on the produce of which they can live. There is no
trade, which they can engage in. Their main stay is therefore the food they collect from
the villagers and the carrion, which is left to them. Without carrion they would literally
die of starvation. It is therefore clear that the fault does not lie with the Untouchables. If
the Untouchables eat carrion it is because the Hindus have left no honourable way of
earning a living open to them.

To the second question the answer is equally clear. If the Untouchables skin and carry
the dead animals of the Hindus, it is because the Untouchables have no choice. They are
forced to do it. They would be penalised if they refused to do it. The penalty is legal. In
some provinces the refusal to do this dirty work is a breach of contract. In other provinces
it is a criminal offence involving fines. In

Provinces like Bombay the Untouchables are village servants. In their capacity as
village servants they have to serve the Government as well as the Hindu public. In return
for this service they are given lands which they cultivate and on the produce of which
they maintain themselves. One of the duties of the Untouchables is to skin and carry the
dead animals of the Hindus in the villages. If the Untouchables refuse to perform these
duties to the Hindu public, the land which they live on is liable to be confiscated. They
have to choose between doing the dirty work or facing starvation.
 In Provinces like the United Provinces, refusal to do scavenging by sweeper is made an
offence. The United Provinces Municipalities Act II of 1916 contains the following
provisions:

Section 201(1).—" Should a sweeper who has a customary right to do the house-
scavenging of a house of building (hereinafter called the customary sweeper) fail to
perform such scavenging in a proper way, the occupier of the house or building or the
board may complain to a Magistrate."

(2) "The Magistrate receiving such complaint shall hold an inquiry and should it appear
to him that the customary sweeper has failed to perform the house-scavenging of the
house or building in a proper way or at a reasonable intervals, he may impose upon such
a sweeper a fine which may extend to ten rupees, and upon a second or any later
conviction in regard to the same house or building, may also direct, the right of the
customary sweeper to do the house scavenging the house or building to be forfeited and
thereupon such right shall be forfeited."

Exactly similar provision is to be found in Section 165 of the Punjab Municipalities Act
of 1911. The Punjab Act is an advance over the U. P. Act, in as much as it provides for
punishment of a sweeeper who is not customary sweeper but a contract-sweeper. The
Punjab Act adds:

" (3) Should any sweeper (other than a customary sweeper), who is under a contract to
do house-scavenging of a house or a building, discontinue to do such house-scavenging
without fourteen days' notice to his employer or without reasonable cause, he shall on
conviction be punishable with a fine which may extend to Rs. ten."

"227. Every order of forfeiture under Section 165 shall be subject to an appeal to the
next superior court, but shall not be otherwise open to appeal."

People may be shocked to read that there exists legal provision which sanctions forced
labour. Beyond doubt, this is slavery. The difference between slavery and free labour lies
in this. Under slavery a breach of contract of service is an offence which is punishable
with fine or imprisonment. Under free labour a breach of contract of service is only a
civil wrong for which the labourer is liable only for damages. Judged in the light of this
criterion, scavenging is a legal obligation imposed upon the Untouchables which they
cannot escape.

Given these conditions, how can the Untouchables be accused of doing these dirty work
voluntarily?
 The question whether the Untouchables can be accused of having invited the curse of
untouchability upon themselves for doing the dirty work of the Hindus is really beside the
point. What is important to note is that the Conference of the Untouchables which met in
Mahad resolved that no Untouchable shall skin the dead animals of the Hindus, shall
carry it or eat the carrion. The object of these resolutions was two-fold. The one object
was to foster among the Untouchables self-respect and self-esteem. This was a minor
object. The major object was to strike a blow at the Hindu Social Order. The Hindu
Social Order is based upon a division of labour which reserves for the Hindus clean and
respectable jobs and assigns to the Untouchables dirty and mean jobs and thereby clothes
the Hindus with dignity and heaps ignominy upon the Untouchables. The resolution was
a revolt against this part of the Hindu Social Order. It aimed at making the Hindus do
their dirty jobs themselves.

This is a brief summery of the history of the revolt of the Untouchables against the
established order of the Hindu. It originated in Bombay. But it has spread to all parts of
India.

CHAPTER 3

HELD AT BAY
I. Hindu reaction to the revolt of the untouchables.

II. Lawless means for ruthless repression.

III. Untouchables, a weak force.

IV. Officers who are shameless partisans.

V. A weapon which is made blunt.

The story of the revolt of the Untouchables tells how the old is ringing out and the new
is ringing in. What is the reaction of the Hindus to this revolt? No one who knows
anything about it can have any hesitation in answering this question. For it is clear that
his attitude is one of opposition. It might be difficult to understand why the Hindus
should oppose. But there can be no manner of doubt that he is opposed.

The reasons why the Hindus are opposed to this fight for rights of the untouchables for
their rights will not be difficult to understand if certain important features of the
relationship that is now subsisting between the Caste Hindus and the Untouchables are
borne in mind.

The first and foremost consideration that must never be forgotten is the sharp division
between the Touchables and the Untouchables. Every village has two parts, the quarters
of the Touchables and quarters of the Untouchables. Geographically the two are separate.
There is always an appreciable distance between the two. At any rate there is no
contiguity or proximity between them. The Untouchables have a distinct name for their
quarters such as Maharwada, Mangwada, Chamrotti, Khaykana, etc. De Jure for the
purposes of revenue administration or postal communication the quarters of the
Untouchables are included in the village. But de facto it is separate from the village.
When the Hindu resident of a village speaks of the village he means to include in it only
the Caste Hindu residents and the locality occupied by them. Similarly when the
Untouchable speaks of the village he means to exclude from it the Untouchables and the
quarters they occupy. Thus, in every village the Touchables and Untouchables form two
separate groups. There is nothing common between them. They do not constitute a folk.
This is the first thing, which must be noted.

The second things to note with regard to this division of the village into two groups is
that these groups are real corporations which, no one included within them, can escape.
As has been well said the American or European belongs to groups of various kinds, but
he "joins " most of them. He of course is born into a family, but he does not stay in it all
his life unless he pleases. He may choose his own occupation, residence, wife, political
party, and is responsible, generally speaking, for no one's acts but his own. He is an
"individual" in a much fuller sense because all his relationships are settled by himself for
himself. The Touchables or Untouchables are in no sense individuals because all or
nearly all of their relationships are fixed when they are born in a certain group. Their
occupation, their dwelling, their gods and their politics are all determined for them by the
group to which they belong. When the Touchables and Untouchables meet, they meet not
as man to man, individual to individual, but as members of groups or as nationals of two
different states.

This fact has an important effect upon the mutual relationship between the Touchables
and Untouchables in a village. The relationship resembles the relationship between
different clans in primitive society. In primitive society the member of the clan has a
claim, but the stranger has no standing. He may be treated kindly, as a guest, but he
cannot demand "justice " at the hands of any clan but his own. The dealing of clan with
clan is a matter of war or negotiations, not of law; and the clanless man is an outlaw, in
fact as well as in name, and lawlessness against the stranger is therefore lawful. The
Untouchable, not being a member of the group of Touchables, is a stranger. He is not a
kindred. He is an outlaw. He cannot claim justice nor any rights which the Touchable is
bound to respect.

The third thing to note is that the relationship between the two, the Touchables and the
Untouchables, has been fixed. It has become a matter of status. This status has
unmistakably given the Untouchables a position of inferiority vis-a-vis the Touchables.
This inferiority is embodied in a code of social conduct to which the Untouchables must
conform. What kind of code it is, has already been stated. The Untouchable is not willing
to conform to that code. He is not prepared to render unto Caesar what is claimed by
Caesar. The Untouchable wants to have his relationship with the Touchables by contract.
The Touchable wants the Untouchables to live in accordance with the rules of status and
not rise above it. Thus, the two halves of the village, the Touchables and the
Untouchables, are now struggling for resettling what the Touchable thinks is settled
forever. The conflict is centred round one question—What is to be the basis of this
relationship? Shall it be contract or shall it be status?

That is the question, which is agitating the Hindus. The Hindu does not look at the
revolt of the Untouchables as an attempt on the part of the latter for social and economic
improvement of their people. He looks at it as an attempt directed against him, an attempt
to equalise. That is why he is opposed.

II

The opposition of the Hindus is a determined opposition bent on stamping out the
revolt at any cost. In this, they are prepared to use any means and to go to any length.
This revolt of the Untouchables has been met with equally determined attack on the part
of the Hindus. How cruel the Hindus can be in suppressing this revolt of the
Untouchables will appear from one or two cases.

On the occasion of the entry of the Untouchables in the Chawdar Tank at Mahad, in the
exercise of their right to take water from a public place, the assault made upon the
Untouchables who had attended the Conference and taken part in the march upon the
Tank has been described in the Bombay Chronicle in the following terms:

"The procession was a most peaceful one and everything passed off quietly. But after
about two hours some evil minded leaders of the town raised a false rumour that the
depressed classes were planning to enter the temple of Vireshwar, whereupon a large
crowd of riffraff had collected all armed with bamboo sticks. The crowd soon became
aggressive and the whole town at once became a surging mass of rowdies, who seemed to
be out for the blood of the depressed classes.
 The depressed classes were busy in taking their meal before dispersing to their village.
When a large part of them had left the town, the rowdies entered the kitchen where the
depressed classes were taking their food. There would have been a regular battle between
the two forces, but the depressed classes were held back by their leaders, and thus a far
more serious riot was averted. The rowdies, finding no occasion for provocation, began
patrolling the main street and assaulting the members of the depressed classes who, in
stray batches, were passing along on their way to their villages, and committed trespass in
the houses of several depressed class people and gravely assaulted them. In all, the
number of wounded among the depressed classes is supposed to be as large as 20. In this,
the attitude of the depressed classes was as commendable as the attitude of many of the
upper classes was unworthy. The depressed classes assembled vastly outnumbered the
upper classes. But as the object of their leaders was to do everything in a non-violent and
absolutely constitutional manner, they set their faces against any aggression on the part of
the depressed classes. It speaks a great deal in favour of the depressed classes, that,
although the provocation given to them was immense, they kept their self-control. The
Mahad Conference has shown that the upper classes are not willing to allow the
depressed classes to enjoy such elementary civic rights as taking water from public water
sources.

The most reprehensible part of the conduct of the upper caste Hindus in Mahad and
Kolaba district was that, messages were sent immediately to the different villages asking
the upper class people there to punish the delegates of the Conference as soon as they
returned to their respective villages. In obedience to this mandate, assaults were
committed on a number of Mahars returning from the Conference either before or after
they reached their villages, where the depressed classes have the disadvantage of being
overwhelmingly outnumbered by the upper caste Hindus. The leaders of the Depressed
Classes have appealed to the authorities for protection and the District officials, including
the District Superintendent of Police are making inquiries on the spot. It must, however
be stated that, if the Resident Magistrate had not allowed two precious hours to pass
without doing anything, the riot would have probably been averted."

The assault committed on the Untouchables as a result of the Kalaram Temple

Satyagraha was no less severe.

The third instance is more recent and occurred in the year 1935 in the village of
Kavitha in Dholka Taluka of the Ahmedabad District of the Bombay Presidency.

The Bombay Government having issued orders requiring the admission of the children
of the Untouchables in public schools, it is reported that :
 "On August 8th, 1935, the Untouchables of the village Kavitha took four of their
children to be admitted in the village school. Many caste Hindus from the village had
gathered near the school to

1 This account of the incident is a translation of the Statement sent to me by the

Secretary of the Nava Yuga Mandal of Dholka witness this. This occasion for admission
passed off quietly and nothing untoward happened."

The next day however the caste Hindus of the village withdrew their children from the
school, as they did not like their children sitting with those of the Untouchables and
getting themselves polluted.

Some time thereafter, an Untouchable from the village was assaulted by a Brahmin. On
August 12th. the male members of the Untouchables of the village had come to Dholka to
file a criminal complaint against the Brahmin in the Court of the Magistrate. Coming to
know that the adult members of the Untouchables were absent, the Hindus of the village
invaded the quarters of the Untouchables. They were armed with sticks, spears and
swords. Among the invaders were caste Hindu women. They started attacking the old
men and women of the Untouchables. Some of these victims fled to the jungles some shut
themselves up. These invaders directed their vehemence against those Untouchables who
were suspected of having taken a lead in the matter of the admission of their children in
the village school. They broke open their doors and not finding them in, they broke the
tiles and rafters of the roofs over their houses.

Terror-stricken, these Untouchable men and women who are assaulted and beaten were
anxious about the safety of those of their elders who had gone to Dholka and who were
expected back that night. The caste Hindus knowing that the leaders of the Untouchables
who had gone to Dholka would be returning sometime in the night went out of the village
fully armed to assault them and had concealed themselves behind the bushes and shrubs
on the way to the village. Having come to know of this, an old Untouchable woman crept
out of the village in the dark, met the leaders who were returning and informed them that
armed gangs of caste Hindus were hiding themselves to waylay them and that therefore
they should not come into the village.

They refused to listen, fearing that the caste Hindus might do greater mischief in their
absence. At the same time they were afraid that if they did enter they might be assaulted.
They therefore decided to wait outside the village in the fields till after midnight. In the
meantime, the gang of caste Hindus who were in ambush waited and waited and finally
gave up the game and retired. The leaders of the Untouchables entered the village after
about 3 a.rn. in the night. If they had come earlier and met the murderous gang they
would probably have been done to death. On seeing the harm done to person and
property, they left the village for Ahmedabad before daybreak and informed the Secretary
of the Harijan Seva Sangh, a body organised by Gandhi to look after the welfare of the
Untouchables. But the Secretary was helpless. Not only did the caste Hindus use physical
violence, but they conspired to make the life of the Untouchables intolerable. They
refused to engage them as labourers; they refused to sell them foodstuff. They refused to
give them facilities for grazing their cattle and they committed stray assaults on
Untouchable men and women. Not only this, but the caste Hindus in their frenzy poured
kerosene oil in the well from which the Untouchables had to get their supply of drinking
water. This they did for days together. The result was that the Untouchables of the village
had no water. When things reached this stage, the Untouchables thought of filing a
criminal complaint before a Magistrate which they did on 17th October, making some of
the caste Hindus as the accused. The strange part of the case is the part played by
Gandhi and his Lieutenant, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. With all the knowledge of tyranny
and oppression practised by the caste Hindus of Kavitha against the Untouchables, all
that Mr. Gandhi felt like doing, was to advise the Untouchables to leave the village. He
did not even suggest that the miscreants should be hauled up before a Court of Law. His
henchman, Mr. Vallabhbhai Patel, played a part which was still more strange.

He had gone to Kavitha to persuade the caste Hindus not to molest the Untouchables.
But they did not even give him a hearing. Yet this very man was opposed to the
Untouchables hauling them up in a court of law and getting them punished. The
Untouchables filed the complaint notwithstanding his opposition. But he ultimately
forced them to withdraw the complaint against the caste Hindus making some kind of a
show of an undertaking not to molest, an undertaking, which the Untouchables can never
enforce. The result was that the Untouchables suffered and their tyrants escaped with the
aid of Mr. Gandhi's friend, Mr. Vallabhbhai Patel.

This systematic suppression of the Untouchables is resorted to by the caste Hindus even
in small matters such as the wearing of better clothes or the wearing of jewellery. Two
such instances may be cited.

Ill

To whom the victory will go in the end is an interesting speculation, and those who are
leading the movement of the Untouchables, are carefully watching the situation.
Whatever the ultimate result, one thing is plain, that in this struggle, the odds are heavily
against the Untouchables.

In this conflict with the Hindus, the Untouchables are always at bay. As against caste
lawlessness, the Untouchables are always helpless. The question is, why are the
Untouchables always beaten, why are they always at bay? The question is an important
question and needs to be answered.

The reasons why the Untouchables are at bay in this struggle with the caste Hindus are
quite obvious. The first reason is that the two groups are unequally matched so far as
numbers are concerned. In no village do the Untouchables constitute a considerable body
of people as compared with the Caste Hindus. Most often they are composed of a few
families and their number is very small, too small to give them any power to repel an
attack of the caste Hindus. Although the Untouchables number 50 millions, which
appears in lump to be a formidable figure, in fact they are scattered all over the villages in
India so that in each village they form a small minority pitted against a great majority of
the caste Hindus. Strategically speaking the forces are so badly distributed that they
cannot but be overwhelmed by the caste Hindus.

The Mahomedans in the village of some provinces are in the same position as the
Untouchables so far as numbers are concerned. They are also scattered throughout the
villages and in some villages the population of the Mahomedans is much smaller than the
population of the Untouchables. Yet the Mahomedans are not subjected by the Hindus to
the disabilities and the indignities to which the Untouchables are subjected. This is rather
strange, because there is as deep an antagonism between the Hindus and the Muslims as
there is between the Hindus and the Untouchables. This difference in treatment is due to
an advantage which the Muslims have but which the Untouchables do not have.

It was a rule in all ancient societies that a stranger was sacred. His person must be
guarded from insult and injury. The Romans had their dii hospitales and the duties
towards a stranger were even more stringent than those towards a relative. " He who has a
spark of caution in him," says Plato " will do his best to pass this life without sinning
against the stranger." It is strange that so much sanctity should have been attached to the
person of a stranger. There is no doubt that this sanctity of the stranger's person was not
due to pure kindness. The whole conduct of group life is opposed to a general spirit of
consideration for those who are outside the group. The real reason why the stranger was
treated as sacred and his person inviolate was because he belonged to a hostile group, and
any injury to him was sure to lead to bloodshed. It was the fear of a blood feud, which
was the cause of this attitude towards the stranger.

The same thing applies to the Mahomedan in a village. In the eyes of the Hindus he is a
stranger. But the Hindus dare not molest him because they know that any injury to him
will be avenged by Muslims in a blood feud with the Hindus. The communal riots
between the Hindus and Mahomedans are really blood feuds and they are caused by some
injury done to a Mahomedan or to some Mahomedan interests. It is this fear of a blood
feud, which makes the life of a Muslim in a Hindu village safe.
 There is nobody to avenge an injury done to an Untouchable. There is no fear of a
blood feud. The Hindus therefore can commit any wrong against the Untouchables with
impunity. This is because the Mahomedans are a solid mass, held together with a deep
consciousness of kind, ready to act as one man to vindicate any wrong to the community
or to a member thereof. The Untouchables, on the other hand, are a disunited body, they
are infested with the caste system in which they believe as much as does the caste Hindu.
This caste system among the Untouchables has given rise to mutual rivalry and jealousy
and it has made common action impossible. The Mahomedans have also a caste system
among themselves. Like the Untouchables they are also scattered all over the country.
But their religion is a strong unifying force, which gives them the feeling that, if they are
parts, they are parts of one Muslim Community. There is nothing to instil such a feeling
among the Untouchables. In the absence of any unifying force, the Untouchables are just
fragments with no cement to bind them and their numbers are therefore of no advantage
to them.

A large majority of the Untouchables in the villages are either village servants or
landless labourers. As village servants, they depend upon the Hindus for their
maintenance, and go from door to door every day and collect bread or cooked food from
the Hindus in return for certain customary services rendered by them to the Hindus. This
is a part of their remuneration. A part also of their remuneration consists in quantities of
grain given to them by the Hindus at the harvest time. Whenever there is a disagreement
between the Hindus and the Untouchables, the first thing the Hindus do is to stop giving
bread, stop the payment of the harvest share and stop employing the Untouchables on any
job. The result is that the struggling hoards of the Untouchables are face to face with
starvation.

The Untouchables have no way of earning a living open to them in a village. He cannot
do any business such as selling milk or vegetables. Because he is an Untouchable no one
will buy these things from him. He cannot take to any trade because, all trades being
hereditary, no one will accept his service. His economic dependence upon the Hindu is
complete and the Hindu takes a complete advantage of it whenever the Untouchables
prove arrogant, or naughty in the eyes of the Touchables.

Not only is the Untouchable dependent upon the Touchable for earning his livelihood
but the Untouchable is also dependent upon the Touchables for the purchase of his
necessaries of life. In a village all shops belong to the Touchables. Trade is, and must
necessarily be, in the hands of the Touchables. An Untouchable has to depend upon the
Touchable shopkeepers for their shopping. If the Touchable shopkeeper is willing to sell,
the Untouchables can obtain the necessaries of life. If the shopkeeper refuses to sell, the
Untouchable must starve although they might have money to live on. Now whenever any
dispute arises between the Touchables and the Untouchables the one thing the
Touchables never fail to do is to command the shopkeepers not to sell anything to the
Untouchables. The Touchables constitute an organised conspiracy to bring about a
cessation of all economic relationship with Untouchables. A war is proclaimed against
the Untouchables. The means used for reducing the "enemy" is to send a " punitive
expedition " consisting of rascals into the Untouchable quarters who ruthlessly carry on
arson of destruction of property and shamelessly commit acts of violence against all
including women and children.

The more common and the more effective weapons is the declaration of complete
boycott against the offending Untouchables. The horrors of the boycott, which is merely
another name for Gandhi's " noncooperation", can hardly be adequately described. The
Committee appointed by the Government of Bombay to inquire into the grievances of the
Backward Classes speaks of the social boycott in the following terms:

"Although we have recommended various remedies to secure to the Untouchables their

rights to all public utilities we fear that there will be difficulties in the way of their
exercising them for a long time to come. The first difficulty is the fear of open violence
against them by the orthodox classes. It must be noted that the Untouchables are a small
minority in every village, opposed to which is a great majority of the orthodox who are
bent on protecting their interests and dignity from any supposed invasion by the
Untouchables at any cost. The danger of prosecution by the police has put a limitation
upon the use of violence by the orthodox classes and consequently such cases are rare.

The second difficulty arises from the economic position in which the Untouchables are
found today. The Untouchables have no economic independence in most parts of the
Presidency. Some cultivate lands of the orthodox classes as their tenants at will. Others
live on their earnings as farm labourers employed by the orthodox classes, and the rest
subsist on the food or grain given to them by the orthodox classes in lieu of service
rendered to them as village servants. We have heard of numerous instances where the
orthodox classes have used their economic power as a weapon against those Depressed
classes in their villages, when the latter have dared to exercise their rights and have
evicted them from their land, and stopped their employment and discontinued their
remuneration as village servants. The boycott is often planned on such an extensive scale
as to include the prevention of the Untouchables from using the commonly used paths
and the stoppage of the sale of the necessaries of life by the village bania or shopkeeper.
According to the evidence small causes suffice for the proclamation of a social boycott
against the Untouchables. Frequently it follows on the exercise by the Untouchables of
their right to the use of the common well, but cases have been by no means rare where
stringent boycott has been proclaimed simply because an Untouchable man has put on a
sacred thread, has bought a piece of land, has put on good clothes or ornaments, or has
led a marriage procession with the bride-groom on the horse through the public street.

We do not know of any weapon more effective than this social boycott which could
have been invented for the suppression of the Untouchables. The method of open
violence pales away before it, for it has the most far reaching and deadening effects. It is
the more dangerous because it passes as a lawful method consistent with the theory of
freedom of contract. We agree that this tyranny of the majority must be put down with a
firm hand if we are to guarantee to the Untouchables the freedom of speech and action
necessary for their uplift."

IV

The third circumstance which adds to the helplessness of the Untouchables is the
impossibility for the Untouchables to obtain any protection from the police or justice
from the courts. The police are drawn from the ranks of the caste Hindus. The Magistracy
is drawn from the ranks of the Caste Hindus. The police and the magistracy are the kith
and kin of the caste Hindus. They share the sentiments and the prejudices of the caste
Hindus against the Untouchables. If an Untouchable goes to a police officer with a
complaint against the caste

Hindus instead of receiving any protection he will receive plenty of abuse. Either he
will be driven away without his complaint being recorded or, if it is recorded, it would be
recorded quite falsely to provide a way of escape to the Touchable aggressors. If he
prosecutes his offenders before a Magistrate the fate of his proceedings could be foretold.
He will never get Touchable witnesses because of the conspiracy of the villagers. If he
brings witnesses from the Untouchables the Magistrate will not accept their testimony
because they are interested and not independent witnesses or, if they are independent
witnesses, the Magistrate has an easy way of acquitting the accused by simply saying that
the complainant Untouchable did not strike him as a truthful witness. He can do this
fearlessly because he knows full well that the higher tribunal will not reverse his finding
because of the well-established rule which says that an appellate court should not disturb
the finding of a Magistrate based upon the testimony of witness whose demeanour he had
observed. This fact has now been admitted even by Congress workers among the
Untouchables.

The Annual Report of the Tamil Nad Harijan Sevak Sangh for the year ending
September 30, 1937, says: "The political consciousness of the Harijan having been
roused by the rights, in the remotest villages where it is only the policeman that reigns, it
is not always possible for the Harijan to do this, for the assertion of his rights means a
clash between him and the castemen, in which it is always the latter that have the upper
hand. The natural consequence of this scuffle is a complaint either to the police or the
magistrate. The latter course is beyond the means of a Harijan, while the former resort is
worse than useless. The complaints are in many cases not inquired into at all, while in
others a verdict favourable to the castemen is entered. Our complaints to the police also
meet with similar fate. The trouble seems to us to be this : there is no change in the
mentality of the lower policemen. Either he is unaware of the rights of the Harijans of
which he is supposed to be the guardian, or he is influenced by castemen. Or it may also
be that he is absolutely indifferent. In other cases corruption is responsible for this taking
the side of the richer castemen". (Hindu, March 7, 1938).

This means that the official is anti-Untouchable and pro-Hindu. Whenever he has any
authority or discretion it is always exercised to the prejudice of the Untouchable.

The police and the magistrate are sometimes corrupt. If they were only corrupt, things
would not perhaps be so bad because an officer who is corrupt is open to purchase by
either party. But the additional misfortune is that the police and magistrates are often
more partial than corrupt. It is this partiality to the Hindus and his antipathy to the
Untouchables, which results in the denial of protection and justice to the Untouchables.
There is no cure to this partiality to the one and antipathy to the other. It is founded in the
social and religious repugnance, which is inborn in every Hindu. The police and the
Magistrate by reason of their motives, interest and their breeding do not sympathise with
the living forces operating among the Untouchables. They are not charged with the
wants, the pains, the cravings and the desires, which actuate the Untouchables.
Consequently they are openly hostile and inimical to their aspirations, do not help them
to advance, disfavour their cause and snap at everything that smacks of pride and self-
respect. On the other hand they share the feelings of the Hindus, sympathise with them in
the attempt to maintain their power, authority, prestige and their dignity over the
Untouchables. In any conflict between the two they act as the agents of the Hindus in
suppressing this revolt of the Untouchables and participate quite openly and without
shame in the nefarious attempt of all Hindus to do everything possible by all means, fair
or foul, to " teach the Untouchables a lesson ", and hold them down in their own place.

The worst of it is that all this injustice and persecution can be perpetrated within the
limits of the law. A Hindu may well say that he will not employ an Untouchable, that he
will not sell him anything, that he will evict him from his land, that he will not allow him
to take his cattle across his field, without offending the law in the slightest degree. In
doing this he is only exercising his right. The law does not care with what motive he does
it. The law does not see what injury it causes to the Untouchable. The police may misuse
his power and his authority. He may deliberately falsify the record by taking down
something which has not been stated or by taking down something which is quite
different from what has been stated. He may disclose evidence to the side in which he is
interested. He may refuse to arrest. He may do a hundred and one things to spoil the case.
All this he can do without the slightest fear of being brought to book. The loopholes of
law are many, and he knows them well. The magistrate has vested in him an enormous
amount of discretion. He is free to use it. The decision of a case depends upon the
witnesses who can give evidence. But the decision of the case depends upon whether the
witnesses are reliable or not. It is open to the magistrate to believe one side and
disbelieve the other side. He may be quite arbitrary in believing one side, but it is his
discretion, and no one can interfere with it. There are innumerable cases in which this
discretion has been exercised by the Magistrate to the prejudice of the Untouchables.
However truthful the witnesses of the Untouchables, the magistrates have taken a
common line by saying " I disbelieve the witnesses ", and no body has questioned that
discretion. What sentence to inflict is also a matter of discretion with the magistrate.

There are sentences which are appealable and there are sentences which are non-
appealable. An appeal is a way of getting redress. But this way may be blocked by a
magistrate by refusing to give an appealable sentence. Such are the forces which are
arrayed against the struggling Untouchables. There is simply no way to overcome them
because there is no legal way of punishing a whole society which is organized to set aside
the law.

One way of lessening these difficulties they certainly cannot be overcome was open to
the Untouchables. That way lay through politics and through effective use of political
power. But in this matter the Untouchables have been foiled.

CHAPTER 4

THEIR WISHES ARE LAWS UNTO US

1. Adharma for Dharma.

II. Manu and Dharma.

III. Modern Counterparts.

IV. Effect of Dharma on character and outlook.

Any one who reads of the lawlessness of the Hindus in suppressing the movement of
the untouchables, I am sure will be shocked. Why does the Hindu indulge in this
lawlessness is a question he is sure to ask and none will say that such a question will not
be a natural question and in the circumstances of the case a very pertinent question—
Why should an untouchable be tyrannized if he wears clean clothes ? How can it hurt a
Hindu. Why should an untouchable be molested because he wants to put a tiled roof on
his house ? How can it injure a Hindu? Why should an untouchable be persecuted
because he is keen to send his children to school? How does a Hindu suffer thereby? Why
should an untouchable be compelled to carry dead animals, eat carrion, and beg his food
from door to door? Where is the loss to the Hindu if he gives these things up. Why should
a Hindu object if an untouchable desires to change his religion? Why should his
conversion annoy and upset a Hindu? Why should a Hindu feel outraged if an
untouchable calls himself by a decent, respectable name? How can a good name taken by
an untouchable adversely affect the Hindu? Why should the Hindu object if an
untouchable builds his house facing the main road? How can he suffer thereby? Why
should the Hindu object if the sound made by an untouchable falls upon his ears on
certain days? It cannot deafen him. Why should a Hindu feel resentment if an
untouchable enters a profession, obtains a position of authority, buys land, enters
commerce, becomes economically independent and is counted among the well-to-do ?
Why should all Hindus whether officials or non-officials make common cause to
suppress the untouchables? Why should all castes otherwise quarreling among
themselves combine to make, in the name Hinduism, a conspiracy to hold the
untouchables at bay?

All this of course sounds like a fiction. But one who has read the tales of Hindu tyranny
recounted in the last chapter will know that beneath these questions there is the
foundation of facts. The facts, of course, are stranger than fiction. But the strangest thing
is that these deeds are done by Hindus who are ordinarily timid even to the point of being
called cowards. The Hindus are ordinarily a very soft people. They have none of the
turbulence or virulence of the Muslims. But, when so soft a people resort without shame
and without remorse to pillage, loot, arson and violence on men, women and children,
one is driven to believe that there must be a deeper compelling cause which maddens the
Hindus on witnessing this revolt of the untouchables and leads them to resort to such
lawlessness.

There must be some explanation for so strange, so inhuman a way of acting. What is it?

If you ask a Hindu, why he behaves in this savage manner, why he feels outraged by
the efforts which the untouchables are making for a clean and respectable life, his answer
will be a simple one. He will say: " What you call the reform by the untouchables is not a
reform. It is an outrage on our Dharma ". If you ask him further where this Dharma of his
is laid down, his answer will again be a very simple one. He will reply, "Our Dharma is
contained in our Shastras". A Hindu in suppressing what, in the view of an unbiased man,
is a just revolt of the untouchables against a fundamentally wrong system by violence,
pillage, arson, and loot, to a modern man appears to be acting quite irreligiously, or, to
use the term familiar to the Hindus, he is practising Adharma. But the Hindu will never
admit it. The Hindu believes that it is the untouchables who are breaking the Dharma and
his acts of lawlessness which appear as Adharma are guided by his sacred duty to restore
Dharma. This is an answer, the truth of which cannot be denied by those who are familiar
with the psychology of the Hindus. But this raises a further question: What are these
Dharma which the Shastras have prescribed and what rules of social relationship do they
ordain ? II

The word Dharma is of Sanskrit origin. It is one of those Sanskrit words which defy all
attempts at an exact definition. In ancient times the word was used in different senses
although analogous in connotation. It would be interesting to see how the word Dharma
passed through transitions of meaning*. But this is hardly the place for it. It is sufficient
to say that the word dharma soon acquired a definite meaning which leaves no doubt as to
what it connotes. The word Dharma means the privileges, duties and obligations of a
man, his standard of conduct as a member of the Hindu community, as a member of one
of the castes, and as a person in a particular stage of life. The principal sources of
Dharma, it is agreed by all Hindus, are the Vedas, the Smritis and customs. Between the
Vedas and Smritis, so far as Dharma is concerned, there is however this difference. The
rules of Dharma, as we see them in their developed form, have undoubtedly their roots in
the Vedas, and it is therefore justifiable to speak of the Vedas as the source of Dharma.
But the Vedas do not profess to be formal treatises on Dharma. They do not contain
positive precepts ( Vidhis) on matters of Dharma in a connected form. They contain only
disconnected statements on certain topics concerned with Dharma. On the other hand,
Smritis are formal treatises on Dharma. They contain enactments as to the Dharma. They
form the law of the Dharma in the real sense of the term. Disputes as to what is Dharma
and what is not Dharma (Adharma) can be decided only by reference to the text of the
law as given in the Smritis. The Smritis form, therefore, the real source of what the Hindu
calls Dharma, and, as they are the authority for deciding which is Dharma and which is
not, the Smritis are called Dharmashastras (scriptures) which prescribe the rules of
Dharma.

The number of Smritis which have come down from ancient times have been variously
estimated. The lowest number is five and the highest a hundred. What is important to
bear in mind is that all these Smritis are not equal in authority. Most of them are obscure.
Only a few of them were thought to be authoritative enough for writers to write
commentaries thereon. If one is to judge of the importance of a Smriti by the test as to
whether or not it has become the subject matter of a commentary, then the Smritis which
can be called standard and authoritative will be the Manu Smriti, Yajnavalkya Smriti and
the Narada Smriti. Of these Smritis the Manu Smriti stands supreme. It is pre-eminently
the source of all Dharma.

To understand what is the Dharma for which the Hindu is ready to wage war on the
untouchables, one must know the rules contained in the Smritis, particularly those
contained in the Manu Smriti. Without some knowledge of these rules, it would not be
possible to understand the reaction of the Hindus to the revolt of the untouchables. For
our purpose it is not necessary to cover the whole field of Dharma in all its branches as
laid down in the Smritis. It is enough to know that branch of the Dharma which in
modern parlance is called the law of persons, or to put it in non-technical language, that
part of the Dharma which deals with right, duty or capacity as based on status.

I therefore propose to reproduce below such texts from Manu Smriti as are necessary to
give a complete idea of the social organization recognized by Manu and the rights and
duties prescribed by him for the different classes comprised in his social system.

The social system as laid down by Manu has not been properly understood and it is
therefore necessary to utter a word of caution against a possible misunderstanding. It is
commonly said and as commonly believed that what Manu does is to prescribe a social
system which goes by the name of Chaturvarna a technical name for a social system in
which all persons are divided into four distinct classes. Many are under the impression
that this is all that the Dharma as laid down by Manu prescribes. This is a grievous error
and if not corrected is sure to lead to a serious misunderstanding of what Manu has in fact
prescribed and what is the social system he conceived to be the ideal system.

I think this is an entire misreading of Manu. It will be admitted that the divisions of
society into four classes comprised within Chaturvarna is not primary with Manu. In a
sense this division is secondary to Manu. To him it is merely an arrangement inter se
between those who are included in the Chaturvarna. To many, the chief thing is not
whether a man is a Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra. That is a division which has
existed before him. Manu added, accentuated and stratified that difference. The division
did not originate with him. But what did originate with Manu is a new division between
(1) those who are within the pale of Chaturvarna and (2) those who are outside the pale of
Chaturvarna. This new social division is original to Manu. This is his addition to the
ancient Dharma of the Hindus. This division is fundamental to Manu because he was the
first to introduce it and recognize it by the stamp of his authority.

The texts which have a bearing on the subject must therefore be arranged under two
heads (1) texts relating to those who are within the Chaturvarna and (2) texts relating to
those who are outside the Chaturvarna.
 I. Those within the Pale of the Chaturvarna. Their origin and their duties

(1) This (Universe) existed in the shape of Darkness, unperceived, destitute of

distinctive marks, untenable by reasoning, unknowable, wholly immersed, as it
were in a deep sleep.

(2) Then the divine self existent (Svayambhu, himself) indiscernible (but) making
(all) this, the great elements and the rest discernible, appeared with irresistible (creative)
power, dispelling the darkness.

(3) But for the sake of the prosperity of the worlds, he caused the Brahmana, the
Kshatriya, the Vaishya, and the Shudra to proceed from his mouth, his arms, his thighs
and his feet.

(4) But in order to protect this Universe. He, the most resplendent one, assigned
separate (duties and) occupations to those who sprang from his mouth, arms, thighs and
feet.

(5) To the Brahmans he assigned teaching and studying (the Vedas), sacrificing
(performing sacrificial ceremonies) for their own benefit and for others, giving and
accepting (of alms).

(6) The Kshatriya he commanded to protect the people, to bestow gifts, to offer
sacrifices, to study (the Veda), and to abstain from attaching himself to sensual pleasures.

(7) The Vaishya to tend cattle, to bestow gifts, to offer sacrifices, to study (the Veda),
to trade, to lend money and to cultivate the land.

(8) One occupation only the lord prescribed to the Shudra, to serve meekly even these
(other) three castes.

(9) A student, an apprentice, a hired servant, and fourthly an official; these must be
regarded as labourers. Slaves are those who are born in the house and the rest.

(10) The sages have distinguished five sorts of attendants according to law. Among
these are four sorts of labourers (mentioned above). The slaves (are the fifth category, of
which they are) fifteen species.

(11) One born at (his master's) house; one purchased; one received by gift; one obtained
by inheritance; one maintained during a general famine; one pledged by his rightful
owner.
 (12) One released from a heavy debt; one made captive in a fight; one won through a
wager, one who has come forward declaring ' I am thine' an apostate from asceticism; one
enslaved for a stipulated period.

(13) One who has become a slave in order to get a maintenance; one enslaved on
account of his connection with a female slave; and one self sold. These are fifteen classes
of slaves as declared in law.

(14) Among these the four named first cannot be released from bondage, except by the
favour of their owners. Their bondage is hereditary.

(15) The sages have declared that the state of dependence is common to all these; but
that their respective position and income depends on their particular caste and
occupation.

2 Those outside the Pale of Chaturvarna. Their origin and their duties.

This is what Manu has to say about their origin and their position.

(1) All those tribes in this world, which are excluded from (the community of) those
born from the mouth, the arms, the thighs, and the feet (of Brahman), are called Dasyus,
whether they speak the language of the Mlekkhas (barbarians) or that of the Aryans.

(2) Near well-known trees and burial ground, on mountains and in groves, let these
(tribes) dwell, known (by certain marks), and subsisting by their peculiar occupations.

(3) But the dwellings of the Chandalas and Shwapakas shall be outside the village, they
must be made apapatras and their wealth (shall be) dogs and donkeys.

(4) Their dress (shall be) the garments of the dead, (they shall eat) their food from
broken dishes, black iron (shall be) there ornaments, they must always wander from place
to place.

(5) A man who fulfils a religious duty, shall not seek intercourse with them; their
transactions (shall be) among themselves and their marriages with their equals.

(6) Their food shall be given to them by others (than an Aryan giver) in a broken dish;
at night they shall not walk about in villages and in towns.

(7) By day they must go about for the purpose of their work, distinguished by marks at
the King's command, and they shall carry out the corpses (of persons) who have no
relatives, that is a settled rule.
 (8) By the King's order they shall always execute the Criminals in accordance with the
law, and they shall take for themselves the clothes, the beds and the ornaments of (such)
criminals.

(9) He who has had connection with a woman of one of the lowest castes shall be put to
death.

(10) If one who (being a member of the Chandalas or some other low caste) must not be
touched, intentionally defiles by his touch one who (as a member of a twice born caste)
may be touched (by other twice born persons only) he shall be put to death.

I have already said, that to Manu, this division between those who are within the pale of
Chaturvama and those who are outside of it was a division which was real. It was so real
that Manu calls those who were outside the pale of Chaturvama by the name Bahayas
which means excluded i.e. excluded from or outside of the system of Chaturvama. It was
a division to which he attached far reaching consequences. This division was intended to
result in a difference of status and citizenship. It is true that all those who are within the
pale of Chaturvarna are not all on the same level. Within the Chaturvarna there are the
Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras and Slaves all unequal in status. Still they are
within the Chaturvarna. Those within the Chaturvarna have a status in the eye of the law
of Manu and a respect in the eye of the public. Those outside it have no respect in the eye
of that society. The difference is also one of citizenship. Those within the Chaturvarna
have rights to enjoy and remedies to enforce them. Those outside the Chaturvarna have
no rights and no remedies.

This difference between those who are within the Chaturvarna and those outside of it
have a kind of resemblance to the difference between civics i.e. citizens and preregenis or
hostis i.e. non-citizens in the early Roman Law. The early law of Rome was essentially
personal—not territorial. A man enjoyed the benefit of its institutions and of its
protection, not because he happened to be within Roman territory, but because he was a
citizen—one of those by whom and for whom its law was established. The story of the
early jus getium was that a man sojourning within the bounds of a foreign state was at the
mercy of the latter and its citizens; that he himself might be dealt with as a slave, all that
belonged to him appropriated by the first comer. For he was outside the pale of the law.
Under the jus civile the private rights which were peculiar to a Roman citizen were
summed up in three abstract terms, Conubium, Commercium and Actio. Conubium was
the capacity to enter into a marriage which would be productive of the palua potestas and
agnation which in their turn were the foundation of intestate succession, guardianship etc.
Commercium was the capacity for acquiring or alienating property. Actio was the
capacity to bring a suit in a Court of law for the vindication, protection, or enforcement of
a right either included in or flowing from connubium or commercium, or directly
conferred by statute. These three capacities were enjoyed only by the Roman Citizens. A
noncitizen was entitled to none of these rights.

Ill

The division between classes who are within the Chaturvarna and those who are
without it though real and fundamental is undoubtedly archaic in its terminology. The
system of Chaturvarna is no longer operative as law. It is therefore somewhat academic
to speak of classes being within Chaturvarna and without Chaturvarna. The question will
be asked, what are the modern counterparts of these ancient classes ? The question is
perfectly legitimate especially as I have to explain how the ancient law of Manu is
responsible for the present day lawlessness of the Hindus. Although I am using archaic
language, two things will show that my thesis is true. The first is that the ancient social
divisions of Manu are not without their counterpart in modern times.

The modern counterparts of those ancient divisions are Hindus and untouchables.
Those whom Manu included within the Chaturvarna correspond to the modern composite
class called Hindus. Those whom Manu called Bahayas (outside the Chaturvarna)
correspond to the present day untouchables of India. The dividing line between the four
classes—Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra—included within Chaturvarna have in
modern times become some what blurred and there has been some degree of
amalgamation between them. But the line which Manu drew between those within the
Chaturvarna from those outside the Chaturvarna is still clear and is not allowed to be
effaced or crossed.

That line is the line which at present separates the Hindus from the untouchables. The
first thing that is clear is that the ancient divisions have descended to modern times. The
only change is the change of names.

The second question is, has the law as laid down by Manu for the Bahayas any
counterpart in the present day social relationship between the Hindus and the
Untouchables ? To those who doubt I ask to take the following case into consideration.
The incident has occurred in the Ramnad District of the Madras Presidency.

In December 1930 the Kallar in Ramanad propounded eight prohibitions, the disregard
of which led to the use of violence by the Kallar against the untouchables whose huts
were fired, whose granaries and property were destroyed, and whose livestock was
looted. These eight prohibitions were as follows :—

" (i) that the Adi-Dravidas shall not wear ornament of gold and silver;
 (ii) that the males should not be allowed to wear their clothes below their knees or
above the hips;

(iii) that their males should not wear coats or shirts or baniyans; (iv) No Adi-Dravida
should be allowed to have his hair cropped. (v) that the Adi-Dravidas should not use
other than earthenware vessels in their homes;

(vi) their women shall not be allowed to cover the upper portion of their bodies by
clothes or ravukais or thavanies;

(vii) their women shall not be allowed to use flowers or saffron paste; and

(viii) the men shall not use umbrellas for protection against sun and rain nor should
they wear sandals ".

In June 1931, the eight prohibitions not having been satisfactorily observed by the
exterior castes in question, the Kallar met together and framed eleven prohibitions, which
went still further than the original eight, and an attempt to enforce these led to more
violence.

These eleven prohibitions were :—

"1. The Adi-Dravidas and Devendrakula Vellalar? should not wear clothes below their
knees.

2. The men and women of the above-said depressed classes should not wear gold
jewels.

3. The women should carry water only in mud pots and not in copper or brass vessels.
They should use straw only to carry the water pots and no clothes should be used for that
purpose.

4. Their children should not read and get themselves literate or Educated.

5. The children should be asked only to tend the cattle of the Mirasdars.

6. Their men and women should work as slaves of the Mirasdars, in their respective
Pannais.

7. They should not cultivate the land either on waram or lease from the Mirasdars.
 8. They must sell away their own lands to Mirasdars of the village at very cheap rates,
and if they don't do so, no water will be allowed to them to irrigate their lands. Even if
something is grown by the help of rain water, the crops should be robbed away, when
they are ripe for harvest.

9. They must work as coolies from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. under the Mirasdars and their wages
shall be for men RS. 0-4-0 per day and for women Rs. 0-2-0 per day.

10. The above said communities should not use Indian Music (melam etc.) in their
marriages and other celebrations.

11. They must stop their habit of going on a horse in procession before tying the Thali
thread in marriage and they must use their house doors as palanquins for the marriage
processions, and no vehicle should be used by them for any purpose". Compare these
prohibitions laid down by the Hindus of Ramnad with the prohibitions contained in the
texts of Manu quoted earlier in this chapter against the untouchables.

Is there any difference between the law laid down by Manu for the Bahayas and the
conditions imposed upon the untouchables by the Kallars in 1931 ? After this evidence,
who can doubt that the Hindu in doing what appears to be an Adharma to a non-Hindu is
merely asking the untouchables to follow the Dharma as prescribed by Manu.

Take another case. Those of the Balais of the Central India. The Balais are an
untouchable community. About the year 1927, the Balais started a compaign of social
improvement of their community and had made rules prescribing that the members of
their community should not do certain kinds of work which is degrading and should dress
in a certain manner. These rules did not in any way affect the interests of the Caste
Hindus. But the Caste Hindus took offence at this effort of the Balais to raise themselves
above the status prescribed by custom and they decided to deal a deadly blow to what
they regarded as the insolence of the Balais. The following is the report which appeared
in the papers of how the Caste Hindus dealt with the rebellious Balais.

Tyranny of Hindus
Rules for Balais

Mode of Life Laid Down

"Last May (1927) High Caste Hindus, viz, Kalotas, Rajputs and Brahmins, including
the patels and putwaris of villages Kanaria, Bicholee Hafsi, Mardana and of about 15
other villages in the Indore District, informed the Balais of their respective village that if
they wished to live among them, they must conform to the following rules:—

(1) Balais must not wear gold lace bordered pugrees; (2) they must not wear dhoties
with coloured or fancy borders; (3) they must convey intimation of the death of any
Hindu to relatives of the deceased—no matter how far away these relatives might be
living; (4) in all Hindu marriages, the Balais must play music before the processions, and
during the marriage; (5) the Balai women must not wear gold or silver ornaments; they
must not wear fancy gowns, or jackets; (6) Balai women must attend all cases of
confinement of Hindu women; (7) the Balais must render services without demanding
remuneration, and must accept whatever a Hindu is pleased to give; (8) if the Balais do
not agree to abide by these terms, they must clear out of the villages.

BALAIS REFUSE COMPLIANCE

"The Balais refused to comply; and the Hindu element proceeded against them. Balais
were not allowed to get water from the village wells, they were not allowed to let their
cattle graze. Balais were prohibited from passing through land owned by a Hindu; so that
if the field of a Balai was surrounded by fields owned by Hindus, the Balai could have no
access to his own field. The Hindus also led their cattle to graze down the fields of
Balais. The Balais submitted petitions to the Darbar against these persecutions; but as
they could get no timely relief, and the operation continued, hundreds of Balais, with
their wives and children, were obliged to abandon their homes in which their ancestors
lived for generations and migrate to adjoining States, viz., to villages in Dhar, Dewas,
Bhopal, Gwalior and other States.

COMPULSORY AGREEMENT
" Only a few days ago the Hindus of Reoti village, barely seven miles to north of Indore
City, ordered the Balais to sign a stamped agreement in accordance with the rules framed
against the Balais by the Hindus of other villages. The Balais refused to comply. It is
alleged that some of them were beaten by the Hindus; and one Balai was fastened to a
post, and was told that he would be let go on agreeing to sign the agreement. He signed
the agreement and was released. Some Balais from this village ran up to the Prime
Minister the next day, i.e. on the 20th December, and made a complaint about the ill
treatment they received from the Hindu villagers of Reoti. They were sent to the Subha of
the district. This officer, with the help of the police, made inquiries at the village, and
recommended that action be taken against the Hindus under section 342 and 147 and
against the Balais under section 147, Indian Penal Code.
 Balais leave villages
Caste Tyranny

Ignorance of law a handicap

" There has been no improvement in the treatment of the Balais by the Hindu residents
of certain villages. Balais, it has already been reported, have been ill treated by the higher
caste Hindus. From the Dopalpur Pargana alone, Indore District, a large number of Balais
have had to leave their homes and find shelter in adjoining States. The villages from
which Balais have been forced to clear out are Badoli, Ahirkharal, Piploda, Morkhers,
Pamalpur, Karoda, Chatwada, Newri, Pan, Sanauda, Ajnoti, Khatedi and Sanavada.
Pamalpur village has been altogether deserted and not a Balai man, woman or child is to
be found there. Nanda Balai a resident of one of the above villages, it is alleged, was
severely beaten by the Hindus of the village. In one village, the report goes, the Hindus
burnt down all the dwellings of the Balais but the offenders have not yet been traced.

" Balais are ignorant village folk, who are ignorant of legal procedure and think that if a
petition is sent to the Sirkar all that is required will be done for them. They have not the
knowledge; or the means and practices, to pursue a complaint to its end; and, as they, it is
said in some cases, failed to attend or produce witnesses in support of their allegations,
the magistrate had no alternative but to dismiss their complaint."

Looked at from the point of view of Dharma and Adharma, can it be doubted that
underneath the lawlessness and ruthlessness of the Hindus in suppressing the revolt of the
untouchables, they are actuated by what they think a noble purpose of preventing an
outrage upon their Dharma ?

IV
It may well be asked how much of this Dharma of Manu now remains? It must be
admitted that as law in the sense of rules which a Court of Judicature is bound to observe
in deciding disputes, the Dharma of Manu has ceased to have any operative force-except
in matters such as marriage succession etc. matters which affect only the individual. As
Law governing social conduct and civic rights it is inoperative. But if it has gone out as
law, it remains as custom.

Custom is no small a thing as compared to Law. It is true that law is enforced by the
state through its police power; custom, unless it is valid it is not. But in practice this
difference is of no consequence. Custom is enforced by people far more effectively than
law is by the state. This is because the compelling force of an organized people is far
greater than the compelling force of the state.

Not only has there been no detriment to its enforceability on account of its having
ceased to be law in the technical sense but there are circumstances which are sufficient to
prevent any loss of efficacy to this Dharma of Manu.

Of these circumstances the first is the force of custom. There exists in every social group
certain (habits) not only to acting, but of feeling and believing, of valuing, of approving
and disapproving which embody the mental habitudes of the group. Every new comer
whether he comes in the group by birth or adoption is introduced into this social medium.
In every group there goes on the process of persistently forcing these mental habitudes of
the group upon the attention of each new member of the group. Thereby the group carries
on the socialization of the individual of the shaping of the mental and practical habits of
the new comer. Being dependent upon the group he can no more repudiate the mental
habitudes of the group than he can the condition and regulation of his physical
environment. Indeed, so dependent the individual is on the group that he readily falls in
line and allows the current ways of esteeming and behaving prevailing in the community,
to become a standing habit of his own mind. This socializing process of the individual by
the group has been graphically described by Grote. He says—

" This aggregate of beliefs and predispositions to believe, ethical, Religious,

Aesthetical, and Social respecting what is true, or false, probable or improbable, just or
unjust, holy or unholy, honourable or base, respectable or contemptible, pure or impure,
beautiful or ugly, decent or indecent, obligatory to do, or obligatory to avoid, respecting
the status and relations of each individual in the society, respecting even the admissible
fashions of amusement and recreation—this is an established fact and condition of things,
the real origin of which for the most part unknown, but which each new member of the
group is born to and finds subsisting..... It becomes a part of each person's nature, a
standing habit of mind, or fixed set of mental tendencies, according to which particular
experience is interpreted and particular persons appreciated..... The community hate,
despise or deride any individual member who proclaims his dissent from their social
creed..... Their hatred manifests itself in different ways..... At the very best by exclusion
from that amount of forbearance, good will and estimation without which the life of an
individual becomes insupportable."

But what is it that helps to bring about this result ? Grote has himself answered this
question. His answer is that, this is due to— " Nomos (Law and Custom), King of all "
(which Herodotus cites from Pindar) exercises plenary power, spiritual and temporal,
over individual minds, moulding the emotions as well as the intellect, according to the
local type.... and reigning under the appearance of habitual, self suggested tendencies.
 What all this comes to is that, when in any community, the ways of acting, feeling,
believing, or valuing or of approving and disapproving have become crystallised into
customs and traditions, they do not need any sanction of law for their enforcement. The
amplitude of plenary powers which the group can always generate by mass action is
always ready to see that they are not broken.

The same thing applies to the Dharma laid down by Manu. This Dharma of Manu, by
reason of the governing force which it has had for centuries, has become an integral and
vital part of the customs and traditions of the Hindus. It has become ingrained and has
given colour to their life blood. As law it controlled the actions of the Hindus. Though
now a custom, it does not do less. It moulds the character and determines the outlook of
generation after generation.

The second thing which prevents the Dharma of Manu from fading away is that the law
does not prevent its propagation. This is a circumstance which does not seem to be
present to the minds of many people. It is said that one of the blessings of the British
Rule is that Manu Smriti has ceased to be the law of the land. That the Courts are not
required to enforce the provisions contained in Manu Smriti as rules of law is
undoubtedly a great blessing—which might not be sufficiently appreciated except by
those who were crushed beneath the weight of this " infamous " thing. It is as great a
blessing to the untouchables as the Reformation was to the peoples of Europe. At the
same time it must be remembered that the Reformation would not have been a permanent
gain if it had been followed by what is called the Protestant Revolution.

The essential features of the Protestant Revolution as I understand them are:

(1) That the state is supreme and the Church is subordinate to the state.

(2) The doctrine to be preached must be approved by the state.

(3) The clergy shall be servants of the state and shall be liable to punishment not only
for offences against the general law of the land but also liable for offences involving
moral turpitude and for preaching doctrines not approved of by the state. I am personally
a believer in the " Established Church ". It is a system which gives safety and security
against wrong and pernicious doctrines preached by any body and every body as
doctrines of religion. I know there are people who are opposed to the system of an
"Established Church ". But whether the system of an " Established Church " is good or
bad, the fact remains that there is no legal prohibition against the propagation of the
Dharma laid down by Manu. The courts do not recognize it as law. But the law does not
treat it as contrary to law. Indeed every village every day. When Pandits are preaching it
to parents and parents preach it to their children, how can Manu Smriti fade away ? Its
lessons are reinforced every day and no body is allowed to forget that untouchability is a
part of their Dharma.

This daily propagation of the Dharma of Manu has infected the minds of all men and
women young and old. Nay, it has even infected the minds of the judges. There is a case
reported from Calcutta. A certain Dome (untouchable) by name Nobin Dome was
prosecuted for theft of a goat. He was found to be not guilty. He filed a complaint for
defamation against the complaint. The magistrate dismissed the complaint on the ground
that as he was low caste man he had no reputation. The High Court had to intervene and
direct the Magistrate that he was wrong in his view and that under the Penal Code all
persons were equal. But the question remains, how did the Magistrate get the idea that an
untouchable had no reputation ? Surely from the teaching of the Manu
Smriti.

The Dharma of Manu had never been a mere past. It is as present as though it
were enacted today. It bids fair to continue to have its sway in the future. The only
question is whether its sway will be for a time or forever.

CHAPTER 5

UNDER THE PROVIDENCE OF MR. GANDHI

(1) His work through the Congress

1. A Strange Welcome.

II. The Great Repudiation.

III. A Charge Sheet.

IV. The Basis of the Charge Sheet.

V. The Tragedy of Gandhi.

VI. His Legacy to India and the Untouchables.

On the 28th December 1931, Mr. Gandhi returned to India from London where he had
gone as a delegate to attend the second Session of the Indian Round Table Conference. At
the Round Table Conference, Mr. Gandhi had been an utter, ignominious failure both as a
personality and as a politician. I know that my opinion will not be accepted by the
Hindus. But the unfortunate part is that my opinion in this respect coincides with the
opinion of Mr. Gandhi's best friend. I will cite the opinions of two. This is what Mr.
Ewer, who was closely associated with Mr. Gandhi during the Round Table Conference,
wrote about the role Mr. Gandhi played at the Round Table Conference in London.

"Gandhi in the St. James Palace has not fulfilled the unwise expectation of those who
saw him bestriding the Conference like a colossus ........... He was out of his elements."

***

" His first speech, with its sentimental appeal, its over-stressing of humility, its
reiteration of single-minded concern for the dumb suffering millions, was a failure. No
one questioned its sincerity. But somehow it rang false. It was the right thing, perhaps,
but it was in the wrong place. Nor were his later interventions on the whole more
successful. A rather querulous complaint that the British Government had not produced a
plan for the new Indian Constitution shocked some of Gandhi's colleagues, who had
hardly expected to see the representative of the National Congress appealing to British
Ministers for guidance and initiative. The protest against the pegging of the rupee to the
pound was astonishingly ineffective. The contributions to the discussions on franchise
and kindred matters were of little importance. Behind the scenes he was active enough in
the Hindu-Moslem negotiations, but here, too, results were intangible. Not for a moment
did Gandhi take the lead or materially influence the course of committee work. He sat
there, sometimes speaking, sometimes silent, while the work went on, much as it would
have gone on without him." *This is what Bolton has to say about Mr. Gandhi's
achievement at the Round Table Conference.

How did Mr. Gandhi fare as a statesman and a politician? At the close of the first
session of the Round Table Conference there were three questions which had not been
settled. The question of minorities, the question of the Federal structure and the question
of the status of India in the Empire, were the three outstanding problems, which were the
subject matter of controversy. Their solution demanded great statesmanship. Many said
that these questions were not settled because the wisdom and authority of the Congress
was not represented at the Round Table Conference. At the second session, Mr. Gandhi
came and made good the deficiency. Did Mr. Gandhi settle any of these unsettled
problems? I think it is not unfair to say that Mr. Gandhi created fresh disunity in the
Conference. He began the childish game of ridiculing every Indian delegate. He
questioned their honesty, he questioned their representative character. He taunted the
liberals as arm-chair politicians and as leaders without any followers. To the Muslims he
said that he represented the Muslim masses better than they did. He claimed that the
Depressed Class delegates did not represent the Depressed Classes and that he did. This
was the refrain which he repeated ad nauseum at the end of every speech. The non-
Congress delegates deserve the thanks of all honest people for their having tolerated this
nonsense and arrogance of Mr. Gandhi and collaborated with him to save him and to save
the country from his mistake. Apart from this discourtesy to fellow-delegates, did Mr.
Gandhi stand up for the cause he came to champion? He did not. His conduct of affairs
was ignominious. Instead of standing up and fighting he began to yield on issues on
which he ought never to have ceased fire. He yielded to the Princes and agreed that their
representatives in the Federal legislature should be nominated by them and not elected, as
demanded by their subjects. He yielded to the conservatives and consented to be content
with provincial autonomy and not to insist upon central responsibility for which many
lakhs of Indians went to gaol. The only people to whom he would not yield were the
minorities — the only party to whom he could have yielded with honour to himself and
advantage to the country.

Nothing has helped so much to shatter the prestige of Mr. Gandhi as going to the Round
Table Conference. The spectacle of Mr. Gandhi at the Round Table Conference must
have been painful to many of his friends. He was not fitted to play the role he undertook
to play. No country has ever sent a delegate to take part in the framing of the constitution
who was so completely unequipped in training and in study. Gandhi went to the Round
Table Conference with a song of the saint Narsi Mehta on his tongue. It would have been
better for him and better for his country if he had taken in his arm pit a volume on
comparative constitutional law. Devoid of any knowledge of the subject he was called
upon to deal with, he was quite powerless to destroy the proposals put forth by the British
or to meet them with his alternatives. No wonder Mr. Gandhi, taken out of the circle of
his devotees and placed among politicians, was at sea. At every turn he bungled and
finding that he could not even muddle through, he gave up the game and returned to
India.

How was Mr. Gandhi received when he landed on the Indian soil? It may sound strange
to outsiders and to those who are not the devotees of Mr. Gandhi but it is a fact that when
the S. S. Pilsner of the Lloyd Triestino entered the harbour of Bombay at 8 a.m. in the
morning of the 28th December 1931 there came to receive him an enthusiastic crowd of
men, women and children who had assembled at the Pier in tens of thousands to greet
him, to welcome him back and to have his Durshan. The following extracts from the
Times of India and the Evening News of Bombay will serve to give a vivid idea of the
grandeur of this reception.

"The Pilsner was escorted into the harbour by Desh Sevikas (women volunteers of the
Congress) in saffron coloured sarees who went out in launches some distance from the
pier.
 " The Congress Committee had asked the Bombay Flying Club to fly an Aeroplane or
two over the Pilsner and drop garlands as she came along side the pier, but the Flying
Club, sanely preferring to keep out of politics, refused to grant the Congress demand.

"The spacious Central Hall at Ballard Pier was decorated with festoons and Congress
flags and a large dais was put up at the centre with chairs placed on all sides for
representatives of various organisations, local and upcountry, who were given passes for
admission.

" Both the approaches to the reception hall from the wharf and from the city were lined
by Desh Sevikas waving national flags and the duty of guarding the dais and of
regulating and directing the assembly inside the hall was also entrusted to the women
volunteers.

"Mr. Gandhi reached the dais escorted by the Congress leaders and received an ovation.
Hardly had he stepped on the dais when he began to be flooded with telegraph messages
(presumably of welcome) which arrived one after another.

" Standing on the dais he was garlanded in turn by representatives of the public bodies
who had assembled and whose names were called out from a long printed list of which
copies were previously distributed.

"The proceedings inside the reception hall terminated with the garlanding.

" A procession was then formed in four, in place of the carriage which was intended to
be the conveyance for Mr. Gandhi. He was seated in a gaily decorated motor car, with
Mr. Vallabhbhai Patel to his left and Mr. Vitthalbhai Patel to his right and Mr. K. F.
Nariman, President of the Bombay Provincial Congress Committee, on the front seat.

" Preceded by a pilot car and followed by others containing the Congress Working
Committee members, the procession passed through the Ballard Pier Road, Hornby Road
and Kalbadevi which had been decorated by the citizens at the instance of the Congress
Committee and lined on either side by cheering crowds, five to ten deep till the party
reached "Mani Bhuvan, Gamdevi ". At no stage of this welcome did Mr. Gandhi open his
lips to acknowledge it. This man of vows was under his Sunday vow of silence which had
not run out till then and nor did he think that etiquette, good manners or respect for those
who had assembled required that he should terminate his vow earlier.

The official historian of the Congress describes' this reception given to Mr. Gandhi in
the following terms:
 " There were gathered in Bombay representatives of all parts and Provinces in India to
accord a fitting welcome to the Tribune of the people. Gandhi greeted the friends that
went on board the steamer to welcome him, patting many, thumping a few and pulling
the venerable Abbas Tyabji by his beard. There was a formal welcome in one of the Halls
of Customs House and then a procession in the streets of Bombay which kings might
envy in their own country".

On reading this account one is reminded of the Irish Sein Fein Delegates who in 1921,
just 10 years before, had gone to London at the invitation of Mr. Lloyd George for the
settlement of the Irish Home Rule question. As is well known the Irish Delegates secured
from the British Cabinet a treaty which was signed on the 8th December 1921. The
Treaty was subsequently submitted for approval to the Dail, the Parliament of the Sein
Fein Party which met from 14th December 1921 to 7th January 1922. On the 7th January
a division was taken. There were 64 votes for ratifying the treaty and 57 against. And
what was the reception given to the Irish delegates who secured this treaty? Arthur
Griffith — who was the head of the Irish Delegation and Michael Collins who was his
most prominent colleague, were both of them shot by the anti-treaty Sein Feiners, the
former on the 12th and the latter on the 22nd August 1922. The reason for sending them
to such cruel death was that the treaty which they signed did not secure the inclusion of
Ulster and a republic for Ireland. It is true the treaty did not grant this. But if it is
remembered that negotiations were opened on the express understanding on the part of
both sides that these two questions were outside the scope of negotiations it will be
granted that if the treaty did not include these it was no fault of the Irish Delegates. The
fury and ferocity of the anti treaty Sein Feiners against the Irish Delegates had no moral
foundation and the fate that befell Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins can by no stretch
of imagination be said to be one which they deserved.

Be that as it may, this welcome to Mr. Gandhi will be regarded as a very strange event.
Both went to win Swaraj, Griffith and Collins for Ireland, Gandhi for India, Griffith and
Collins succeeded, almost triumphed; Gandhi failed and returned with nothing but defeat
and humiliation. Yet Collins and Griffith were shot and Gandhi was given a reception
which kings could have envied!! What a glaring and a cruel contrast between the fate that
awaited Collins and Griffith and the reception arranged for Gandhi? Are the Indian
Patriots different from the Irish Patriots? Did the masses render this welcome out of blind
devotion or were they kept in darkness of the failure of Mr. Gandhi by a mercenary
Press? This is more than I can answer.

II

While this great welcome was being accorded to Mr. Gandhi the Untouchables of
Bombay had come to the Pier to repudiate
 Mr. Gandhi. Referring to this demonstration, the newspaper reports said:

"Just outside the gate of Ballard Pier, the scene was most exciting. On one side were
drawn up Depressed Class volunteers in uniform, weaving black flags to the
accompaniment of derisive shouts against Mr. Gandhi and laudatory cries in praise of
their leader, while on the other side Congress followers kept up a din of counter shouts."

This Untouchable demonstration included men and women. The demonstrators

numbered thousands, all waving Black Flags as a mark of repudiation of Mr. Gandhi.
They were a determined crowd and, despite intimidation by the superior forces of the
Congress assembled there to welcome Mr. Gandhi, were bent on showing that they
repudiated Mr. Gandhi. This led to a clash and blood was split. There were forty
casualties on each side.

For the first time Mr. Gandhi was made aware that there could be black flags even
against him. This must have come to him as a shock. When he was asked about it later in
the day, he said he was not angry, the Untouchables being the flesh of his flesh and bone
of his bone. This is of course the Mahatmaic way of concealing the truth. One would not
mind this convenient and conventional lie if there were behind it a realization that the
crowd could not always be trusted to be loyal to its hero. Congressmen in India sadly lack
the realism of a man like Cromwell. It is related that when Cromwell returned after a
great battle, an enormous crowd came out to greet him. A friend sought to impress upon
him the immensity of the crowd. But Cromwell dismissed the subject with the leconic
remark, " Oh yes, I know many more will come to see me hanged."!! No Congress leader
feels the realism of Cromwell. Either he believes that the day will never come when he
will be hanged or he believes that the Indian crowd will never become a thinking crowd.
That part of the Indian crowd does think was shown by the representatives of the
Untouchables who assembled on the 28th to greet Mr. Gandhi with black flags.

Why did the Untouchables repudiate Mr. Gandhi ? The answer to this question will be
found in a statement issued by the organizers of these demonstrations which was printed
and circulated on that day. The following are extracts from it. "Our Charge sheet against
Gandhiji and Congress" "Enough of patronising attitude and lip sympathy. We ask for
justice and fair play."

1. In spite of the fact that the removal of untouchability has been included in the
constructive programme of the Congress, practically nothing has so far been done by that
body to achieve that object, and in our fights against untouchability at Mahad and Nasik
most of the local Congress leaders have been our bitter opponents.
 2. The attitude of Gandhiji at the Round Table Conference in London with regard to the
demands of the Depressed Classes as put forward by their accredited and trusted leader
Dr. Ambedkar, was most unreasonable, obstinate and inexplicable.

3. Gandhiji was prepared to concede on behalf of the Congress the special claims of the
Mohamedans and the Sikhs including their demand for separate representation on
"historic grounds", but he was not willing even to concede reserved seats in general
electorates to the Depressed Classes, although he knew, or should have known, what sort
of treatment they would get, should they be thrown upon at the mercy on caste Hindus.
* * * * *

9. Gandhiji has said in opposing the claims of the Depressed Classes for separate
representation that he does not want the Hindu Community to be subjected to vivisection
or dissection. But the Congress is now dissecting the community of Untouchables by
playing one section against another. Gandhiji and the Congress are not playing the fair
game. Open enemies are far better than treacherous friends.

10. Attempts are being made to show that Gandhiji and the Congress alone represent
the Depressed Classes by presenting addresses through a handful of hirelings and dupes.
Is it not our duty to demonstrate the fact by coming out in thousands and proclaiming the
truth? This is our charge sheet against Gandhiji and the Congress.

Let those who are not blind hero worshippers and blind partisans judge and give their
verdict.

General Secretary, Depressed Classes Institute.

Is this charge sheet true? Mr. Gandhi is known to the world not merely as the Political
leader of India, but also as the Champion of the Untouchables. It is perhaps true that the
outside world takes more interest in Mr. Gandhi because he is the champion of the
Untouchables than because he is a political leader. For instance the Manchester Guardian
very recently devoted an editorial to the work of Mr. Gandhi for the Untouchables.

In the face of this, the charge appears to be quite unfounded. For, has not Mr. Gandhi
made the Congress pledge itself to remove untouchability? The Congress before it came
into the hands of Mr. Gandhi had refused to allow any social problem to be placed before
it for consideration. A clear cut distinction was made between political and social
question, and scrupulous attempt was made to confine the deliberations and activities of
the Congress to purely political questions. The old Congress refused to take notice of the
Untouchables. It was with great difficulty that the Congress in 1917 for the first time
allowed the question of the Untouchables to be placed before it and condescended to pass
the following resolution:

"The Congress urges upon the people of India the necessity, justice and righteousness
of removing all disabilities imposed by custom upon the Depressed Classes, the
disabilities being of a most vexatious and oppresssive character, subjecting those classes
to considerable hardship and inconvenience."

The Congress fell onto the hands of Mr. Gandhi in 1920 and the Congress at its
ordinary session held at Nagpur passed the following resolution:

INTERCOMMUNAL UNITY

" Finally, in order that the Khilafat and the Punjab wrongs may be redressed and
Swarajya established within one year, this Congress urges upon all public bodies,
whether affiliated to the Congress or otherwise, to devote their exclusive attention to the
promotion of non-violence and non-cooperation with the Government and, inasmuch as
the movement of non-cooperation can only succeed by complete co-operation amongst
the people themselves, this Congress calls upon public associations to advance Hindu-
Muslim unity and the Hindu delegates of this Congress call upon the leading Hindus to
settle all disputes between Brahmins and Non-Brahmins, wherever they may be existing,
and to make a special effort to rid Hinduism of the reproach of untouchability, and
respectfully urges the religious heads to help the growing desire to reform Hinduism in
the matter of its treatment of the suppressed classes. "

Again did not Mr. Gandhi make the removal of untouchability a condition precedent for
achieving Swaraj ?

In the Young India of December 29, 1920, Mr. Gandhi wrote:

"Non-cooperation against the Government means cooperation among the governed, and
if Hindus do not remove the sin of untouchability, there will be no Swaraj in one year or
one hundred years...."

Writing again on the conditions of Swaraj in the issue of Young India for February 23,
1921, he said:

"Swaraj is easy of attainment before October next if certain simple conditions can be
fulfilled. I ventured to mention one year in September last because I knew that the
conditions were incredibly simple and I felt that the atmosphere in the country was
responsive. The past five months experience has confirmed me in the opinion. I am
convinced that the country has never been so ready for establishing Swaraj as now. "

"But what is necessary for us as accurately as possible to know the conditions. One
supreme indispensible condition is the continuance of non-violence. "

"The next condition is...... establishing a Congress Agency in every village. "

"There are certain things that are applicable to all. The potent thing is Swadeshi. Every
home must have the spinning wheel and every village can organize.... and become self
supporting."

" Every man and woman can give some money—be it even a pice—to the Tilak
Swaraja Fund. And we need have no anxiety about financing the movement......"

"We can do nothing without Hindu-Moslem unity and without killing the snake of
untouchability..... "

" Have we honest, earnest, industrious, patriotic workers for this very simple
programme ? If we have, Swaraj will be established in India before next October."

What more did the Untouchables want ? Here is Mr. Gandhi who had held himself out
as the friend of the Untouchables. He prides himself on being their servant. He claims
and fought for being accepted as their representative. Why should the Untouchables show
such a lack of confidence in Mr. Gandhi ?

On the basis of words, the charge perhaps appears unfounded. But does it appear
equally unfounded if we have regard to deeds ? Let me examine Mr. Gandhi's deeds.

The work which is claimed by Mr. Gandhi and his friends to have been done by him
and the Congress for the Untouchables falls into two periods, the period which precedes
the Poona Pact and the period which follows the Poona Pact. The first period may be
called the period of the Bardoli Programme. The second period may be called the period
of the Harijan Sevak Sangh.

FIRST PERIOD

To begin with the Bardoli Programme period. The Bardoli Programme or what is called
the Constructive Programme of the Congress was the direct outcome of the new line of
action adopted by the Congress in securing the political demands of the country. At the
session of the Congress held at Nagpur in 1920 the Congress declared :
 "Whereas the people of India are now determined to establish Swaraj; and

"Whereas all methods adopted by the people of India prior to the last special session of
the Indian National Congress have failed to secure due recognition of their rights and
liberties;

"Now this Congress while reaffirming the resolution on nonviolent non-cooperation

passed at the Special Session of the Congress at Calcutta declares that the entire or any
part or parts of the scheme of non-violent non-cooperation, with the renunciation of
voluntary association with the present Government at one end and the refusal to pay taxes
at the other, should be put in force at a time to be determined by either the Indian
National Congress or the All India Congress Committee and in the meanwhile to prepare
the Country for it ",....

At the session of the Congress held at Ahmedabad in 1921 it was declared that:

"This Congress is further of opinion that Civil Disobedience is the only civilized and
effective substitute for an armed rebellion.... and therefore advises all Congress Workers
and others.... to organize individual civil disobedience and mass civil disobedience"..... It
is to give effect to this policy of non-cooperation and civil disobedience and to prepare
the people to take part in them that the Working Committee of the Congress met at
Bardoli in February 1922 and drew up the following programme of action.

"The Working Committee advises all Congress organisations to be engaged in the

following activities:

(1) To enlist at least one crore of members of the Congress.

(2) To popularise the spinning wheel and to organise the manufacture of hand-spun and
handwoven khaddar.

(3) To organise national schools.

(4) To organise the Depressed Classes for a better life, to improve their social, mental
and moral condition to induce them to send their children to national schools and to
provide for them the ordinary facilities which the other citizens enjoy.

Note: Whilst therefore where the prejudice against the Untouchables is still strong in
places, separate schools and separate wells must be maintained out of Congress funds,
every effort should be made to draw such children to national schools and to persuade the
people to allow the Untouchables to use the common wells.
 (5) To organise the temperance campaign amongst the people addicted to the drink
habit by house-to-house visits and to rely more upon appeal to the drinker in his home
than upon picketing.

(6) To organise village and town Panchayats for the private settlement of all disputes,
reliance being placed solely upon the force of public opinion and the truthfulness of
Panchayat decisions to ensure obedience to them.

(7) In order to promote and emphasize unity among all classes and races and mutual
goodwill, the establishment of which is the aim of the movement of non-cooperation, to
organise a social service department that will render help to all, irrespective of
differences, in times of illness or accident.

(8) To continue the Tilak Memorial Swaraj Fund collections and call upon every
Congressman or Congress sympathiser to pay at least a one-hundredth part of his annual
income for 1921. Every province to send every month twenty-five per cent of its income
from the Tilak Memorial Swaraj Fund to the All-India Congress Committee.

The above resolution shall be brought before the forthcoming session of the All-India
Congress Committee for revision if necessary. "

This programme was placed before the All-India Congress Committee at its meeting at
Delhi on 20th February 1922 and was confirmed by the same. The programme is a very
extensive programme and I am not concerned with what happened to the whole of it, how
it was received and how it was worked out. I am concerned with only one item and that
which relates to the Depressed Classes.

After it was confirmed by the All-India Congress Committee, the Working Committee
met at Lucknow in June 1922 and passed the following resolution:

"This Committee hereby appoints a committee consisting of Swami Shraddhanandji,

Mrs. Sarojini Naidu and Messrs. 1. K. Yajnik and G. B. Deshpande to formulate a
scheme embodying practical measures to be adopted for bettering the condition of the
so-called Untouchables throughout the country and to place it for consideration before the
next meeting of this Committee, the amount to be raised for the scheme to be Rs. 2 lacs
for the present. " This resolution was placed before the All-India Congress Committee at
its meeting in Lucknow in June 1922. It accepted the resolution with the amendent that
"the amount to be raised for the scheme should be 5 lacs for the present ", instead of 2
lacks as put forth in the resolution of the Working Committee. How did this programme
fare, what practical measures did the Committee suggest and how far were these
measures given effect to ? These questions one must ask in order to assess the work of
Mr. Gandhi and the Congress for the Untouchables.

It seems that before the resolution appointing the Committee was adopted by the
Working Committee, one of its Members Swami Shradhanand tendered his resignation of
the membership of the Committee. For one finds that at the very sitting at which the
Working Committee passed this resolution, another resolution to the following effect was
passed by the Working Committee:

"Read letter from Swami Shradhanandji, dated 8th June 1922 for an advance for
drawing up a scheme for depressed classes work. Resolved that Mr. Gangadharrao B.
Deshpande be appointed convener of the sub-committee appointed for the purpose and he
be requested to convene a meeting at an early date, and that Swami Shradhanand's letter
be referred to the sub-committee. " The Working Committee met again in July 1922 in
Bombay and passed the following Resolution:

"That the General Secretary be asked to request Swami Shradhanand to reconsider his
resignation and withdraw it and a sum of Rs. 500/- be remitted to the Convener, Shri G.
B. Deshpende, for the contingent expenses of the Depressed Classes Sub-Committee."
The year 1922 thus passed away without anything being done to further that item of the
Bardoli Programme which related to the Depressed Classes. The year 1923 came on. The
Working Committee met at Gaya in January 1923 and passed the following resolution:

"With reference to Swami Shraddhanand's resignation, resolved that the remaining

members of the Depressed Classes Subcommittee do form the Committee and Mr. Yajnik
be the convener. "

The All-India Congress Committee met in Feb. 1923 at Bombay and seeing that
nothing was done as yet, recorded the following resolution :

"Resolved that the question of the condition of the Untouchables be referred to the
Working Committee for necessary action. "

What did the Working Committee do then? It met at Poona on the 17th April 1923 and
resolved as follows:

"Resolved that while some improvement has been effected in the treatment of
the so-called Untouchables in response to the policy of the Congress this Committee is
conscious that much work remains yet to be done in this respect and inasmuchas this
question of untouchability concerns the Hindu community particularly, it requests the
All-India Hindu Mahasabha also to take up this matter and to make strenuous efforts to
remove this evil from amidst the Hindu community. "

Thus came to an end the Constructive Programme undertaken by Mr. Gandhi and the
Congress for the Untouchables. The Bardoli programme for the Untouchables was in no
sense a revolutionary programme. It did attempt to abolish untouchability. It does not
attempt to break up caste. There is no mention of intermarriage or interdinning. It accepts
the principle of separate wells and separate schools for Untouchables. It was purely an
ameliorative programme. And yet such a harmless programme the Congress failed to
carry through.

It must further be remembered that this was a time when the Congress was on the war
path. It was determined to fight British Imperialism and was most anxious to draw every
community towards itself and make all disaffected towards the British. This was the time
when the Congress could have been expected to show to the Untouchables that the
Congress stood for them and was prepared to serve them in the same way that it was
prepared to serve the Musalmans. There could be no more propitious circumstance which
could make the Hindus overcome their antipaty towards the Untouchables and undertake
to serve. But even such propitious circumstance did not prove sufficient to energize
Congressmen to do this small bit for the Untouchables. How hard must be the anti-social
feelings of the Hindus against the Untouchables that even the highest bliss and the
greatest stimulant, namely the prospect of winning Swaraj, were not sufficient to dissolve
that spirit. The tragedy and the shamelessness of this failure by the Congress to carry
through their programme for the Untouchables is aggravated by the way in which the
matter was disposed of.

The work of the amelioration of the Untouchables could not have been left in worse
hands. If there is any body which is quite unfit for addressing itself to the problem of the
Untouchables, it is the Hindu Mahasabha. It is a militant Hindu organization. Its aim and
object is to conserve in every way everything that is Hindu, religious and culture. It is not
a social reform association. It is a purely political organization whose main object and
aim is to combat the influence of the Muslims in Indian politics. Just to preserve its
political strength it wants to maintain its social solidarity and its way to maintain social
solidarity is not to talk about caste or untouchability. How such a body could have been
selected by the Congress for carrying on the work of the Untouchables passes my
comprehension. This shows that the Congress wanted somehow to get rid of an
inconvenient problem and wash its hands of it. The Hindu Mahasabha, of course, did not
come forth to undertake the work and the Congress had merely passed a pious resolution
recommending the work to them without making any promise for financial provision. So
the project came to an inglorious and ignominious end. Yet there will not be wanting
thousands of Congressmen who would not be ashamed to boast that the Congress has
been fighting for the cause of the Untouchables and what is worse is that there will not be
wanting hundreds of foreigners who are ready to believe it under the false propaganda
carried on by men like Charles F. Andrews, who is the friend of Mr. Gandhi and who
thinks that to popularize Gandhi in the Western World is his real mission in life.'

It is not enough to know that the effort failed and had to be wound up. It is necessary to
inquire why Swami Shradhanand resigned and refused to serve on the proposed
Committee. There must be some good reason for it. For the Swami was the most
enlightened Arya Samajist and very conscientiously believed in the removal of
untouchability. On this point, the correspondence that passed between the Swami and the
General Secretary to the All India Congress Committee throws a flood of light on the
mentality of the Congressmen and I make no apology for reproducing below the whole of
it.

SWAMIJI'S LETTER

The General Secretary, All-India Congress Committee, Camp Delhi.

I acknowledge, with thanks, receipt of your letters No. 331 and 332 embodying
resolutions of the working committee and of the A.I.C.C. about untouchability. I observe
with pain, that the resolution of the A.I.C.C. as at present worded, does not include the
whole of what was passed by the committee.

The facts are these. I sent the following letter to Mr. Vithalbhai Patel, the then General
Secretary on 23rd May 1922, which was also published by the principal dailies of the
country.

" My dear Mr. Patel, there was a time (vide Young India of 25th May, 1921) when
Mahatmaji put the question of untouchability in the forefront of the Congress
Programme. I find now that the question of raising the Depressed Classes has been
relegated to an obscure corner. While Khadi claims the attention of some of our best
workers and liberal sum has been earmarked for it, for the year, while a strong sub-
committee has been appointed to look after national education and a special appeal for
funds is to be made for the same, the question of the removal of untouchability has been
shelved by making small grants to Ahmedabad, Ahmednagar and Madras. I am of
opinion that with a majority of 6 crores of our brethren set against us by the beauracracy
even the Khadi Scheme cannot succeed completely. The Members of the Working
Committee, perhaps, do not know that on this side our suppressed brethren are leaving off
Khadi and taking to buying cheap foreign cloth. I want to move the following resolution
in the meeting of the A.I.C.C. which comes off on the 7th of June next at Lucknow.
 "That a Sub-committee, consisting of three members of the A.I.C.C., be appointed to
give effect to the resolution about the so-called Depressed Classes, that a sum of five
Lakhs of rupees be placed at their disposal for propaganda work and that in future all
applications for grants be referred to the said Sub-committee for disposal."

My proposal was amended by the Working Committee and ran as follows:

"This Committee hereby appoints a committee consisting of Swami Shradhanand, Mrs.

Sarojini Naidu and Messrs. G. B. Deshpande and 1. K. Yajnik to formulate a scheme
embodying practical measures to be adopted for bettering the condition of the so-called
Untouchables throughout the country and to place it for consideration before the next
meeting of the Working Committee, the amount to be raised for the scheme to be Rs. 2
lakhs for the present. "

Mr. Patel asked me to accept the Working Committee's proposed resolution in toto. I
refused to accept the Working Committee's resolution and in the very first sitting of the
All India Congress Committee substituted 5 lakhs for 2 lakhs with the condition that one
lakh of the same be allotted by the A.I.C.C., out of the funds in its hands, in cash and an
appeal be made for the balance.

Mr. Rajagopalachariar, on behalf of the Working Committee proposed that instead of

fixing the amount to be allotted out of the

Congress funds now, it should be provided that when the Scheme was accepted by the
Working Committee, that Committee should allot as much cash as it could then spare for
this purpose. I do not recollect the exact words but the support of the amendment as given
above is, to my knowledge, true.

On this an uproar arose and the query was pressed from all sides that the cash balance
in the hands of the A.I.C.C. ought to be announced. The President called me aside and
told me in confidence that the Congress possessed very little cash balance and if pressed
to disclose the true state of affairs, it would harm the movement as outsiders and even
C.I.D. people were also present. On this I accepted the amendment of Mr.
Rajgopalchariar in spite of protests from my seconder and supporters. But my
surprise was great when I found the resolution in the dailies, as reported by the associated
press, shorn of Mr. Rajagopalchariar's amendment.

After the above resolution was passed, some members suggested that a convener of the
Sub-committee ought to be appointed, serveral members proposed me as the convener.
On this Mr. Vithalbhai Patel (the then General Secretary) got up and said, "As Swami
Shradhanand’s name occurs first, naturally he will be the convener and therefore there
was no need of moving any fresh resolution at all. "

Members from all parts of the country began to give information to me about
untouchability in their provinces and pressed me to visit their parts. On this I made some
promises. Then, I thought, that without some cash for preliminary expenses no enquiries,
on the spot could be made and hence no proper scheme formulated. I also learnt that Rs.
25,000/- had been voted by the Working Committee for "the Independent " of Allahabad
and that an application for grant of Rs. 10,000/- to the Urdu daily "Congress" of Delhi
had been placed by Hakim Ajmal Khan and Dr. Ansari before the Working Committee.
So, considering, that after all, the Congress might not be so hard pressed for cash, I wrote
a letter addressed to the President asking him to give the Untouchability Sub-Committee
an advance of Rs. 10,000/- for preliminary expenses.

After all this, the following resolution of the Working Committee forwarded by your
letter No. 331 is very interesting reading:

"Read letter from Swami Shradhanand dated 8th June 1922 for an advance for drawing
up a scheme for Depressed Class work— Resolved that Mr. Gangadharrao B. Deshpande
be appointed convener of the Sub-committee appointed for the purpose and he be
requested to convene a meeting at an early date, and that Swami Shradhanand's letter be
referred to the Sub-committee. "

There is another matter which is inexplicible. After my first letter had been
acknowledged I addressed the following letter from Hardwar on 3rd June 1922 :

"My dear Mr. Patel, I shall leave Hardwar the day after tomorrow and reach Lucknow
on the morning of June 6th. You know, by now, that I feel the most for the so-called
Depressed Classes. Even in the Punjab I find that no attention worth the name has been
paid to this item of the constructive programme. In the U.P. of course it will be an uphill
work. But there is another very serious difficulty.

The Bardoli programme, in its note under item 4, lays down that where prejudice is still
strong, separate wells and separate schools must be maintained out of the Congress funds.
This leaves a loophole for those Congress workers who are either prejudiced against the
Depressed Classes or are weak, and no work can be done in inducing people to agree to
allow the Untouchables to draw water from common wells. In the Bijnoor District, I
learn, there was no restriction and the Untouchables drew water freely from common
wells. But in some places fresh prejudice is being engendered under the aegis of the
Bardoli resolution note. In my recent visits to Ambala Cantt., Ludhiana, Batala, Lahore,
Arnritsar and Jandiala, I found that the question of the removal of disabilities of the
Untouchables is being ignored. In and near Delhi it is the Dalitodhar Sabha, of which I
am the President, rather than the Congress which is doing appreciable work. I think that
unless item (4) of the Bardoli constructive programme is amended in proper form, the
work, which I consider to be the most important plank in the Congress programme, will
suffer.

Kindly place the following proposal before the President and if he allows it to be placed
before the next meeting of the A.I.C.C. I shall move it there—"Instead of the Note under
item (4) of the Bardoli resolution, substitute the following Note : "The following
demands of the Depressed Classes ought to be complied with at once namely that (a) they
are allowed to sit on the same carpet with citizens of other classes, (b) they get the right
to draw water from common wells and (c) their children get admission into National
schools and Colleges and are allowed to mix freely with students drawn from the so-
called higher castes. I want to impress upon the members of the A.I.C.C. the great
importance of this item. I know of cases where the Depressed Classes are in open revolt
against tyranny of the so-called upper castes and unless the above demands are conceded
to them they will succumb to the machinations of the bureaucracy." After my first
proposals were passed in the A.I.C.C. Meeting on June 7th at Lucknow, I asked Mr. Patel
to put my proposed amendment of Note to item (4) of Bardoli resolution before the
meeting. He told me that the Working Committee would refer it to the Sub-committee
and asked me not to press it there. I agreed. But I have not received copy of any
resolution of the Working Committee referring my proposal to the Untouchability Sub-
committee.

The untouchability question is very acute in and near Delhi and I have to grapple with it
at once. But the Sub-committee cannot begin work off-hand because the Working
Committee has to take several other political situations in the country into consideration
before deciding upon any scheme of practical measures to be adopted for uprooting
untouchability on behalf of the Congress. Under these circumstances I cannot be of any
use to the Sub-committee and beg to resign from membership.

Yours sincerely, Delhi, Jan. 30.

Shradhanand Sanyasi.

SECRETARY'S REPLY

Dear Swamiji,

Your letter dated June 1922 received in my office on the 30th of that month has, by a
resolution of the Working Committee passed in Bombay on the 18th instant, been
referred to me with instructions to explain facts and request you to be good enough to
reconsider your resignation from the Depressed Classes Sub-Committee.

As you are aware, I have no personal knowledge of the facts which happened prior to
my release from the jail. But I was present at the meeting of the Working Committee
which passed the resolution dated 10th June 1922 appointing Mr. Deshpande as the
Convenor of the Sub-committee. It was not then mentioned that there was any
understanding about any particular member acting as the Convenor of the Sub-committee
and the whole resolution was passed merely to complete the necessary formalities in
regard to the payment of money. It was felt that a formal resolution of the Sub-committee
was necessary before any expenditure could be sanctioned. Mr. Deshpande was
accordingly appointed as the convenor and a sum of Rs. 500/- was voted for the expenses
of these preliminary steps. By an oversight the resolution as drafted omitted to mention
the sanction of Rs. 500/-You will thus observe that it was not due to the unwillingness of
Working Committee to sanction Rs. 10,000/- for untouchability, but the true reason for
framing the resolution in the manner it was framed was what I have explained above.
Nothing could be farther from the intention of the Working Committee than a desire to
understand the importance of the work your Sub-committee was called upon to do or in
any way to ignore the valuable advice tendered by you. On your letter being placed
before the last meeting of the Working Committee the omission of the grant of Rs. 500/-
was supplied, and I was instructed to communicate with you on the subject. It will be a
great pity if the Sub-committee is deprived of the benefit of your experience and special
knowledge of the whole question of untouchability and I will ask you therefore in the
public interest to reconsider your decision and wire to my office at Allahabad
withdrawing your resignation from the Sub-Committee. I need hardly add that any
resolutions arrived at by your Sub-Committee will receive all the consideration they
deserve at the hands of the Working Committee.

As to the alteration in the Working Committee's resolution in regard to separate wells

and schools, the best course would be for your Subcommittee to recommend the change
and for the Working Committee to adopt it.

I am afraid you are under a misapprehension as regards the grant to ' The Independent ',
of Allahabad, and " The Congress " of Delhi. In reference to the former, all that has been
done is to sanction the application of the U. P. Provincial Committee to advance as a loan
to the " nationalist journals" Ltd., Rs. 25,000 from the funds already granted to that
committee and in reference to the latter, the application for a grant of a loan was wholly
rejected.

Yours sincerely,
 Motilal Nehru. Bombay, July 23, 1922.

General Secretary.

SWAMIJI'S REJOINDER

Dear Pandit Motilaiji,

I received your letter of 23rd July 1922 addressed from Bombay on my resignation
from the Untouchability Sub-Committee. I am sorry I am unable to reconsider it because
some of the facts brought out by me in my first letter have simply been ignored.

(1) Kindly enquire of Mr. Rajagopalchariar whether I did not first propose that at least
one lakh should be given in cash out of the funds in the hands of the A.I.C.C., whether he
did not move an amendment substituting words for the above which purported to promise
that when the plan of work formulated by the Sub-Committee was accepted by the
Working Committee, that Committee would allot as much money for the untouchability
department as it could then spare and whether I did not accept his amendment when the
President called me aside and explained the exact financial position at the time. If this is
the fact then why did the amendment not appear with the resolution?

(2) Did you enquire of Mr. Vithalbhai J. Patel whether the members of the A.I.C.C. did
not propose me as the convenor of the Subcommittee and whether he did not then say —
"As Swami Shradhanand's name occurs first, naturally he will be the convenor and
therefore there was no need of moving any fresh resolution at all " I enquired about this
from Dr. Ansari and he wrote back to me on June 17th, 1922 saying that I was appointed
convenor. Dr. Ansari is with you and you can verify it from him. I hope Mr. Patel has not
forgotten all about it.

(3) Then the immediate work among the Untouchables here is very urgent and I can not
delay it for any reason whatever. Kindly have my resignation accepted in the next
meeting of the Working Committee, so that I may be free to work out my own plan about
the removal of untouchability. This was my position at the end of July last. My
experience in the Amritsar and Mianwali jails and the information I gathered there, have
confirmed me in the belief that unless sexual purity (Brahmacharya) is revived on the
ancient Aryan lines and the curse of untouchability is blotted out of the Indian society, no
efforts of the Congress nor of other patriotic organisations out of the Congress will avail
in their efforts for the attainment of Swaraj. And as national self realization and virile
existence is impossible without Swaraj, I, as a Sanyasi, should devote the rest of my life
to this sacred cause—the cause of sexual purity and true national unity.
 Delhi. July 23. 1922.

Shradhananda Sanyasi.

This shows what heart Congressmen had in the uplift work of the Untouchables.

So much for what Congressmen volunteered to do. How much did Congressmen or Mr.
Gandhi help the Untouchables who were working independently for the uplift of their
own people. This was the period when the Untouchables themselves were on the warpath.
They too were engaged in offering civil disobedience against the Hindus for the purpose
of acquiring their civic and social rights. This was the period during which the
Untouchables of Bombay Presidency had launched their Satyagraha at Mahad for
establishing their right to take waterfrom the public tank and at Nasik for establishing
their right to enter a Hindu temple. How did Mr. Gandhi look upon this Satyagraha
movement started by the Untouchables against the caste Hindus? The attitude of Mr.
Gandhi to say the least was extremely queer.

In the first place Mr. Gandhi condemned this Satyagraha by the Untouchables against
the caste Hindus. He would not support it. In this controversy the Untouchables were
perfectly logical. They argued that if Civil Disobedience was the weapon which,
according to Mr. Gandhi, the Hindus could legitimately use against the British for
securing their freedom, why were the Untouchables not justified in using the same wapon
gainst the caste Hindus for securing their emancipation. However good this logic Mr.
Gandhi would have none of it. He tried to meet their logic by his logic. He argued that
Untouchability was the sin of the Hindus. It is the Hindus who must therefore do
penance. It is they who must offer Satyagraha for the removal of untouchability.
Satyagraha was not the business of the Untouchables because they were not sinners, far
from being sinners they were sinned against. This was of course not Aristotalian logic. It
is a Mahatmian logic which is another name for casuistry. But it was apparent that this
Mahatmian logic was simply nonsense. The Untouchables replied that if that was the
view of Mr. Gandhi — namely that Satyagraha is penance which is for the sinner to
offer-then why should he call upon the Hindus to offer Satyagraha against the British.
British Imperialism was the sin of the British and therefore according to his logic the
Satyagraha must be offered by the British and not by the caste Hindus. The Untouchables
had destroyed his logic. It was clear that there was either a fallacy or insincerity in this
attitude of Mr. Gandhi to Satyagraha by the Untouchables against caste Hindus. But the
Untouchables could not dislodge Mr. Gandhi from the position of hostility which he had
adopted.

There is another incosistency in the attitude which Mr. Gandhi showed towards the
Satyagraha by the Untouchables against Caste Hindus at Mahad and Nasik and the
attitude he showed against similar Satyagraha by the Untouchables at Vaikom. Mr.
Gandhi was in favour of the Satyagraha at Vaikorn. He blessed it and encouraged it. Why
then was Mr. Gandhi opposed to the Satyagraha at Mahad and Nasik? Was there any
difference between the two ? Yes, there was. The Vaikorn Satyagraha was carried on by
the Untouchables under the auspices of the Congress. The other two were launched by
the Untouchables independently of the Congress. Had the opposition of Mr. Gandhi
something to do with this difference? As Mr. Gandhi has given no answer I must leave
the reader to make the best guess.

Perhaps Mr. Gandhi was not prepared to protect the lambs who would not accept him
as their shepherd. When Mr. Gandhi refused to give his blessings to the Satyagraha by
the Untouchables it was a foregone conclusion that no Congressmen would or could
come and help the Untouchables in their struggle against the orthodox Hindus. Indeed
this attitude of Mr. Gandhi enabled Congress Hindus to join the orthodox Hindus—they
are kith and kin and the line that divides the two is very thin—and batter the heads of the
Untouchables with a clear conscience. This was not the only mischief Mr. Gandhi did by
his most illogical if not perverse attitude. He came out openly against all non-Hindus and
prohibited them from helping the Untouchables in their Satyagraha struggle against the
caste Hindus: He was not only against Mahomedans, Christians, Parsis and Jews
rendering any help, but he went to the length of objecting to the Sikhs—who are no more
than militant and protestant Hindus—coming to help the Untouchables. Here again his
argument was queer. Untouchability is the sin of the caste Hindus. It is they who must do
penance. Help to the Untouchables being a penance and penance being the obligation of
the sinner, only the sinner could offer Satyagraha and help it. The Mahomedans,
Christians, Parsis, Jews and Sikhs were not sinners in the matter of untouchability and
therefore they could not help the Satyagraha for the removal of untouchability. Mr.
Gandhi of course would not see it from the point of view of the Untouchables. He would
not see that what was sin for the caste Hindus was slavery for the Untouchables. If the
sinner was bound to do penance, the slave was entitled to break his bonds and every
person who believed in freedom, no matter what his caste or his creed, was bound to help
and free to join in the struggle. This is exactly the point of view which Mr. Gandhi had
adopted with regard to the Khilafat question. The Musalman wanted Khilafat and the
territorial integrity of Turkey. The demand for territorial integrity of Turkey was a most
impossible demand because it involved the subjugation of the Arabs by the Turks. Still
the Musalmans insisted upon it and Mr. Gandhi brought round the whole of the Congress
and the Hindus to support this impossible and impious demand of the Musalmans. Mr.
Gandhi then argued that if the Musalmans think it their religious duty to fight for the
territorial integrity of Turkey, then it was the obligation of the Hindus to help the
Muslims to fulfil their duty.
 The benefit of this logic Mr. Gandhi was not prepared to extend to the Untouchables.
He was firm. Non-Hindus may help Hindus. Hindus may help non-Hindus. But none
should help the Untouchables.1 Friends of Mr. Gandhi were anxious to soften the rigour
of his logic by pointing out that a distinction was necessary to be made on the basis of the
nature of the disabilities of the Untouchables. They argued that certain disabilities of the
Untouchables were civic, certain were religious and that so far as the civic disabilities
were concerned even non-Hindus should be allowed to help the Untouchables to carry on
the Satyagraha. Even to this Mr. Gandhi was not prepared to listen. His interdict was
applicable to all cases and there was no distinction possible. With this interdict on outside
help Mr. Gandhi— the " friend of the Untouchables "—completely cut off the supplies of
the Untouchables and left them without any sinews of war.

So far I have explained how the Congress without any qualm of conscience abandoned
the idea of uplifting the Untouchables. It did not even undertake it. Secondly I have
explained how Mr. Gandhi failed to support the Untouchables in their Satyagraha against
the caste Hindus but by his queer logic found justification for not helping them and for
preventing help reaching them. There now remains to record the third and the last event
which belongs to this period. Though last in point of time it is undoubtedly the first in
point of importance. That incident is the touchstone by which Mr. Gandhi's claim as a
friend of the Untouchables must stand or fall.

The incident relates to the demand made by the Representatives of the Depressed
Classes at the Indian Round Table Conference for political safeguards being embodied in
the new Constitution and the attitude of Mr. Gandhi to these demands. The most
important of these demands related to representation of the Depressed Classes in the
Legislatures. The demand submitted by the representatives of the Depressed Classes was
in the following terms—

Adequate Representation in the Legislatures.

The Depressed Classes must be given sufficient political power to influence legislative
and executive action for the purpose of securing their welfare. In view of this they
demand that provisions shall be made in the electoral law to give them:

(1) Right to adequate representation in the Legislatures of the

Country, Provincial and Central.

(2) Right to elect their own men as their representatives, (a) by adult suffrage and
 (b) by separate electorates for the first ten years and thereafter by joint electorates and
reserved seats, it being understood that joint electorates shall not be forced upon the
Depressed Classes against their will unless such joint electorates are accompanied by
adult suffrage."

It is this particular demand by the Depressed Classes which raised such a storm and
which became so serious an issue that the solution of it almost shook the foundation of
Indian politics and of Hindu Society.

This demand of the Depressed Classes was founded on the recommendation of the
Simon Commission. After a careful survey of the problem of the Depressed Classes, the
Simon Commission had reported to the following effect regarding their place under the
new Constitution:

" It is clear that even with a considerable lowering of the franchize . .. .. there would be
no hope of the Depressed Classes getting their own representatives elected in general
constituencies without special provision being made to secure it . .... Ultimately we
should hope to see them maintaining their ground in joint electorates without special
protection. . .... They will make no headway, however, in this direction as long as they are
represented solely by nomination, for nomination provides no opportunities for training
them in politics. There are, even with the present restricted franchise, a sufficient number
of Depressed Class voters to make methods of election possible.....

Our object, therefore, is to make a beginning which will bring the Depressed Classes
within the circle of elected representation. How is this to be done? Most of the Depressed
Class associations which appeared before us favoured separate electorates, with seats
allocated on the basis of population. . ... separate electorates would no doubt be the safest
method of securing the return of an adequate number of persons who enjoy the
confidence of the Depressed Classes; but we are averse from stereotyping the difference
between the Depressed Classes and the remainder of the Hindus by such a step, which we
consider would introduce a new and serious bar to their ultimate political amalgamation
with others.....

Our proposal, therefore, is that in all the eight Provinces there should be some
reservation of seats for the Depressed Classes. .. . The result of our Scheme would be that
spokesmen of the Depressed Classes would be returned as elected members in each of the
Provinces. . . . . As to the number of seats to be reserved, this should obviously bear some
proportion to the total number of the Depressed Classes in the province. . . .. We propose
that. . . . . the proportion of the number of such reserved seats to the total seats in all the
Indian General constituencies should be three quarters of the proportion of the Depressed
Classes population to the total population of the electoral area of the province."..... As a
matter of fact there was nothing new in this demand of the Depressed Classes for separate
political representation for themselves by themselves and through themselves and the
Simon Commission in conceding it cannot be said to have made a new departure. This
demand was put forth in 1919.

At the time when the reforms which subsequently became embodied in the Act of 1919
were being discussed, the authors of the Montague Cheirnsford Report clearly
recognized the problem of the Untouchables and the authors pledged themselves to make
the best arrangement for their representation in the Legislatures. But the Committee that
was appointed under the Chairmanship of Lord Southborough to devise the franchise and
the electoral system ignored them altogether. The Government of India did not approve
of this attitude and made the following comments:

"They (Untouchables) are one-fifth of the total population and have not been
represented at all in the Morley-Minto Councils. The Committee's report mentions the
Untouchables twice, but only to explain that in the absence of satisfactory electorates
they have been provided for by nomination. It does not discuss the position of these
people, or their capacity for looking after themselves. Nor does it explain the amount of
nomination which it suggests for them. . . .. The measure of representation which they
propose. .... suggested that one-fifth of the entire population of British India should be
allotted seven seats out of practically eight hundred. It is true that in all the Councils there
will be, roughly speaking, a one-sixth proportion of officials who may be expected to
bear in mind their interests: but that arrangement is not, in our opinion, what the Report
on reforms aims at. The authors stated that the Untouchables also should learn the lesson
of self-protection. It is surely fanciful to hope that this result can be expected from
including a single member of the community in an assembly where there are sixty or
seventy caste Hindus. To make good the principles of the Report we must treat the
outcastes more generously."

The Government recommended that the seats allotted to the Untouchables by the
Committee should be doubled. Accordingly in place of seven, they were given fourteen
seats.

Again in 1923, the Secretary of State appointed a Committee which is known as the
Muddiman Committee. The principal object of the Committee was to find out how far the
constitution established by the Act of 1919 could be expanded by alterations in the Rules
and without altering the Act. The Committee made certain recommendations and pointed
out the necessity of increasing the representation of the Depressed Classes in the
Legislatures. This recommendation was accepted by the Secretary of State who increased
the number of seats.
 Thus the right of the Depressed Classes to special representation in the Legislature had
become a principle which was not only accepted but adopted in the Constitution. So well
was this principle recognized that it had been extended even to District Local Boards,
School Boards and Municipalities.

A claim which had been given legal recognition in 1919 and which had thereby become
a right and which had become perfected by user the representatives of the Depressed
Classes felt could not be disputed by any body. There was no reason to fear that the
Congress would come forward seriously to dispute this right of the Depressed Classes.
Because although the Nehru Committee in 1929 in the Swaraj Constitution which it was
asked to frame had denied this right to the Depressed Classes, the report of that
Committee was not binding on the Congress. The Congress was bound by nothing except
its own resolution which was passed in 1920, at its Nagpur Session to allay the fears of
the Sikhs, and which had declared its policy to treat all minorities alike in the matter of
representation in the Legislature

The representatives of the Depressed Classes were therefore justified in hoping that
their demand would go through without any difficulty whatsoever from any quarters.

At the first Round Table Conference things went very smoothly. There was no trouble
of any kind and although there was no agreement on the minorities question, the right of
the Depressed Classes to special representation was accepted by all sections that were
represented at the Round Table Conference. The conclusions reached by the Minorities
Sub-Committee were embodied in its report which was presented to the General
Conference. The following are the extracts from that report:

" There was general agreement with the recommendation of Subcommittee No. II
(Provincial Constitution) that the representation on the Provincial Executives of
important minority communities was a matter of the greatest practical importance for the
successful working of the new constitution, and it was also agreed that, on the same
grounds, Mohammadans should be represented on the Federal Executive. On behalf of
the smaller minorities a claim was put forward for their representation, either individually
or collectively, on the Provincial and Federal Executives, or that, if this should be found
impossible, in each Cabinet there should be a Minister specially charged with the duty of
protecting minority interests.

(Dr. Ambedkar and Sardar Ujjal Singh would add the words " and other important
minorities " after the word Mohammadans in line 6).

The difficulty of working jointly responsible Executives under such a scheme as this
was pointed out."
 " The discussion in the Sub-Committee has enabled the Delegates to face the
difficulties involved in the schemes put up, and though no general agreement has been
reached, its necessity has become more apparent than ever."

" It has also been made clear that the British Government cannot, with any chance of
agreement, impose upon the communities an electoral principle which, in some feature or
other, would be met by their opposition. It was therefore plain, that, failing an agreement,
separate electorates, with all their drawbacks and difficulties, would have to be retained
as the basis of the electoral arrangements under the new constitution. From this the
question of proportions would arise. Under these circumstances, the claims of the
Depressed Classes will have to be considered adequately."

" The Sub-Committee, therefore, recommend that the Conference should register an
opinion that it was desirable that an agreement upon the claims made to it should be
reached, and that the negotiations should be continued between the representatives
concerned, with a request that the result of their efforts should be reported to those
engaged in the next stage of these negotiations." Mr. Gandhi was not present at the first
Round Table Conference because the Congress had boycotted it. He came for the Second
Round Table Conference. What attitude did Mr. Gandhi take to this claim of the
Depressed Classes?

Every body expected that Mr. Gandhi would be more interested in seeing that the
constitution that was likely to emerge from these deliberations and negotiations was a
constitution which gave India Puma Swaraj i.e. complete independence and he would not
interest himself in so unimportant a subject as the allocation of seats among the different
minorities. But events completely falsified these hopes. Mr. Gandhi completely gave up
his fight against British Imperialism altogether. He forgot that he had come with a
mandate to secure a constitution which contained Puma Swaraj. He left that issue and
started fighting the minorities and what is so strange he concentrated all his fire upon the
representatives of the Untouchables for daring to put forth the claim for special
representation. Mr. Gandhi opposed tooth and nail the representatives of the Depressed
Classes. He was not even prepared to look at their claim. He was annoyed at their
impudence and the whole Conference was astonished by his opposition. They could not
understand how a man like Mr. Gandhi who posed himself as the friend of the
Untouchables could in fact be so great an enemy of their interests. His friends were
completely baffled. Mr. Gandhi was prepared to recognize a similar right claimed by the
Musalmans and to the Sikhs and although he was not prepared to recognize a similar
claim by Christians, Europeans and Angio-Indians he was not going to oppose their
claim. Mr. Gandhi's friends could not understand how he could deny a similar right to the
Untouchables. The Mohamedans, Sikhs, Christians, Europeans and Anglo-indians were
far better off than the Untouchables. The former were economically far better placed. The
latter were poorest of the poor. The former were educationally advanced, the latter were
educationally most backward. The former were socially well respected, the latter were
socially despised. The former enjoyed a position of free citizens. The latter were
suffering from certain disabilities. The former were not subjected to social tyranny and
social boycott but social tyranny and social boycott were the every day lot of the latter.
Having regard to this difference in status there could never be any doubt that if there was
any section of the Indian people whose case called forth

special protection, they were the Untouchables. When his European friends tried thus to
argue with Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Gandhi used to fly into temper and his relations with two of
the best of them to my knowledge had become quite strained on this account.

Mr. Gandhi's anger was largely due to the fact he could give no rational answer which
could convince his opponents that his opposition to the claim of the Depressed Classes
was sincere and was founded upon the best interests of the Depressed Classes. He
nowhere gave a consistent explanation of his opposition to the Depressed Classes.
Reading his speeches in London while he was there one can see that he was using three
arguments in support of his position. Speaking as a member of the Federal Structure
Committee of the Round Table Conference Mr. Gandhi said:

"The Congress has from its very commencement taken up the cause of the so-called "
untouchables ". There was a time when the Congress had at every annual session as its
adjunct the Social Conference, to which the late Ranade had dedicated his energies,
among his many activities. Headed by him, you will find in the programme of the Social
Conference, reform in connection with the Untouchables taking a prominent place. But in
1920, the Congress took a large step, and brought the question of the removal of
untouchability as a plank on the political platform, and made it an important item of the
political programme. Just as the Congress considered Hindu-Muslim Unity, thereby
meaning unity amongst all classes, to be indispensable for the attainment of Swaraj, so
also did the Congress consider the removal of the curse of untouchability as an
indispensable condition for the attainment of full freedom." At the minorities Sub-
Committee of the Round Table Conference Mr. Gandhi used another argument. He said:

" I can understand the claims advanced by other minorities, but the claims advanced on
behalf of the untouchables is to me the " unkindest cut of all ". It means the perpetual
barsinister. I would not sell the vital interests of the untouchables even for the sake of
winning the freedom of India. I claim myself, in my own person, to represent the vast
mass of the untouchables. Here I speak not merely on behalf of the Congress, but I speak
on my own behalf, and I claim that I would get, if there was a referendum of the
untouchables, their vote, and that I would top the poll. And I would work from one end of
India to the other to tell the untouchables that separate electorates and separate
reservation is not the way to remove this bar-sinister, which is the shame, not of them,
but of orthodox Hinduism. Let this committee and let the whole world know that today
there is a body of Hindu reformers who are pledged to remove this blot of untouchability.
We do not want on our register and on our census, untouchables classified as a separate
class. Sikhs may remain as such in perpetuity, so may Moslems, so may Europeans. Will
untouchables remain untouchables in perpetuity? I would far rather than Hinduism died
than that untouchability lived. Therefore, with all my regard for Dr. Ambedkar, and for
his desire to see the untouchables uplifted, with all my regard for his ability I must say, in
all humility, that here is a great wrong under which he has laboured and, perhaps, the
bitter experiences he has undergone have for the moment warped his judgement. It hurts
me to have to say this but I would be untrue to the cause of untouchables, which is as
dear to me as life itself, if I did not say it. I will not bargain away their rights for the
kingdom of the whole world. I am speaking with a due sense of responsibility, when I say
it is not a proper claim which is registered by Dr. Ambedkar when he seeks to speak for
the whole of untouchables in India. It will create a division in Hinduism which I cannot
possibly look forward to with any satisfaction whatsoever, I do not mind the
untouchables being converted into Islam or Christianity. I should tolerate that but I
cannot possibly tolerate what is in store for Hinduism if there are these two divisions set
forth in the villages. Those who speak of political rights of untouchables do not know
India and do not know how Indian society is today constructed. Therefore, I want to say
with all the emphasis that I can command that if I was the only person to resist this thing
I will resist it with my life."

At a meeting at the Friends House in London Mr. Gandhi relied upon quite a different
argument. He is reported to have said:

" I have told you what is agitating my mind. You may take the Congress to be incapable
of bartering away the minorities rights. The untouchables, I know, as one can claim to
know. It would be equal to killing them if separate electorates were given them. They are
at present in the hands of the superior classes. They can suppress them completely and
wreck vengence upon the untouchables who are at their mercy and it is because I want to
prevent that thing happening that I would fight the demand for separate electorates for
them. Whilst I am saying this, I know, I am opening out my shame to you. But in the
existing state of things how could I invite destruction for them? I would not be guilty of
that crime.

Dr. Ambedkar, as able as he is, has unhappily lost his head over this question. I
repudiate his claim to represent them."
 None of his arguments carried any conviction. Indeed they could not. They were all
spacious and they had the ring of special pleadings.

His first argument, that the Congress was pledged to look after the untouchables, to
remove their untouchability—Was this argument founded in truth? Mr. Gandhi has been
telling the world that the whole body of Congress has been pledged to remove
untouchability and his friends have been giving him credit for getting the Congress to do
what the Congress before him was not prepared to do. I am surprised how so false a view
could have been given such a wide currency. I have read and re-read the Resolution
passed by the Congress in 1920 at Nagpur Which is the basis of such an assertion as is
made by Mr. Gandhi and his friends, and I am sure every one who reads that resolution
will agree that the text of the resolution gives no warrant for such an assertion. The
resolution is a very clever piece of Gandhian tactics. Mr. Gandhi has been very anxious
from the very beginning to keep the untouchables a close preserve of the Hindus. He did
not want Musalmans or Christians to be interested in them. He wanted that the
Untouchables who were attached to the British should be detached from them and
attached to the Hindus. The second object could be achieved only if the resolution in
favour of the removal of untouchability was passed from the Congress platform. To
achieve this it was necessary to confine this duty only to the Hindus. This is what the
resolution does. It is a clever move on the part of a cunning politician. The resolution
does not put the Congress as a whole behind this resolution. Secondly, in what it does
there is nothing that is obligatory in it. There is no pledge, there is no vow. There is only
moral exhortation. It only recommends to the Hindus that removal of untouchability is
their duty. Once Mr. Gandhi tried to alter the conditions for membership of the Congress.
Instead of the payment of four annas per annum being the condition of membership Mr.
Gandhi wanted to lay down two conditions: (1) removal of untouchability and (2)
spinning yarns. Congressmen were prepared to accept spinning of yarn as a condition of
membership. But they were not prepared to accept removal of untouchability as a
condition. Congressmen told Mr. Gandhi that if he insisted upon it all Congress
Committees will have to be closed down. So strong was the opposition that Mr. Gandhi
had to withdraw his proposal. That being the case for Mr. Gandhi to have urged before
the Round Table Conference that the Congress was pledged to remove untouchability and
that the untouchables could safely be left to the mercy of the Hindus shows that even Mr.
Gandhi is capable of economising truth to a vanishing point.

The next argument of Mr. Gandhi that the removal of untouchability was made by the
Congress a condition precedent to Swaraj urged to prove the sincerity of the Congress
could not be taken at its face value by the obvious insincerity of the Congress and Mr.
Gandhi. Untouchability was as it had been, yet the Congress and Mr. Gandhi had come
forth to demand independence. This was enough to show that Mr. Gandhi did not believe
in what he said on this point. No one in India, at any rate no one from among the
Untouchables believed in this declaration of Mr. Gandhi and his Congress that for them
removal of untouchability was a condition precedent to Swaraj. Long before the Round
Table Conference Mr. Gandhi was questioned to test his sincerity on two occasions and
the answers he gave on both left no doubt that even he did not believe this declaration. In
1920 a correspondent asked Mr. Gandhi the following question :

" Should not we the Hindus wash our bloodstained hands before we ask the English to
wash theirs?" To this Mr. Gandhi gave the following reply:

"A correspondent indignantly asks me in a pathetic letter reproduced elsewhere what I

am doing for the (untouchables). I have given the letter with the correspondent's own
heading. 'Should not we the Hindus wash our bloodstained hands before we ask the
English to wash theirs ? ' This is a proper question reasonably put. And if a member of a
slave nation could deliver the suppressed classes from their slavery without freeing
myself from my own, I would so do today. But it is an impossible task........." Does this
show that Mr. Gandhi and the Congress were sincere when they said that removal of
untouchability was a condition precedent to Swaraj ? That this is not the argument of a
sincere man is shown by the fact that at a later time Mr. Gandhi himself has ridiculed a
correspondent who urged upon Mr. Gandhi the desirability of keeping aside the question
of the Untouchables until the Hindus had won Swaraj.

The second occasion on which Mr. Gandhi was questioned was when he went to Dandi
in March in 1930 to make Salt Satyagraha contrary to law. Some Untouchables went to
Dandi and questioned him. They asked him what happened to his declaration that
removal of untouchability was condition precedent to Swaraj. Mr. Gandhi's reply as
reported to me was this:

" The Untouchables are a part of a whole. I am working for the whole and I therefore
believe that I am therefore working for the Untouchables who are a part of the whole."

There is nothing to prove this except what was reported to me by those who had been to
see Mr. Gandhi at Dandi. But I have no doubt that Mr. Gandhi must have said something
to that effect. For what he is reported to have said tallies with what he has said in his
reply in Young India referred to above in reply to the same correspondent. This is what
Mr. Gandhi then said:

" . . . .though the Panchama Problem is as dear to me as life itself, I rest satisfied with
the exclusive attention to non-cooperation. I feel sure that the greater includes the less."
 Are these the answers of a sincere man ? Can a sincere man believe that the
untouchables are a part of a whole.

As to his argument that special representation to the untouchables would perpetuate the
existing separation between the touchables and the untouchables was an argument which
was absolutely hollow. The way to remove untouchability is to introduce intermarriage
and interdining. The way to remove the disabilities of the untouchables is to admit them
to the use of the common well and common school. It is difficult to understand that
special representation can come in the way of intermarriage, interdinning and the use of a
common well and a common school. On the other hand the introduction of these would
be only way of disproving the necessity of special representation. Had Mr. Gandhi and
the Congress done anything in this direction? The explanatory note added to the Bardoli
resolution shows how far Gandhi and the Congress were prepared to go in this direction.
The note says:

" Whilst therefore where the prejudice against the untouchables is still strong in places,
separate schools and separate wells must be maintained out of Congress funds, every
effort should be made to draw such children to national schools and to persuade the
people to allow the untouchables to use the common wells." Can it lie in the mouth of
persons who want to maintain separate wells, separate schools to say that they object to
separate representation because it will cause separation ? It is only persons who are bent
on breaking down barriers who can speak against separate representation and ask to be
believed in the sincerity of their argument.

Mr. Gandhi's last argument was a fantastic argument. If the superior classes can
suppress the untouchables and wreck vengence upon them then there is all the greater
reason why they should be given special representation so that they may protest
themselves against the tyranny of the superior classes. Mr. Gandhi had become desparate
and had lost his equanimity and balance to such an extent that he did not know where his
arguments would lead him. In using this argument he evidently forgot that he was
arguing for the perpetual enslavement of the Untouchables by the Hindus. Mr. Gandhi's
argument in short was " don't ask for freedom, because it will enrage your master and he
will illtreat you ". If such an argument had been advanced by any one else he would have
been told that he was purile and insincere.

Having failed to demolish the justice of the claim of the Untouchables Mr. Gandhi
decided to isolate the representatives of the Depressed Classes, to see that they got no
support from any other quarter, Gandhi planned to break a possible compact between the
Depressed Classes and the Muslims. A part of the plan was to win over the Musalmans to
his side and for that purpose he offered to enter into a pact with them. A copy of this pact
which was circulated among the Muslim delegates came into my hands and I reproduce
the same here.

(This text is reproduced below from Dr. Ambedkar's " What Congress and Gandhi have
done to the Untouchables ", pp. 72-73 which is not typed in the MS.—Ed.)

"DRAFT OF GANDHI-MUSLIM PACT'

Muslim Delegation to the Round Table Conference2

Tel. : Victoria 2360

Telegrams "Courtlike" London

Queen's house,

57, St. James' Court,

Buckingham Gate,

London, S. W. 1

6th October 1931.

The following proposals were discussed by Mr. Gandhi and the Muslim Delegation at 10
p.m. last night. They are divided into two parts—The proposals made by the Muslims for
safeguarding their rights and the proposals made by Mr. Gandhi regarding the Congress
policy. They are given herewith as approved by Mr. Gandhi, and placed for submission to
the Muslim Delegation for their opinion.

MUSLIM PROPOSALS GANDHI’S PROPOSAL

1. In the Punjab and Bengal bare majority 1. That the Franchise should be on the
of one percent of Musalmans but the basis of adult suffrage.
question of whether it should be by means
of joint electorates and reservation of 51 2 . No special reservations to any other
per cent of the whole house should be community save Sikhs and Hindu
referred to the Musalman voters before Minorities. (Italics are not in the original)
the new constitution comes into force and
their verdict should be accepted.
2. In other provinces where the The Congress demands:
Musalmans are in a minority the present
weightage enjoyed by them to continue, A. Complete Independence
but whether the seats should be reserved to B. Complete control over the defence
a joint electorate, or whether they should immediately.
have separate electorates should be C. Complete control over external affairs
determined by the Musalman voters by a D. Complete control over finance.
referendum under the new constitution, E. Investigation of public debts and other
and their verdict should be accepted. obligations by an independent tribunal.
F. As in the case of a partnership, right of
either party to terminate it.
3. That the Musalman representatives to
the Central Legislature in both the houses
should be 26percent of the total number of
the British India representatives, and 7
percent at least by convention should be
Musalmans, out of the quota that may be
assigned to Indian States, that is to say,
one-third of the whole house when taken
together.
4. That the residuary power should vest
in the federating Provinces of British
India.
5. That the other points as follows being
agreed to:

1. Sindh.

2. N.W.F.P.

3. Services

4. Cabinet

5. Fundamental rights and safeguards for

religion and culture.

6. Safeguards against legislation

affecting any community.
 This is the agreement which Mr. Gandhi was prepared to enter with the Musalmans. By
this agreement Mr. Gandhi was prepared to give to the Musalmans the fourteen points
they had been demanding. In return Mr. Gandhi wanted the Musalmans among other
things to agree to continue the benefit of the principle of special representation to Hindus,
Muslims and Sikhs. Some one might ask what is wrong in such an agreement. Has not the
Congress said that they will not agree to extend communal representation to others
besides these three? Such a view cannot but be treated as a superficial view. Those who
see nothing wrong in it must answer two questions. First is this. Where was the necessity
for Mr. Gandhi to get the Musalmans to agree to the Congress policy of not extending the
benefit of special representation to other minorities and the untouchables. Mr. Gandhi
could have said as the Congress had been saying to the other minorities he was not
prepared to agree to their claim. Why did he want the Musalmans to join him in resisting
their claim? And if this was not his object why did he make it a term of the agreement
which the Musalmans were to perform in return for what he agreed to do for them.

Secondly why did Mr. Gandhi come forward to give the Musalmans their fourteen
demands at this particular juncture. These fourteen political demands of the Musalmans
rightly or wrongly were rejected by all. They were rejected by the Hindu Maha-Sabha.
They were rejected by the Simon Commission. They were rejected by the Congress.
There was no support for these 14 demands of the Musalmans from any quarter
whatsoever. Why did Mr. Gandhi become ready to grant them except with the object of
buying the Musalmans so that with their help he could more effectively resist the demand
of the other minorities and the untouchables?

In my view Mr. Gandhi was not engaged in making any bona-fide agreement. He was
inducing the Musalmans to join in a conspiracy with him to resist the claim of the smaller
minorities and the untouchables. It was not an agreement with the Musalmans. It was a
plot against the Untouchables. It was worse, it was a stab in the back.

This so-called agreement fell through because among other reasons it was impossible
for the Mahomedans to agree to the exclusion of the Untouchables from the benefit of
special representation. How could the Muslims agree to such a project? They were
fighting for special representation for Muslims. They were not only fighting for special
representation, they were fighting for weightage in representation. They knew that the
case for Muslims rested only on the ground that India was once ruled by the Musalmans,
that they had political importance to maintain and as Hindus are likely to discriminate
against Muslims in elections to the Legislatures, there may not be sufficient Muslims
returned to the Legislature, that the Muslims will sink politically and that to prevent such
a calamity they must be given special representation. As against this one ground in favour
of Muslims there were a hundred grounds in favour of the claim by the Untouchables.
With what face could the Musalmans oppose this demand of the Untouchables?

The Musalmans had not lost their balance or their sense of shame. They refused to be
party to such a deal—a deal which they could not publicly defend. Mr. Gandhi still kept
on pestering the Musalmans. When he could not induce them to accept the price he
offered_namely the grant of fourteen points—because they felt that the world would not
call it price but would call it the wages of sin, Mr. Gandhi sought to appeal to the
religious scruples of the Musalmans. The day before the 13th November 1931 when the
minorities pactwas presented to the Minorities Sub-Committee of the Round Table
Conference Mr. Gandhi took a copy of the Koran and went to the Ritz Hotel in Piccadilly
where the Rt. Hon. H. H. Aga Khan was staying to meet the Muslim delegates who had
assembled there. To Muslim delegates he asked—" Why are you dividing the Hindu
Community which you are doing by recognising the claim of the Untouchables for
separate representation? Does the Koran sanction such a deed? Show me where it does?
If you cannot, will you not stop perpetrating such a crime upon your sister Community?"
I do not know how the Muslim delegates answered this question of Mr. Gandhi. It must
have been a very difficult question for them to answer. Such a contingency could not
have been present to the mind of the Holy Prophet and he could not have provided for it
specifically. His followers knew that contingencies would arise for which he had given
no directions and they had therefore asked him what they should do, and the Prophet had
given them this general direction. He said to them, "in such a case see what the Kaffirs
are doing and do just the opposite of it ". Whether the Muslim delegates relied upon this
to answer Mr. Gandhi is more than I can say. What I have stated is what I have heard and
my source is the most authentic source. Here again Mr. Gandhi failed because the next
day in the open Committee when Mr. Gandhi let loose his fury against the Untouchables,
the Mahomedans were silent.

What can one say of this conduct of Mr. Gandhi? Mr. Bernard Shaw has said that the
British do everything on principle.

Similarly Mr. Gandhi says he does everything on the principle of morality and good
faith. Can the acts of Mr. Gandhi be justified by tests of justice and good faith ? I wonder.
Let me state a few facts.

Before I left for London for the first Round Table Conference I had met Mr. Gandhi in
Bombay. At that meeting I had informed Mr. Gandhi that at the Round Table Conference
I would be asking for special representation for the Untouchables. Mr. Gandhi would not
consent. But he also told me that he would not oppose. I felt that it was just a case of
difference of opinion. At the second Round Table Conference I met Mr. Gandhi twice,
once alone and second time along with the representatives of the smaller minorities. At
the first meeting Mr. Gandhi was spinning and I was talking. I spoke for an hour during
the whole of which he did not utter even a word. At the end he just said this much.

' I have now heard you. I will think over what you have said.' At the second interview
he again heard me and the representatives of the smaller minorities and he told me that he
was not prepared to agree to the claim I was making on behalf of the Untouchables.
Thereafter the Minorities Sub-Committee was convened on 28th September 1931. At the
meeting of the Sub-Committee on 1st October 1931, the following motion was made by
Mr. Gandhi:

*" Prime Minister, after consultation with His Highness the Aga Khan and other
Muslim friends last night, we came to the conclusion that the purpose for which we meet
here would be better served if a week's adjournment was asked for. I have not had the
opportunity of consulting my other colleagues, but I have no doubt that they will also
agree in the proposal I am making."

The proposal was seconded by the Aga Khan. I at once got up and objected to the
motion and in support of my objection made the following statement*:

*" Dr. Ambedkar: I do not wish to create any difficulty in our making every possible
attempt to arrive at some solution of the problem with which this Committee has to deal,
and if a solution can be arrived at by the means suggested by Mahatma Gandhi, I, for one,
will have no objection to that proposal.

" But there is just this one difficulty with which I, as representing the Depressed
Classes, am faced. I do not know what sort of committee Mahatma Gandhi proposes to
appoint to consider this question during the period of adjournment, but I suppose that the
Depressed Classes will be represented on this Committee. Mr. Gandhi : Without doubt.

Dr. Ambedkar : Thank you. But I do not know whether in the position in which I am
today it would be of any use for me to work on the proposed Committee. And for this
reason. Mahatma Gandhi told us on the first day that he spoke in the Federal Structure
Committee that as a representative of the Indian National Congress he was not prepared
to give political recognition to any community other than the Muhammadans and the
Sikhs. He was not prepared to recognize the Anglo-indians, the Depressed Classes, and
the Indian Christians. I do not think that I am doing any violence to etiquette by stating in
this Committee that when I had the pleasure of meeting Mahatma Gandhi a week ago and
discussing the question of the Depressed Classes with him, and when we, as members of
the other minorities, had the chance of talking with him yesterday, in his office, he told us
in quite plain terms that the attitude that he had taken in the Federal Structure Committee
was a firm and well considered attitude. What I would like to say is that unless at the
outset I know that the Depressed Classes are going to be recognised as a community
entitled to political recognition in the future Constitution of India, I do not know whether
it will serve any purpose for me to join the committee that is proposed by Mahatma
Gandhi to be constituted to go into this matter. Unless, therefore, I have an assurance that
this Committee will start with the assumption that all those communities which the
Minorities Subcommittee last year recommended as fit for recognition in the future
constitution of India will be included, I do not know that I can whole-heartedly support
the proposition for adjournment, or that I can whole-heartedly co-operate with the
Committee that is going to be nominated. That is what I wish to be clear about.

* * *

"Dr. Ambedkar : I should like to make my position further clear. It seems that there has
been a certain misunderstanding regarding what I said. It is not that I object to
adjournment; it is not that I object to serving on any Committee that might be appointed
to consider the question. What I would like to know before I enter upon this Committee,
if they give me the privilege of serving on it, is: What is the thing that this Committee is
going to consider ? Is it only going to consider the question of the Muhammadans vis-a-
vis the Hindus? Is it going to consider the question of the Muhammadans vis-a-vis the
Sikhs in the Punjab? Or is it going to consider the question of the Christians, the Anglo-
indians and the Depressed Classes ?

" If we understand perfectly well before we start that this committee will not merely
concern itself with the question of the Hindus and the Muhammadans, of the Hindus and
the Sikhs, but will also take upon itself the responsibility of considering the case of the
Depressed Classes, the Anglo-indians and the Christians, I am perfectly willing to allow
this adjournment resolution to be passed without any objection. But I do want to say this,
that if I am to be left out in the cold and if this interval is going to be utilised for the
purposes of solving the Hindu-Muslim question, I would press that the Minorities
Committee should itself grapple with the question and consider it, rather than allow the
question to be dealt with by some other informal Committee for arriving at a solution of
the communal question in respect of some minorities only." The Prime Minister as
Chairman of the Committee called upon Mr. Gandhi to explain his position and Mr.
Gandhi made the following statement in reply:

" Prime Minister and friends, I see that there is some kind of misunderstanding with
reference to the scope of the work that some of us have set before ourselves. I fear that
Dr. Ambedkar, Colonel Gidney and other friends are unnecessarily nervous about what is
going to happen. Who am I to deny political status to any single interest or class or even
individual in India? As a representative of the Congress I should be unworthy of the trust
that has been reposed in me by the Congress if I were guilty of sacrificing a single
national interest. I have undoubtedly given expression to my own views on these points. I
must confess that I hold to those views also. But there are ways and ways of guaranteeing
protection to every single interest. It will be for those of us who will be putting our heads
together to try to evolve a scheme. Nobody would be hampered in pressing his own views
on the members of this very informal conference or meeting.

"I do not think, therefore, that anybody need be afraid as to being able to express his
opinion or carrying his opinion also. Mine will be there equal to that of every one of us; it
will carry no greater weight; I have no authority behind me to carry my opinion against
the opinion of anybody. I have simply given expression to my views in the national
interest, and I shall give expression to these views whenever they are opportune. It will
be for you, it is for you to reject or accept these opinions. Therefore please disburse your
minds, to everyone of us, of the idea that there is going to be any steam-rolling in the
Conference and the informal meetings that I have adumbrated. But if you think that this is
one way of coming closer together than by sitting stiffly at this table, you will not carry
this adjournment motion but give your whole-hearted co-operation to the proposal that I
have made in connection with these informal meetings."

* * *

I then withdrew my objection.

Now here is a definite word given by Mr. Gandhi in open Conference—namely that if
all others agreed to recognize the claim of the Untouchables he would not object. And
after having given this word Mr. Gandhi went about inducing the Musalmans not to
recognize the claim of the Untouchables and to bribe them to resile and take back their
plighted word!! Is this good faith or is this treachery ? If this is not treachery I wonder
what else could be called treachery.

I was pilloried because I signed what is called the Minorities Pact. I was depicted as a
traitor. I have never been ashamed of my signature to the pact. I only pity the ignorance
of my critics. They forget that the minorities could have taken the same attitude that
Ulster took towards Irish Home Rule. Redmond was prepared to offer any safeguard to
Ulstermen. The Ulstermen's reply was, " Damn your safeguards we don't wish to be ruled
by you". The Hindus ought to thank the minorities that they did not take any such
attitude. All the Pact contained were Safeguards and nothing more. Instead of thanking
them Mr. Gandhi poured his vials of wrath upon the pact and its authors. He said:

"Coming to this document', I accept the thanks that have been given to me by Sir
Hubert Carr. Had it not been for the remarks that I made when I shouldered that burden,
and had it not been for my utter failure to bring about a solution. Sir Hubert Carr rightly
says he would not have found the very admirable solution that he has been able, in
common with the other minorities, to present to this Committee for consideration and
finally for the consideration and approval of His Majesty's Government."

" I will not deprive Sir Hubert Carr and his associates of the feeling of satisfaction that
evidently actuates them, but, in my opinion, what they have done is to sit by the carcass,
and they have performed the laudable feat of dissecting that carcass." 1 Reference is to
the Minorities Pact.

Had Mr. Gandhi any right to be indignant ? Had he any right to feel morally offended ?
Was he entitled to throw stones at the Minorities ? Mr. Gandhi forgot that he was as
much a sinner as the Minorities and worse he was a sinner without a sense of justice. For
if the Minorities were dividing the carcass what was Mr. Gandhi himself doing? He too
was busy in dividing the carcass. The only difference between Mr. Gandhi and the
Minorities was this—Mr. Gandhi wanted that the carcass should be divided among three
only, Hindus, Musalmans and Sikhs. The Minorities wanted that others also should be
given a share, and which of these two can claim to have justice, on its side, Mr. Gandhi
who wanted that the division of the carcass should be to strong sturdy well-nourished
wolves or the minorities who pressed that the lean and hungry lambs should also be given
a morsel ? Surely in this controversy justice was not on the side of Mr. Gandhi.

Mr. Gandhi was the man who claimed to be the Champion of the Untouchables better
than those who belonged to the Untouchables themselves. Claiming to be their champion
he refused without any regard to morality, justice and necessity, their claim to
representation which could be their only way to protection against social tyranny and
social oppression while he was prepared to give to the Musalmans, the Hindus and the
Sikhs a goodly share of political power. When others far better placed were claiming for
power, Mr. Gandhi wanted the Untouchables to live under his providence and that of the
Congress without any means of protection knowing full well that their lives were exposed
to danger and humiliation every moment and when he came to know that the
Untouchables were seeking outside aid in support of their claim Mr. Gandhi resorted to a
terrible act of treachery. Were the Untouchables unjustified in presenting to the world
their charge sheet against Mr. Gandhi when he arrived in Bombay from the Round Table
Conference ?

CHAPTER 6

GANDHI AND HIS FAST

1. Poona Pact. II. Harijan Sevak Sangh. III. Temples and Untouchables. IV. The
Gandhian Way.

The Communal question was the rock on which the Indian Round Table Conference
suffered a shipwreck. The Conference broke up as there could be no agreement between
the majority and minority communities. The minorities in India insisted that their position
under Swaraj should be safeguarded by allowing them special representation in the
Legislatures. Mr. Gandhi as representative of the Congress was not prepared to recognize
such a claim except in the case of the Muslims and the Sikhs. Even in the case of the
Muslims and Sikhs, no agreement was reached either on the question of the number of
seats or the nature of the electorates.

There was a complete deadlock. As there was no possibility of an agreement, the hope
lay in arbitration. On this everybody was agreed except myself and it was left to Mr.
Ramsay Macdonald, the Prime Minister to decide upon the issue.

When at the first Round Table Conference, the Indian delegates did not agree upon a
solution of the Communal question, followers of Mr. Gandhi said that nothing better
could be expected from them. It was said that they were unrepresentative and responsible
to nobody and were deliberately creating disunity by playing into the hands of the British
whose tools and nominees they were. The world was told to await the arrival of Mr.
Gandhi, whose statesmanship it was promised would be quite adequate to settle the
dispute. It was therefore a matter of great humiliation for the friends of Mr. Gandhi that
he should have acknowledged his bankruptcy and joined in the request to the Prime
Minister to arbitrate.

But if the Conference failed the fault is entirely of Mr. Gandhi. A more ignorant and
more tactless representative could not have been sent to a Conference which was
convened to forge a constitution which was to reconcile the diverse interests of India. Mr.
Gandhi was thoroughly ignorant of Constitutional Law or Finance. He does not believe in
intellectual equipment. Indeed he has a supreme contempt for it and his contributions to
the solutions of the many difficulties is therefore nil. He was tactless because he annoyed
almost all the delegates by constantly telling them that they were nonentities and he was
the only man who counted and who could deliver the goods. At the first Round Table
Conference the delegates did not agree upon a solution of the communal problem. But it
is equally true that they were very near agreeing to it and when they departed they had
not given up hope of agreeing. But at the end of the second Round Table Conference, so
much bad blood was created by Mr. Gandhi that there was no chance of reconciliation
left and there was no way except arbitration.
 The Prime Minister's decision on the communal question was announced on 17th
August 1932. The terms of the decision in so far as they related to the Untouchables were
as follows:

COMMUNAL DECISION BY HIS MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT 1932

In the statement made by the Prime Minister on 1st December last on behalf of His
Majesty's Government at the close of the second session of the Round Table Conference,
which was immediately afterwards endorsed by both Houses of Parliament, it was made
plain that if the communities in India were unable to reach a settlement acceptable to all
parties on the communal questions which the Conference had failed to solve. His
Majesty's Government were determined that India's constitutional advance should not on
that account be frustrated, and that they would remove this obstacle by divising and
applying themselves a provisional scheme.

2. On the 19th March last His Majesty's Government, having been informed that the
continued failure of the communities to reach agreement was blocking the progress of the
plans for the framing of a new Constitution, stated that they were engaged upon a careful
re-examination of the difficult and controversial question which arise. They are now
satisfied that without a decision of at least some aspects of the problems connected with
the position of minorities under the new Constitution, no further progress can be made
with the framing of the Constitution.

3. His Majesty's Government have accordingly decided that they will include
provisions to give effect to the scheme set out below in the proposals relating to the
Indian Constitution to be laid in due course before Parliament. The scope of this scheme
is purposely confined to the arrangements to be made for the representation of the British
Indian communities in the Provincial Legislatures, consideration of representation in the
Legislature at the Centre being deferred for the reason given in paragraph 20 below. The
decision to limit the scope of the scheme implies no failure to realize that the framing of
the Constitution will necessitate the decision of a number of other problems of great
importance to minorities, but has been taken in the hope that once a pronouncement has
been made upon the basic questions of method and proportions of representation the
communities themselves may find it possible to arrive at modus vivendi on other
communal problems, which have not received the examination they require.

4. His Majesty's Government wish it to be most clearly understood that they themselves
can be no parties to any negotiations which may be initiated with a view to the revision of
their decision, and will not be prepared to give consideration to any representation aimed
at securing the modification of it which is not supported by all the parties affected. But
they are most desirous to close no door to an agreed settlement should such happily be
forthcoming. If, therefore, before a new Government of India Act has passed into law,
they are satisfied that the communities who are concerned are mutually agreed upon a
practicable alternative scheme, either in respect of any one or more of the Governors'
Provinces or in respect of the whole of the British India, they will be prepared to
recommend to Parliament that that alternative should be substituted for the provisions
now outlined.

5. * * * *

6. * * * *

7. * * * *

8. * * * *

9. Members of the "depressed classes" qualified to vote will vote in a general

constituency. In view of the fact that for a considerable period these classes would be
unlikely, by this means alone, to secure any adequate representation in the Legislature, a
number of special seats will be assigned to them as shown in the table. These seats will
be filled by election from special constituencies in which only members of the "
depressed classes " electorally qualified will be entitled to vote. Any person voting in
such a special constituency will, as stated above, be also entitled to vote in a general
costituency. It is intended that these constituencies should be formed in selected areas
where the depressed classes are most numerous, and that, except in Madras, they should
not cover the whole area of the Province.

In Bengal it seems possible that in some general constituencies a majority of the voters
will belong to the Depressed Classes. Accordingly, pending further investigation no
number has been fixed for the members to be returned from the special Depressed Class
constituencies in that Province. It is intended to secure that the Depressed, Classes should
obtain not less than 10 seats in the Bengal Legislature.

The precise definition in each Province of those who (if electorally qualified) will be
entitled to vote in the special Depressed Class constituencies has not yet been finally
determined. It will be based as a rule on the general principles advocated in the Franchise
Committee's Report. Modification may, however, be found necessary in some Provinces
in Northern India where the application of the general criteria of untouchability might
result in a definition unsuitable in some respects to the special conditions of the Province.

His Majesty's Government do not consider that these special Depressed Classes
constituencies will be required for more than limited time. They intend that the
Constitution shall provide that they shall come to an end after 20 years if they have not
previously been abolished under the general powers of electoral revision referred to in
paragraph 6.

So far as the other minority communities were concerned the Communal Award was
accepted and the sore of disunity and discord was closed. But so far as the Untouchables
were concerned it remained open. Mr. Gandhi would not allow it to be healed. On his
return to India from the Round Table Conference Mr. Gandhi was put behind the bars by
the British Government. But though in the Yeravada gaol Mr. Gandhi had not forgotten
that he had to prevent the Untouchables from getting their claim to special representation
recognized by the British Government. He feared that the British Government might
grant them this right notwithstanding the threat he had held out while at the Round Table
Conference to resist it with his own life. Consequently he took the earliest opportunity to
be in communication with the very British Government which had incarcerated him.

On the 11th March 1932 Mr. Gandhi addressed the following letter to Sir Samuel
Hoare, the then Secretary of State for India: Dear Sir Samuel,

You will perhaps recollect that at the end of my speech at the Round Table Conference
when the minorities' claim was presented, I had said that I should resist with my life the
grant of separate electorates to the Depressed Classes. This was not said in the heat of the
moment nor by way of rhetoric. It was meant to be a serious statement. In pursuance of
that statement I had hoped on my return to India to mobilize public opinion against
separate electorate, at any rate for the Depressed Classes. But it was not to be.

From the newspapers I am permitted to read, I observe that any moment His Majesty's
Government may declare their decision. At first I had thought, if the decision was found
to create separate electorates for the Depressed Classes, I should take such steps as I
might then consider necessary to give effect to my vow. But I feel it would be unfair to
the British Government for me to act without giving previous notice. Naturally, they
could not attach the significance I give to my statement.

Separate Electorates harmful

I need hardly reiterate all the objections I have to the creation of separate electorates for
the Depressed Classes. I feel as if I was one of them. Their case stands on a wholly
different footing from that of others. I am not against their representation in the
legislatures. I should favour every one of their adults, male and female, being registered
as voters irrespective of education or property qualification, even though the franchise
test may be stricter for others. But I hold that separate electorates is harmful for them and
for Hinduism, whatever it may be from the purely political standpoint. To appreciate the
harm that separate electorates would do them one has to know how they are distributed
amongst the so-called Caste Hindus and how dependent they are on the latter. So far as
Hinduism is concerned, separate electorate would simply vivisect and disrupt it.

For me the question of these classes is predominantly moral and religious. The political
aspect, important though it is, dwindles into significance compared to the moral and
religious issue.

You will have to appreciate my feelings in this matter by remebering that I have been
interested in the condition of these classes from my boyhood and have more than once
staked my all for their sake. I say this not to pride myself in any way. For, I feel that no
penance that the Hindus may do can in any way compensate for the calculated
degradation to which they have consigned the Depressed Classes for centuries.

"Shall fast unto Death"

But I know that separate electorate is neither a penance nor any remedy for the crushing
degradation they have groaned under. I, therefore, respectfully inform His Majesty's
Government that in the event of their decision creating separate electorate for the
Depressed Classes, I must fast unto death.

I am painfully conscious of the fact that such a step whilst I am a prisoner, must cause
grave embarrassment to His Majesty's Government, and that it will be regarded by many
as highly improper on the part of one holding my position to introduce into the political
field methods which they would describe as hysterical if not much worse. All I can urge
in defence is that for me the contemplated step is not a method, it is part of my being. It is
the call of conscience which I dare not disobey, even though it may cost whatever
reputation for sanity I may possess. So far as I can see now, my discharge from
imprisonment would not make the duty of fasting any the less imperative. I am hoping,
however, all my fears are wholly unjustified and the British Government have no
intention whatever of creating separate electorate for the Depressed Classes.

The following reply was sent to Mr. Gandhi by the Secretary of State:

India Office, Whitehall,

April 13, 1932.

Dear Mr. Gandhi,

 I write this in answer to your letter of 11th March, and I say at once I realize fully the
strength of your feeling upon the question of separate electorates for the Depressed
Classes. I can only say that we intend to give any decision that may be necessary solely
and only upon the merits of the case. As you are aware, Lord Lothian's Committee has
not yet completed its tour and it must be some weeks before we can receive any
conclusions at which it may have arrived. When we receive that report we shall have to
give most careful consideration to its recommendations, and we shall not give a decision
until we have taken into account, in addition to the view expressed by the Committee, the
views that you and those who think with you have so forcibly expressed. I feel sure if you
were in our position you would be taking exactly the same action we intend to take. You
would await the Committee's report, you would then give it your fullest consideration,
and before arriving at a final decision you would take into account the views that have
been expressed on both sides of the controversy. More than this I cannot say. Indeed I do
not imagine you would expect me to say more.

After giving this warning Mr. Gandhi slept over the matter thinking that a repetition of
his threat to fast unto death was sufficient to paralyse the British Government and prevent
them from accepting the claim of the untouchables for special representation. When on
the 17th August 1932 the terms of the Communal Award were announced Mr. Gandhi
found that his threat had failed to have any effect. He first tried to get the terms of the
Communal Award revised. Accordingly he addressed the following letter to the Prime
Minister:

Yervada Central Prison,

August 18, 1932.

Dear friend,

There can be no doubt that Sir Samuel Hoare has showed you and the Cabinet my
letter to him of 11th March on the question of the representation of the Depressed
Classes. That letter should be treated as part of this letter and be read together with this.

Decision to fast

I have read the British Government's decision on the representation of Minorities and
have slept over it. In pursuance of my letter to Sir Samuel Hoare and my declaration at
the meeting of the Minorities Committee of the Round Table Conference on 13th
November, 1931, at St. James' Palace, I have to resist your decision with my life. The
only way I can do so is by declaring a perpetual fast unto death from food of any kind
save water with or without salt and soda. This fast will cease if during its progress the
British Government, of its own motion or under pressure of public opinion, revise their
decision and withdraw their scheme of communal electorates for the Depressed
Classes, whose representatives should be elected by the general electorate under the
common franchise no matter how wide it is.

The proposed fast will come into operation in the ordinary course from the noon of 20th
September next, unless the said decision is meanwhile revised in the manner suggested
above.

I am asking the authorities here to cable the text of this letter to you so as to give you
ample notice. But in any case, I am leaving sufficient time for this letter to reach you in
time by the slowest route.

I also ask that this letter and my letter to Sir Samuel Hoare already referred to be
published at the earliest possible moment. On my part, I have scrupulously observed the
rule of the jail and have communicated my desire or the contents of the two letters to no
one, save my two companions, Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel and Mr. Mahadev Desai. But I
want, if you make it possible, public opinion to be affected by my letters. Hence my
request for their early publication.

Not to compass Release

I regret the decision I have taken. But as a man of religion that I hold myself to be, I
have no other course left open to me. As I have said in my letter to Sir Samuel Hoare,
even if His Majesty's Government decided to release me in order to save themselves from
embarrassment, my fast will have to continue. For, I cannot now hope to resist the
decision by any other means; And I have no desire whatsoever to compass my release by
any means other than honourable.

It may be that my judgement is warped and that I am wholly in error in regarding

separate electorates for the Depressed Classes as harmful to them or to Hinduism. If so, I
am not likely to be in the right with reference to other parts of my philosophy of life. In
that case my death by fasting will be at once a penance for my error and a lifting of a
weight from off these numberless men and women who have childlike faith in my
wisdom. Whereas if my judgement is right, as I have little doubt it is, the contemplated
step is but due to the fulfilment of the scheme of life which I have tried for more than a
quarter of a century, apparently not without considerable success.

I remain,

Your faithful friend,

 M. K. Gandhi.

The Prime Minister replied as under:

September 8th, 1932

10, Downing Street,

Dear Mr. Gandhi,

I have received your letter with much surprise and, let me add, with very sincere regret.
Moreover, I cannot help thinking that you have written it under a misunderstanding as to
what the decision of His Majesty's Government as regards the Depressed Classes really
implies. We have always understood you were irrevocably opposed to the permanent
segregation of the Depressed Classes from the Hindu community. You made your
position very clear on the Minorities Committee of the Round Table Conference and you
expressed it again in the letter you wrote to Sir Samuel Hoare on 11th March. We also
knew your view was shared by the great body of Hindu opinion, and we, therefore, took
it into most careful account when we were considering the question of representation of
the Depressed Classes.

Government Decision Explained

Whilst, in view of the numerous appeals we have received from Depressed Class
organisations and the generally admitted social disabilities under which they labour and
which you have often recognized, we felt it our duty to safeguard what we believed to be
the right of the Depressed Classes to a fair proportion of representation in the legislatures,
we were equally careful to do nothing that would split off their community from the
Hindu world. You yourself stated in your letter of March 11, that you were not against
their representation in the legislatures.

Under the Government scheme the Depressed Classes will remain part of the Hindu
community and will vote with the Hindu electorate on an equal footing, but for the first
twenty years, while still remaining electorally part of the Hindu community, they will
receive through a limited number of special constituencies, means of safeguarding their
rights and interests that, we are convinced, is necessary under present conditions.

Where these constituencies are created, members of the Depressed Classes will not be
deprived of their votes in the general Hindu constituencies, but will have two votes in
order that their membership of the Hindu community should remain unimpaired.
 We have deliberately decided against the creation of what you describe as a communal
electorate for the Depressed Classes and included all Depressed Class voters in the
general or Hindu constituencies so that the higher caste candidates should have to solicit
their votes or Depressed Class candidates should have to solicit the votes of the higher
castes at elections. Thus in every way was the unity of Hindu society preserved.

Safeguard Temporary

We felt, however, that during the early period of responsible government when power in
the Provinces would pass to whoever possessed a majority in the legislatures, it was
essential that the Depressed Classes, whom you have yourself described in your letter to
Sir Samuel Hoare as having consigned by Caste Hindus to calculated degradation for
centuries, should return a certain number of members of their own choosing to
legislatures of seven of the nine provinces to voice their grievances and their ideals and
prevent decisions going against them without the legislature and the Government
listening to their case — in a word, to place them in a position to speak for themselves
which every fair-minded person must agree to be necessary. We did not consider the
method of electing special representatives by reservation of seats in the existing
conditions, under any system of franchise which is practicable, members who could
genuinely represent them and be responsible for them, because in practically all cases,
such members would be elected by a majority consisting of higher caste Hindus.

The special advantage initially given under our scheme to the Depressed Classes by
means of a limited number of special constituencies in addition to their normal electoral
rights in the general Hindu constituencies is wholly different in conception and effect
from the method of representation adopted for a minority such as the Moslems by means
of separate communal electorates. For example, a Moslem cannot vote or be a candidate
in a general constituency, whereas any electorally qualified member of the Depressed
Classes can vote in and stand for the general constituency.

Reservation Minimum

The number of territorial seats allotted to Moslems is naturally conditioned by the fact
that it is impossible for them to gain any further territorial seats and in most provinces
they enjoy weightage in excess of their population ratio; the number of special seats to be
filled from special Depressed Classes constituencies will be seen to be small and has been
fixed not to provide a quota numerically appropriate for the total representation of the
whole of the Depressed Class population, but solely to secure a minimum number of
spokesmen for the Depressed Classes in the legislature who are chosen exclusively by the
Depressed Classes. The proportion of their special seats is everywhere much below the
population percentage of the Depressed Classes. As I understand your attitude, you
propose to adopt the extreme course of starving yourself to death not in order to secure
that the Depressed Classes should have joint electorates with other Hindus, because that it
already provided, nor to maintain the unity of Hindus, which is also provided, but solely
to prevent the Depressed Classes, who admittedly suffer from terrible disabilities today,
from being able to secure a limited number of representatives of their own choosing to
speak on their behalf in the legislatures which will have a dominating influence over their
future.

In the light of these very fair and cautious proposals, I am quite unable to understand the
reason of the decision you have taken and can only think you have made it under a
misapprehension of the actual facts.

Government Decision Stands

In response to a very general request from Indians after they had failed to produce a
settlement themselves the Government much against its will, undertook to give a decision
on the minorities question. They have now given it, and they cannot be expected to alter
it except on the conditions they have stated. I am afraid, therefore, that my answer to you
must be that the Government's decision stands and that only agreement of the
communities themselves can substitute other electoral arrangements for those that
Government have devised in a sincere endeavour to weigh the conflicting claims on their
just merits.

You ask that this correspondence, including your letter to Sir Samuel Hoare of March
11th, should be published. As it would seem to me unfair if your present internment were
to deprive you of the opportunity of explaining to the public the reason why you intend to
fast, I readily accede to the request if on reconsideration you repeat it. Let me, however,
once again urge you to consider the actual details of Government's decision and ask
yourself seriously the question whether it really justifies you in taking the action you
contemplate.

I am,

Yours very sincerely,

J. Ramsay MacDonald.

Finding that the Prime Minister would not yield he sent him the following letter
informing him that he was determined to carry out his threat of fast unto death:

Yeravada Central Prison,

 September 9th, 1932.

Dear friend,

I have to thank you for your frank and full letter telegraphed and received this day. I am
sorry, however, that you put upon the contemplated step an interpretation that never
crossed my mind. I have claimed to speak on behalf of the very class, to sacrifice whose
interests you impute to me a desire to fast myself to death. I had hoped that the extreme
step itself would effectively prevent any such selfish interpretation without arguing, I
affirm that for me this matter is one of pure religion. The mere fact of the Depressed
Classes having double votes does not protect them or Hindu society in general from being
disrupted. In the establishment of separate electorate at all for the Depressed Classes I
sense the injection of poison that is calculated to destroy Hinduism and do no good
whatever to the Depressed Classes. You will please permit me to say that no matter how
sympathetic you may be, you cannot come to a correct decision on a matter of such vital
and religious importance to the parties concerned.

I should not be against even over-representation of the Depressed Classes. What I am

against is their statutory separation even in a limited form, from the Hindu fold, so long
as they choose to belong to it. Do you realize that if your decision stands and the
constitution comes into being, you arrest the marvellous growth of the work of Hindu
reformers who have dedicated themselves to the uplift of their suppressed brethren in
every walk of life ?

Decision Unchanged

I have, therefore, been compelled reluctantly to adhere to the decision conveyed to you.

As your letter may give rise to a misunderstanding, I wish to state that the fact of my
having isolated for special treatment the Depressed Classes question from other parts of
your decision does not in any way mean that I approve of or am reconciled to other parts
of the decision. In my opinion, many other parts are open to very grave objection. Only I
do not consider them to be any warrant for calling from me such self immolation as my
conscience has prompted me to, in the matter of the Depressed Classes.

I remain, Your faithful friend,

M. K. Gandhi.

Accordingly on the 20th September 1932 Mr. Gandhi commenced his "fast unto death"
as a protest against the grant of separate electorates to the Untouchables.
 The story of this fast has been told by Mr. Pyarelal in a volume which bears the
picturesque and flamboyant title of "The Epic Fast ". In the pages of this lours
Boswelliana the curious will find all he wants to know about the happenings in India
during these mad days and I need say nothing about it here. Suffice it to say that although
Mr. Gandhi went on fast unto death he did not want to die. He very much wanted to live.

The fast therefore created a problem and that problem was how to save Mr. Gandhi's
life. The only way to save his life was to alter the Communal Award so as not to hurt Mr.
Gandhi's conscience. The Prime Minister had made it quite clear that the British Cabinet
would not withdraw it or alter it of its own but that they were ready to substitute for it a
formula that may be agreed upon by the Caste Hindus and the Untouchables. As I had the
privilege of representing the Untouchables at the Round Table Conference it was
assumed that the assent of the Untouchables would not be valid unless I was a party to it.
At the moment my position as the representative of the Untouchables of India was not
only not questioned but was accepted as a fact. All eyes naturally turned to me as the man
or rather as the villain of the piece. Mr. Gandhi's life as he himself said was in my hands.

It is no exaggeration to say that no man was placed in a greater and graver dilemma
than I was then. It was a baffling situation. I had to make a choice between two different
alternatives. There was before me the duty which I owed as a part of common humanity
to save Gandhi from sure death. There was before me the problem of saving for the
Untouchables the political rights which the Prime Minister had given them. I responded
to the call of humanity and saved the life of Mr. Gandhi by agreeing to alter the
Communal Award in a manner satisfactory to Mr. Gandhi. This agreement is known as
the Poona Pact. The terms of the Poona Pact were as under:

1. There shall be seats reserved for the Depressed Classes out of general electorates.
Seats in Provincial Legislatures shall be as follows:

Madras 30
Bombay with Sind 15
Punjab 8
Bihar and Orissa 18
Central Provinces 20
Assam 7
Bengal 30
United Provinces 20
Total 148
This number of 148 seats was raised to 151 in making adjustments on seats for Bihar and
Orissa.

These figures are based on the total strength of the Provincial Councils announced in the
Prime Minister's decision.

2. Election to these seats shall be by joint electorates subject, however, to the following
procedure:

All members of the Depressed Classes registered in the general electoral roll of a
constituency, will form an electoral college which will elect a panel of four candidates
belonging to the Depressed Classes, for each of such reserved seats by the method of
single vote and four persons getting the highest number of votes in such primary election,
shall be the candidates for election by the general electorates.

3. Representation of the Depressed Classes in the Central Legislature shall likewise be

on the principle of joint electorates and reserved seats by the method of primary election
in the manner provided for in clause 2 above for their representation in Provincial
Legislatures.

4. In the Central Legislature 18 per cent of the seats allotted to the general electorate for
British India in the said legislature shall be reserved for the Depressed Classes.

5. The system of primary election to panel of candidates for election to the Central and
Provincial Legislatures, as herein before mentioned, shall come to an end after the first
ten years unless terminated sooner by mutual agreement under the provision of Clause 6
below.

6. The system of representation of the Depressed Classes by reserved seats in the

Provincial and Central Legislatures as provided for in clauses I and 4 shall continue until
determined by mutual agreement between the communities concerned in this settlement.

7. The franchise for the Central and Provincial Legislature for the Depressed Classes
shall be as indicated in the Lothian Committee Report.

8. There shall be no disabilities attaching to anyone on the ground of his being a

member of the Depressed Classes in regard to any elections to local bodies or
appointment to public service.
 Every endeavour shall be made to secure a fair representation of the Depressed Classes
in these respects subject to such educational qualifications as may be laid down for
appointment to public services.

9. In every province out of the educational grant an adequate sum shall be earmarked
for providing educational facilities to members of the Depressed Classes.

The terms of the Pact were accepted by Mr. Gandhi and given effect to by Government
by embodying them in the Government of India Act.

This fast unto death was a great gamble on the part of Mr. Gandhi. He perhaps felt that
the mere threat to fast unto death would make me and other Depressed Classes who were
with me just shiver and yield. But he soon found that he was mistaken and that the
Untouchables were equally determined to fight to the last for their rights. No one except
his own followers was convinced that Mr. Gandhi's fast had any moral basis and if
Gandhi got a second lease of life, he owes it entirely to the generosity and goodwill
shown towards him by the Untouchables.

Question however is what advantage the Untouchables have got by entering into the
Poona Pact. To understand this one must examine the results of the elections to the
Legislatures. The Government of India Act came into operation on 1st April 1937. In
February 1937 the elections to the new legislatures as defined in the Act took place. So
far as the Untouchables are concerned the elections which took place in February 1937
were elections in accordance with the Poona Pact. The following is the analysis of the
results of that election to the seats reserved for the Untouchables in the different
Provincial Assemblies.

TABLE

Total Seats Total Seats

Province Reserved for the Captured by
Untouchables the Congress
United Provinces 20 16
Madras 30 26
Bengal 30 6

Central Provinces 20 7
Bombay 15 4

Bihar 15 11
Punjab 8 Nil
 7
Assam 4
Orissa 6 4
Total 151 78

This analysis reveals certain facts which make one ask whether the Untouchables have
got anything of any value by entering into the Poona Pact and saving the life of Mr.
Gandhi and whether the Poona Pact has not made the Untouchables the Bondsmen of the
Caste Hindus.

This analysis shows that a large majority of them have been elected as Congressmen. It
is my firm conviction that for the Untouchables to merge in the Congress or for the
matter of that in any large political party cannot but be fatal for them.

The Untouchables need a movement if they are to remain conscious of their wrongs and
if the spirit of revolt is kept alive amongst them. They need a movement because the
Caste Hindus have to be told that what is tragedy of the Untouchables is their crime. The
Congress may not be a red-blooded Hindu body so far as the Musalmans are concerned.
But it is certainly a full-blooded and blue-blooded Hindu body inasmuch as it consists of
Caste Hindus. A movement of the Untouchables must mean an open war upon the Caste
Hindus. A movement of the Untouchables within the Congress is quite impossible. It
must mean an inter necine within the party. The Congress for its own safety cannot allow
it.

The Congress has strictly forbidden the Untouchables who have joined the Congress to
carry on any independent movement of the Untouchables not approved of by the High
Command. The result is that in those Provinces where the Untouchables have joined the
Congress the movement of the Untouchables as such is dead.

The Untouchables must retain their right to freedom of speech and freedom of action on
the floor of the Legislature if they are to ventilate their grievances and obtain redress of
their wrongs by political action. But this freedom of speech and action has been lost by
the representatives of the Untouchables who have joined the Congress. They cannot vote
as they like, they cannot speak what they think. They cannot ask a question, they cannot
move a resolution and they cannot bring in a Bill. They are completely under the control
of the Congress Party Executive. They have only such freedom as the Congress
Executive may choose to allow them. The result is that though the tale of woes of the
Untouchables is ever-increasing, the untouchable members of the Legislature are unable
even to ask a question about them. So pitiable has their condition become that the
Congress Party sometimes requires them to vote against a measure that may in the
opinion of the Untouchable members of the Legislature be beneficial to the
Untouchables. A recent instance of this occurred in Madras. Rao Bahadur Raja a member
of the Madras Legislature brought in a Bill to secure the entry of the Untouchables into
Hindu Temples in the Madras Presidency. The Congress Government had promised to
support it at first. Subsequently the Congress Government in Madras changed its opinion
and opposed the measure. It was a dilemma for the Untouchable members of the Madras
Legislature. But they had no choice. The whip was applied and they in a body voted
against the measure. The representatives of the Untouchables were supposed to be the
watch-dogs of the Untouchables. But by reason of having joined the Congress they are
muzzled dogs. Far from biting they are not even able to bark. This loss of freedom of
speech and action by these Untouchable members is entirely due to their having joined
the Congress and subjected themselves to the discipline of the Congress.

The third disadvantage arising from the Untouchables joining the Congress lies in their
being unable to secure any real benefit to the Untouchables. This is due to two reasons.
First of all the Congress is not a radical party. The Congress has the reputation of being a
revolutionary organization. Its idea of complete independence, the movement of civil
disobedience and non-payment of land revenue which the Congress once launched have
undoubtedly given that reputation. But many people forget that a revolutionary party is
not necessarily a radical party. Whether a revolutionary party is also a radical party must
depend upon the social and emotional realities which bring on or induce the revolutionary
activity. The Barons of England who under Simon de Mandfort rose against King John in
1215 and compelled him to sign the Magna Charta must be classed as revolutionaries
along with the Peasants of England who in 1381 rose in rebellion under Wat Tyler
against their masters and who were all hanged for their rebellious acts. But who can say
that the Barons because they were revolutionaries were also radical ? The Barons rebelled
because they wanted the rights of their class against the King and the peasants
established. The Barons revolt was fed by the social emotion of those who were
frustrated of power. The emotions behind the peasants revolt were those who were
oppressed and who were hungering for food and freedom and that is why the peasants
were both revolutionary as well as radical. The revolt of the Congress is more like the
revolt of the Peasants. The Congress under Gandhi is as radical as the Barons were under
Simon de Mandfort. Just as the Barons revolt was fed by the social emotions of those
who were frustrated of power and not by the emotions of those who were toiling and
hungering so was the Congress revolt against the British. It is true that the Congress
gathered a large following from the masses but that was by appealing to their anti-British
feeling which is natural to all Indians. It is also true that emotions of these were those
who were frustrated of food and freedom. But their emotions were in conflict of those
socially advanced and the propertied classes. And the latter had all along been the
governing class in the Congress. The masses have been camp followers. It is their
emotions which has all along determined the character of the Congress. Their emotions
are of those who are frustrated of power. That is why the Congress has been only
revolutionary body and has not been a radical party. The truth of this can be seen by any
one who cares to examine the record of the Congress Governments. Their achievement
since they have taken over are just a miscellaneous collection of trifling trinkets. They
have shot down the workers more readily than the British and have released criminals
sentenced by the High Courts on no other ground than that they have the authority to do
it. It is a surprize to me—it is not me— that the Congress has so soon shown that it is just
a counter-part of the Tories in England. The governing class in the Congress has lost all
its fervour for revolution, for driving the British out. Having now got a field to exploit the
masses they want to stick on the power and authority to do the job thoroughly and do not
wish to be disturbed by any thought of anti-imperialism at all.

Not being radical party the Congress cannot be trusted to undertake a radical
programme of social and economic reconstruction without which the Untouchables can
never succeed in improving their lot. For the Untouchables to join such a party is a futile
and senseless thing. The Congress will not do anything for them but will only use them as
they have done.

The Congress might do something for the Untouchables if it was compelled to do by

force of circumstances. There is only one circumstance in which the Congress would feel
such a compulsion— that is when the Congress finds itself dependent upon the
representatives of the Untouchables for its majority in the Legislature. Then the
Untouchables would be in a position to dictate their terms to the Congress and the
Congress would be bound to accept them. In such a contingency it would be worth the
while of the Untouchables to join the Congress in a coalition. It would be real bargain.
But today the Congress has everywhere such large majorities that in the legislatures it is
its own master. It is not dependent on any outside support. The Untouchables who are in
it are at the end of the tail and the tail so lengthened that it cannot wag. This is the second
reason why joining the Congress can be of no benefit to the Untouchables.

Such are the disadvantages that have arisen from the Untouchables having joined the
Congress. They are not merely disadvantages. I call them dire consequences. All social
movement has become dead. All political power has become migratory. It is
understatement to say that under the new Constitution the Untouchables are marking
time. The fact is that they have been put in chains.

But the question will undoubtedly be asked and it is this—If such are the consequences
of joining the Congress why did these Untouchables join it? Why did they not fight their
elections independently and in opposition to the Congress? Some of the Untouchables
who stood on the Congress ticket were just careerists, men on the make who wanted to
climb into the Legislature so as to be within call when the places of office or profit come
for distribution. They did not care by whose ladder they climbed. The Congress being the
biggest party and its pass the surest way of being admitted into the Legislature these
careerists felt that to join the Congress was the easiest way of electoral success. They did
not want to take any chance. This however explains their object. It does not explain the
cause which forced them to join the Congress. I am sure even these careerists would not
have joined the Congress if it was possible for them to have got themselves elected
independently of the Congress. They joined the Congress only because they found that
that course was impossible. Why were they compelled to join the Congress? The answer
is that it was due to the system of joint electorates which caused the mischief which was
introduced by the Poona Pact.

A joint electorate for a small minority and a vast majority is bound to result in a disaster
to the minority. A candidate put up by the minority cannot be successful even if the
whole of the minority were solidly behind him. The fact that a seat is reserved for a
minority merely gives a security that the minority candidate will be declared elected. But
it cannot guarantee that the minority candidate declared elected will be a person of its
choice if the election is to be by a joint electorate. Even if a seat is reserved for a
minority, a majority can always pick up a person belonging to the minority and put him
up as a candidate for the reserved seat as against a candidate put up by the minority and
get him elected by helping its nominee with the superfluous voting strength which is at its
command. The result is that the representative of the minority elected to the reserved seat
instead of being a champion of the minority is really the slave of the majority.

In the system of electorates now formed for election to the Legislature, the Untouchable
voters as against the caste Hindu voters are placed in a hopeless minority. A few
instances will show how great is the discrepancy in the relative voting strength of the
Untouchables and the caste Hindus in the different constituencies.

The power to do mischief in elections which a joint electorate gives to a majority is

increased immensely if the electoral system is based on the principle of a single member
constituency.

In a system of joint electorates with reserved seats for a minority a constituency must
always be a plural member constituency i.e. there must be one seat for the minority and at
least one seat for the majority. In other words it must be what is called a plural member
constituency. This plural member constituency must be small one i.e. the majority
community may have just two seats as against the one assigned to the minority. It may be
a large one i.e. the majority may have a larger number of seats assigned to it. This is an
important consideration because the smaller the number of seats the greater the power of
mischief which the majority gets. This will be clear if it is borne in mind that when a
majority has fewer seats it can release a large portion of its voting strength to get its own
nominee from the minority elected to the reserved seats and defeat the nominee of the
minority. On the other hand if the majority is assigned a larger number of seats, there a
competition among the candidates is greater, the voters of the majority community are for
the most part (busy) in fighting out the election to the seats assigned to the majority and
very few at all can be released to help the nominee of the majority for the minority seat.
In a joint electorate the safety of the minority lies in the majority having a larger number
of seats to contest. Otherwise it is sure to be overwhelmed by the majority.

In the electoral system now framed for the caste Hindus the principle that is adopted is
that of the single member constituency. It is true that on the face of it the constituency
taken as a whole appear to be a plural member constituency. But, in fact, the constituency
so far as the caste Hindus are concerned are single member constituencies. The
consequence of this single member constituency system for Caste Hindus is that the
Hindus are able to release an enormous lot of their superfluous votes and flood the
election for the seats reserved for the Untouchables and keep their nominee for the
reserved seat afloat.

The Hindus were anxious to forge further means for nullifying the benefit of the Poona
Pact. The Poona Pact having been concluded in a hurry, it left many things undefined. Of
the things that were left undefined and about which there arose subsequently a keen
controversy were the following: (1) Does the 'panel of four' to be elected at the primary
election imply four as a maximum or a minimum ? (2) What was to be the method of
voting in the final joint electorate with the Hindus? The Hammond Committee which had
to decide upon these issues found that there were two diametrically opposite views in
regard to these two questions, one view held by the Caste Hindus and the other held by
the Untouchables. It was contended on behalf of the Caste Hindus that the panel of four
was intended to be a minimum. If four candidates are not forthcoming there could be no
primary election and therefore there can be no election for the reserved seat, which they
said must remain vacant and the Untouchables should go without representation. The
Untouchables contended that four was the maximum. Four in the Poona Pact meant " not
more than four ". It did not mean " not less than four". On the question of voting the caste
Hindus contended that the compulsory distributive vote was the most appropriate. The
Untouchables on the other hand insisted that the cumulative system of voting was the
proper system to be introduced.
 The Hammond Committee accepted the view propounded by the Untouchables and
rejected those of the Caste Hindus. All the same it is interesting to know why the caste
Hindus put forth their contentions.

The reason why the Hindus wanted four in the panel and not less was quite obvious.
The object of the Hindus is to get elected in the final election such a representative of the
Untouchables as would be most ready and willing to compromise with Hindus and
Hinduism. To get him elected in the final election he must first come in the Panel. A most
compromising Untouchable can come in the Panel only when the panel is a large panel.

If there is only one candidate in the Panel then he would be the stautichest
representative of the Untouchable and worst from the standpoint of the Hindus. If there
are two, the second will be less staunch than the first and therefore good from the
standpoint of the Hindus. If there are three, the third will be less staunch than the second
and therefore better from the standpoint of the Hindus. If there be four, the fourth will be
less staunch than the third and therefore best from the point of view of the Hindus. The
Panel of four gives the Hindus the best chance of getting into the Panel such
representative of the Untouchables as is most compromising in his attitude towards
Hindus and Hinduism and that is why they insisted that the Panel should be at least of
four.

The object of insisting upon the system of compulsory distributive vote was just
supplementary to the idea of having the Panel of not less than four. Under the cumulative
vote the elector has as many votes as there are seats, but may plump them all for one
candidate or distribute them over two or more candidates as he may desire. Under the
distributive system of voting the elector has also as many votes as there are seats, but he
can give only one vote to any one candidate.

Although the two look different yet in effect there may be no difference because even
under the cumulative vote a voter is not prevented from distributing his votes. He is free
to give one vote to one candidate. But the Hindus did not want to take any chance. Their
main object was to flood the election to the seat reserved for the Untouchables in the joint
electorate by using the surplus votes of the caste Hindus in favour of the Untouchable
candidate who happens to be their nominee. The object was to outnumber the
Untouchable voters and prevent them from electing their own nominee. This cannot be
done unless the surplus votes of the caste Hindu voters were divested from the caste
Hindu candidate towards the Untouchable candidates. There is a greater chance of the
diversion of these surplus votes under the distributive system than there is under the
cumulative system. Under the former the caste Hindu voter can give only one vote to the
caste Hindu candidate. The other vote not being of use to the caste Hindu candidate is
usable only for an Untouchable candidate. With the distributive system there was more
chance of flooding the election to the seat reserved for the Untouchables and this is why
they preferred it to the system of cumulative vote. But they want to take a chance. Even
the distributive system from their point of view was not foolproof. Under the distributive
system there was no compulsion upon the voter to use all his votes. He may use one vote
for the caste Hindu candidate and not use the rest of his votes. If this happens the purpose
of getting in their untouchable nominee would be defeated. Not to leave things to chance
the Hindus wanted that the distributive system of voting should be made compulsory so
that a caste Hindu voter whether he wants it or not can have no option but to vote for the
untouchable candidate who may be the nominee of the Hindus.

The two proposals were thus a part of a deep conspiracy on the part of the Hindus.
They were rejected by the Hammond Committee. But there are enough elements of
mischief in the Poona Pact itself that the rejection of these two proposals has in no way
weakened the power of the Hindus to render nugatory the right of special representation
granted to the Untouchables.

Notwithstanding the political disaster which has overtaken the Untouchables and which
is the result of the Poona Pact, there are not wanting friends of Mr. Gandhi who hold out
the Poona Pact as a great boon to the Untouchables.

Firstly it is alleged that the Poona Pact gave the Untouchables larger number of seats
than was given to them by the Communal Award. It is true that the Poona Pact gave the
Untouchables 151 seats while the Award had only given them 78. But to conclude from
this that the Poona Pact gave them more than what was given by the Award is to ignore
what the Award had in fact given to the Untouchables.

The Communal Award gave the Untouchables two benefits: (i) a fixed quota of seats to
be elected by separate electorates for Untouchables and to be filled by persons belonging
to the Untouchables, (ii) Double vote, one to be used through separate electorates and the
other to be used in the general electorates.

Now if the Poona Pact increased the fixed quota of seats it also took away the right to
the double vote. This increase in seats can never be deemed to be a compensation for the
loss of the double vote. The second vote given by the Communal Award was a priceless
privilege. Its value as a political weapon was beyond reckoning. The voting strength of
the Untouchables in each constituency is one to ten. With this voting strength free to be
used in the election of caste Hindu candidates, the Untouchables would have been in a
position to determine, if not to dictate, the issue of the General Election. No Caste Hindu
candidate could have dared to neglect the Untouchables in his constituency or be hostile
to their interest if he was made dependent upon the votes of the Untouchables. Today the
Untouchables have a few more seats than were given to them by the Communal Award.
But this is all that they have. Every other member is indifferent if not hostile. If the
Communal Award with its system of double voting had remained, the Untouchables
would have had a few seats less but every other member would have been a member for
the Untouchables. The increase in the number of seats for the Untouchables is no increase
at all.

Admitting for the sake of argument that the Poona Pact did give to the Untouchables a
few more seats, the question still remains of what use are these additional seats.
Ordinarily a right to vote is deemed to be sufficient as a means of political protection. But
it was felt that in the case of the Untouchables mere right to vote would not be enough. It
was feared that a member elected on the votes of the Untouchables, if he is himself not an
Untouchable, might play false and might take no interest in them. It was held that the
grievances of the Untouchables must be ventilated in the Legislature and that the surest
way of ensuring it would be to provide that a certain number of seats shall be reserved for
them so that the Untouchables shall be represented by Untouchables in the Legislature. It
is now evident that this hope has not been fulfilled. The Communal Award no doubt gave
fewer seats. But they would have been all of them freemen. The Poona Pact gave more
but they are all filled by bondsmen. If to have a platoon of bondsmen is an advantage
then the Poona Pact may be said to be advantage.

The second argument in favour of the Poona Pact is that in abolishing separate
electorates it saved the Untouchables from being eternally branded as Untouchables. In
one of his speeches delivered in London Mr. Gandhi said:

"Muslims and Sikhs are all well organized. The 'untouchables' are not. There is very
little political consciousness among them and they are so horribly treated that I want to
save them against themselves. If they had separate electorates their lives would be
miserable in villages which are the strongholds of Hindu orthodoxy. It is the superior
class of Hindus who have to do penance for having neglected the ' untouchables ' for
ages. That penance can be done by active social reform and by making the lot of the '
untouchables ' more bearable by acts of service, but not by asking for separate electorates
for them. By giving them separate electorates you will throw the apple of discord
between the 'untouchables' and the orthodox. You must understand I can tolerate the
proposal for special representation of the Musalmans and the Sikhs only as a necessary
evil. It would be a positive danger for the ' untouchables '. I am certain that the question
of separate electorates for the ' untouchables ' is modern manufacture of Government.
The only thing needed is to put them on the voters' list, and provide for fundamental
rights for them in the constitution. In case they are unjustly treated and their
representative is deliberately excluded, they would have the right to special election
tribunal which would give them complete protection. It should be open to these tribunals
to order the unseating of an elected candidate and the election of the excluded man."

"Separate electorates to the 'untouchables' will ensure them bondage in perpetuity. The
Musalmans will never cease to be Musalmans by having separate electorates. Do you
want the 'untouchables' to remain 'untouchables' for ever? Well, the separate electorates
would perpetuate the stigma. What is needed is destruction of untouchability, and when
you have done it, the bar sinister which has been imposed by an insolent ' superior ' class
upon an ' inferior ' class will be destroyed. When you have destroyed the bar sinister, to
whom will you give the separate electorates ? Look at the history of Europe. Have you
got separate electorates for the working classes or women? With adult franchise, you give
the ' untouchables ' complete security. Even the orthodox would have to approach them
for votes."

" How then, you ask, does Dr. Ambedkar, their representative, insist on separate
electorates for them ? I have the highest regard for Dr. Ambedkar. He has every right to
be bitter. That he does not break our heads is an act of self-restraint on his part. He is
today so much saturated with suspicion that he cannot see anything else. He sees in every
Hindu a determined opponent of the ' untouchables ', and it is quite natural. The same
thing happened to me in my early days in South Africa, where I was hounded out by the
Europeans wherever I went. It is quite natural for him to vent his wrath. But the separate
electorates that he seeks will not give him social reform. He may himself mount to power
and position but nothing good will accrue to the ' untouchables '. I can say all this with
authority, having lived with the 'untouchables' and having shared their joys and sorrows
all these years."

His argument it is true derives some support from the Simon Commission which also
observed: ( The following extracts are not quoted in the MS. They are reproduced here
from Dr. Ambedkar's ' What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables ',
Appendix VI, p. 327.— Ed.)

(Extracts from the Report of the Simon Commission, Vol. II)

78. In no other province has it been possible to get an estimate of the number of the
depressed classes who are qualified to vote. It is clear that even with a considerable
lowering of the franchise—which would no doubt increase the proportion of the
depressed class voters—there would be no hope of the depressed classes getting their
own representatives elected in general constituencies without special provision being
made to secure it. In the long run the progress of the depressed classes, so far as it can be
secured by the exercise by them of political influence, will depend on their getting a
position of sufficient importance for other elements to seek their support and to consider
their needs.

* * *

80. ... ... It will be seen, therefore, that we do not recommend allocating seats to
the depressed classes on the basis of their full population ratio. The scale of reserved
representation suggested will secure a substantial increase in the number of the M.L.C.s
drawn from the depressed classes. The poverty and want of education which so widely
prevail amongst them make it extremely doubtful whether a large number of adequately
equipped members could be at once provided, and it is far better that they should be
represented by qualified spokesmen rather than by a larger number of ineffectives who
are only too likely to be subservient to higher castes. The re-distribution of seats which is
now being attempted among different kinds of representatives cannot be permanent, and
provision must be made for its revision. But we think that our proposal is adequate for the
present, especially as the representation of opinion by reservation of seats does not
exclude the possibility of the capture of other seats not so reserved.

* * *

But that this argument is silly there can be no doubt about it. To put a man in a separate
category from others is not necessarily an evil. Whether the affixing of a label is good or
bad depends upon the underlying purpose. If the object is to deprive him of rights then
such a labelling would no doubt be a grievous wrong. But if the purpose is to mark off as
a recipient of a privilege then far from being a wrong it would be a most beneficial
measure. To enrol an untouchable in a separate electoral roll would be objectionable if
the object was to deprive him of the right of franchise. To enrol him in a separate
electoral roll for giving him the benefit of special representation would certainly be an
advantage to him. Looked at from the point of view of ultimate purpose it is difficult to
see how any person who claims to be the friend of the untouchables could object to
separate electorates for them. Not only the argument of Gandhi against separate
electorate was silly it was also insincere. Gandhi objected to separate electorates because
it involved labelling of the Untouchables. But how is this labelling avoided injoint
electorates it is difficult to understand. The reservation of a seat for the Untouchables in a
joint electorate must and does involve such labelling for the candidate claiming the
benefit of the reserved must in law declare that he is an untouchable. To that extent there
is certainly a labelling involving in the Joint Electorate and Mr. Gandhi should have
objected to joint electorates as violently as he did to separate electorates., Either Mr.
Gandhi was insincere or that he did not know what he was talking about.
 Friends of Mr. Gandhi do not stop to consider how far under the Poona Pact the
Untouchables have been able to send independent men to represent them in the
Legislature and whether these representatives have been putting up any fight and how
well they are succeeding. If they stopped to do it they would be ashamed to sing the
praises of the joint electorates and the Poona Pact. The Congress and the Hindus have
shamefully abused their power and their resources as a majority community. Not only
have they prevented the Untouchables from electing persons of their choice, not only
have they got their own nominees elected by the use of their surplus votes, they have
done something for which any decent party in any part of the world ashamed of itself.
The selection of the candidates from the untouchables made by the Congress to fill the
seats reserved for the Untouchables was a most cowardly and a blackguardly act.

It was open to the Congress—which is simply a political surname for Hindus—to allow
the Untouchables the benefits of more seats than those fixed for them by the Poona Pact.
They could have done that by adopting untouchable candidates to contest general seats.
There was nothing in law to prevent them from doing so. The Congress did nothing of the
kind. This shows that if no seat had been reserved to the Untouchables, the Hindus would
never have cared to see that an untouchable was returned to the legislature. On the other
hand when seats were reserved, the Hindus came forward to spoil the effect of the
reservation by seeing to it that the seats went to such untouchables as agreed to be their
slaves.

Thus there has been a tragic end to this fight of the untouchables for political rights. I
have no hesitation in saying that Mr. Gandhi is solely responsible for this tragedy.

Mr. Gandhi's cry against the Communal Award on the ground that it prescribed
separate electorates was absolutely false and if the Hindus had not become maddened by
his fast they would have seen that it was so. The Communal Award had also a provision
for joint electorates in addition to separate electorates. The second vote given to the
Untouchables was to be exercised in a general electorate in the election of a Caste Hindu
candidate. This was undoubtedly a system of joint electorates. The difference between the
Communal Award and the Poona Pact does lie in the nature of electorates. Both provide
for joint electorates. The difference lies in this, joint electorate of the Communal Award
was intended to enable the Untouchables to take part and influence the election of the
Caste Hindu candidate while the joint electorate of the Poona Pact is intended to enable
the caste.

Hindus to take part and influence the election of the Untouchable candidates. This is the
real difference between the two.
 What would a friend of the Untouchables wish? Would he support the joint electorates
of the Communal Award or the joint electorates of the Poona Pact ? There can be no
doubt that the real salvation of the Untouchables lies in making the Hindus dependent
upon the suffrages of the Untouchables. This is what the Communal Award did. To make
the Untouchables depend upon the suffrages of the Hindus is to make them the slaves of
the Hindus which they already are. This is what the Poona Pact does. The Communal
Award was intended to free the Untouchables from the thraldom of the Hindus. The
Poona Pact is designed to place them under the domination of the Hindus.

This 'Fast unto Death' of Mr. Gandhi was described in glorious terms by his friends and
admirers both in India and outside. It was described as ' second crucifixion ', as '
martyrdom ' and as ' Triumphal struggle'. An American friend of Mr. Gandhi assured the
Americans that in laying down his life Mr. Gandhi was neither a ' trickster ' nor a stick
demagogue. Another American in his ecstasy went to the length of describing him as the
incarnation of 'one against the world'. Of course I was held out as the villain of the piece.
I had of course my own view of Gandhi's fast. I described it as a political stunt. His
utterances had to me always the ring of falsity and even of insincerity.

I had always the feeling that what actuated Mr. Gandhi to fast against the Communal
Award was not any desire to liberate the Untouchables as to save the Hindus from
disruption. He was prepared to do that at any cost, even at the cost of political
enslavement of the Untouchables. His disapproval of the Poona Pact was very much like
the disapproval of the enfranchisement of the Negro by the Southerners after the civil
war. The ' Statesman ' and 'Nation ' came to the same conclusion. It said: (Quotation not
mentioned in the MS nor could it be traced elsewhere—Ed.)

At the time there was this one solitary instance of a view agreeing with mine. Even
some of the prominent untouchables backed Mr. Gandhi. A curious case was that of Mr.
Raja whose grievance was that although he was a member of the Central Assembly
nominated to represent the Depressed Classes he was not selected as a delegate for the
Round Table Conference. He was fighting for separate electorates. Suddenly he changed
sides and took up the cudgels on behalf of Mr. Gandhi and fulminated both against me
for demanding and against the British Government for granting separate electorates. He
developed such a strong love for Mr. Gandhi and such a strong faith in the Hindus that no
one could suspect that he was doing the work of a mere hireling. This is what Mr. Raja
said in the course of a speech delivered by him on an adjournment motion moved in the
Central Legislature on September 13th, 1932 relating to Gandhi's fast.

" Never in the annals of the history of India has the issue of the Depressed Classes
assumed importance as it has today, and for this we of the Depressed Classes must for
ever be grateful to Mahatma Gandhi. He has told the world, in words which cannot be
mistaken, that our regeneration is the fundamental aim of his life. If world conscience
cannot be roused even now to the realization of the position of the Depressed Classes,
then we can only conclude that all instincts of humanity are dead in the world today."

* * *

"The question before the House is the situation created by Mahatma Gandhi opposing the
grant of communal electorates to the Depressed Classes. I am sure there is no honourable
member in this House who will not regret that circumstances should have forced such a
great personality to take a vow to play on his life, but sir, the correspondence shows that
Government had enough warning. If they did not attach full importance to our considered
views expressed in our conferences and in the Rajah-Moonje Pact I had signed with the
President of Hindu Mahasabha, they should have taken at least the grave warning given
by Mahatma Gandhi and desisted from the course of creating separate electorates."

* * *

"Indeed this is my chief attack on the Premier's letter to Mahatma Gandhi. He tells us
that he has given separate electorates for twenty years to enable us to get the minimum
number of seats to place our views before the Government and legislature of the day. I
contend that this privilege we have already enjoyed under the Montford reforms which
have enabled us to get representation in numerous local bodies and in legislatures both
provincial and central. We are sufficiently organized for that purpose and do not need
either special pleading or special succour. In future what we do need as real remedy for
our uplift is definite power to elect our representatives from the general constituencies
and hold them responsible to us for their actions. I do not know why the Prime Minister
calls the scheme of joint electorates with reservation of seats as impracticable. It is
already in force in local bodies in Madras and some other provinces and has worked very
satisfactorily. I contend, sir, that the scheme enunciated in the communal decision
involves our segregation and makes us politically untouchables. I am surprised at the
argument of the Prime Minister that there is no segregation because we can vote for Caste
Hindus who will have to solicit our votes. But, sir, how can we bring about common ideal
of citizenship when Depressed Class representatives are not to solicit votes of higher
castes?"

* * *

"The sufferings which my community has undergone at the hands of Caste Hindus have
been acknowledged by Caste Hindus themselves, and I am prepared to admit that there
are a large number of reformers among them who are doing everything possible to
improve our status and position. I am convinced that there is a change of heart and a
change in the angle of vision of Caste Hindus. We, Depressed Classes, feel ourselves as
true Hindus as any Caste Hindu can be, and we feel that the moral conscience of the
Hindus has been roused to the extent that our salvation lies in bringing about a change
from within the main body of Hindu society and not segregating ourselves from them.
The course adopted by the Government would certainly arrest the progress of this most
laudable movement. I must say, sir, that the Prime Minister's letter in its entire
conception, and expression has disappointed me."

* * *

" The crisis that faces us today is very grave. There hangs in the balance the life of the
greatest Indian of our time, and there hangs in the balance the future of millions of the
down-trodden people of this country. Is Government going to take the responsibility for
killing the one and reducing the other to perpetual servitude? Let it make its choice well
and wisely."

* * *

Mr. Raja not only backed the Poona Pact and fought for distributive vote which as I
pointed out was nothing but a part of the design of the Hindus to make the political
enslavement of the Untouchables fool-proof and knave-proof. Mr. Raja was so much
enamoured of his new faith in Gandhi and Hindus that he was not satisfied by the
disposal of the matter by the Hammond Committee. He reopened the matter after election
by moving a resolution in the Madras Assembly in favour of the distributive vote1.

But today after seeing the results of the Poona Pact Mr. Raja seems to have been
disillusioned. How long he will remain faithful to the truth he has discovered is more than
I can say. But he has declared himself openly as a bitter opponent of the Poona Pact. In a
letter to Mr. Gandhi, dated 25th August 1938, Mr. Raja says:

" You remember how, when most of my people were in favour of separate electorates
so that they may express themselves faithfully and effectively in the legislatures, you
staked your life on bringing them into the Hindu fold not only politically but socially and
religiously. And I was in no small measure responsible for my people going in for a joint
electorate with Caste Hindus on the express understanding that there was to be no
interference with our choosing men who would faithfully represent our grievances and
wishes. It was with this object that the panel election was instituted.

" All this you know as well as I do. But my object in recalling the fact is to show that
while on our part we faithfully adhered to the Poona Pact, giving up agitating for a
separate electorate, the Congress Party men in Madras representing the Caste Hindus
deviated from the Pact, so much so, that our community in the Legislative Assembly have
to follow the Caste Hindus blindly in Madras Legislative Assembly Debates. Every
measure the Ministry may bring and vote with them even in matters which deeply affect
the interests of the community.

" You perhaps remember that at the beginning of the elections I protested against the
Congress Committee setting up candidates for the panel election among the Depressed
Classes. You were good enough to say that I might allow my community joining the
Congress on certain conditions placed before us by Mr. S. Satyamurti. One of these
conditions was that in matters affecting their community, the Depressed Class members
of the Congress Party need not vote with the Congress members but vote according to
their judgement.

"The recent debate on the Temple Entry Bill in the Madras Legislative Assembly has
exposed the ugly fact that all Depressed Class Members driven by the discipline of the
Congress Party in the Assembly voted solidly against my motion for referring the Bill to
a Select Committee. Could anything be more unnatural and more humiliating, proving as
it did the subjugation of my community by the Caste Hindus represented by Mr.
Rajagopalachariar?

"You know the provisions of the Bill. It was only a piece of permissive legislation
making it possible for a majority of worshippers of a temple to allow Harijans to worship
in the temple. There was no element of compulsion or coercion in it. This Bill had your
blessing. It was drafted by Mr. Rajagopalachariar himself and approved by you.

" At a previous session of the Assembly I introduced the Bill with the consent of Mr.
Rajagopalachariar, who promised his full support to the measure. When I suggested that
the Bill might be introduced by him as a Government measure, he wanted me to
introduce it. When I met him last, on the 12th July 1938 and informed him that I was
giving notice of a motion for referring the Bill to a Select Committee he did not object.

"I do not know what happened in the meantime but two days before my motion for
referring the Bill to the Select Committee came up before the house, Mr.
Rajagopalachariar sent for me and quietly asked me to withdraw the Bill, which I refused
to do. When in due course, I moved for the consideration of the Bill, Mr.
Rajagopalachariar stood up and opposed the Bill and requested me to withdraw it, saying
that he would introduce a Temple Entry Bill on the same lines, only for Malabar and not
for other Districts.

"The effect of Mr. Rajagopalachariar's speech was to defeat my motion with my own
community men registering their votes against the measure, introduced to secure their
social and religious elevation. One effect of Mr. Rajagopalachariar's opposition will be to
strengthen the opposition in the country to temple entry as a whole.

" All this makes me uneasy about the wisdom of our havirig been parties to the Poona
Pact in the full belief that the Congress would really help in our attempt to secure social
and religious freedom. I am forced to think that our entering the joint electorate with the
caste Hindus under the leadership of the Congress, far from helping us, has enabled the
Congress, led by Caste Hindu leaders to destroy our independence and to use us to cut
our own throats.

"In the course of the debate, I asked Mr. Rajagopalachariar whether he had obtained
your approval of the attitude which he so suddenly and unexpectedly assumed and the
Speaker said that Mr. Rajagopalachariar will be given an opportunity to answer the
question after I had done. Though he was given the privilege of speaking after me, he
avoided the question and did not answer it at all.

" I trust that you will give your most serious consideration to this question of the
attitude of the Congress Ministry in Madras towards Harijan uplift, especially with regard
to temple entry and let me have your view before I answer my community men who are
very much exercised over this question and are contemplating a repudiation of the Poona
Pact and an agitation for a separate electorate accompanied by direct action of some
kind." Mr. Rajah also wired to Mahatma Gandhi, Wardha on 12th September 1938 as
follows:

"Agitation against Ministry rejection my bill growing difficult withstand pressure upon
me—Anxiously awaiting reply."

Mr. Gandhi replied to Mr. Rajah on 14th September 1938: " Dear friend,

I must apologise for the delay in replying to your letter, I have been overwhelmed with
work. Now I have your wire.

I wish you would trust C. Rajagopalachariar to do his best. He should be allowed to do

the thing in his own way. If you cannot trust, naturally you will take the course which
commends itself to you. All I know is that Harijans have no better friend than him. Go to
him, reason with him and if you cannot persuade him, bear with him. That is my advice."

Mr. Rajah wrote a letter dated 21st September 1938 to Mr. Gandhi stating:

"I should request you on the other hand to give more serious consideration to the pledges
given to my community during the Yeravada Fast and to the way in which they are
carried out by your plenipotentiary in Madras. That fast was undertaken by you in order
to change the Communal Award providing separate electorates for my people and to
bring them into joint electorate with Caste Hindus by promising to spare no efforts to
remove untouchability. And you have more than once said that temple entry is of the very
essence of the removal of untouchability.

" So the question of our being in a joint electorate with Caste Hindus and the attitude of
the Congress Ministry towards the raising of the social and religious status of the
community are mutually and vitally connected.

"If we are not free to enter into Hindu Temples, we are no Hindus, and if we are not
Hindus why should we be in a joint electorate with them? Is it for swelling their numbers
as against Muslims and other communities?

" If you look at the situation in Madras from this point of view, you will realise that the
rejection of the Temple Entry Bill is a gross betrayal of the Depressed Classes by the
Congress Government in Madras.

" Any amount of money spent out of public funds or even from private resources for the
amelioration of the economic condition of my community will be no substitute for the
removal of untouchability through temple entry. As you yourself once said temple entry
is the acid test of the sincerity of the caste Hindus in espousing the cause of the
Depressed Classes.

"Mr. Rajagopalachariar's Temple Entry Bill, besides involving the tactical choice of a
difficult district makes our community subservient to the will of Caste Hindus, a policy
which is given a further effect to, in the appointment of Advisory Boards to assist the
Labour Commissioner in which Caste Hindus of the Harijan Sevak Sanghs in this
Province are given Government facilities for guiding the destinies of my people. I do not
expect you to agree with my views on the measures recently introduced by Mr.
Rajagopalachariar after rejecting the Madras Temple Entry Bill; but I expect you to give
more serious consideration to the situation in Madras as regards the Depressed Classes in
the light of the pledges given to the Depressed Classes during your memorable fast.

" You are morally bound to make this a matter of conscience and not merely one of
political strategy. I assure that if you should seek ' inner light ' on this subject of
untouchability and temple entry you will speak out more plainly and make the necessary
sacrifice to educate your followers.

" I propose to send this correspondence to the press, but I shall wait for any further
word from you till the end of this month."
 Mr. Gandhi replied to the above on 5th October 1938: "Dear friend,

" I am working under great difficulty. Even this I am writing in the train taking me to
Peshawar.

"Of course you will publish the correspondence between us whenever you think it
necessary.

" Your last letter shows that you are in the wrong. I am not partial to Rajaji. But I know
that he is as firm on untouchability as I am myself. I must, therefore, trust his judgement
as to how to do the thing. From this distance, I can't judge his action. Do you not see that
the whole of the movement is one of conversion of the Sanatani heart ? You cannot force
the pace except to the extent that reforms immolate themselves. This process is going on
vigorously.

" This temple entry question is a mighty-religious reform. I would like you to apply
your religious mind to it. If you will, you will give your whole hearted support to Rajaji
and make his move a thorough success."

The Untouchables of U.P. have also expressed their hostility to the Poona Pact. In a
Memorandum submitted to Col. Muirhead the Under Secretary of State in India they said:
(Memorandum not typed in the MS.— Ed.)

All over India the Untouchables have realized that the Poona Pact has been a trap and
the change of the British Government's Communal Award by Gandhi's Poona Pact is a
change which in reality a change from freedom to bondage.

The Poona Pact was signed on the 24th September 1932. On the 25th September 1932 a
public meeting of the Hindus was held in Bombay to accord to it their support. At that
meeting the following resolution was passed:

"This Conference confirms the Poona agreement arrived at between the leaders of the
Caste Hindus and Depressed Classes on September 24, 1932, and trusts that the British
Government will withdraw its decision creating separate electorates within the Hindu
community and accept the agreement in full. The Conference urges that immediate action
be taken by Government so as to enable Mahatma Gandhi to break his fast within the
terms of his vow and before it becomes too late. The Conference appeals to the leaders of
the communities concerned to realize the implications of the agreement and of this
resolution and to make earnest endeavour to fulfil them.
 This Conference resolves that henceforth, amongst Hindus, no one shall be regarded as
an untouchable by reason of his birth, and that those who have been so regarded hitherto
will have the same right as other Hindus in regard to the use of public wells, public
schools, public roads, and all other public institutions. This right shall have statutory
recognition at the first opportunity and shall be one of the earliest Acts of the Swaraj
Parliament, if it shall not have received such recognition before that time.

It is further agreed that it shall be the duty of all Hindu leaders to secure, by every
legitimate and peaceful means, an early removal of all social disabilities now imposed by
custom upon the so-called untouchable classes, including the bar in respect of admission
to temples."

Mr. Gandhi felt that an organization which will devote itself exclusively to the problem
of the Untouchables was necessary. Accordingly there was established on 28th
September 1932 the All-India Anti-Untouchability League. The name, Gandhi thought,
did not smell well. Therefore in December 1932 it was given a new name—The Servants
of the Untouchables Society. That name again was not as sweet as Mr. Gandhi wished it
to be. He changed and called it the Harjan Sevak Sangh.

The first change which Mr. Gandhi has brought about is this change in the name.
Instead of being called Untouchables they are now called Harijans. To call, the
Untouchables say that Mr. Gandhi is selfish and has given the name Harijan to the
Untouchables to blaster up Vaishnavism. They want the Untouchables to be called
Harjans the followers of Shiva. Mr. Gandhi replies that the term is used to mean God and
not Vishnu and that Harijan simply means ' children of God '.

The Untouchables simply detest the name Harijan. Various grounds of objection are
urged against the name. In the first place it has not bettered their position. It has not
elevated them in the eyes of the Hindus. The new name has become completely identified
with the subject matter of the old. Every body knows that Harijans are simply no other
than the old Untouchables. The new name provides no escape to the Untouchables from
the curse of untouchability. With the new name they are damned as much as they were
with the old. Secondly the Untouchables say that they prefer to be called Untouchables.
They argue that it is better that the wrong should be called by its known name. It is better
for the patient to know what he is suffering from. It is better for the wrong doer that the
wrong is there still to be redressed. Any concealment will give a false sense of both as to
existing facts. The new name in so far as it is a concealment is fraud upon the
Untouchables and a false absolution to the Hindus. Thirdly there is also the feeling that
the name Harijan is indicative of pity. If the name meant ' chosen people of God ' as the
Jews claimed themselves to be it would have been a different matter. But to call them
'children of God' is to invite pity from their tyrants by pointing out their helplessness and
their dependent condition. The more manly among the Untouchables resent the degrading
implications of this new name. How great is the resentment of the Untouchables against
this new name can be seen from the fact that whole body of the representatives of the
Untouchables in the Bombay Legislative Assembly walked out of the House in protest
when the Congress Government introduced a measure giving to the name Harijan the
sanction of law.

This new name Harijan will remain until the downfall of Mr. Gandhi and the overthrow
of the Congress Governments which are his creatures. That it was forced upon the
Untouchables and that it has done no good are however facts which cannot be disputed.

Having discussed the blessings of this new name I must now proceed to examine the
work of the Harijan Sevak Sangh. The Sangh is spoken of as a memorial to Gandhi's
labours in the cause of the Untouchables. What are the achievements of the Sangh.

The Sangh is an All-India Organization. It has a Central Board. Then there are
Provincial Boards and under the Provincial Boards there are District and Local
Committees. The number of Provincial Boards and Local Committees is given below:

1932-33 1933-34 1934-35

Provincial Boards 26 26 29
District & Local Committees 213 313 372

The financial resources of the Sangh are mainly drawn from the collections made on an
All-India tour specially undertaken for the purpose by Mr. Gandhi between November
1933 to July 1934. The total amount collected on this tour came to about 8 lacs of Rupees
and is known as the Gandhi Purse Fund and forms the principal reserve for the Sangh to
draw upon. The rest of the resources are made up of annual donations.

The total expenditure of the Sangh under all heads from year to year is as follows:

1932-33 1933-34 1934-35 1935-36

Rs. 2,31,039.00 3,31,791.00 4,48,422.00 3,99354.00

In his report for 1934-35 the General Secretary reported that almost the whole of the
Gandhi Purse Fund, which stood at over 8 lacs in July 1934, will be spent away by the
end of the current year, i.e. by the end of September 1936." In the fifth Annual Report the
Secretary says, " As compared to the expenditure of the previous year, there has been a
reduction of more than a lac in the total expenditure. This was partly owing to the gradual
exhaustion of the Gandhi Purse Fund, dislocation in the realization of local collections
owing to general elections and other contributory causes. The finances of the Central
office were far from satisfactory. The total expenditure of the Central office (including
grants made to branches) amounted to Rs. 86,610-14-8, as against an income of Rs.
42,485-4-9 thus leaving a deficit of Rs. 44,125-9-11 which was met from the general
fund. Donations for general fund amounted to only Rs. 26,173-4."

It is obvious that the Harijan Sevak Sangh is a small affair and but for the running
advertisement it gets from the Press it would not even be heared off. India is a vast
continent with something like 6,96,831 villages. The Untouchables are spread out all
throughout these 6,96,831 villages. There is no village without its untouchables. How
many Untouchables can be reached by 372 Committees. It is a tiny peck in a vast ocean.
Not only its capacity to cope with the problem is limited but its resources are too meagre
to permit any relief being granted to the Untouchables on an adequate scale. The Sangh
has now no permanent fund. What it had it has spent. It has to depend upon annual
subscriptions. That source is also drying up leaving the Sangh with heavy deficit. The
Sangh is in an exhausted condition. Its affairs in fact would have been wound up on
account of its bankruptcy. If the Sangh is still existing, it is not because its endeavours are
sustained by Hindu charity directed to the uplift of the Untouchables. It exists because the
Congress Governments which are now established in the different Provinces have come
to the rescue of the Sangh. They have handed over to the Sangh certain social welfare
work which former Governments carried out through Government Departments or
Government Officials with the money grants. Thus the Sangh is now living on
Government funds. As an institution maintained by the Hindus with the help of Hindu
Charity for the Untouchables the Sangh simply does not exist.

The din and noise which was created by Mr. Gandhi's fast was simply deafening. The
readiness to make sacrifices to save his life was great and the eagerness shown to
befriend the Untouchables was surprising and overwhelming. All this has vanished
leaving the Untouchables high and dry. If the desire to contribute towards the
maintenance of the Sangh—which the Hindus founded as an earnest of their acceptance
of their obligation towards the Untouchables—is any measure of the reality of the change
of heart then it must be admitted that the change has died with the occasion which caused
it. Gandhi broke his fast and the Hindu lost his new-born love for the Utitouchables.

The premature decay of the Sangh should make it unnecessary for me to consider the
work it did. But the Sangh is held out as a great monument to Mr. Gandhi. It is therefore
proper that I should examine the work done by the Sangh and the policy underlying that
work. The work of the Sangh follows certain well defined lines. In the field of education
the Sangh has sought to encourage higher education among the Untouchables by
instituting scholarships for the Arts, technical and professional courses. The Sangh also
gives scholarships to High School students. The Sangh also maintained Hostels for
Untouchable students attending colleges and High Schools. The great part of the
educational activities of the Sangh is taken up in maintaining separate schools for
primary stage children where there were no common schools in the vicinity or where
common schools were closed to them.

Next comes the welfare activities of the Sangh. The medical aid which the Sangh
undertakes to render to the Untouchables falls under this head. This is done by intenerant
workers of the Sangh who go in Harijan quarters to give medical aid to the sick and ailing
among the Untouchables. The Sangh also maintains a few dispensaries for the use of the
untouchables. This is a very small activity of the Sangh.

The more important part of the welfare activity of the Sangh relates to water supply.
The Sangh does this by (1) sinking new wells or installing tube wells and pumps for the
use of the untouchables, (2) repairing old ones and (3) persuading local Governments and
bodies to sink and repair wells for the Untouchables.

The third line of activity undertaken by the Sangh is economic. The Sangh seems to run
a few industrial schools and it is claimed that the industrial schools run by the Sangh
produced a number of trained artizans who have taken to independent living. But
according to the report, more successful and substantial work was done by way of
organising and supervising cooperative societies among the Untouchables.

Such is in brief the record of the work done by the Sangh. It is largely directed by the
Caste Hindus. There are very few Untouchables who have any voice in directing the
activities of the Sangh. I have had no connection with the Sangh. But I might mention
that when the Sangh was started I was invited to join. I had great desire to cooperate with
the Hindus for the removal of untouchability. I had my own views regarding the policy
and programme which the Sangh should adopt for accomplishing this task. Immediately
after the Sangh was established I had to go to London to attend the Round Table
Conference and had no opportunity to talk the matter over with the other members of the
Sangh. But I posted a letter to the General Secretary of the Sangh Mr. Thakkar on the
14th November 1932 on Board the Ship M. V. " Victoria ". Excepting a short introductory
para which I omit, the following is the full text of the letter:

" In my opinion there can be two distinct methods of approaching the task of uplifting
the Depressed Classes. There is a school which proceeds on the assumption that the fate
of the individual belonging to the Depressed Classes is bound up with his personal
conduct. If he is suffering from want and misery it is because he must be vicious and
sinful. Starting from this hypothesis, this school of social workers concentrates all its
efforts and its resources on fostering personal virtue by adopting a programme which
includes items such as temperance, gymnasium, co-operation, libraries, schools etc.,
which are calculated to make the individual a better and virtuous individual. In my
opinion there is also another method of approach to this problem. It starts with the
hypothesis that the fate of the individual is governed by his environment and the
circumstances he is obliged to live under and if an individual is suffering from want and
misery it is because his environment is not propitious.

"I have no doubt that of the two views the latter is the more correct. The former may
raise a few stray individuals above the level of the class to which they belong. It cannot
lift the class as a whole. My view of the aim of the Anti-Untouchability League is that it
has come into existence not for helping a few individuals at random or a few selected
boys belonging to the Depressed Classes but for raising the whole class to a higher level.
Consequently I would not like the League to dissipate its energies one programme
calculated to foster private virtue. I would like the Board to concentrate all its energies on
a programme that will effect a change in the social environment of the Depressed
Classes. Having stated in general terms my views I venture to place some concrete
proposals for work to be undertaken by the League.

"I think the first thing that the League should undertake is a campaign all over India to
secure to the Depressed Classes the enjoyment of their civic rights such as taking water
from the village wells, entry in village schools, admission to village chawdi, use of public
conveyance etc.

"Such a programme if carried into village will bring about the necessary social
revolution in the Hindu society without which it will never be possible for the Depressed
Classes to get equal social status. The Board must however know what difficulties it will
have to face if this campaign of civic rights is to be carried through. Here I can speak
from experience because I as President know what happened when the Depressed Classes
Institute and the Social Equality League launched such a plan in the Kolaba and Nasik
Districts of the Bombay Presidency.

" First of all there will be riots between the Depressed Classes and the Caste Hindus
which will result in breaking heads and in criminal prosecutions of one side or the other.
In this struggle the Depressed Classes will suffer badly. There has not been a single case
in the course of the social struggle carried on in these two districts in which the Police
and the Magistracy have come to the rescue of the Depressed Classes even when justice
was on their side. Secondly the villages will proclaim a complete boycott of the
Depressed Classes the moment they see that the latter are trying to reach a status of
equality along with them.

"I have mentioned only two of the many obstacles which the League will have to
overcome if this campaign of civic rights is to be successful and the League will have to
have an army of workers in the rural parts who will encourage the Depressed Classes to
fight for their rights and who will help them in any legal proceedings arising therefrom to
a successful issue. It is true that this programme involves social disturbances and violent
scuffle. But I do not think that it can be avoided. I know the alternative policy of adopting
the line of least resistance. I am convinced that it will be ineffective in the matter of
uprooting untouchability.

" The silent infiltration of rational ideas among the ignorant mass of Caste Hindus
cannot, I am sure, work for the salvation of the Depressed Classes. First of all the Caste
Hindu like all human beings follows his customary conduct in observing untouchability
towards the Depressed Classes. Ordinarily, people do not give up their customary mode
of behaviour because somebody is preaching against it.

" The salvation of the Depressed Classes will come only when the Caste Hindu is made
to think and is forced to feel that he must alter his ways. For that you must create a crisis
by direct action against his customary code of conduct. The crisis will compel him to
think and once he begins to think he will be more ready to change than he is otherwise
likely to be.

"The great defect in the policy of least resistence and silent infiltration of rational ideas
lies in this that they do not ' compel ' for they do not produce crisis. The direct action in
respect of the Chowdar tank in Mahad, the Kalaram temple in Nasik and the Guruvayur
temple in Malabar have done in a few days what million days of preaching by reformers
would never have done.

"The second thing I would like the Anti-Untouchability League to work for is to bring
about equality of opportunity for the Depressed Classes. Much of the misery and poverty
of the Depressed Classes is due to the absence of equality of opportunity which in its turn
is due to Untouchability. I am sure you are aware that the Depressed Classes in villages
and even in towns cannot sell vegetables, milk or butter — ways of earning a living
which are open to all and sundry. A Caste Hindu, will buy these things from a Non-
Hindu, but he will not buy them from the Depressed Classes. In the matter of
employment his condition is the worst.

" Like the Negro in America he is the last to be employed in days of prosperity and the
first to be fired in days of adversity. And even when he gets a foothold what are his
prospects ? In the Cotton Mills in Bombay and Ahmedabad he is confined to the lowest
paid department where he can earn only Rs. 25 per month. More paying departments like
the weaving department are permanently closed to them. The place of the boss is reserved
for the caste Hindu while the Depressed Class worker must slave as his underdog no
matter how senior or how efficient.
 " Depressed Class women working in the winding or reeling departments have come to
me in hundreds complaining that the Naikins, instead of distributing the raw material to
all women employees equally or in fair proportion, give all of it to the caste Hindu
women and leave them in the cold."

"I think it would be fit and proper if the Anti-Untouchability League were to take up
this question by creating public opinion in condemnation of it and establishing Bureaus to
deal with urgent cases of inequality.

" Lastly I think the League should attempt to dissolve that nausea which the touchables
feel towards the untouchables and which is the reason why the two sections have
remained so much apart as to constitute separate and distinct entities. In my opinion the
best way of achieving it is to establish closer contact between the two. Only a common
cycle of participation can help people to overcome that strangeness of feeling which one
has when brought into contact with the other. Nothing can do this more effectively in my
opinion than the admission of the Depressed Classes to the houses of the caste Hindus as
guests or servants.

"The live contact thus established will familiarize both to a common and associated life
and will pave the way for that unity which we are all striving after. I am sorry that many
caste Hindus who have shown themselves responsive are not prepared for this.

"During those ten days of the Mahatma's fast that shook the Indian world there were
cases in Ville Parle and in Mahad where the caste Hindu servants had struck work
because their masters had abrogated the rules of untouchability by fraternising with the
Untouchables. I expected that they would end the strike and teach a lesson to the erring
masses by filling the vacancies by employing Depressed Classes in their places. Instead
of doing that they capitulated with the forces of orthodoxy and strengthened them. I do
not know how far such fair-weather friends of the Depressed Classes would be of help to
them.

" People in distress can have very little consolation from the fact that they have
sympathisers if those sympathisers will do nothing more than sympathise and I may as
well tell the League that the Depressed Classes will never be satisfied of the bona fides of
these caste Hindu sympathisers until it is proved that they are prepared to go to the same
length of fighting against their own kith and kin in actual warfare if it came to that for the
sake of the Depressed Classes as the Whites of the North did against their own kith and
kin namely the Whites of the South for the sake of the emancipation of the Negro.

" The League will have to employ a very large army of workers to carry out its
programme. The appointment of social workers might perhaps be looked upon as a minor
question. Speaking for myself, I attach very great importance to the selection of a proper
agency to be employed in this behalf. There can always be found workers to do a
particular piece of work or any other for the matter of that if they are paid for it. I am sure
such mercenary workers will not serve the purpose of the League. As Tolstoy said "Only
those who love can serve ". In my opinion that test is more likely to be fulfilled by
workers drawn from the Depressed Classes. I should therefore like the League to bear
this aspect of the question in mind in deciding upon whom to appoint and whom not to
appoint. I do not suggest that there are hot scoundrels among the Depressed Classes who
have not made social service their last refuge. But largely speaking you can be more sure
that a worker drawn from the Depressed Classes will regard the work as love's labour a
thing which is so essential to the success of the League.

" Secondly there are agencies which are already engaged in some sort of social service
without any confines as to class or purpose and may be prepared to supplement their
activity by taking up the work of the Anti-Untouchability League in consideration of a
grant-in-aid. I am sure this hire-purchase system of work, if I may use that expression,
can produce no lasting good. What is wanted in an agency is a single-minded devotion to
one task only. We want bodies and organizations which have deliberately chosen to be
narrow-minded in order to be enthusiastic about their cause. The work if it is to be
assigned must be assigned to those who would undertake to devote themselves
exclusively to the work of the Depressed Classes.

" Before closing this I wish to say just this. It was Balfour, I think, who said that what
could hold the British Empire together was love and not law. I think that observation
applies equally well to the Hindu society.

" The touchables and the untouchables cannot be held together by law, certainly not by
any electoral law substituting joint electorates for separate electorates. The only thing that
can hold them together is love.

"Outside the family, justice alone, in my opinion can open the possibility of love, and it
should be the duty of the Anti-Untouchability League to see that the touchable does, or
failing that, is made to do justice to the untouchable. Nothing else in my opinion can
justify the project or the existence of the League." This letter was not even acknowledged
by the Secretary. That not a single suggestion of mine was accepted goes without saying.
Even my suggestion that the workers of the Sangh should be drawn largely from the
Untouchables themselves was not accepted. Indeed when the attention of Mr. Gandhi was
drawn to the fact that the Harijan Sevak Sangh had become the hive of mercenary
Hindus, he defended it on the ground which are clever if not honest. He said to the
deputation of the Untouchables;
 " The welfare work of the Untouchables is a penance which the Hindus have to do for
the sin of Untouchability. The money that has been collected has been contributed by the
Hindus. From both points of view the Hindus alone must run the Sangh. Neither ethics
nor right would justify Untouchables in claiming a seat on the Board of the Sangh."

Not only were all my proposals rejected by Mr. Gandhi and his advisers but in framing
the constitution of the Sangh, aims and objects were adopted which are quite opposed to
those which I had suggested. At the meeting held in Cowasjee Jehangir Hall in
Bombay on the 30th September 1932 the aims of the organization were stated to be:

"Carrying propaganda against Untouchability and taking immediate steps 'to secure as
early as practicable that all public wells, dharmashalas, roads, schools, crematoriums,
burning ghats and all public temples be declared open to the Depressed Classes, provided
that no compulsion or force shall be used and that only peaceful persuasion shall be
adopted towards this end'."

But in the statement issued by Mr. G. D. Birla and Mr. A. V. Thakkar on the 3rd
November, two months after its inauguration it was stated:

"The League believes that reasonable persons among the Sanatanists are not much
against the removal of Untouchability as such, as they are against inter-caste dinners and
marriages. Since it is not the ambition of the League to undertake reforms beyond its own
scope, it is desirable to make it clear that while the League will work by persuasion
among the caste Hindus to remove every vestige of Untouchability, the main line of work
will be constructive, such as the uplift of Depressed Classes educationally, economically
and socially, which itself will go a great way to remove untouchability. With such a work
even a staunch Sanatanist can have nothing but sympathy. And it is for such work mainly
that the League has been established. Social reforms like the abolition of the caste system
and inter-dinning are kept outside the scope of the League." These aims and objects are
described in one of the Annual Reports of the Sangh. It says:

" According to its constitution the aim and object of the Society is the abolition of
untouchability by reason of birth and the acquisition of equal rights of access of public
temples, wells, schools and other public institutions for Harijans as enjoyed by other
Hindus.

The achievement of this object has led the Society to undertake work of a two-fold
kind. First, the Society has to bring about such a radical change in the sentiments and
opinions of Caste Hindus that they may willingly, as a matter of course, allow the
enjoyment of all civic rights to Harijans. Secondly, the society has to put forth its efforts
and devote its funds for the educational, economic and social uplift of Harijans."
 The work done and the aims formulated when put side by side raise two questions.
Firstly is this record something of which the Sangh can be proud of? Secondly is its work
consistent with the aims of the Sangh? The record is very poor. It is much cry and little
wool. Certainly as compared with the record of work done by the Christian Missions with
which the Sangh competes, it is not a record of which the Sangh can be proud of. But this
is a mere matter for sorrow and nothing more. The second question is fundamental and
therefore one for anxious consideration. It is well that the Sangh undertakes to labour in
the interests of the Untouchables. But its labours must be so planned that out of it will
come the destruction of untouchability.

Examined in the light of this consideration what is one to say of the work that is being
done by the Sangh? The Sangh is openly and without abashment supporting separate
schools, separate hostels, separate dispensaries, and separate wells for the Untouchables.
I should have thought that that was the surest way of perpetuating untouchability. It is
surprising that Mr. Gandhi who threatened to fast unto death against separate electorates
on the ground that it involved segregation of the untouchables should himself sanction a
line of activity which perpetuates this segregation. In undertaking to render this social
service to the Untouchables, Mr. Gandhi and his Sangh should have forgotten what the
Untouchables want. What the Untouchables want is not education, but the right to be
admitted to common schools. The Untouchables do not want medical aid; what they want
is the right to be admitted to the general dispensary on equal terms. The Untouchable
does not want water. What he wants is the right to draw water from a common well. The
Untouchables do not want their suffering to be relieved. They want their personality to be
respected and their stigma removed. Once their stigma is removed their sufferings will
go. This the Harijan Sevak Sangh does not seem to have realized. The Sangh is said to be
the friend of the Untouchables and the orthodox Hindu the enemy of the Untouchables.
One fails to understand what the friend has done which the enemy would not do. The
orthodox Hindu insists that the Untouchables shall have separate schools, separate
dispensaries and separate wells, the Sangh says—Thy will shall be done. Except the fact
the orthodox Hindu believes in untouchability and Harijan Sevak Sangh does not, what is
the difference in practice between the friend and the foe? Under both, the untouchable is
condemned to separate schools, separate hostels and separate wells. If this is so, it is
difficult to understand why

Mr. Gandhi and the Harijan Sevak Sangh should pick up a quarrel with the orthodox
Hindu if he and his Sangh are not prepared to force the issue. Whether the Hindu Shastras
recognize untouchability or not is only an academic quarrel between Mr. Gandhi and the
orthodox Hindu. It can do no practical good. On the contrary I am prepared to say that it
had done positive harm to the Untouchables. In the first place it has created enmity
between the Untouchables and the orthodox Hindus. Before Gandhi picked up this
needless quarrel the relations between the Untouchables and the Hindus were non-social.
The quarrel has made them anti-social. Secondly if there was no such quarrel, if instead
of untouchability being made the issue—which Mr. Gandhi does not intend to fight it out
—an appeal was made to the orthodox Hindu to remove the suffering of the
Untouchables, many an orthodox Hindu I know would have come forward to help to
remove the suffering. Mr. Gandhi has reaped the glory for having established the Sangh.
But the Sangh has neither sought to remove untouchability nor has it helped to alleviate
the sufferings of the Untouchables.

Why has the Sangh failed ? My answer is quite definite. I say the Sangh has failed
because of its wrong politics.

It has often been said that the Harijan Sevak Sangh is a political organization. Mr.
Gandhi has always resented such an allegation and repudiated it as being false. The
General Secretary of the Sangh has also protested against it. To use his own words "the
Sangh, though a sequel of a Political Pact, has no politics ".

I do not see any reason for the resentment of Mr. Gandhi nor for the protests of his
Secretary. I wish very much that the Sangh was a political organization. The
untouchables have obtained a share of political power. But power which is not conscious
of itself is no power. Again power which is not organized is no power. The Harijan Sevak
Sangh would have been of great use if it had helped the Untouchables to organize
independent political parties to fight the elections and make their political power
effective. Nor can I accept the statement of Mr. Gandhi and his Secretary that the Sangh
has no politics. On the contrary I insist that not only the Sangh has a definite line of
politics and that that line of politics is wrong because it is prejudicial to the cause of the
Untouchables.

Since Mr. Gandhi does not admit that the Sangh has politics, one must go to
circumstances for proof. Circumstantial proof is always better than oral testimony
because as is well said man may lie but circumstances cannot. In this connection I want
to rely upon a clause in the constitution of the Sangh as a piece of evidence in support of
my contention. The clause relates to the means to be adopted by the Sangh for removing
untouchability and for securing equal rights to the Untouchables along with the Caste
Hindus. The clause reads as follows:

"That no compulsion is to be used for securing rights, but that peaceful persuation is to
be adopted as the only means." This is a basic principle of the Sangh. It has struck me as
strange and I am sure it will strike all others as strange. I want to ask the question—Why
has the Sangh limited itself to peaceful persuation of the caste Hindus as the one and the
only means of removing Untouchability ?
 Most social reformers, whether religious or rational, seem to imagine that men of power
will immediately check their pretentions and their exactions as soon as they have been
told that their actions and attitudes are anti-social. But as Prof. Neibhur points out what
these reformers overlook is an understanding of the brutal character of the behaviour of
all human groups and the power of self interest and collective egoism which dominate all
group relations. They also forget the fact that races, nations and classes are less moral
than individuals which compose them and that justice between groups can therefore not
be achieved purely by educational means. If conscience and reason can be insinuated into
the resulting struggle they can only qualify, never abolish, the injustice If injustice is to
be abolished it must be resisted and when injustice proceeds from collective power,
whether in the form of imperialism or class domination, it must be challenged by
power. A class entrenched behind its established power can never be dislodged unless
power is raised against it. That is the only way of stopping the exploitation of the weak
by strong.

Why has Mr. Gandhi and the Harijan Sevak Sangh limited their means of resistance to
the Caste Hindu domination to peaceful persuation? Why do they not resist the injustice
of the Caste Hindus by direct action? I can understand that in organising resistance to
injustice, the problem is to find forms of resistance which will not destroy the meagre
resources for rational and moral action which groups do possess. But there can be no
difficulty on that account. Satyagraha or passive resistance has been found by Mr. Gandhi
as a form of resistance which is morally beyond cavil. Why does not Mr. Gandhi ask the
Sangh to launch Satyagraha by the Untouchables against the Caste Hindus for the
abolition of the injustice against the Untouchables. He asked the people of India to offer
Satyagraha against British Imperialism. Why does he not want to use the same means
against the caste Hindus in the interests of the Untouchables ?

What is the answer of Mr. Gandhi to this question ? The only answer I can see is that it
comes in the way of his politics. Mr. Gandhi must remain at the head of the nation. I
wonder if life would be worthwhile to him if for some reason he ceased to be at the head
of the nation. He is, I think, the most ambitious politician. I know, he regards as his
rivials those whom he calls as friends. To be at the head of the nation means that he must
preserve the integrity of the Congress. The Congress is ninety nine per cent composed of
Hindus. How can Gandhi succeed in maintaining the integrity of the Congress if he were
to direct the Sangh to carry on Satyagraha against the Hindus for the sake of the
Untouchables. The Hindus would leave the Congress and the Congress would disrupt.
This is detrimental to the interests of Mr. Gandhi . This is the explanation why Mr.
Gandhi and the Sangh have adopted peaceful persuation as the only means of removing
untouchability. It is a means which is least likely to hurt the Hindus and the Congress.
Not only in big matters but even in small matters the Sangh is careful to see that the
Hindus are not hurt or annoyed. I am told that in distributing scholarships for instance the
Sangh makes inquiries into the political affiliations of the applicant and if it is found that
the applicant belongs to a community which is against the Congress or the Hindus, he
gets no aid from the funds of the Sangh.

I wonder if any one will have any doubts left that Mr. Gandhi and the Sangh in limiting
themselves to peaceful persuations were controlled by political considerations of not
annoying the Hindus and disrupting the Congress. This is what I meant when I said that
the Sangha's politics and that its failure is due to wrong politics. I am sure I am using
mild language when I describe it as wrong politics. It is treachery if the surrender of the
interests of his ward by his guardian can be described as treachery.

Mr. Gandhi is often compared with Jesus Christ both by his Indian and European
friends. What may be the justification for so strange a comparison? In one thing I see a
complete contrast between the two. Both Jesus and Gandhi claimed to serve the lowly.
This befriending attitude of both was resented by the upper classes. How did the two
react? When Jesus was taunted by the Pharasees he retorted by saying—" They that are
whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick ". How sharp is the contrast
between this attitude of Jesus and that of Mr. Gandhi. Jesus did not worry about those
who were 'whole'. Gandhi is devoted to those who are 'whole' and who are sinning at the
cost of those who are sick and who are sinned against. Gandhi is no physician to the
untouchables. At best a sympathiser and nothing more.

Even as a sympathizer of the Untouchables his sympathy for them is limited by two
considerations. It is limited by his social aims. Secondly it is also limited by his politics.
Lest this statement should be doubted, I wish to give two instances, one of each which
have occurred recently. They have occurred not far from Shegaon in Central provinces
where Mr. Gandhi resides.

As an instance of the first I refer to what is known in India as the Khare episode. In
1938 last there was a ministerial crisis in the Central Provinces where the ministry was a
Congress Ministry. The Prime Minister Dr. Khare fell out with his colleagues. As Prime
Minister he demanded the resignation of other ministers which they were not prepared to
give without the consent of the Congress Parliamentary Board. But Dr. Khare forced
them to give their resignations which they ultimately did. Thereupon Dr. Khare formed
another Congress cabinet and filled the ministerial offices with men of his choice. In his
new cabinet Dr. Khare included an untouchable as a minister. Dr. Khare's conduct in
dissolving the old cabinet and forming a new one without consulting the Congress
Parliamentary Board came up for investigation before the Congress Working Committee.
Dr. Khare was found guilty of breach of party discipline and was deposed from his
primiership. One of the accusations levelled against Dr. Khare by Mr. Gandhi was that he
included an untouchable in his new Ministry. The following is the full text of what Mr.
Gandhi said to Dr. Khare on this point and reduced to writing by Dr. Khare for my sake:

" Mahatmaji took me to task for including a Harijan in my second cabinet. I retorted by
saying that it was a Congress programme of uplift of Harijans for which Mahatmaji
fasted unto death and that I did what I could in furtherance of that programme when
opportunity offered itself and I think I have done nothing wrong in doing so. Thereupon
Mahatmaji charged me of doing this for my selfish ambition. I repudiated this charge
saying that any selfish motive is disproved by my resignation. Then Mahatmaji said that
by my action I have thrown an apple of discord among the members of that simple
community and have rendered disservice to the Congress cause by throwing this
temptation in their way.'’

That this is true and that Gandhi objected to the untouchable being included in the
Cabinet is evidenced by the fact that when a new Congress Ministry was formed in
Central Provinces this untouchable who functioned as a minister for a day was excluded.
He should have been included as a matter of form, at least to keep up appearances. That
he was not, shows that Gandhi was opposed to his inclusion on principle.

This is baffling because the Untouchable member of the Central Provinces Assembly
who was chosen by Dr. Khare for ministership is a graduate, is a Congressman and is a
strong party-man. Why should Mr. Gandhi have any objection to the inclusion of such a
person in the Congress Cabinet. As a matter of fact if Mr. Gandhi was genuine in his
professions regarding the untouchables he should have instructed all Congress Prime
Ministers to include at least one untouchable in their Cabinets, if for nothing else, at least
for its psychological effect upon the Untouchables and upon the Hindus. He should have
done this irrespective of the party affiliations. Gandhi is not averse to congress making
coalitions with other non-congress parties in provinces where it is not in a majority in
order to secure offices. In such coalitions he has allowed Congress to include non-
congressmen as ministers in their cabinets. If Gandhi can allow the congress to do this
without losing its caste and its colour why Gandhi did not instruct the Congress Prime
Ministers to include untouchables in the Congress Ministries if he wanted that when he
talks about his love for the Untouchables he should be believed. But the case in the
Central Provinces stand on a different footing. Here the Untouchable who was taken as a
minister was a Congressman and a graduate. There could be no objection on the ground
of his want of qualification or want of political faith. Why did Mr. Gandhi object to his
inclusion? A crowd of Untouchables went to Shegaon to Mr. Gandhi for an explanation.
Anticipating this Mr. Gandhi had started observing silence, so that no explanation could
be had. Then the untouchables started Satyagraha against Mr. Gandhi for not including an
Untouchable in the Central Provinces Congress Cabinet. To escape that embarassment
Mr. Gandhi left Shegaon and went on a tour to the North Western Frontier Provinces for
teaching non-violence to the Pathans. I am sure Gandhi's silence on this occasion was not
to commune with God. It was taken on as a convenient excuse for not being driven under
the fire of cross examination to disclose his inner-most thoughts about the Untouchables.
In any case we have no answer to this question from Mr. Gandhi. To my mind there can
be only one answer and that even if Gandhi had opened his mouth he could give no
better. That answer is that Mr. Gandhi's ideal for the untouchable is a very low ideal and
that all that he cares for is that the untouchable should be touched and that if he is
touched without anybody taking a bath nothing further need be done about them. If
Gandhi had tried and failed he would have been excused. But how can he be excused for
entertaining so low an aim? Not failure but low aim is a crime.

As an instance of the second I refer to what is known as the Bachuma incident. If the
first instance is baffling this second is gruesome. How gruesome it is can be seen from
the brief summary of fact which I am giving. Bachuma, a small girl, 12 years old and
belonged to an untouchable family which was living in Wardha (This name is inserted as
it was not mentioned in the MS.—Ed.). One evening she was decoyed into the house of a
Mahomedan who was the Sub-Inspector of Police. She was kept in his house and during
the night this small child was raped by three Mahomedans, one was the Superintendent of
Police himself, second a Sub-Inspector of Education and third a Lawyer. The three
Mahomedans were tried in a Court of Law and two of them were sentenced to two years
rigorous imprisonment and the lawyer was acquitted as the girl was not able to identify
him. The two who were convicted appealed to the High Court but the High Court rejected
their appeals and confirmed their convictions and sentences. From gaol they sent to the
Governor-in-Council petitions for mercy. But they were also rejected. This happened
before the Congress came into office. After the Congress came into office they submitted
fresh applications for mercy to the Minister-in-charge. The Minister-in-charge, who was
also a Mahomedan thought that there was nothing wrong in a Mahomedan committing
rape on an untouchable girl and decided to set the culprits free. He granted the application
of one—that of the Inspector of Education who is now a free man and is employed on a
big job in the Education Department of a Mahomedan State. He was to release the other
culprit also but in the meantime the agitation against him was so great that he had to
resign his office. Every body expressed his resentment against the shameless act of the
Minister but Mr. Gandhi has kept mum. So far he has not uttered a word of condemnation
against this Minister. On the contrary he is even now engaged in the confabulations that
are going on over the question of the reinstatement of this dismissed minister in his office
which is still kept vacant. One likes to ask if Gandhi would have remained so silent and
so unmoved if the little girl Bachuma who was raped by the three Mahomedans instead of
being the daughter of an Untouchable had been Mr. Gandhi's own daughter. Why is
Gandhi not able to make Bachuma's case his daughter's case? There are two answers. One
is that Mr. Gandhi is not an untouchable. One must be born to it. Secondly Mr. Gandhi
feels that by condemning the Muslim Minister for the sake of Bachuma he might destroy
Hindu-Moslem Unity the maintenance of which is a fundamental creed of Congress
politics. Does this now show that Mr. Gandhi's sympathies for the Untouchables are
limited by his politics ?

What good is a man who is not even free to sympathize according to his conscience. Ill

And now the temple entry. This is advertized as another of Mr. Gandhi's boons to the
Untouchables.

This question of temple entry is the outcome of the resolution passed at the public
meeting of the Hindus held on 25th September 1932 which also was the originating cause
which gave birth to the Harijan Sevak Sangh. This resolution mentioned some of the
liabilities of the Hindus towards the Untouchables. This list included the removal of the
bar against the Untouchables in respect of admissions to Hindu temples.

Although the promise of temple entry was there in the Resolution the Untouchables did
not insist upon its being fulfilled forthwith. The untouchables, at any rate a vast majority
of them have not been keen for temple entry. When asked by Mr. Gandhi what I thought
about temple entry I gave my opinion on it in the form of a statement which was issued to
the Press on February 10 , 1933, and which is reproduced below:

STATEMENT ON TEMPLE ENTRY

Although the controversy regarding the question of temple entry is confined to the
Sanatanists and Mahatma Gandhi, the Depressed Classes have undoubtedly a very
important part to play in it, in so far as their position is bound to weigh the scales one
way or the other, when the issue comes for final settlement. It is, therefore necessary, that
their view point should be defined and stated so as to leave no ambiguity about it.

To the Temple Entry Bill of Mr. Ranga lyer as now drafted, the Depressed Classes
cannot possibly give their support. The principle of the Bill is that if a majority of
Municipal and Local Board voters in the vicinity of any particular temple on a
Referendum decide by a majority that the Depressed Classes shall be allowed to enter the
temple, the Trustees or the Manager of that temple shall give effect to that decision. The
principle is an ordinary principle of majority rule and there is nothing radical or
revolutionary about the Bill and if the Sanatanists were a wise lot, they would accept it
without demur.
 The reasons why the Depressed Classes cannot support a Bill based upon this principle
are two. One reason is that the Bill cannot hasten the day of Temple Entry for the
Depressed Classes any nearer than would otherwise be the case. It is true that under the
Bill the minority will not have the right to obtain an injunction against the Trustee or the
Manager who throws open the temple to the Depressed Classes in accordance with the
decision of the majority. But before one can draw any satisfaction from this clause and
congratulate the author of the Bill, one must first of all feel assured that when the
question is put to the vote there will be a majority in favour of the Temple Entry. If one is
not suffering from illusions of any kind, one must accept that the hope of a majority
voting in favour of Temple Entry will be rarely realised, if at all. Without doubt the
majority is definitely opposed to day—a fact which is conceded by the Author of the Bill
himself in his correspondence with the Shankaracharya. What is there in the situation as
created after the passing of the Bill, which can lead one to hope that the majority will act
differently? I find nothing. I shall, no doubt, be reminded of the results of the
Referendum with regard to the Guruvayur Temple. But I refuse to accept a referendum so
overweighed as it was by the Life of Mahatma Gandhi as the normal

result. In any such calculations, the life of the Mahatma must necessarily be deducted.
Secondly, the Bill does not regard untouchability in temples as a sinful custom. It regards
untouchability merely as a social evil not necessarily worse than social evils of other
sorts. For, it does not declare untouchability as such to be illegal. Its binding force is
taken away only if a majority decides to do so. Sin and immorality cannot become
tolerable because a majority is addicted to them or because the majority chooses to
practice them. If untouchability is a sinful and an immoral custom, then in the view of the
Depressed Classes it must be destroyed without any hesitation, even if it was acceptable
to the majority. This is the way in which all customs are dealt with by Courts of Law, if
they find them to be immoral and against public policy. This is exactly what the Bill does
not do. The author of the Bill takes no more serious view of the custom of untouchability
than does the temperance reformer of the habit of drinking. Indeed, so much is he
impressed by the assumed similarity between the two that the method he has adopted is a
method which is advocated by temperance reformers to eradicate the evil habit of
drinking, namely by local option. One cannot feel much grateful to a friend of the
Depressed Classes who holds untouchability to be no worse than drinking. If Mr. Ranga
lyer had not forgotten that only a few months ago Mahatma Gandhi had prepared himself
to fast unto death if untouchability was not removed, he would have taken a more serious
view of this curse and proposed a most thorough-going reform to ensure its removal lock,
stock and barrel. Whatever its shortcomings may be from the standpoint of efficacy, the
least that the Depressed Classes could expect is for the Bill to recognise the principle that
untouchability is a sin. I really cannot understand how the Bill satisfies Mahatma Gandhi
who has been insisting that untouchability is a sin. It certainly does not satisfy the
Depressed Classes. The question whether this particular Bill is good or bad, sufficient or
insufficient, is a subsidiary question. The main question is; do the Depressed Classes
desire Temple Entry or do they not ? This main question is being viewed by the
Depressed Classes by two points of view. One is the materialistic point of view. Starting
from it, the Depressed Classes think that the surest way for their elevation lies in higher
education, higher employment and better ways of earning a living. Once they become
well placed in the scale of social life they would become respectable and once they
become respectable the religious outlook of the orthodox towards them is sure to undergo
change, and even if this did not happen it can do no injury to their material interest.
Proceeding on these lines the Depressed Classes say that they will not spend their
resources in such an empty thing as Temple Entry. There is also another reason why they
do not care to fight for it. That argument is the argument of ' self respect '. Not very long
ago there used to be boards in club doors and other social resorts maintained by
Europeans in India, which said 'Dogs and Indians not allowed". The Temples of the
Hindus carry similar boards today, the only difference is that the boards on the Hindu
temples practically say " All Hindus and all animals including dogs are admitted only
Untouchables not admitted". The situation in both cases is on a parity. But the Hindus
never begged for admission in those places from which the Europeans in their arrogance
had excluded them. Why should an untouchable beg for admission in a place from which
he has been excluded by the arrogance of the Hindus ? This is the reasoning of the
Depressed Class man who is interested in his material welfare. He is prepared to say to
the Hindus, " To open or not to open your temples is a question for you to consider, and
not for me to agitate. If you think, it is bad manners not to respect the sacredness of
human personality, open your temples and be a gentleman. If you rather be a Hindu than
be gentleman, then shut the doors and damn yourself, for I don't care to come."

" I found it necessary to put the argument in this form, because I want to disabuse the
minds of men like Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya of their belief that the Depressed
Classes are looking forward expectantly for their patronage. The second point of view is
the spiritual one. As religiously minded people, do the Depressed Classes desire temple
entry or do they not? That is the question. From the spiritual point of view, they are not
indifferent to temple entry as they would be, if the material point of view alone were to
prevail. But their final answer must depend upon the reply which Mahatma Gandhi and
the Hindus give to the following question:

What is the drive behind this offer of temple entry? Is temple entry to be the final goal
of the advancement in the social status of the Depressed Classes in the Hindu fold ? Or is
it only the first step and if it is the first step, what is the ultimate goal ? Temple entry as a
final goal the Depressed Classes can never support. Indeed they will not only reject it, but
they would then regard themselves as rejected by Hindu Society and free to find their
own destiny elsewhere. On the other hand, if it is only to be a first step in the direction,
they may be inclined to support it. The position would then be analogous to what is
happening in the politics of India today. All Indians have claimed Dominion Status for
India. The actual constitution will fall short of Dominion Status and many Indians will
accept it. Why? The answer is that as the goal is defined, it does not matter much if it is
to be reached by steps and not in one jump. But if the British had not accepted the goal of
Dominion Status, no one would have accepted the partial reforms which many are now
prepared to accept. In the same way if Mahatma Gandhi and the reformers were to
proclaim what the goal which they set before themselves is for the advancement of the
social status of the Depressed Classes in the Hindu fold, it would be easier for the
Depressed Classes to define their attitude towards temple entry. The goal of the
Depressed Classes might as well be stated here for the information and consideration of
all concerned. What the Depressed Classes want is a religion, which will give them
equality of social status. To prevent any misunderstanding, I would like to elaborate the
point by drawing a distinction between social evils which are the results of secular causes
and social evils which are founded upon the doctrines of religion. Social evils can have
no justification whatsoever in a civilised society. But nothing can be more odious and
vile than that admitted social evils should be sought to be justified on the ground of
religion. The Depressed Classes may not be able to overthrow inequities to which they
are being subjected. But they have made up their mind not to tolerate a religion that will
lend its support to the continuance of these inequities. If the Hindu religion is to be their
religion then it must become a religion of Social Equality. The mere amendment of
Hindu religious code by the mere inclusion in it of a provision to permit temple entry for
all, cannot make it a religion of Equality of social status. All that it can do is to recognise
them as nationals and not aliens, if I may use these terms which have become so familiar
in politics. But that cannot mean that they would thereby reach a position where they
would be free and equal without being above or below any one else, for the simple reason
that the Hindu religion does not recognise the principle of equality of social status; on the
other hand fosters inequality by insisting upon grading people as Brahmins, Kashatriyas,
Vaishyas and Shudras which now stand towards one another in an ascending scale of
hatred and descending scale of contempt. If the Hindu religion is to be a religion of social
equality then an amendment of its code to provide temple entry is not enough. What is
required is to purge it of the doctrine of Chaturvarna. That is the root cause of all
inequality and also the parent of the caste system and untouchability which are merely
forms of inequality. Unless it is done not only will the Depressed Classes reject temple
entry, they will also reject the Hindu faith. Chaturvarna and the caste system are
incompitable with the self respect of the Depressed Classes. So long it continues to be the
cardinal doctrine, the Depressed Classes must continue to be looked upon as low. For the
Depressed Classes to say that they are Hindus is to admit their inferiority of status by
their own mouth. They can call themselves as Hindus only when the theory of
Chaturvarna and caste system is abandoned and expunged from the Shastras. Do the
Mahatma and the Hindu reformers accept this as their goal and will they show the
courage to work for it ? I shall look forward to their pronouncements on this issue as I
have stated it with great concern. But whether Mahatma Gandhi and the Hindus are
prepared for this or not, let it be known once for all that nothing short of this will satisfy
the Depressed Classes and make them accept temple entry. To accept temple entry and be
content with it, is to temporize with evil and barter away the sacredness of human
personality that dwells in them.

There is however one argument which Mahatma Gandhi and the reforming Hindus may
advance against the position I have taken. They may say, "acceptance by the Depressed
Classes of Temple entry now, will not prevent them from agitating hereafter for the
abolition of Chaturvarna and caste ". If that is their goal, I like to meet this argument right
at this stage with a view to clinch the issue and clear the road for future developments.
My reply is that it is true that my right to agitate for the abolition of Chaturvarna and
caste system will not be lost, if I accept Temple Entry now. But the question is on what
side will Mahatma Gandhi be at the time when the question is put. If he will be in the
camp of my opponents I must tell him that I cannot be in his camp now. If he will be in
my camp, he ought to be in it now".

My friend Dewan Bahadur R. Srinivasan expressed himself almost in the same terms on
the question of temple entry. He said:

" When a Depressed Classes member is permitted to enter into the Caste Hindu temples
he would not be taken into any one of the four castes, but treated as man of fifth or the
last or the lowest caste, a stigma worse than the one to be called an untouchable. At the
same time he would be subjected to so many caste restrictions and humiliations. The
Depressed Classes shun the one who enters like that and exclude him as Casteman. The
crores of Depressed Classes would not submit to caste restrictions. They will be divided
into sections if they do.

Temple entry cannot be forced by law. The village castemen openly or indirectly defy
the law. To the village Depressed Classman it would be like a scrap of paper on which
word "sugar" was written and placed in his hands for him to taste.

The above facts are placed before the public in time to save confusion and disturbance in
the country."

But Mr. Gandhi felt otherwise that securing temple entry to the untouchables was a
liability of the Hindus which ought to be liquidated first. Accordingly immediately after
the Poona Pact he started a campaign among the Hindus for opening the doors of their
temples to the Untouchables.

How far has Mr. Gandhi succeeded in this matter is a question that may legitimately be
asked. But it is difficult to know the truth. As a result of the fast, many temples were
reported to have been thrown open by the Hindus to the Untouchables. How far this was
true and how far it is a part of lying propaganda which the Congressman is so good at it is
difficult to say. That many of the temples that were opened as a sequel to the fast were
purified and closed to the Untouchables is beyond dispute. Again the opening of a temple
may be quite a meaningless act. There are hundreds and thousands of temples in which
there is no worship. They are occupied by only donkies. Instances of such temples can be
seen at places of pilgrimage such as Nasik and Wai. If such a temple is declared to be
open it is not only a meaningless act but it is an insult to the Untouchables. Again a
temple may be opened to the Untouchable. But if it is abandoned by the Caste Hindus as
a place of worship it cannot be said that it is open in the sense that they are welcomed to
it by the Hindus. There is yet another possibility which must be taken into account in
arriving at the truth.

A temple may be open to the untouchables in the same sense as the Ritz Hotel in
London is open to all. We however know that the Ritz Hotel is not in fact open to all. It is
open only to those who can afford. In the same way a temple may be open to the
untouchables yet in fact it is open only to those untouchables who can afford to enter. If
the cost of temple entry is assault or social boycott then the cost will be prohibitive and
the temple though nominally open is really closed. Assault and social boycott are a matter
of course with the Hindus and it would not be too much to assume that in some case the
Hindus would resort to such means to prohibit the Untouchables who dare to enter a
temple which is declared to be open to them. If the case is one like this then it is a fraud.

Which of the two classes of cases are more numerous, it is difficult to say accurately.
But a guess may be made on the basis of certain facts. There are two classes of Hindus
now in India — the orthodox Hindus who care more for religion than for politics and the
Congress Hindus who care more for politics and less for religion. The former who have
no political ends to subserve can be honest i.e. true to their convictions however wrong
they may be. The latter who have to serve political ends cannot always take an honest
view but are prone to adopt dishonest ways. The first method of abandonment though
honest brings discredit upon the Hindu community in the eyes of the world and is
therefore politically unsuitable. The second method of opening the temple nominally and
closing it really by Hindus (This word is inserted by us against the blank space of MS.—
Ed.) is politically highly advantageous. It has the merit of a system which shows to the
world that credit is opened and which clandestinely but without the world knowing
prevents its being drawn upon by the person in whose favour it is declared to be opened.
The Congress Hindus are more numerous than the orthodox Hindus. That being the case I
should think that the second classes of cases must be more numerous than the first.

That genuine cases of opening of temples are very few and that most of the published
reports of opening of temples is just false propaganda is clear from the fate of the Temple
Entry Bill of Mr. Ranga lyer brought by him in the Central Legislature in 1934. Of that
Bill I will speak of at a later occasion.

With this I would have closed this discussion of the subject. But Mr. Gandhi insists that
a spiritual awakening has taken place among the Hindus and relies upon the Temple
Entry Proclamation of Travancore. I am therefore obliged to deal with this claim.

The success of temple entry cannot be determined by the number of temples opened. It
can be determied only by reference to the motive with which it is done. Is the motive
spiritual? That can be the only test.

Now I say that temple entry is not a spiritual act. It is a political manouver.

Is Mr. Gandhi acting from spiritual motive? In appealing to the Hindus Mr. Gandhi
said:

"I have adressed this appeal to you, which proceeds out of my soul's agony. I ask you to
share that agony and shame with me and cooperate with me, for I have no other end to
serve than to see Sanatana Dharma revivified and lived in its reality in the lives of
millions who at present seem to me to deny it. " This soul's agony was born after the
Poona Pact. What did Mr. Gandhi think of the Problem of Temple Entry before the Poona
Pact? Before the Poona Pact Mr. Gandhi was of different opinion. That opinion was
expressed not very long before the Poona Pact and not long before this appeal was
addressed to the Hindus from which I have....... It was expressed in Gandhi Shikshan,
Vol. II, p. 132. Mr. Gandhi then held the opinion that separate temples should be built for
the use of Untouchables.

Mr. Gandhi said:

" How is it possible that the Antyajas (Untouchables) should have the right to enter all
the existing temples? As long as the law of caste and ashram has the chief place in Hindu
Religion, to say that every Hindu can enter every temple is a thing that is not possible
today."
 It is obvious that Temple Entry is not original with him and therefore not spiritual. The
agony is caused by the grave and sudden provocation brought about by the demand of the
untouchables for separate electorates. Mr. Gandhi was afraid of the principle underlying
separate electorates. He felt that this principle may be extended and may ultimately lead
to separation and cessation of the Untouchables from the Hindu fold. It was to counter
this move that he changed his opinion and started the temple entry move. The motive of
Mr. Gandhi is political and there is nothing spiritual about it.

I do not wish this conclusion to rest merely upon this evidence of change of front on the
part of Mr. Gandhi. There is abundance of other evidence in support of it.

I will refer first to the Guruvayur Temple Satyagraha which was started by a caste
Hindu by name Kellappan to secure entry into the Guruvayur Temple for the
Untouchables. A few facts regarding this episode may be interesting.

The point to note is the attitude that Mr. Gandhi finally adopted in this matter when he
was challenged by the leaders of the orthodox Hindus. Mr. Gandhi became ready for a
compromise with the orthodox. The terms of the compromise were as follows. I give
them in Mr. Gandhi's own words as reported in the papers.

" During certain hours of the day the Guruvayur Temple should be thrown open to the
Harijans and other Hindus, who have no objection to the presence of the Harijans and
during certain other hours it should be reserved for those, who have scruples against the
entry of the Harijans. There should be no difficulty whatsoever in the acceptance of this
suggestion, seeing that in connection with the Krithikai Ekadashi festival in Guruvayur,
the Harijans are allowed to enter side by side with the Hindus and then the temple or the
idol undergoes purification."

Asked if his suggestion was that the temple might undergo purification daily after the
entry of the Harijans, Mr. Gandhi replied:

" Personally, I am opposed to purification at all. But if that would satisfy the conscience
of the objectors I would personally in this case, raise no objection to purification. If
purification has any value, then there are so many possibilities of daily defilement from a
variety of causes referred to in various texts that there should be a daily purification,
whether the Harijans are allowed to enter or not." This attitude is not spiritual. It is purely
commercial. This is almost admitted by Mr. Gandhi. Asked if the compromise suggested
by him did not still maintain a distinction between the Untouchables and the Caste
Hindus Mr. Gandhi is reported to have said:
"The Harijans' attitude should be this, 'if there is a person who objects to my presence, I
would like to respect his objection so long as he (the objector) does not deprive me of the
right that belongs to me and so long as I am permitted to have my legitimate share of the
days of offering worship side by side with those, who have no objection to my presence, I
would be satisfied'." I do not know if any self respecting Untouchable would adopt this
attitude of Mr. Gandhi. On these terms even dogs and cats are admitted in all temples
when there are no human beings present in them. To divide the House of God in time or
in space for worship for reconciling the rival claims of two opposing classes is in itself a
quaint or grotesque idea. Mr. Gandhi evidently forgot that worshipping in the same
temple is quite different from worshipping in common. Temple entry if it is to be spiritual
must mean the latter. The former accepts that the presence of one class is repugnant to the
other and proceeds to reconcile the interests of the two. The latter presupposes that there
is no repugnance between the two classes and that they accept the common denominator
of humanity as being present in both.

This shows that Mr. Gandhi is least motivated by spiritual considerations. He is in a

hurry to bring the Untouchables within the Hindu stables so as to prevent their running
away.

Another piece of evidence which goes to disprove Mr. Gandhi's claim that he is acting
from spiritual consideration is furnished by his conduct with reference to Mr. Ranga
lyer's 'Temple Entry Bill'. It shows that the soul's agony is only a picturesque phrase and
not a fact.

Some history of this Bill is necessary to understand the tragedy which ultimately befell
Mr. Ranga lyer the author of it.

Since the new constitution came into operation two Acts have been passed in two
Provinces by the Congress Governments. One in Bombay and another in Madras. There
is no substance in the Acts. They do not declare the Temples to be open. They permit the
Trustees of the Temples under their management if they desire and as there is nothing to
compel the Trustees to do so the Acts are just scraps of paper and nothing more. But the
Madras Act has a history which is somewhat puzzling. The Madras Prime Minister who
got the Act passed is Mr. Rajagopalachariar. He occupies a very high place in the
Congress, so high indeed that he is called Deputy Mahatma. If one can solve the puzzle
the solution will reveal the mind of the Author and therefore of Mr. Gandhi who is the
living spirit behind all this.

Let me turn to the Travancore Temple Entry. The proclamation of 12th November 1936
issued by the Maharaja opening the Temple open to the Untouchables is a gorgeous
document. It reads as follows:
 " Profoundly convinced of the truth and validity of our religion, believing that it is
based on divine guidance and on all-comprehending toleration, knowing that in its
practice it has throughout the centuries adapted itself to the need of the changing times,
solicitous that none of our Hindu subjects should, by reason of birth, caste or community,
be denied the consolation and solace of the Hindu faith, we have decided and hereby
declare, ordain and command that, subject to such rules and conditions as may be laid
down and imposed by us for preserving their proper atmosphere and maintaining their
rituals and observances, there should henceforth be no restriction placed on any Hindu by
birth or religion on entering or worshipping at temples controlled by us and our
Government." What spirituality underlies this proclamation?

The proclamation was issued by the Maharaja of Travancore in his name. But the real
active force behind the scene was the Prime Minister Sir C. P. Ramaswami lyer. It is his
motives that we must understand. In 1933 Sir C. P. R. lyer was also the Prime Minister of
Travancore. In 1933 Mr. Gandhi was fighting to get the Guruvayur Temple opened to all
Untouchables. Among the many who took part in the controversy over the issue of
Temple entry was Sir C. P. Ramaswami lyer. No body seems now to remember this fact.
But it is important to recall it because it helps us to understand the motives which
prompted him to press the Maharaja to issue this proclamation. What attitude did Sir C.
P. Ramawasmi lyer have regarding this issue in 1933? It will be clear from the following
statement which he issued to the press :

" Personally I do not observe caste rules. I realise there are strong, though not very
articulate, feelings in this matter in the minds of men who believe that the present system
of temple worship and its details are based on divine ordinances. The problem can be
permanently solved only by a process of mutual adjustment and by the awakening of
religious and social leaders of Hindu society to the realities of the present situation and to
the need for preserving the solidarity of the Hindu community.

" Shock tactics will not answer the purpose and direct action will be even more fatal in
this sphere than in the political. I have the misfortune to differ from Mr. Gandhi when he
says that the problem of temple entry can be divorced from such topics as interdining and
I agree with Dr. Ambedkar that the social and economic uplift of the Depressed Classes
should be our immediate and urgent programme."

This statement shows that in 1933 spiritual considerations did not move Sir C. P.
Ramaswami lyer. Spiritual considerations have become operative after 1933. Is there any
particular reason why these spiritual considerations should have been thought of in 1936?

This qustion can be answered only if one bears in mind the fact that in 1936 there was
held in Travancore a Conference of the Yezawa Community to consider the issue of
conversion which was raised by me at Yeola in 1935. The Yezawas are an untouchable
community spread over Malabar. It is an educated community and economically quite
strong. It is also a vocal community and has been carrying on agitation in the state for
social, religious and political rights. The Yezawas form a very large community. The
cessation of so large a community would be a deathknell to the Hindus and the
Conference had made the danger real as well as immediate. It was this which brought
about a change in the attitude of Sir C. P. Ramaswami lyer. The spiritual considerations
are just an excuse. They did not form the motives.

How far did this Proclamation change facts and how far it has remained a show? It is
not possible to get real facts as they exist in Travancore. In the course of the discussion
on the Malabar Temple Entry Bill in the Madras Legislative Assembly certain facts
relating to Travancore were mentioned by Sir T. Pannirselvam, which if true would show
that the whole thing is hollow. Sir T. Pannirselvam said:

" One of the arguments advanced by the Premier in support of the measure was that
temples in Travancore had been thrown open to the " Untouchables ". A Maharaja vested
with autocratic powers did so by an order. But how was it working there ? From
representations received, he was led to believe that after the first flush of enthusiasm,
Harijans had left off going to temples, and people who used to worship previously before
Harijans were allowed to enter the temples, had stopped worshipping in temples. He
would ask the Government to tell them if the measure was really a success in
Travancore."

On the third reading of the Bill, Sir T. Pannirselvam made a statement which must have
come as a surprize to many. He said:

" He wanted to know whether it was a fact that the private temples of the Senior
Maharani were excluded from the proclamation. What was the reason for it? Again
during the celebration of the marriage of the daughter of the Senior Maharani it was
found necessary, so he was told, to perform purificatory ceremony of the temple. If such
a purification of temples took place, what happened to the proclamation?"

These facts were not challenged by the Prime Minister. Evidently they cannot be
challenged. If they are incontrovertible then the less said about the Malabar Temple Entry
proclamation as a spiritual testament the better.

It would not be proper to close this discussion without adverting to the fear which some
Untouchables entertain regarding this Temple entry movement. It is just a movement of
social reform or is it a strategy ?
 The special privileges which the Untouchables have got in the matter of politics, in the
matter of education, in the matter of services are founded upon the fact that they are
Untouchables. If they cease to be Untouchables their claim to these special privileges
could at once be challenged. If untouchability goes then they would be just poor and
backward. But as poor and backward they would not be entitled to any special privileges
which they have as untouchables. What is the plan of these protagonists of Temle Entry?
Is it just to open temples or aim is ultimately to take away the privileges ? This fear is
lurking in the minds of many a thinking Untouchables. That the fear is a real fear is clear
from what is happening in Travancore itself. A correspondent of mine who represents the
All Travancore Pulayar Cheramar Aykia Maha Sangham writes to me as follows in a
letter, dated 24th November 1938. I give below the full text of the letter sent by him to
me.

To

Camp Mayyanad, 24-11-1938 Dr. Ambedkar,

Quilon. Bombay.

Respected Sir,

I have unaffected pleasure to draw your attention to the following facts for obtaining
the valuable advice from you. Being the leader of a Harijan Community of the
Travancore State, I think, it is my paramount duty to suggest you definitely all the
grievances that the Harijans of this state are enduring.

1. The Temple Entry Proclamation issued by the H. H. The Maharaja is indeed a boon
to Harijans; but the Harijans are enjoying all the other social disabilities except the
temple entry. The proclamation is a check to the further concessions to us. The
Government do not take any step for the amelioration of the Harijans.

2. Among 15 lakhs of Harijans, there are a few graduates, half a dozen undergraduates
and 50 school finals and more than two hundred vernacular certificate holders. Though
the Government have appointed a Public Service Commission, appointments of the
Harijans are very few. All the appointments are given to Savarnas. If a Harijan is
appointed it will be for one week or two weeks. According to the rules of the recruitment
in Public Service the applicant is allowed to apply only after a year again, while a
Savarna will be appointed for a year or more. When the list of the appointments is
brought before the assembly, the number of appointments will be equal to the communal
representation; but the duration of the post of all the Harijans will be equal to one
Savarna. This kind of fraud is associating with the officials. Thus the public service is a
common property of the Savarnas. No Harijan is benefitted by it.

3. There was a proclamation from H. H. the Maharaja, a few years ago that three acres
of ground should be given to each Harijan to live in; but the Officials are Savarnas who
are always unwilling to carry out the proclamation. Even though the Government is
willing to grant large extent of ground for pasturing near Towns not a piece of the ground
is given to the Harijans. The Harijans are still living in the compounds of the Savarnas
and are undergoing manyfold difficulties. Though large extents of ground lay in "
Reserve ", the applications of the Harijans for granting grounds are not at all regarded
with importance or listen to. The most parts of the lands are benefited by the Savarnas.

4. The Government nominates every year of the election of members of the Assembly
one member from each Harijan Community. Though they are elected to present the
grievances of the Harijans before the Assembly, they are found to be the machinery of the
Government viz., the toys of the Savarna officers, who are benefited by them. Thus the
grievances of the Harijans cannot be redressed any way.

5. All the Harijans of Travancore are labourers in the fields and compounds. They are
the servants of the Savarnas who behave them as beasts—no body to look after or
protection—every Harijan gets only 2 chs (one anna) as the wage in the most parts of the
State. The social disabilities are the same to them even after the temple entry. The
workers in the factories in various parts of the State of Travancore and the Officers of the
State are all Savarnas and they are at present agitating for responsible Government. Now
the Harijans are demanding jobs in Government and in factories but the agitation in
Travancore is a Savarna agitation by which the Savarnas are making arrangements to get
rid of Harijans in Public Service and factories. They plead for higher salaries and more
privileges. They pay the least care to the Harijan labourers while the people of
Travancore are maddened with the agitation of the workers in the factories. The standard
of salary of Harijan worker is very low while the standard of a factory worker is thrice
the former.

6. Due to starvation and proper means of livelihood the heads of the children of
Harijans are heated as a result of which they are likely to fail in school. Before
proclamation the duration of concession in high schools was for 6 years, now, it has
reduced to three years by which a good number of students stopped their education after
their failure.

7. There is a department for the Depressed Classes and the head of which is Mr. C. 0.
Damodaran (the protector of the Backward Communities). Though every year a big
amount is granted for the expenditure, at the end of the year, 2/3 of the sum is lapsed by
its sagacity. He is used to submit reports to the Government that there is no way of
spending the amount. 95 per cent of the sum allotted for the Depressed Class is spent as
the salary of the officials who are always Savarna and 5 per cent is benefited. Now the
Government is going to make some colonies in three parts of Travancore. The officers
are Savarnas. This scheme is, in my opinion, not a success for the Government do not pay
greater to it. I regret that Travancore Government spends one anna for the Harijan cause,
while Cochin State spends a rupee for the same.

The majority of the subjects of Travancore are now agitating strongly for Responsible
Government under an organization "The State Congress ". The leaders of this popular
organization belong to the four major communities of the State namely, the Nair,
Mohamedan, Christian and Ezhava community. The President of the State Congress Mr.
Thanu Pillai issued a statement in which he stressed that special concessions would be
given to the Depressed Class. All the leaders of the Depressed Class have been waiting
for a time to see the attitude of the State Congress. Now we come to understand that there
is no reality in the promises of these leaders.

Now I am sure that the leaders have neglected the cause of the Depressed Class. The
State Congress was started on the principles of nationalism and now it has become an
institution of communalism. Communal spirit is now working among the leaders. In
every public speech, statement or article, the leaders mention only these four major
communities, while they have no thought on us. I fear, if this is the case of the leaders of
the political agitation of Travancore, the situation of the Depressed Class will be more
deplorable when the Responsible Government is achieved, for the entire possession of the
Government will be then within the clutches of the above mentioned communities and
the Depressed Classes' rights and privileges will be devoured by the former. In the
meetings of the working committee of the State Congress 2/3 of the time had devoted in
discussion concerning the strike of the Alleppey Coir Factories; but nothing was
mentioned in the meeting about the Harijan workers who are undergoing manyfold
difficulties. The workers in Factories are Savarnas and the agitation for obtaining
Responsible Government is a kind of anti Harijan movement. The motive of every leader
of the State Congress is to improve the situation (circumstance) of the Savarna. The
leaders of the major communities have some mercinary attitude who are going to
sacrifice the Depressed Class for their progress.

These are the conditions of the Depressed Class of the State. What are the ways by
which we have to establish our rights in the State? I humbly request you to be good
enough to render me your advice at this occasion. I am awaiting for the reply. Excuse me
for the trouble,

Yours faithfully,
 Srinarayanswami."

If the plan of Temple Entry is ultimately to deprive the Untouchables of their statutory
rights then the movement is not only not spiritual but it is positively mischievous and it
would be the duty of all honest people to warn the Untouchables, "Beware of Gandhi".

CHAPTER 7

A WARNING TO THE UNTOUCHABLES

Revolt and rebellion against the Established order is a natural part of the history of the
poor in all countries of the world. A student of their history cannot but be struck by the
thought entertained by them, of the way victory would come. In the theological age, the
poor lived by the hope that spiritual forces would ultimately make the meek inherit the
earth. In the secular age, otherwise called modern times, the poor live by the hope that the
forces of historical materialism will automatically rob the strong of their strength and
make the weak take their place.

In the light of this psychology, when one begins to think of the Untouchables in their role
of rebels against the Hindu Social Order one feels like congratulating them on their
realization that neither spiritual forces nor historical forces are going to bring the
millennium. They know full well that if the Hindu Social Order is to fall to the ground, it
can happen only under two conditions. Firstly, the social order must be subjected to
constant fire. Secondly, they can't subject it to constant fire unless they are independent
of the Hindus in thought and in action. That is why the Untouchables are insistent upon
separate electorates and separate settlements.

The Hindus on the other hand are telling the Untouchables to depend upon the Hindus
for their emancipation. The Untouchables are told that the general spread of education
will make the Hindus act in a rational manner. The Untouchables are told that the
constant preaching of reformers against Untouchability is bound to bring about a moral
transformation of the Hindus and the quickening of his conscience. The Untouchables
should therefore rely on the good will and sense of duty of the Hindus. No Untouchable
believes in this facile proposition. If there are any who do, they are hypocrites who are
prepared to agree to whatever the Hindus have to say in order that by their grace they
may be put in places reserved for the Untouchables. They are a predatory band of
Untouchables who are out to feather their nests by any means open to them.

The Untouchables are not deceived by such false propaganda and false hopes. It is
therefore unnecessary to comment on it. At the same time, the propaganda is so alluring
that it may mislead the unwary Untouchables into being ensnared by it. A warning to the
Untouchables is therefore necessary.

Two agencies are generally relied upon by the social idealists for producing social
justice. One is reason, the other is religion.

The rationalist who uphold the mission of reason believe that injustice could be
eliminated by the increasing power of intelligence. In the mediaeval age social injustice
and superstition were intimately related to each other. It was natural for the rationalists to
believe that the elimination of superstition must result in the abolition of injustice. This
belief was encouraged by the results. Today it has become the creed of the educationists,
philosophers, psychologists and social scientists who believe that universal education and
the development of printing and press would result in an ideal society, in which every
individual would be so enlightened that there would be no place for social injustice.

History, whether Indian or European, gives no unqualified support to this dogma. In

Europe, the old traditions and superstitions which seemed to the eighteenth century to be
the very root of injustice, have been eliminated. Yet social injustice has been rampant and
has been growing ever and anon. In India itself, the whole Brahmin community is
educated, man, woman and child. How many Brahmins are free from their belief in
untouchability? How many have come forward to undertake a crusade against
untouchability? How many are prepared to stand by the side of the Untouchables in their
fight against injustice? In short, how many are prepared to make the cause of the
Untouchables their own cause? The number will be appallingly small.

Why does reason fail to bring about social justice? The answer is that reason works so
long as it does not come into conflict with one's vested interest. Where it comes into
conflict with vested interests, it fails. Many Hindus have a vested interest in
untouchability. That, vested interest may take the shape of feeling of social superiority or
it may take the shape of economic exploitation such as forced labour or cheap labour, the
fact remains that Hindus have a vested interest in untouchability. It is only natural that
that vested interest should not yield to the dictates of reason. The Untouchables should
therefore know that there are limits to what reason can do.

The religious moralists who believe in the efficacy of religion urge that the moral
insight which religion plants in man whereby it makes him conscious of the sinfulness of
his preoccupation with self and thereby of the duty to do justice to his fellows. Nobody
can deny that this is the function of religion and to some extent religion may succeed in
this mission. But here again there are limits to what religion can do. Religion can help to
produce justice within a community. Religion cannot produce justice between
communities. At any rate, religion has failed to produce justice between Negroes and
Whites, in the United States. It has failed to produce justice between Germans and French
and between them and the other nations. The call of nation and the call of community has
proved more powerful than the call of religion for justice.

The Untouchables should bear in mind two things. Firstly, that it is futile to expect the
Hindu religion to perform the mission of bringing about social justice. Such a task may
be performed by Islam, Christianity, or Buddhism. The Hindu religion is itself the
embodiment of inequity and injustice to the Untouchables. For it, to preach the gospel of
justice is to go against its own being. To hope for this is to hope for a miracle. Secondly,
assuming that this was a task which Hinduism was fitted to perform, it would be
impossible for it to perform. The social barrier between them and the Hindus is much
greater than the barrier between the Hindus and their men. Religion, however efficacious
it may be within a community or a nation, is quite powerless to break these barriers and
(make)* them one whole.

Apart from these agencies of reason and religion the Untouchables are asked to trust the
enlightened self-interests of the Hindu privileged classes and the fraternity of the Hindu
proletarian.

As to the privileged classes it be wrong to depend upon for anything more than their
agreeing to be benevolent despots. They have their own class interests and they cannot be
expected to sacrifice them for general interests or universal values. On the other hand,
their constant endeavour is to identify their class interests with general interests and to
assume that their privileges are the just payments with which society rewards specially
useful and meritorious functions. They are a poor company to the Untouchables as the
Untouchables have found in their conflict with the Hindus.

For Untouchables to expect to gain help from the Hindu proletariat is also a vain hope.
The appeal of the Indian Communists to the Untouchables for solidarity with the Hindu
proletariat is no doubt based on the assumption that the proletarian does not desire
advantages for himself which he is not willing to share with others. Is this true ? Even in
Europe the proletarian are not a uniform class. It is marked by class composition, the
higher and the lower. This is reflected in their attitudes towards social change, the higher
are reformist and the lower are revolutionary. The assumption therefore is riot true. So far
as India is concerned it is positively false. There is very little for a common front.
Socially, there is bound to be antagonism between them. Economically, there cannot be
much room for alliance.

What must the Untouchables strive for? Two things they must strive for is education
and spread of knowledge. The power of the privileged classes rests upon lies which are
sedulously propagated among the masses. No resistance to power is possible while the
sanctioning lies, which justify that power are accepted as valid. While the lie which is the
first and the chief line of defence remains unbroken there can be no revolt. Before any
injustice, any abuse or oppression can be resisted, the lie upon which it is founded must
be unmasked, must be clearly recognized for what it is. This can happen only with
education.

The second thing they must strive for is power. It must not be forgotten that there is a
real conflict of interests between the Hindus and the Untouchables and that while reason
may mitigate the conflict it can never obviate the necessity of such a conflict. What
makes one interest dominant over another is power. That being so, power is needed to
destroy power. There may be the problem of how to make the use of power ethical, but
there can be no question that without power on one side it is not possible to destroy
power on the other side. Power is either economic or political. Military power is no
power today. Because it is not free power. The economic power of the working class is
the power inherent in the strike. The Untouchables as a part of the working class can have
no other economic power. As it is, this power is not adequate for the defence of the
interests of the working class. It is maimed by legislation and made subject to injunctions,
arbitrations, martial law and use of troops. Much more inadequate is the Untouchables'
power to strike.

The Untouchable is therefore under an absolute necessity of acquiring political power

as much as possible. Having regard to his increasingly inadequate power in social and
economic terms the Untouchable can never acquire too much political power. Whatever
degree of political power he acquires, it will always be too little having regard to the vast
amount of social, economic and political power of the Hindus.

The Untouchable must remember that his political power, no matter how large, will be
of no use if he depends for representation in the Legislature on Hindus whose political
life is rested in economic and social interests which are directly opposed to those of the
Untouchables.

253 This table is reprinted from 'Dr. Babasaheh Amhedkar Writings & Speeches Vol. 2', Educalion Department.
Government of Maharashtra. Bombay, p. 364. It is not recorded in the MS.—Ed.

253 Dale not cited in the Ms - Ed.

253 Table not given in the Ms—- Ed.

253 Memorandum by the Punjab Govemment to lndian Franchise Committee-I.F.C..Vol.III.p.(notcited in the Ms)

253 Supplementary Memorandum by the Punjab Government. I.F.C.. Vol. III. p. 29.

253 Memorandum by the Punjab Provincial Franchise Committee. I.F.C., Vol. III. p. 35
254 .F.C. Vol. III. p. 398.

254 Ibid.. p. 440.

254 I.F.C.. Vol. III, p. 285

254 Ibid.. pp. 297-98.

254 Ibid.. p. 189.

254 Ibid.. p. 230.

254 Quoted from ' Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings & Speeches '. Vol. 2. p. 437—Ed. 6 Ibid.. p. 431—Ed. 7 I.F.C..
Vol. III. p. 129.

254 .F.C.. Vol. III. p. 188.

254 The necessity for making such provision for the Backward Classes in U. P. from which this demand mainly came
was amply demonstrated by what the Government of U. P. said in its Memorandum to the Simon Commission.
Regarding the composition of the U. P. Legislature it said — " In the Province as a hole the four leading Hindu Castes.
Brahman, Thakur, Vaishya and Kayastha form 21.5 per cent of the total Hindu population, but these four castes have
supplied no less than 93 per cent of the Hindu Members of Council. The Jats. with 1.8 per cent of the population, have
contributed another 5 per cent to the Hindu Membership; and all the millions included in the multitude of other Hindu
Castes, including the real agricultural castes, though they amount to over 76 per cent of the Hindu population have only
succeeded in supplying 2 per cent of the representation ". p. 560.

254 See P. V. Kane—History of Dharma Shastra, pp. 1-2.

254 Manu 1, 5.

254 Ibid.. 1. 31;

254 Ibid.. 1. 87

254 Ibid.. 1. 87

254 lbid.. 1. 88

254 Ibid.. 1. 89

254 Ibid., 1. 90

254 Ibid.. 1. 91

254 Narad V. 3

254 Ibid.. V. 2

254 Ibid.. V. 26
255 Ibid., V. 27

255 Ibid., V. 28

255 Ibid., V. 29

255 Ibid., V. 4

255 Manu X. 45

255 lbid., X. 50

255 Ibid., X. 51

255 Ibid., X. 52

255 Ibid., X. 53

255 Ibid., X 54

255 Ibid., X. 55

255 Ibid., X. 56

255 Vishnu V. 43

255 Ibid., V. 104.

255 The report is taken from the Times of India of 10-2-38 & 1-4-38.

255 Inserted by Ed.

255 Grote: Plato and the other Companions of Socrates, Vol. I, p. 249.

255 2 W.R. (Cr.) 35. Queen v/s Nobin Dome

255 255"Gandhi in London" ~ Asia. February 1932.

255 Pattabhi Sitaramayya — History of the Congress, p. 857.

255 The official historian of the Congress perhaps realizing that this welcome to Mr. Gandhi on the ground of his
political achievement says—(Sitaramayya's statement not given in the Ms.—Ed.).

255 Year not mentioned in Ms-ED

255 This quotation has been reproduced from page I of What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables' by
the author. This was not typed in the MS of this essay.—Ed.

255 1 Mr. Andrews once went to the length of defending the Caste system.
256 At the special session of the Congress held at Calcutta in 1920 a resolution was passed of which the following is a
part:

"In view of the fact that on the Khilafat question both Indian and Imperial Governments have signally failed in their
duty towards the Musalmans of India, and the Prime Minister has deliberately broken his pledged word given to them,
and that it is the duty of every non-Moslem India in every legitimate manner to assist his Musalman brother in his
attempt to remove the religious calamity that has overtaken him.

256 Young India.

256 Report.vol II pp.65-66

256 The text of the resolution is as follows: The Sikhs

" In view of the fact that misunderstanding exist among the Sikhs as to the position of their community in the future
polity of India, this Congress assures the Sikhs that their interests will receive the same protection in any Scheme of
Swaraj for India as is provided for Mahomedan and other minorities in provinces other than the Punjab."

256 The following resolution embodies the mandate which the Congress imposed upon Mr. Gandhi when he was
chosen by the Congress as its delegate. (This was a resolution passed at the Karachi Congress).

"This Congress, having considered the provisional settlement between the Working Committee and the Government
of India, endorses it, and desires to make it clear that the Congress goal of Puma Swaraj, meaning complete
independence, remains intact. In the event of a way remaining otherwise open to the Congress to be represented at any
conference with the representatives of the British Government, the Congress delegation will work for this goal, and in
particular so as to give the nation control over the army, external affairs.finance, fiscal and economic policy, and to
have a scrutiny by an impartial tribunal of the financial transactions of the British Government in India, and to examine
and assess the obligations to be undertaken by India or England and the right to either party to end the partnership at
will; provided, however, that the Congress delegation will be free to accept such adjustments as may be demonstrably
necessary in the interests of India."

256 Young India—Nov. 19, 1931

256 From this, one is likely to get the impression that Mr. Gandhi was opposed only to separate electorates and that Mr. Gandhi was
prepared to give to the untouchables joint electorates AND RESERVED seats being granted to the untouchables was made clear by him at
the Round Table Conference. I give below the following extract from his speech in the minorities sub-committee:

" I would like to repeat what I have said before, that while the Congress will always accept any solution that may be acceptable to the
Hindus, the Musalmans and the Sikhs, the Congress will be no party to special reservation or special electorates for any other minorities."

256 Young India, 27th Oct. 1920.

256 This document was printed by me in my Thoughts on Pakistan as Appendix in 1939. It was the first time
it saw the light of the day. Its genuineness has never been questioned. I was able to get a copy from a Hindu
Delegate to the Round Table Conference who was privileged by the Muslim League to share the secret.

256 'This shows that the document was typed on the stationery of the Muslim League Delegation

256 Stands for separation of Sindh

257 Stands for Provincial Autonomy and Responsible Government for the N.W.F.
Province

257 Stands for Representation in Services

257 Stands for Representation in the Cabinet

257 See Ambedkar. B. R., "What Congress and Gandhi have been done to the Untouchables", p. 67.— M.

257 2lhid.. Appendix III, pp. 307-11

257 See Koran.

257 Following extracts up to p. 305 ending with words informal meetings' are reproduced from "WhatCongress and Gandhi have done to
the Untouchables ", pp. 60-62. not typed in the MS.—Ed.

257 See "What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables", p. 62. (both the above extracts are not mentioned in the MS.).—Ed.

257 The following text of the Communal Award is not typed in the MS. This is reproduced from What Congress and
Gandhi Have Done to the Untouchables by the author. (Thacker and Co. Ltd.. 1st Ed. June 1945. pp. 80-82)— Ed.

257 This Table is reprinted from Dr. Ambedkar's ' What Congress and Gandhi have done to the
Untouchables at page 94. This table was not typed in the M.S.—Ed.

257 lnserted by Editors

257 Census Report, 1931(Inserted, as the figures are not shown in the MS.—Ed.)

257 This quotation is taken from Dr. Ambedkar's book ' What Congress & Gandhi have done to the
Untouchables', p. 142. (77115 extract are not mentioned in the MS.— Ed.)

257 Reprduced from ' What Congress .......... etc. 'pp. 140-41 as the page in the MS is left blank.—Ed.

257 Report for 1932-33, p. 1.

257 ' Moral Man and Immoral Society / passim.

257 This statement was repeated by Dr. Khare at a meeting held in Servants of India Society's Hall in
Bombay in support of his cause

257 This statement is shown as of 14th February 1933 in Dr. Ambedkar's ' What Congress .......... etc. 'at pp.
108-13.— Ed.

257 Quoted from 'What Congress & Gandhi have done to the Untouchables', p. 107 (Not in MS).

257 Times of India, 3rd January 1933.

257 The statement is reproduced from Dr. Ambedkar's, ' What Congress & Gandhi have done to the
Untouchables ', p. 318. This was not mentioned in the MS.—Ed.
258 Inserted.—Ed.

Essays on Untouchables and Untouchability: Religious

_______________________________________________________________

Contents

Chapter 1 : Away from the Hindus

Chapter 2 : Caste and conversion

Chapter 3 : Christianizing the untouchables

Chapter 4 : The condition of the convert

Religious

(One of the schemes of Dr. Ambedkar is

" The Conversion of the Untouchables ".
This scheme includes the following
chapters:
(1) Hinduism as a Missionary Religion.

(2) Christianising the Untouchables.

(3) The Condition of the Convert.

(4) The Eternal Verity.

(5) The Untouchables and Their Destiny. From these essays, Sr. Nos. 2 and 3 have been
received from Shri S. S. Rege and Sr. No. I has been found in our papers under the title '
Caste and Conversion ', which was originally published in the Telagu Samachar Special
No. of November 1926. One more typed essay entitled "Away from the Hindus ", which
also deals with religious conversion of the Untouchables, has been found and included in
this Book. Rest of the titles mentioned in the above scheme have not been found.)
chapter 1
AWAY FROM THE HINDUS

A large majority of Untouchables who have reached a capacity to think out their problem
believe that one way to solve the problem of the Untouchables is for them to abandon
Hinduism and be converted to some other religion. At a Conference of the Mahars held in
Bombay on 31st May 1936 a resolution to this effect was unanimously passed. Although
the Conference was a Conference of the Mahars1, the resolution had the support of a very
large body of Untouchables throughout India. No resolution had created such a stir. The
Hindu community was shaken to its foundation and curses imprecations and threats were
uttered against the Untouchables who were behind this move.

Four principal objections have been urged by the opponents against the conversion of
the Untouchables:

(1) What can the Untouchables gain by conversion? Conversion can make no change in
the status of the Untouchables.

(2) All religions are true, all religions are good. To change religion is a futility.

(3) The conversion of the Untouchables is political in its nature.

(4) The conversion of the Untouchables is not genuine as it is not based on faith.

It cannot take much argument to demonstrate that the objections are puerile and
inconsequential.

To take the last objection first. History abounds with cases where conversion has taken
place without any religious motive. What was the

1
The Conference was confined to Mahars because the intention was to test the intensity
of feeling communitywise and to take soundings from each community.

The typed pages with Sr. Nos. from 279 to 342 have been found in this script which is
titled as Chapter XX under the heading 'Away from the Hindus nature of its conversion
of Clovis and his subjects to Christianity? How did Ethelbert and his Kentish subjects
become Christians? Was there a religious motive which led them to accept the new
religion? Speaking on the nature of conversions to Christianity that had taken place
during the middle ages Rev. Reichel says:
 " One after another the nations of Europe are converted to the faith; their conversion is
seen always to proceed from above, never from below. Clovis yields to the bishop
Remigius and forthwith he is followed by the Baptism of 3,000 Franks. Ethelbert yields
to the mission of Augustine and forthwith all Kent follows his example; when his son
Eadbald apostatises, the men of Kent apostatise with him. Essex is finally won by the
conversion of King Sigebert, who under the influence of another king, Oswy, allows
himself to be baptised. Northumberland is temporarily gained by the conversion of its
king, Edwin, but falls away as soon as Edwin is dead. It anew accepts the faith, when
another king, Oswald, promotes its diffusion. In the conversion of Germany, a bishop,
Boniface, plays a prominent part, in close connection with the princes of the country,
Charles Martel and Pepin; the latter, in return for his patronage receiving at Soissons the
Church's sanction to a violent act of usurpation. Denmark is gained by the conversion of
its kings, Herald Krag, Herald Blastand and Canute, Sweden by that of the two Olofs; and
Russian, by the conversion of its sovereign, Vladimir. Everywhere Christianity addresses
itself first to kings and princes; everywhere the bishops and abbots appear as its only
representatives.

Nor was this all, for where a king had once been gained, no obstacle by the Mediaeval
missionaries to the immediate indiscriminate baptism of his subjects. Three thousand
warriors of Clovis following the example of their king, were at once admitted to the
sacred rite; the subjects of Ethelbert were baptised in numbers after the conversion of
their prince, without preparation, and with hardly any instruction. The Germans only
were less hasty in following the example of others. In Russia, so great was the number of
those who crowded to be baptised after the baptism of Vladimir, that the sacrament had to
be administered to hundreds at a time." History records cases where conversion has taken
place as a result of compulsion or deceit.

Today religion has become a piece of ancestral property. It passes from father to son so
does inheritance. What genuineness is there in such cases of conversion? The conversion
of the Untouchables if it did take place would take after full deliberation of the value of
religion and the virtue of the different religions. How can such a conversion be said to be
not a genuine conversion? On the other hand, it would be the first case in history of
genuine conversion. It is therefore difficult to understand why the genuineness of the
conversion of the Untouchables should be doubted by anybody.

The third objection is an ill-considered objection. What political gain will accrue to the
Untouchables from their conversion has been defined by nobody. If there is a political
gain, nobody has proved that it is a direct inducement to conversion.

The opponents of conversion do not even seem to know that a distinction has to be
made between a gain being a direct inducement to conversion and its being only an
incidental advantage. This distinction cannot be said to be a distinction without a
difference. Conversion may result in a political gain to the Untouchables. It is only where
a gain is a direct inducement that conversion could be condemned as immoral or
criminal. Unless therefore the opponents of conversion prove that the conversion desired
by the Untouchables is for political gain and for nothing else their accusation is baseless.
If political gain is only an incidental gain then there is nothing criminal in conversion.
The fact, however, is that conversion can bring no new political gain to the Untouchables.
Under the constitutional law of India every religious community has got the right to
separate political safeguards. The Untouchables in their present condition enjoy political
rights similar to those which are enjoyed by the Muslims and the Christians. If they
change their faith the change is not to bring into existence political rights which did not
exist before. If they do not change they will retain the political rights which they have.
Political gain has no connection with conversion. The charge is a wild charge made
without understanding.

The second objection rests on the premise that all religions teach the same thing. It is
from the premise that a conclusion is drawn that since all religions teach the same thing
there is no reason to prefer one religion to other. It may be conceded that all religions
agree in holding that the meaning of life is to be found in the pursuit of ' good '. Up to this
point the validity of the premise may be conceded. But when the premise goes beyond
and asserts that because of this there is no reason to prefer one religion to another it
becomes a false premise.

Religions may be alike in that they all teach that the meaning of life is to be found in
the pursuit of ' good '. But religions are not alike in their answers to the question 'What is
good?' In this they certainly differ. One religion holds that brotherhood is good, another
caste and untouchability is good.

There is another respect in which all religions are not alike. Besides being an authority
which defines what is good, religion is a motive force for the promotion and spread of the
' good '. Are all religions agreed in the means and methods they advocate for the
promotion and spread of good? As pointed out by Prof. Tiele, religion is:

" One of the mightiest motors in the history of mankind, which formed as well as tore
asunder nations, united as well as divided empires, which sanctioned the most atrocious
and barbarous deeds, the most libinous customs, inspired the most admirable acts of
heroism, self renunciation, and devotion, which occasioned the most sanguinary wars,
rebellions and persecutions, as well as brought about the freedom, happiness and peace of
nations—at one time a partisan of tyranny, at another breaking its chains, now calling
into existence and fostering a new and brilliant civilization, then the deadly foe to
progress, science and art."
 Apart from these oscillations there are permanent differences in the methods of
promoting good as they conceive it. Are there not religions which advocate violence ?
Are there not religions which advocate nonviolence ? Given these facts how can it be said
that all religions are the same and there is no reason to prefer one to the other.

In raising the second objection the Hindu is merely trying to avoid an examination of
Hinduism on its merits. It is an extraordinary thing that in the controversy over
conversion not a single Hindu has had the courage to challenge the Untouchables to say
what is wrong with Hinduism. The Hindu is merely taking shelter under the attitude
generated by the science of comparative religion. The science of comparative religion has
broken down the arrogant claims of all revealed religions that they alone are true and all
others which are not the results of revelation are false. That revelation was too arbitrary,
too capricious test to be accepted for distinguishing a true religion from a false was
undoubtedly a great service which the science of comparative religion has rendered to the
cause of religion. But it must be said to the discredit of that science that it has created the
general impression that all religions are good and there is no use and purpose in
discriminating them.

The first objection is the only objection which is worthy of serious consideration. The
objection proceeds on the assumption that religion is a purely personal matter between
man and God. It is supernatural. It has nothing to do with social. The argument is no
doubt sensible. But its foundations are quite false. At any rate, it is a one-sided view of
religion and that too based on aspects of religion which are purely historical and not
fundamental.

To understand the function and purposes of religion it is necessary to separate religion

from theology. The primary things in religion are the usages, practices and observances,
rites and rituals. Theology is secondary. Its object is merely to nationalize them. As stated
by Prof. Robertson Smith :

" Ritual and practical usages were, strictly speaking the sum total of ancient religions.
Religion in primitive times was not a system of belief with practical applications; it was a
body of fixed traditional practices, to which every member of society conformed as a
matter of courage, Men would not be men if they agreed to do certain things without
having a reason for their action; but in ancient religion the reason was not first formulated
as a doctrine and then expressed in practice, but conversely, practice preceded doctrinal
theory."

Equally necessary it is not to think of religion as though if was super-natural. To

overlook the fact that the primary content of religion is social is to make nonsense of
religion. The Savage society was concerned with life and the preservation of life and it is
these life processes which constitute the substance and source of the religion of the
Savage society. So great was the concern of the Savage society for life and the
preservation of life that it made them the basis of its religion. So central were the life
processes in the religion of the Savage society that every thing which affected them
became part of its religion. The ceremonies of the Savage society were not only
concerned with the events of birth, attaining of manhood, puberty, marriage, sickness,
death and war but they were also concerned with food.

Among the pastoral peoples the flocks and herds are sacred. Among agricultural
peoples seedtime and harvest are marked by ceremonies performed with some reference
to the growth and the preservation of the crops. Likewise drought, pestilence, and other
strange irregular phenomena of nature occasion the performance of ceremonials. As
pointed out by Prof. Crawley, the religion of the savage begins and ends with the
affirmation and consecration of life.

In life and preservation of life therefore consists the religion of the savage. What is true
of the religion of the savage is true of all religions wherever they are found for the simple
reason that constitutes the essence of religion. It is true that in the present day society
with its theological refinements this essence of religion has become hidden from view
and is even forgotten. But that life and the preservation of life constitute the essence of
religion even in the present day society is beyond question. This is well illustrated by
Prof. Crawley, when speaking of the religious life of man in the present day society he
says how:

"man's religion does not enter into his professional or social hours, his scientific or
artistic moments; practically its chief claims are settled on one day in the week from
which ordinary worldly concerns are excluded. In fact, his life is in two parts; but the
moiety with which religion is concerned is the elemental. Serious thinking on ultimate
questions of life and death is, roughly speaking, the essence of his Sabbath; add to this
the habit of prayer, the giving of thanks at meals, and the subconscious feeling that birth
and death, continuation and marriage are rightly solemnized by religion, while business
and pleasure may possibly be consecrated, but only metaphorically or by an overflow of
religious feeling." Students of the origin and history of religion when they began their
study of the Savage society became so much absorbed in the magic, the tabu and totem
and the rites and ceremonies connected therewith they found in the Savage society that
they not only overlooked the social processes of the savage as the primary content of
religion but they failed even to appreciate the proper function of magic and other
supernatural processes. This was a great mistake and has cost all concerned in religion
very dearly. For it is responsible for the grave misconception about religion which
prevails today among most people. Nothing can be a greater error than to explain religion
as having arisen in magic or being concerned only in magic for magic sake. It is true that
Savage society practises magic, believes in tabu and worships the totem. But it is wrong
to suppose that these constitute the religion or form the source of religion. To take such a
view is to elevate what is incidental to the position of the principal. The principal thing in
the religion of the savage are the elemental facts of human existence such as life, death,
birth, marriage, etc., magic, tabu and totem are not the ends. They are only the means.
The end is life and the preservation of life. Magic, tabu, etc. are resorted to by the Savage
society not for their own sake but to conserve life and to exercise evil influence from
doing harm to life. Why should such occasions as harvest and famine be accompanied by
religious ceremonies ? Why are magic, tabu and totem of such importance to the savage ?
The only answer is that they all affect the preservation of life. The process of life and its
preservation form the main purpose. Life and preservation of life is the core and centre of
the religion of the Savage society. That today God has taken the place of magic, does not
alter the fact that God's place in religion is only as a means for the conservation of life
and that the end of religion is the conservation and consecration of social life.

The point to which it is necessary to draw particular attention and to which the
foregoing discussion lends full support is that it is an error to look upon religion as a
matter which is individual, private and personal. Indeed as will be seen from what
follows, religion becomes a source of positive mischief if not danger when it remains
individual, private and personal. Equally mistaken is the view that religion is the
flowering of special religious instinct inherent in the nature of the individual. The correct
view is that religion like language is social for the reason that either is essential for social
life and the individual has to have it because without it he cannot participate in the life of
the society.

If religion is social in the sense that it primarily concerns society, it would be natural to
ask what is the purpose and function of religion.

The best statement regarding the purpose of religion which I have come across is that of
Prof. Charles A Ellwood. According to him:

" religion projects the essential values of human personality and of human society into
the universe as a whole. It inevitably arises as soon as man tries to take valuing attitude
toward his universe, no matter how small and mean that universe may appear to him.
Like all the distinctive things in human, social and mental life, it of course, rests upon the
higher intellectual powers of man. Man is the only religious animal, because through his
powers of abstract thought and reasoning, he alone is self-conscious in the full sense of
that term. Hence he alone is able to project his values into the universe and finds
necessity of so doing. Given, in other words, the intellectual powers of man, the mind at
once seeks to universalise its values as well as its ideas. Just as rationalizing processes
give man a world of universal ideas, so religious processes give man a world of universal
values. The religious processes are, indeed, nothing but the rationalizing processes at
work upon man's impulses and emotions rather than upon his precepts. What the reason
does for ideas, religion does, then, for the feelings. It universalizes them; and in
universalizing them, it brings them into harmony with the whole of reality."

Religion emphasizes, universalizes social values and brings them to the mind of the
individual who is required to recognize them in all his acts in order that he may function
as an approved member of the society. But the purpose of religion is more than this. It
spiritualizes them. As pointed out by Prof. Ellwood :

"Now these mental and social values, with which religion deals, men call 'spiritual'. It is
something which emphasizes as we may say, spiritual values, that is, the values
connected especially with the personal and social life. It projects these values, as we have
seen, into the universal reality. It gives man a social and moral conception of the
universe, rather than a merely mechanical one as a theatre of the play of blind,
purposeless forces. While religion is not primarily animistic philosophy, as has often
been said, nevertheless it does project mind, spirit, life, into all things. Even the most
primitive religion did this; for in ' primitive dynamism ' there was a feeling of the
psychic, in such concepts as mana or manitou. They were closely connected with persons
and proceeded from person, or things which were viewed in an essentially personal way.
Religion, therefore, is a belief in the reality of spiritual values, and projects them, as we
have said, into the whole universe. All religion—even so-called atheistic religions—
emphasizes the spiritual, believes in its dominance, and looks to its ultimate triumph."
The function of religion in society is equally clear. According to Prof. Ellwood1 the
function of religion: " is to act as an agency of social control, that is, of the group

controlling the life of the individual, for what is believed to be the good of the larger
life of the group. Very early, as we have seen, any beliefs and practices which gave
expression to personal feelings or values of which the group did not approve were
branded as ' black magic ' or baleful superstitions; and if this had not been done it is
evident that the unity of the life of the group might have become seriously impaired. Thus
the almost necessarily social character of religion stands revealed. We cannot have such a
thing as purely personal or individual religion which is not at the same time social. For
we live a social life and the welfare of the group is, after all, the chief matter of concern."
Dealing with the same question in another place, he says:

" the function of religion is the same as the function of Law and Government. It is a
means by which society exercises its control over the conduct of the individual in order to
maintain the social order. It may not be used consciously as a method of social control
over the individual. Nonetheless the fact is that religion acts as a means of social control.
As compared to religion, Government and Law are relatively inadequate means of social
control. The control through law and order does not go deep enough to secure the
stability of the social order. The religious sanction, on account of its being supernatural
has been on the other hand the most effective means of social control, far more effective
than law and Government have been or can be. Without the support of religion, law and
Government are bound to remain a very inadequate means of social control. Religion is
the most powerful force of social gravitation without which it would be impossible to
hold the social order in its orbit."

The foregoing discussion, although it was undertaken to show that religion is a social
fact, that religion has a specific social purpose and a definite social function it was
intended to prove that it was only proper that a person if he was required to accept a
religion should have the right to ask how well it has served the purposes which belong to
religion. This is the reason why Lord Balfour was justified in putting some very straight-
questions to the positivists before he could accept Positivism to be superior to
Christianity. He asked in quite trenchent language.

" what has (positivism) to say to the more obscure multitude who are absorbed, and
well nigh overwhelmed, in the constant struggle with daily needs and narrow cares; who
have but little leisure or inclination to consider the precise role they are called on to play
in the great drama of 'humanity' and who might in any case be puzzled to discover its
interest or its importance? Can it assure them that there is no human being so
insignificant as not to be of infinite worth in the eyes of Him who created the Heavens, or
so feeble but that his action may have consequences of infinite moment long after this
material system shall have crumbled into nothingness? Does it offer consolation to those
who are bereaved, strength to the weak, forgiveness to the sinful, rest to those who are
weary and heavy laden?"

The Untouchables can very well ask the protagonists of Hinduism the very questions
which Lord Balfour asked the Positivists. Nay the Untouchables can ask many more.
They can ask: Does Hinduism recognize their worth as human beings? Does it stand for
their equality? Does it extend to them the benefit of liberty ? Does it at least help to forge
the bond of fraternity between them and the Hindus? Does it teach the Hindus that the
Untouchables are their kindred? Does it say to the Hindus it is a sin to treat the
Untouchables as being neither man nor beast ? Does it tell the Hindus to be righteous to
the Untouchables ? Does it preach to the Hindus to be just and humane to them ? Does it
inculcate upon the Hindus the virtue of being friendly to them ? Does it tell the Hindus to
love them, to respect them and to do them no wrong. In fine, does Hinduism universalize
the value of life without distinction?
 No Hindu can dare to give an affirmative answer to any of these questions? On the
contrary the wrongs to which the Untouchables are subjected by the Hindus are acts
which are sanctioned by the Hindu religion. They are done in the name of Hinduism and
are justified in the name of Hinduism. The spirit and tradition which makes lawful the
lawlessness of the Hindus towards the Untouchables is founded and supported by the
teachings of Hinduism. How can the Hindus ask the Untouchables accept Hinduism and
stay in Hinduism? Why should the Untouchables adhere to Hinduism which is solely
responsible for their degradation? How can the Untouchables stay in Hinduism?
Untouchability is the lowest depth to which the degradation of a human being can be
carried. To be poor is bad but not so bad as to be an Untouchable. The poor can be proud.
The Untouchable cannot be. To be reckoned low is bad but it is not so bad as to be an
Untouchable. The low can rise above his status. An Untouchable cannot. To be suffering
is bad but not so bad as to be an Untouchable. They shall some day be comforted. An
Untouchable cannot hope for this. To have to be meek is bad but it is not so bad as to be
an Untouchable. The meek if they do not inherit the earth may at least be strong. The
Untouchables cannot hope for that.

In Hinduism there is no hope for the Untouchables. But this is not the only reason why
the Untouchables wish to quit Hinduism. There is another reason which makes it
imperative for them to quit Hinduism. Untouchability is a part of Hinduism. Even those
who for the sake of posing as enlightened reformers deny that untouchability is part of
Hinduism are to observe untouchability. For a Hindu to believe in Hinduism does not
matter. It enhances his sense of superiority by the reason of this consciousness that there
are millions of Untouchables below him. But what does it mean for an Untouchable to
say that he believes in Hinduism? It means that he accepts that he is an Untouchable and
that he is an Untouchable is the result of Divine dispensation. For Hinduism is divine
dispensation. An Untouchable may not cut the throat of a Hindu. But he cannot be
expected to give an admission that he is an Untouchable and rightly so. Which
Untouchable is there with soul so dead as to give such an admission by adhering to
Hinduism. That Hinduism is inconsistent with the self-respect and honour of the
Untouchables is the strongest ground which justifies the conversion of the Untouchables
to another and nobler faith.

The opponents of conversion are determined not to be satisfied even if the logic of
conversion was irrefutable. They will insist upon asking further questions. There is one
question which they are always eager to ask largely because they think it is formidable
and unanswerable; what will the Untouchables gain materially by changing their faith?
The question is not at all formidable. It is simple to answer. It is not the intention of the
Untouchables to make conversion an opportunity for economic gain. The Untouchables it
is true will not gain wealth by conversion. This is however no loss because while they
remain as Hindus they are doomed to be poor. Politically the Untouchables will lose the
political rights that are given to the Untouchables. This is, however, no real loss. Because
they will be entitled to the benefit of the political rights reserved for the community
which they would join through conversion. Politically there is neither gain nor loss.
Socially, the Untouchables will gain absolutely and immensely because by conversion the
Untouchables will be members of a community whose religion has universalized and
equalized all values of life. Such a blessing is unthinkable for them while they are in the
Hindu fold.

The answer is complete. But by reason of its brevity it is not likely to give satisfaction
to the opponents of conversion. The Untouchables need three things. First thing they need
is to end their social isolation. The second thing they need is to end their inferiority
complex. Will conversion meet their needs? The opponents of conversion have a feeling
that the supporters of conversion have no case. That is why they keep on raising
questions. The case in favour of conversion is stronger than the strongest case. Only one
does wish to spend long arguments to prove what is so obvious. But since it is necessary
to put an end to all doubt, I am prepared to pursue the matter. Let me take each point
separately.

How can they end their social isolation? The one and the only way to end their social
isolation is for the Untouchables to establish kinship with and get themselves
incorporated into another community which is free from the spirit of caste. The answer is
quite simple and yet not many will readily accept its validity. The reason is, very few
people realize the value and significance of kinship. Nevertheless its value and
significance are very great. Kinship and what it implies has been

described by Prof. Robertson Smith in the following terms1:

"A kin was a group of persons whose lives were so bound up together, in what must be
called a physical unity, that they could be treated as parts of one common life. The
members of one kindred looked on themselves as one living whole, a single animated
mass of blood, flesh and bones, of which no member could be touched without all the
members suffering."

The matter can be looked at from the point of view both of the individual as well as
from that of the group. From the point of the group, kinship calls for a feeling that one is
first and foremost a member of the group and not merely an individual. From the point of
view of the individual, the advantages of his kinship with the group are no less and no
different than those which accrue to a member of the family by reason of his membership
of the family. Family life is characterized by parental tenderness. As pointed out by Prof.
McDougall :
" From this emotion (parental tenderness) and its impulse to cherish and protect, spring
generosity, gratitude, love, pity, true benevolence, and altruistic conduct of every kind; in
it they have their main and absolutely essential root, without which they would not be."

Community as distinguished from society is only an enlarged family. As such it is

characterised by all the virtues which are found in a family and which have been so well
described by Prof. McDougall.

Inside the community there is no discrimination among those who are recognized as
kindred bound by kinship. The community recognizes that every one within it is entitled
to all the rights equally with others. As Professors Dewey and Tufts have pointed out:

" A State may allow a citizen of another country to own land, to sue in its courts, and
will usually give him a certain amount of protection, but the first-named rights are apt to
be limited, and it is only a few years since Chief Justice Taney's dictum stated the
existing legal theory of the United States to be that the Negro ' had no rights which the
white man was bound to respect'. Even where legal theory does not recognize race or
other distinctions, it is often hard in practice for an alien to get justice. In primitive clan
or family groups this principle is in full force. Justice is a privilege which falls to a man
as belonging to some group—not otherwise. The member of the clan or the household or
the village community has a claim, but the Stranger has nothing standing. It may be
treated kindly, as a guest, but he cannot demand 'justice' at the hands of any group but his
own. In this conception of rights within the group we have the prototype of modern civil
law. The dealing of clan with clan is a matter of war or negotiation, not of law; and the
clanless man is an 'outlaw' in fact as well as in name."

Kinship makes the community take responsibility for vindicating the wrong done to a
member. Blood-flood which objectively appears to be a savage method of avenging a
wrong done to a member is subjectively speaking a manifestation of sympathetic
resentment by the members of the community for a wrong done to their fellow. This
sympathetic resentment is a compound of tender emotion and anger such as those which
issue out of parental tenderness when it comes face to face with a wrong done to a child.
It is kinship which generates, this sympathetic resentment, this compound of tender
emotion and anger. This is by no means a small value to an individual. In the words of
Prof. McDougall:

"This intimate alliance between tender emotion and anger is of great importance for the
social life of man, and the right understanding of it is fundamental for a true theory of the
moral sentiments; for the anger evoked in this way is the germ of all moral indignation
and on moral indignation justice and the greater part of public law are in the main
founded."
 It is kinship which generates generosity and invokes its moral indignation which is
necessary to redress a wrong. Kinship is the will to enlist the support of the kindred
community to meet the tyrannies and oppressions by the Hindus which today the
Untouchables have to bear single-handed and alone. Kinship with another community is
the best insurance which the Untouchable can effect against Hindu tyranny and Hindu
oppression.

Anyone who takes into account the foregoing exposition of what kinship means and
does, should have no difficulty in accepting the proposition that to end their isolation the
Untouchables must join another community which does not recognise caste.

Kinship is the antithesis of isolation. For the Untouchables to establish kinship with
another community is merely another name for ending their present state of isolation.
Their isolation will never end so long as they remain Hindus. As Hindus, their isolation
hits them from front as well as from behind. Notwithstanding their being Hindus, they are
isolated from the Muslims and the Christians because as Hindus they are aliens to all—
Hindus as well as Non-Hindus. This isolation can end only in one way and in no other
way. That way is for the Untouchables to join some non-Hindu community and thereby
become its kith and kin.

That this is not a meaningless move will be admitted by all those who know the
disadvantages of isolation and the advantages of kinship. What are the consequences of
isolation? Isolation means social segregation, social humiliation, social discrimination
and social injustice. Isolation means denial of protection, denial of justice, denial of
opportunity. Isolation means want of sympathy, want of fellowship and want of
consideration. Nay, isolation means positive hatred and antipathy from the Hindus. By
having kinship with other community on the other hand, the Untouchables will have
within that community equal position, equal protection and equal justice, will be able to
draw upon its sympathy, its good-will.

This I venture to say is a complete answer to the question raised by the opponents. It
shows what the Untouchables can gain by conversion. It is however desirable to carry the
matter further and dispose of another question which has not been raised so far by the
opponents of conversion but may be raised. The question is: why is conversion necessary
to establish kinship?

The answer to this question will reveal itself if it is borne in mind that there is a
difference between a community and a society and between kinship and citizenship.

A community in the strict sense of the word is a body of kindred. A society is a

collection of many communities or of different bodies of kindreds. The bond which holds
a community together is called kinship while the bond which holds a society together is
called citizenship.

The means of acquiring citizenship in a society are quite different from the means of
acquiring kinship in a community. Citizenship is acquired by what is called
naturalization. The condition precedent for citizenship is the acceptance of political
allegiance to the State. The conditions precedent for acquiring kinship are quite different.
At one stage in evolution of man the condition precedent for adoption into the kindred
was unity of blood. For the kindred is a body of persons who conceive themselves as
spring from one ancestor and as having in their veins one blood. It does not matter
whether each group has actually and in fact spring from a single ancestor. As a matter of
fact, a group did admit a stranger into the kindred though he did not spring from the same
ancestor. It is interesting to note that there was a rule that if a stranger intermarried with a
group for seven generations, he became a member of the kindred. The point is that,
fiction though it be, admission into the kindred required as a condition precedent unity
of blood.

At a later stage of Man's Evolution, common religion in place of unity of blood became
a condition precedent to kinship. In this connection it is necessary to bear in mind the
important fact pointed out by Prof. Robertson Smith that in a community the social body
is made not of men only, but of gods and men and therefore any stranger who wants to
enter a community and forge the bond of kinship can do so only by accepting the God or
Gods of the community. The Statement in the Old Testament such as those of Naomi to
Ruth saying: " Thy sister is gone back into her people and unto her gods " and Ruth's
reply "Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God " or the calling of the
Mobites the sons and daughters of Chemosh are all evidences which show that the bond
of kinship in a community is the consequence of their allegiance to a common religion.
Without common religion there can be no kinship.

Where people are waiting to find faults in the argument in favour of conversion it is
better to leave no ground for fault-finders to create doubt or misunderstanding. It might
therefore be well to explain how and in what manner religion is able to forge the bond of
kinship. The answer is simple. It does it through eating and drinking together. The
Hindus in defending their caste system ridicule the plea for interdining. They ask: What
is there in inter-dining? The answer from a sociological point of view is that is everything
in it. Kinship is a social covenant of brotherhood. Like all convenants it required to be
signed, sealed and delivered before it can become binding. The mode of signing, sealing
and delivery is the mode prescribed by religion and that mode is the participation in a
sacrificial meal. As said by Prof. Smith:
 " What is the ultimate nature of the fellowship which is constituted or declared when
men eat and drink together? In our complicated society fellowship has many types and
many degrees; men may be united by bonds of duty and honour for certain purposes, and
stand quite apart in all other things. Even in ancient times—for example, in the Old
Testament—we find the sacrament of a common meal introduced to seal engagements of
various kinds. But in every case the engagement is absolute and inviolable; it constitutes
what in the language of ethics is called a duty of perfect obligation. Now in the most
primitive society there is only one kind of fellowship which is absolute and inviolable. To
the primitive man all other men fall under two classes, those to whom his life is sacred
and those to whom it is not sacred. The former are his fellows; the latter are strangers and
potential foemen, with whom it is absurd to think of forming any inviolable tie unless
they are first brought into the circle within which each man's life is sacred to all his
comrades." If for the Untouchables mere citizenship is not enough to put an end to their
isolation and the troubles which ensue therefrom, if kinship is the only cure then there is
no other way except to embrace the religion of the community whose kinship they seek.

The argument so far advanced was directed to show how conversion can end the
problem of the isolation of the Untouchables. There remain two other questions to be
considered. One is, will conversion remove their inferiority complex? One cannot of
course dogmatize. But one can have no hesitation in answering the question in the
affirmative. The inferiority complex of the Untouchables is the result of their isolation,
discrimination and the unfriendliness of the social environment. It is these which have
created a feeling of helplessness which are responsible for the inferiority complex which
cost him the power of self-assertion.

Can religion alter this psychology of the Untouchables? The psychologists are of
opinion that religion can effect this cure provided it is a religion of the right type;
provided that the religion approaches the individual not as a degraded worthless outcastes
but as a fellow human being; provided religion gives him an atmosphere in which he will
find that there are possibilities for feeling himself the equal of every other human being
there is no reason why conversion to such a religion by the Untouchables should not
remove their age-long pessimism which is responsible for their inferiority complex. As
pointed out by Prof. Ellwood :

"Religion is primarily a valuing attitude, universalizing the will and the emotions,
rather than the ideas of man. It thus harmonizes men, on the side of will and emotion,
with his world. Hence, it is the fee of pessimism and despair. It encourages hope, and
gives confidence in the battle of life, to the savage as well as to the civilized man. It does
so, as we have said, because it braces vital feeling; and psychologists tell us that the
reason why it braces vital feeling is because it is an adaptive process in which all of the
lower centres of life are brought to reinforce the higher centres. The universalization of
values means, in other words, in psycho-physical terms, that the lower nerve centres pour
their energies into the higher nerve centres, thus harmonizing and bringing to a maximum
of vital efficiency life on its inner side. It is thus that religion taps new levels of energy,
for meeting the crisis of life, while at the same time it brings about a deeper harmony
between the inner and the outer."

Will conversion raise the general social status of the Untouchables? It is difficult to see
how there can be two opinions on this question. The oft-quoted answer given by
Shakespeare to the question what is in a name hardly shows sufficient understanding of
the problem of a name. A rose called by another name would smell as sweet would be
true if names served no purpose and if people instead of depending upon names took the
trouble of examining each case and formed their opinions and attitudes about it on the
basis of their examination. Unfortunately, names serve a very important purpose. They
play a great part in social economy. Names are symbols. Each name represents
association of certain ideas and notions about a certain object. It is a label. From the label
people know what it is. It saves them the trouble of examining each case individually and
determine for themselves whether the ideas and notions commonly associated with the
object are true. People in society have to deal with so many objects that it would be
impossible for them to examine each case. They must go by the name that is why all
advertisers are keen in finding a good name. If the name is not attractive the article does
not go down with the people.

The name 'Untouchable' is a bad name. It repels, forbids, and stinks. The social attitude
of the Hindu towards the Untouchable is determined by the very name ' Untouchable '.
There is a fixed attitude towards 'Untouchables' which is determined by the stink which is
imbedded in the name ' Untouchable '. People have no mind to go into the individual
merits of each Untouchable no matter how meritorious he is. All untouchables realize
this. There is a general attempt to call themselves by some name other than the
'Untouchables'. The Chamars call themselves Ravidas or Jatavas. The Doms call
themselves Shilpakars. The Pariahs call themselves Adi-Dravidas, the Madigas call
themselves Arundhatyas, the Mahars call themselves Chokhamela or Somavamshi and
the Bhangis call themselves Balmikis. All of them if away from their localities would call
themselves Christians.

The Untouchables know that if they call themselves Untouchables they will at once
draw the Hindu out and expose themselves to his wrath and his prejudice. That is why
they give themselves other names which may be likened to the process of undergoing
protective discolouration.
 It is not seldom that this discolouration completely fails to serve its purpose. For to be a
Hindu is for Hindus not an ultimate social category. The ultimate social category is caste,
nay sub-caste if there is a sub-caste. When the Hindus meet ' May I know who are you ' is
a question sure to be asked. To this question ' I am a Hindu ' will not be a satisfactory
answer. It will certainly not be accepted as a final answer. The inquiry is bound to be
further pursued. The answer

' Hindu ' is bound to be followed by another; ' What caste ?'. The answer to that is
bound to be followed by question: " What subcaste?" It is only when the questioner
reaches the ultimate social category which is either caste or sub-caste that he will stop his
questionings.

The Untouchable who adopts the new name is a protective discolouration finds that the
new name does not help and that in the course of relentless questionings he is, so to say,
run down to earth and made to disclose that he is an Untouchable. The concealment
makes him the victim of greater anger than his original voluntary disclosure would have
done.

From this discussion two things are clear. One is that the low status of the
Untouchables is bound upon with a stinking name. Unless the name is changed there is
no possibility of a rise in their social status. The other is that a change of name within
Hinduism will not do. The Hindu will not fail to penetrate through such a name and make
the Untouchable and confer himself as an Untouchable. The name matters and matters a
great deal. For, the name can make a revolution in the status of the Untouchables. But the
name must be the name of a community outside Hinduism and beyond its power of
spoilation and degradation. Such name can be the property of the Untouchable only if
they undergo religious conversion. A conversion by change of name within Hinduism is a
clandestine conversion which can be of no avail.

This discussion on conversion may appear to be somewhat airy. It is bound to be so. It

cannot become material unless it is known which religion the Untouchables choose to
accept. For what particular advantage would flow from conversion would depend upon
the religion selected and the social position of the followers of that religion. One religion
may give them all the three benefits, another only two and a third may result in
conferring upon them only one of the advantages of conversion. What religion the
Untouchables should choose is not the subject matter of this Chapter. The subject matter
of this Chapter is whether conversion can solve the problem of untouchability. The
answer to that question is emphatically in the affirmative.

The force of the argument, of course, rests on a view of religion which is somewhat
different from the ordinary view according to which religion is concerned with man's
relation to God and all that it means. According to this view religion exists not for the
saving of souls but for the preservation of society and the welfare of the individual. It is
only those who accept the former view of religion that find it difficult to understand how
conversion can solve the problem of untouchability. Those who accept the view of
religion adopted in this Chapter will have no difficulty in accepting the soundness of the
conclusion.

CHAPTER 2

CASTE AND CONVERSION'

The instinct of self-preservation is responsible for the present upheaval in the Hindu
Community. There was a time when the elite of the society had no fear about its
preservation. Their argument was that the Hindu community was one of the oldest
communities that has withstood the onslaught of many adverse forces and therefore there
must be some native strength and stamina in its culture and civilization as to make it
survive. They were therefore firm in their belief that their community was destined ever
to survive. Recent events seem to have shaken this belief. In the Hindu-Muslim riots that
have taken place all over the country in recent times it has been found that a small band
of Muslims can beat the Hindus and beat them badly. The elite of the Hindus are
therefore reflecting afresh upon the question whether such a kind of survival in the
struggle for existence is of any value. The proud Hindu who always harped upon the fact
of survival as a proof of his fitness to survive never stopped to think that survival was of
many types and not all are of equal value. One can survive by marching against the
enemy and conquering him. Or one can survive by beating a retreat and hiding oneself in
a position of safety. In either case there would be survival. But certainly the value of the
two survivals is measures apart. What is important is not the fact of survival but the plane
of survival? Survive the Hindus may, but whether as free men or slaves is the issue. But
the matter seems so hopeless that granting that they manage to survive as slaves it does
not seem to be altogether certain that they can survive as Hindus. For they are not only
beaten by the Muslims in the physical struggle but they seem also to be beaten in the
cultural struggle. There is in recent days a regular campaign conducted vigorously by the
Muslims for the spread of Islamic culture, and by their conversion movement, it is
alleged, they have made vast additions to their numerical strength by winning over
members of the Hindu faith. Fortunately for the Muslims there is a large mass of non-
descript population numbering about seven crores which is classed as Hindus but which
has no particular affinity to the ' Originally published in the 'Telugu Samachar Special
Number', Nov. 1926.
 Hindu faith and whose position is made so intolerable by that faith that they can be
easily induced to embrace Islam. Some of these are going over to Islam and yet more
may go.

This is sufficient to cause alarm among the elite of the Hindus. If with a superiority of
numbers the Hindus are unable to face the Muslims what would be their fate if their
following was depleted by conversions to Islam? The Hindus feel that they must save
their people from being lost to them and their culture. Herein lies the origin of the Shudhi
Movement or the movement to reclaim people to the Hindu faith.

Some people of the orthodox type are opposed to this movement on the ground that
Hindu religion was never a proselytising religion and that Hindu must be so by birth.
There is something to be said in favour of this view. From the commencement of time to
which memory or tradition can reach back, proselytism has never been the practising
creed of the Hindu faith. Prof. Max Muller, the great German Savant and Oriental
Scholar in an address delivered by him in the name of the Westminster Abbey on the 3rd
of December 1873 Day of Intercession for Missions, emphatically declared that the
Hindu Religion was a non-missionary religion. The orthodoxy which refuses to believe in
expediency may therefore feel well grounded in its opposition to Shudhi, as a practice
directly opposed to the most fundamental tenets of the Hindu faith. But there are other
authorities of equally good repute to support the promoters of the Shudhi movement, for
it is their opinion that the Hindu Religion has been and can be a missionary religion. Prof.
Jolly in an article ' DIE AUSBREITUNG DER INDISCHEN FULTUR', gives a graphic
description of the means and methods adopted by the ancient Hindu Rulers and Priests to
spread the Hindu Religion among the aborigines of the country. The late Sir Alfred Lyall
who wrote in reply to Prof. Max Muller also sought to prove that the Hindu religion was
a missionary religion. The probability of the case seems to be .definitely in favour of
Jolly and Lyall. For unless we suppose that the Hindu Religion did in some degree do the
work of proselytization, it is not possible to account for its spread over a vast continent
and inhabited by diverse races which were in possession of a distinct culture of their own.
Besides, the prevalence of certain YAJNAS and YAGA S cannot be explained except on
the hypothesis that there were ceremonies for the Shudhi of the Vratya. We may therefore
safely conclude that in ancient times the Hindu religion was a missionary religion. But
that owing to some reason it ceased to be so long back in its historical course.

The question that I wish to consider is why did the Hindu religion cease to be a
missionary religion. There may be various explanations for this, and I propose to offer
my own explanation for what it is worth Aristotle has said that man is a social being.
Whatever be the cogency of the reasons of Aristotle in support of his statement this much
is true that it is impossible for any one to begin life as an individualist in the sense of
radically separating himself from his social fellows. The social bond is established and
rooted in the very growth of self-consciousness. Each individual's apprehension of his
own personal self and its interest involves the recognition of others and their interests;
and his pursuit of one type of purposes, generous or selfish, is in so far the pursuit of the
other also. The social relation is in all cases intrinsic to the life, interests, and purposes of
the individual; he feels and apprehends the vitality of social relations in all the situations
of his life. In short, life without society is no more possible for him than it is for a fish out
of water.

Given this fact it follows that before a society can make converts, it must see to it that
its c,onstitution provides for aliens being made its members and allowed to participate in
its social life. It must be used to make no difference between individuals born in it and
individuals brought into it. It must be open to receive him in the one case as in the other
and allow him to enter into its life and thus make it possible for him to live and thrive as a
member of that society. If there is no such provision on conversion of an alien the
question would at once arise where to place the convert. If there is no place for the
convert there can be no invitation for conversion nor can there be an acceptance of it.

Is there any place in the Hindu society for a convert to the Hindu faith? Now the
organisation of the Hindu society is characterized by the existence of castes. Each caste is
endogamous and lives by antogony. In other words it only allows individuals born in it to
its membership and does not allow any one from outside being brought into it. The Hindu
Society being a federation of castes and each caste being self-enclosed there is no place
for the convert for no caste will admit him. The answer to the question why the Hindu
Religion ceased to be a missionary religion is to be found in the fact that it developed the
caste system. Caste is incompatible with conversion. So long as mass conversion was
possible, the Hindu Society could convert for the converts were large enough to form a
new caste which could provide the elements of a social life from among themselves. But
when mass conversions were no more and only individual converts could be had, the
Hindu Religion had necessarily to cease to be missionary for its social organisation could
make no room for the incoming convert.

I have not propounded this question as to why the Hindu Religion ceased to be
missionary simply to find an opportunity for obtaining credit for originality of thought by
offering a novel explanation. I have propounded the question and given an answer to it
because I feel that both have a very important bearing upon the Shudhi movement. Much
as I sympathise with the promoters of that movement, I must say that they have not
analysed the difficulties in the way of the success of their movement. The motive behind
the Shudhi movement is to increase the strength of the Hindu Society by increasing its
numbers. Now a society is strong not because its numbers are great but because it is solid
in its mass. Instances are not wanting where a solid organised band of fanatics have
routed a large army of disorganised crusaders. Even in the Hindu-Muslim riots it has
been proved that the Hindus are beaten not only where they are weak in numbers, but
they are beaten by the Muslims even where the Hindus preponderate. The case of
Moplahs is in point. This alone ought to show that the Hindus suffer not from want of
numbers but from want of solidarity. To increase solidarity of the Hindu Society one
must tackle the forces which have brought about its disintegration. My fear is that mere
Shudhi, instead of integrating the Hindu Society, will cause greater disintegration and
will annoy the Muslim Community without any gain to the Hindus. In a society
composed of castes, Shudhi brings in a person who can find no home and who is
therefore bound to lead an isolated and separate existence with no attachment or loyalty
to any one in particular. Even if Shudhi were to bring into the Hindu fold a mass like the
Malkana catch of Shradhanand, it will only add one more caste to the existing number.
Now the greater the castes the greater the isolation and the greater the weakness of the
Hindu society. If the Hindu society desires to survive it must think not of adding to its
numbers but increasing its solidarity and that means the abolition of caste. The abolition
of castes is the real Sanghatan of the Hindus and when Sanghatan is achieved by the
abolishing of castes, Shudhi will be unnecessary and if practised, will be gainful of real
strength. With the castes in existence, it is impossible and if practised would be harmful
to the real Sanghatan and solidarity of the Hindus. But somehow the most revolutionary
and ardent reformer of the Hindu society shies at the idea of abolition of the caste and
advocates such puerile measures as the reconversion of the converted Hindu, the
changing of the diet and the starting of Akhadas. Some day it will dawn upon the Hindus
that they cannot save their society and also preserve their caste. It is to be hoped that that
day is not far off.

CHAPTER 3

CHRISTIANIZING THE UNTOUCHABLES

1. Growth of Christianity in India. II. Time and money spent in Missionary effort. III.
Reasons for slow growth.

How old is Christianity in India? What progress has it made among the people of India?
These are questions which no one who is interested in the Untouchables can fail to ask.
The two questions are so intimately connected that the endeavour for the spread of
Christianity would be hopeless if there were not in India that vast body of untouchables
who, by their peculiar circumstances, are most ready to respond to the social message of
Christianity.
 The following figures will give some idea of the population of Indian Christians as
compared with other communities in India according to the Census of 1931.

INDIA AND BURMA

Population by 1891 1921 Census 1931 Census lncrease#

Religion Census Decrease—
Hindu 216,734,586 239,195,140 #10.4
Muslims 68,735,233 77,677,545 #13
Buddhist 11,571,268 12,786,806 #10.5
Sikh 3,238,803 4,335,771 #33.9
Primitive 9,774,611 8,280,347 —15.3
Religions
Christian 4,754,064 6,296,763 #32.5
Jain 1,178,596 1,252,105 # 6.2
Zoroastrian 101,778 109,752 # 7.8
Jews 21,778 24,141 #10.9
Unreturned 18,004 2,860,187 ....
Total 316,128,721 352.818,557 #10.6

It is true that during the 1921 and 1931 Christianity has shown a great increase. From
the point of growth Sikhism takes the first place. Christianity comes second and Islam
another proselytizing religion comes third. The difference between the first and the
second is so small that the second place occupied by Christianity may be taken to be as
good as first. Again the difference between the second and the third place occupied by
Islam is so enormous that Christians may well be proud of their having greatly
outdistanced so serious a rival.

With all this the fact remains that this figure of 6,296,763 is out of a total of
352,818,557. This means that the Christian population in India is about 1.7 p.c. of the
total.

II

In how many years and after what expenditure? As to expenditure it is not possible to
give any accurate figures. Mr. George Smith in his book on "The Conversion of India"
published in 1893 gives statistics which serve to give some idea of the resources spent by
Christian Nations for Missionary work in heathen countries. This is what he says:
 "We do not take into account their efforts, vigorous and necessary, especially in the
lands of Asia and North Africa occupied by the Eastern Churches for whom Americans
do much, nor any labours for Christians by Christians of a purer faith and life. Leaving
out of account also the many wives of missionaries who are represented statistically in
their husbands, Rev. J. Vahl, President of the Danish Missionary Society, gives us these
results. We accept them as the most accurately compiled, and as almost too cautiously
estimated where estimate is unavoidable. In Turkey and Egypt only work among the
Musalmans is reckoned.

1890 1891

Income (English Money) £2,412,938 £2,749,340

Missionaries 4,652 5,094

Missionaries unmarried ladies 2,118 2,445

Native Ministers 3,424 3,730

Other Native helpers 36,405 40,438

Communicants 966,856 1,168,560

We abstain from estimating in detail the results for 1892, as they are about to appear,
and still less for the year 1893, but experts can do this for themselves. This only we
would say, that the number of native communicants added in those two years has been
very large, especially in India. Allowing for that, we should place them now at 1,300,000
which gives a native Christian community of 5,200,000 gathered out of all non-Catholic
lands.

Dean Vahl's statistics are drawn from the reports of 304 mission societies and agencies
in 1891, beginning with Cromwell's New England Company, for America, in 1649. On
the following page the details are summarised from seventeen lands of Reformed
Christendom. The amount raised in 1891 by the 160 Mission Churches and Societies of
the British Empire was £ 1,659,830 and by the 57 of the United States of America £
786,992. Together the two great English speaking peoples spent £ 2,446,822 on the
evangelisation of the non-Christian world. The balance 302,518 was contributed by
Germany and Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden, Finland and
in Asia." It is not possible to give any idea of the resources now utilized in the cause
because they are not published. But we have sufficient data to know how many years it
has taken to produce these 6 millions of converts.
 Of the first missionary to India who came and sowed there the seed of Christianity there
is no record. It is believed that Christianity in India is of apostolic origin and it is
suggested that the apostle Thomas was the founder of it. The apostolic origin of
Christianity is only a legend notwithstanding the existence of what is called St. Thomas's
Mount near Madras which is said to be the burial place of the Apostle. There is no
credible evidence to show that the Gospel was even preached in India during the first
Century. There is some evidence to show that in the second century the Gospel had
reached the ears of the dwellers on the Southern Indian Coast, among the pearl fishers of
Ceylon and the cultivators on the coasts of Malabar and Coromondel. This news when
brought back by the Egyptian Mariners spread among the Christians of Alexandria.
Alexandria was the First to send a Christian Missionary to India, whose name is recorded
in history. He was Pantoenus, a Greek stoic who had become a Christian and was
appointed by Demetrius, the bishop of Alexandria as the principal and sole catechist of
the school of the Catechumens, which had been established for the instruction of the
heathen in the facts and doctrines of Christianity. At some time between the years 180
and 190 the Bishop of Alexandria received an Appeal from the Christians in India to send
them a Missionary and Pantoenus was accordingly sent. How long he was in India, how
far inland he travelled and what work he actually did, there is no record to show. All that
is known is that he went back to Alexandria, and took charge of his school and continued
to be its principal till 211 A.D.

Little is known of the progress of the Gospel on Indian soil through the third century.
But there is this fact worthy of notice. It is this that when the Council of Nicaca was held
in 325 A.D. after the conversion of the Emperor Constantine Johannes, one of the
Assembled prelates described himself as " Metropolitan of Persian and of the Great
India". This fact seems to indicate that there was at that time a Christian Church of some
bulk and significance planted on the Indian Coast. On the other hand this probably
implied little more than an episcopal claim to what had always, as in the Book of Esther,
been considered a province of the Persian Empire.

The scene shifts from Alexandria to Antioch and from the beginning of the third to the
end of the fifth century. It is Antioch which took the burden of Christian enterprize upon
its own shoulder.

The sixth century was the last peaceful year for Christian propaganda. This seems to
mark the end of one epoch. Then followed the rise of the Saracens who carried the Koran
and Sword of Mahammad all over Western Asia and Northern Africa, then threatened
Europe itself up to Vienna and from Spain into the heart of France. The result was that all
the Christian people were distracted and their Missionary effort was held up for several
centuries.
 The voyage of Vasco de Gama in the year 1497 to India marks the beginning of a new
epoch in the history of Christian Missionary effort in India and the most serious and
determined effort commenced with the arrival of the great Missionary .Francis Xavier in
the year 1542. The Portuguese were the first European power in the East and the earliest
efforts of modern times in the direction of Christianizing the natives of India were made
under their auspices. The conversions effected under the auspices of the Portuguese were
of course conversions to the Roman Catholic faith and were carried out by Roman
Catholic Missions.

They were not, however, left long without rivals. The Protestants soon came into the
field. The earliest Protestant propaganda was that of the Lutherans who established
themselves in Tranquebar in 1706 under the patronage of the King of Denmark. The able
and devoted Schwartz, who laboured in Trichinopoly and Tanjore throughout the second
half of the 18th Century was a member of this mission, which has since, to a great extent,
been taken over by the Society for the propagation of the Gospel.

Next came the Baptist Mission under Carey who landed in Calcutta in 1793. Last came
the Anglican Church which entered the Missionary field in 1813 and since then the
expansion of Missionary enterprize was rapid and continuous.

Thus Christian propaganda has had therefore a long run in India. It had had four
centuries before the rise of the Saracens who caused a break in the Mission Activity.
Again after subsidence of the Saracens it has had nearly four centuries. This total of six
millions is the fruit gathered in eight centuries. Obviously this is a very depressing result.
It depressed Francis Xavier. It even depressed Abbe Dubois who, writing in 1823 some
three hundred years after Xavier, declared that to convert Hindus to, Christianity was a
forlorn hope. He was then criticized by the more optimistic of Christian Missionaries. But
the fact remains that at the end of this period there are only about 6 million Christians out
of a total population of about 358 millions. This is a very slow growth indeed and the
question is, what are the causes of this slow growth.

Ill

It seems to me that there are three reasons which have impeded the growth of
Christianity.

The first of these reasons is the bad morals of the early European settlers in India
particularly Englishmen who were sent to India by the East India Company. Of the
character of the men who were sent out to India Mr. Kaye, an Appologist of the Company
and also of its servants speaks in the following terms in his "Christianity in India": "
Doubtless there were some honest, decent men from the middle classes amongst them.....
But many, it appears from contemporary writers, were Society's hard bargains—
youngsters, perhaps, of good family, to which they were a disgrace, and from the bosom
of which therefore they were to be cast out, in the hope that there would be no prodigals
return from the ' Great Indies '. It was not to be expected that men who had disgraced
themselves at home would lead more respectable lives abroad.

* * *

" There were, in truth, no outward motives to preserve morality of conduct, or even
decency of demeanour; so from the moment of their landing upon the shore of India, the
first settlers cast off all these bonds which had restrained them in their native villages;
they regarded themselves as privileged beings—privileged to violate all the obligations of
religion and morality and to outrage all the decencies of life. They who went thither were
often desperate adventurers, whom England, in the emphatic language of the Scripture,
had spud out; men who sought those golden sands of the East to repair their broken
fortunes; to bury in oblivion a sullied name; or to bring, with lawless hand from the weak
and unsuspecting, wealth which they had not the character or capacity to obtain by
industry at home. They cheated; they gambled; they drank; they revelled in all kinds of
debauchery. Associates in vice, linked together by a common bond of rapacity, they still
often pursued one another with desperate malice, and, few though they were in numbers,
among them there was no fellowship, except a fellowship of crime."

" All this was against the new comer; and so, whilst the depraved met with no
inducement to reform, the pure but rarely escaped corruption. Whether they were there
initiated, or perpetrated in destructive error, equally may they be regarded as the victims
of circumstance.....

How bad were the morals and behaviour of the early Christians can be gathered from
the following instances quoted by Mr. Kaye. "The Deputy-Governor of Bombay was in
1669 charged as under:

That he hath on the Sabbath day hindered the performance of public duty to God
Almighty at the accustomary hour, continuing in drinking of health; detaining others with
him against their wills; and whilst he drank, in false devotions upon his knees, a health
devoted to the Union, in the time appointed for the service belonging to the Lord's day,
the unhappy sequel showed it to be but the projection of a further disunion.

" That to the great scandal of the inhabitants of the island, of all the neighbours round
about, both popists and others that are idolaters, in dishonour of the sobriety of the
Protestant religion, he hath made frequent and heavy drinking meetings, continuing some
times till two or three of the clock in the morning, to the neglecting of the service of God
in the morning prayers, and the service of the Company in the meantime had stood still
while he slept, thus perverting and converting to an ill private use, those refreshment
intended for the factory in general." On these charges he was found guilty.

In the factories of the East India Company there was enough of internecine strife and
the factors of the Company committed scandalous outrages in general defiance both of
the laws of God and the decencies of man. They fought grievously among themselves;
blows following words; and the highest persons in the settlement settling an example of
pugnacity with their inferiors under the potent influence of drink.

The report of the following incident is extracted from the records of the Company's
factory at Surat :

"We send your honours our consultation books from the 21st of August 1695 to 31st
December 1696, in which does appear a conspiracy against the President's life, and a
design to murder the guards, because he would have opposed it. How far Messrs. Vauxe
and Upphill were concerned, we leave to your honours to judge by this and depositions
before mentioned. There is strong presumption that it was intended first that the President
should be stabbed and it was prevented much through the vigilence of Ephraim Bendall;
when hopes of that failed by the guards being doubled, it seems poison was agreed on, as
by the deposition of Edmund clerk and all bound to secrecy upon an horrid imprecation
of damnation to the discoverer, whom the rest were to fall upon and cut off." In the same
document is recorded the complaint of Mr. Charles Peachey against the President of the
Council at Surat—

"I have received from you (i.e. the President) two cuts on my head, the one very long
and deep, the other a slight thing in comparison to that. Then a great blow on my left arm,
which has enflamed the shoulder, and deprived me (at present), of the use of that limb; on
my right side a blow on my ribs just beneath the pap, which is a stoppage to my breath,
and makes me incapable of helping myself; on my left hip another, nothing inferior to the
first; but above all a cut on the brow of my eye." Such was the state of morality among
the early English Settlers who came down to India. It is enough to observe that these
settlers managed to work through the first eighty years of the seventeenth century without
building a Church. Things did not improve in the 18th Century. Of the state of morality
among Englishmen in India during the 18th Century this is what Mr. Kaye has to say—

"Of the state of Anglo Indian Society during the protracted Administration of Warren
Hastings, nothing indeed can be said in praise. . . .. those who ought to have set good
example, did grievous wrong to Christianity by the lawlessness of their lives. .. ..
Hastings took another man's wife with his consent; Francis did the same without it..... It
was scarcely to be expected that, with such examples before them, the less prominent
members of society would be conspicuous for morality and decorum. In truth, it must be
acknowledged that the Christianity of the English in India was, at this time, in a sadly
depressed state. Men drank hard and gamed high, concubinage with the women of the
country was the rule rather than the exception.

It was no uncommon thing for English gentlemen to keep populous zenanas. There was
no dearth of exciting amusement in those days. Balls, masquerades, races and theatrical
entertainments, enlivened the settlements, especially in the cold weather; and the mild
excitement of duelling varied the pleasures of the season. Men lived, for the most part,
short lives and were resolute that they should be merry ones."

* * *

The drunkenness, indeed, was general and obstrusive. It was one of the besetting
infirmities—the fashionable vices—of the period. .. .. At the large Presidency towns—
especially at Calcutta—public entertainments were not frequent. Ball suppers, in those
days, were little less than orgies. Dancing was impossible after them, and fighting
commonly took its place. If a public party went offwithout a duel or two, it was a
circumstance as rare as it was happy. There was a famous club in those days, called
Selby's Club, at which the gentlemen of Calcutta were wont to drink as high as they
gamed, and which some times saw drunken bets of 1,000 gold mohurs laid about the
merest trifles. Card parties often sat all through the night, and if the night chanced to be a
Saturday, all through the next day.

* * *

Honourable marriage was the exceptional state. . .. .. The Court of Directors of the East
India Company. . . ... were engaged in the good work of reforming the morals of their
settlements; and thinking that the means of forming respectable marriages would be an
important auxiliary, they sent out not only a supply of the raw material of soldiers' wives,
but some better articles also, in the shape of what they called gentle women, for the use
of such of their merchants and factors as might be matrimonially inclined. The venture,
however, was not a successful one. The few who married made out indifferent wives,
whilst they who did not marry,—and the demand was by no means brisk,—were, to say
the least of it, in an equivocal position. For a time they were supported at the public
expense, but they received only sufficient to keep them from starving, and so it happened
naturally enough that the poor creatures betook themselves to vicious courses, and sold
such charms as they had, if only to purchase strong drink, to which they became
immoderately addicted, with the wages of their prostitution.
 The scandal soon became open and notorious; and the President and Council at Surat
wrote to the Deputy Governor and Council at Bombay, saying: " Whereas you give us
notice that some of the women are grown scandalous to our native religion and
Government, we require you in the Honourable Company's name to give them all fair
warning that they do apply themselves to a more sober and Christian conversation:
otherwise the sentence is that they shall be deprived totally of their liberty to go abroad,
and fed with bread and water, till they are embarked on board ship for England.

How bad were the morals and behaviour of the early Christians can be gathered from
the three following instances which are taken from contemporary records.

Captain Williamson in his 'Indian Vade Mecum' published about the year 1809 says—

"I have known various instances of two ladies being conjointly domesticated, and one
of an elderly military character who solaced himself with no less than sixteen of all sorts
and sizes. Being interrogated by a friend as to what he did with such a member, " Oh ",
replied he, ' I give them little rice, and let them run about '. This same gentleman when
paying his addresses to an elegant young woman lately arrived from Europe, but who was
informed by the lady at whose house she was residing, of the state of affairs, the
description closed with 'Pray, my dear, how should you like to share a sixteenth of
Major?"

Such was the disorderliness and immorality among Englishmen in India. No wonder
that the Indians marvelled whether the British acknowledged any God and believed in
any system of morality. When asked what he thought of Christianity and Christians an
Indian is reported to have said in his broken English—" Christian religion, devil religion;
Christian much drunk; Christian much do wrong; much beat, much abuse others"—and
who can say that this judgment was contrary to facts?

It is true that England herself was not at the relevant time over burdened with morality.
The English people at home were but little distinguished for the purity of their lives and
there was a small chance of British virtue dwarfed and dwindled at home, expending on
foreign soil. As observed by Mr. Kaye "The courtly licentiousness of the Restoration
had polluted the whole land. The stamp of Whitehall was upon the currency of our daily
lives; and it went out upon our adventurers in the Company's ships, and was not, we may
be sure, to be easily effaced in a heathen land ". Whatever be the excuse for this
immorality of Englishmen in the 17th and 18th Century the fact remains that it was
enough to bring Christianity into disrepute, and make its spread extremely difficult.
 The second impediment in the progress of Christianity in India was the struggle
between the Catholic and Non-catholic Missions for supremacy in the field of
proselytization.

The entry of the Catholic Church in the field of the spread of Christianity in India
began in the year 1541 with the arrival of Francis Xavier. He was the first Missionary of
the new Society of Jesus formed to support the authority of the Pope. Before the Catholic
Church entered this field there existed in India particularly in the South a large Christian
population which belonged to the Syrian Church. These Syrian Christians, long seated on
the coast of Malabar, traced their paternity to the Apostle Thomas, who it is said "went
through Syria and Cilicia conforming the Churches ". They looked to Syria as their
spiritual home. They aknowledged the supremacy of the Patriarch of Babylon. Of Rome
and the Pope they knew nothing. During the rise of the Papacy, the Mahomedan power,
which had overrun the intervening countries, had closed the gates of India against the
nations of the West. This had saved the Syrian Churches in India from the Roman
Catholic Church. As to the question whether the Christianity of the Catholic Church was
the true form of Christianity or whether the Christianity of the Syrian Church was the true
form I am not concerned here. But the facts remain that the Portuguese who represented
the Catholic Church in India were scandalized at the appearance of the Syrian Churches
which they declared to be heathen temples scarcely disguised. The Syrian Christians
shrank with dismay from the defiling touch of the Roman Catholics of Portugal and
proclaimed themselves Christians and not idolators. The other is that the Malabar
Christians had never been subject to Roman supremacy and never subscribed to the
Roman doctrine.

The elements of a conflict between the two Churches were thus present and the
inquisition only gave an occasion for the conflagration.

The inquisitors of Goa discovered that they were heretics and like a wolf on the fold,
down came the delegates of the Pope upon the Syrian Churches. How great was the
conflict is told by Mr. Kaye in his volume already referred to.

The first Syrian prelate who was brought into antagonism with Rome, expiated his want
of courage and sincerity in the dungeons of the Inquisition. The second shared the same
fate. A third, whose sufferings are more worth of commiseration, died after much trial
and tribulation in his diocese, denying the Pope's supremacy to the last. The churches
were now without a Bishop, at a time when they more than ever needed prelatical
countenance and support; for Rome was about to put forth a mighty hand and a stretched-
out arm. Don Alexis de Menezes was appointed Archbishop of Goa. It was his mission
less to make new converts than to reduce old ones to subjection; and he flung himself into
the work of persecution with an amount of zeal and heroism that must have greatly
endeared him to Rome. Impatient of the slow success of his agents, he determined to take
the staff into his own hand. Moving down to the South, with an imposing military force,
he summoned the Syrian Churhes to submit themselves to his authority. The Churhes
were under an Archdeacon, who, sensible of the danger that impended over them,
determined to temporize, but at the same time to show that he was prepared to resist. He
waited on the Archbishop. An escort of three thousand resolute men who accompanied
him on his visit to Menezes, were with difficulty restrained, on the first slight and
delusive sign of violence, from rushing on their opponents and proving their burning zeal
in defence of their religion. It was not a time for Menezes to push the claims of the
Romish Church. But no fear of resistance could divert him from his purpose; and he
openly denounced the Patriarch of Babylon as a pestilent schismatic, and declared it a
heresy to acknowledge his supremacy. He then issued a decree forbidding all persons to
acknowledge any other supremacy than that of the Roman Pontiff, or to make any
mention of the Syrian Patriarch in the services of their Church; and, this done, he
publicly excommunicated the acknowledged head of the Syrian Churches, and called
upon the startled Archdeacon to sign the writ of excommunication. Frightened and
confused, the wretched man put his name to the apostate document; and it was publicly
affixed to the gates of the church.

This intolerable insult on the one hand—this wretched compromise on the other—
roused the fury of the people against the Archbishop, and against their own ecclesiastical
chief. Hard was the task before him, when the latter went forth to appease the excited
multitude. They would have made one desperate effort to sweep the Portuguese intruders
from their polluted shores; but the Archdeacon pleaded with them for forbearance;
apologised for his own weakness; urged that dissimulation would be more serviceable
than revenge; promised, in spite of what he had done, to defend their religion; and
exhorted them to be firm in their resistance of Papal aggression. With a shout of assent,
they swore that they would never bow their necks to the yoke, and prepared themselves
for the continuance of the struggle.

But Menezes was a man of too many resources to be worsted in such a conflict. His
energy and perseverance were irresistible; his craft was too deep to fathom. When one
weapon of attack failed, he tried another. Fraud took the place of violence; money took
the place of arms. He bribed those whom he could not bully, and appealed to the
imaginations of men when he could not work upon their fears. And, little by little, he
succeeded. First one Church fell, and then another.' Dangers and difficulties beset them.
Often had he to encounter violent resistence, and often did he beat it down. When the
strength of the Syrian Christians was too great for him, he called in the aid of the native
princes. The unhappy Archdeacon, weary of resistance and threatened with
excommunication, at last made submission to the Roman Prelate. Menezes issued a
decree for a synod; and, on the 20th June 1599, the Churches assembled at Diamper. The
first session passed quietly over, but not without much secret murmuring. The second, at
which the decrees were read, was interrupted at that trying point of the ceremony where,
having enunciated the Confession of Faith, the Archbishop renounced and anathematized
the Patriarch of Babylon. The discontent of the Syrians here broke out openly; they
protested against the necessity of a confession of Faith, and urged that such a confession
would imply that they were not Christians before the assembling of the Synod. But
Menezes allayed their apprehensions and removed their doubts, by publicly making the
confession in the name of himself and the Eastern Churches. One of the Syrian priests,
who acted as interpreter, then read the confession in the Malabar language, and the
assembled multitude repeated it after him, word for word, on their knees. And so the
Syrian Christians bowed their necks to the yoke of Rome.

Resolute to improve the advantages he had gained, Menezes did not suffer himself to
subside into inactivity, and to bask in the sunshine of his past triumphs. Whether it was
religious zeal or temporal ambition that moved him, he did not relax from his labours; but
feeling that it was not enough to place the yoke upon the neck of the Syrian Christians, he
endeavoured, by all means, to keep it there. The Churches yielded sullen submission; but
there were quick-witted, keen-sighted men among them, who, as the seventeenth century
began to dawn upon the world, looked hopefully into the future, feeling assured that they
could discern even then unmistakable evidences of the waning glories of the Portuguese
in the East. There was hope then for the Syrian churches. The persecutions of Menezes
were very grievous—for he separated priests from their wives; excommunicated on
trifling grounds, members of the churches; and destroyed all the old Syriac records which
contained proofs of the early purity of their faith.

The irreparable barbarism of this last act was not to be forgotten or forgiven; but, in the
midst of all other sufferings, there was consolation in the thought, that this tyranny was
but for a time. "Sixty years of servitude and hypocrisy," writes Gibbon, "were patiently
endured, but as soon as the Portuguese empire was shaken by the courage and industry of
the Dutch, the Nestorians asserted with vigour and effect the religion of their fathers. The
Jesuits were incapable of defending the power they had abused. The arms of forty
thousand Christians were pointed against their falling tyrants; and the Indian Archdeacon
assumed the character of Bishop till afresh supply of Episcopal gifts and Syriac
missionaries could be obtained from the Patriarch of Babylon ". Such briefly narrated,
were the results of the oppression of Menezes. In the course of six months that ambitious
and unscrupulous prelate reduced the Syrian church to bondage, and for sixty years they
wore the galling chains of Rome. But Menezes trusted in his own strength; he came as an
earthly conqueror, and his reliance was on the arm of temporal authority. " His example,"
writes Mr. Hough, " should be regarded as abeacon to warn future Christian missionaries
from the rock on which he foundered. Without faith and godliness nothing can ensure a
church's prosperity. Failing in these, the prelate's designs, magnificent as they were
deemed, soon came to nothing; and it deserves special remark, as an instructive
interposition of Divine Providence, that the decline of the Portuguese interest in India
commenced at the very period when he flattered himself that he had laid the foundation
of its permanency."

There was no such open conflict between the Catholic Church and the Protestant
Missionaries. There was however sufficient rivalry between them to prevent cooperation
and conceited activity the lack of which also prevented a rapid growth of Christianity.

The third reason which is responsible for the slow growth of Christianity was the wrong
approach made by the Christian Missionaries in charge of Christian propaganda. The
early Christian Missionary started his campaign by inviting public disputations with
learned Brahmins on the comparative merits of the Christian and the Hindu religions.
This was a strange way of going about his task. But there was a plan behind it. The
Christian Missionary felt that his task of converting the masses would be easy of
achievement if he succeeded in converting the Brahmin and the higher classes of Hindus.
For they and the Brahmins held sway over the masses. And the easiest way of converting
the Brahmin was to defeat in disputation and to show him that his religion was an error.
The Christian Missionary wanted to get at the Brahmin. Nothing can explain why the
Missionaries started so many schools, colleges, hospitals etc., except this namely the
Christian Missionary wanted to establish a contact with the Brahmin. That the Christian
Missionary has been deceived is now realized by many. The Brahmin and the higher
classes have taken full advantage of the institutions maintained by the Christian Missions.
But hardly any one of them has given any thought to the religion which brought these
institutions into existence.

There is nothing strange in this. The pursuit of the Brahmin and the higher classes of
Hindus by the Christian Missionaries was doomed to fail. There would be no common
ground for the disputation between Hinduism and Christianity and where there is a
common ground the Hindu could always beat the Christian.

That there could be no common ground for disputation between Hindus and Christians
is due to the fact that the two have a totally different attitude to the relations of theology
to philosophy. As has been well observed by Mr. Burn,

" The Educated Hindu, when he considers religious questions, refuses to separate
theology from philosophy and demands what shall appear to him a reasonable
cosmogony. It has been shown in dealing with Hinduism that its prevailing tendency is
pantheistic, and although for at least two thousand years sects have constantly been
forming which asserted the duality of God and Spirit, there has always been a tendency to
relapse into pantheism, and to regard the present world as an illusion produced by Maya.
The average Christian however gets on with very little philosophy and regards that as a
rule as more speculative than essential to his religious beliefs. The methods of thought
which a man has been brought up to regard, inevitably affect the conclusions at which he
arrives, and it appears to me that this forms one of the reasons why to the majority of
educated Hindus the idea of accepting Christianity is incredible. To take a single concrete
example, the ordinary educated Hindu laughs at the belief that God created the Universe
out of nothing. He may believe in a creation, but he also postulates the necessity for both
a material cause, matter and an efficient cause, the creator. Where his belief is purely
pantheistic, he also has no regard for historical evidences. A further difficulty on a
fundamental point is caused by the belief in transmigration, which is based on the idea
that a man must work out his own salvation and thus conflicts entirely with the belief in
Divine atonement."

Thus the Hindu speaks in terms of philosophy and the Christian speaks in terms of
theology. There is thus no common ground for evaluation, or commendation or
condemnation. In so far as both have theology the Christians with their God and Jesus as
his son and the Hindus with their God and his Avatars, the superiority of one over the
other, depends upon the miracles performed by them. In this the Hindu theology can beat
the Christian theology is obvious enough and just as absence of philosophy in
Christianity is responsible for its failure to attract the Brahmin and the Educated Hindu.
Similarly the abundance of miracles in Hindu theology was enough to make Christian
theology pale off in comparison. Father Gregory a Roman Catholic priest seems to have
realized this difficulty and as his view is interesting as well as instructive I give below the
quotations from Col. Sleeman's book in which it is recorded. Says Col. Sleeman .

" Father Gregory, the Roman Catholic priest, dined with us one evening, and Major
Godby took occasion to ask him at table, 'What progress our religion was making among
the people'?

"Progress"? said he, "why, what progress can we ever hope to make among a people
who, the moment we begin to talk to them about the miracles performed by Christ, begin
to tell us of those infinitely more wonderful performed by Krishna, who lifted a mountain
upon his little finger, as an umbrella, to defend his shepherdesses at Govardhan from a
shower of rain.

"The Hindoos never doubt any part of the miracles and prophecies of our scripture—
they believe every word of them and the only thing that surprises them is that they should
be so much less wonderful than those of their own scriptures, in which also they
implicitly believe. Men who believe that the histories of the wars and amours of Ram and
Krishna, two of the incarnations of Vishnu, were written some fifty thousand years before
these wars and amours actually took place upon the earth, would of course easily believe
in the fulfilment of any prophecy that might be related to them out of any other book;
and, as to miracles, there is absolutely nothing too extraordinary for their belief. If a
Christian of respectability were to tell a Hindoo that, to satisfy some scruples of the
Corinthians, St. Paul had brought the sun and moon down upon the earth, and made them
rebound off again into their places, like tennis balls, without the slightest injury to any of
the three planets (sic), I do not think he would feel the slightest doubt of the truth of it;
but he would immediately be put in mind of something still more extra-ordinary that
Krishna did to amuse the milkmaids, or to satisfy some sceptics of his day, and relate it
with all the naivete imaginable."

As events in India have shown this was a wrong approach. It was certainly just the
opposite to the one adopted by Jesus and his disciples. Gibbon has given a description of
the growth of Christianity in Rome which shows from what end Christ and his disciples
began. This is what he says—

" From this impartial, though imperfect, survey of the process of Christianity, it may,
perhaps seem probable that the number of its proselytes has been excessively maginified
by fear on one side and by devotion on the other. According to the irreproachable
testimony of Origen, the proportion of the faithful was very inconsiderable when
compared with the multitude of an unbelieving world; but, as we are left without any
distinct information, it is impossible to determine, and it is difficult even to conjecture,
the real numbers of the primitive Christians. The most favourable calculation, however,
that can be deduced from the examples of Antioch and of Rome will not permit us to
imagine that more than a twentieth part of the subjects of the empire had enlisted
themselves under the banner of the cross before the important conversion of Constantine.
But their habits of faith, of zeal, and of union seemed to multiply their numbers; and the
same causes which contributed to their future increase served to render their actual
strength more apparent and more formidable.

" Such is the constitution of civil society that, whilst a few persons are distinguished
by riches, by honours, and by knowledge, the body of the people is condemned to
obscurity, ignorance and poverty. The Christian religion, which addressed itself to the
whole human race, must consequently collect a far greater number of proselytes from the
lower than from the superior ranks of life. This innocent and natural circumstance has
been improved into a very odious imputation, which seems to be less strenuously denied
by the apologists than it is urged by the adversaries of the faith; that the new sect of
Christians was almost entirely composed of the dregs of the populace, of peasants and
mechanics, of boys and women, of beggars and slaves; the last of whom might sometimes
introduce the missionaries into the rich and noble families to which they belonged. These
obscure teachers (such was the charge of malice and infidelity) are as mute in public as
they are loquacious and dogmatical in private. Whilst they cautiously avoid the
dangerous encounter of philosophers, they mingle with the rude and illiterate crowd, and
insinuate themselves into those minds, whom their age, their sex, or their education has
the best disposed to receive the impression of superstitious terrors.

"This favourable picture, though not devoid of a faint resemblance, betrays, by its dark
colouring and distorted features, the pencil of an enemy. As the humble faith of Christ
diffused itself through the world, it was embraced by several persons who derived some
consequences from the advantages of nature or fortune. Aristides, who presented an
eloquent apology to the emperor Hadrian, was an Athenian philosopher. Justin Martyr
had sought divine knowledge in the schools of Zeno, or Aristotle, of Pythogoras, and of
Plato, before he fortunately was accosted by the old men, or rather the angel, who turned
his attention to the study of the Jewist prophets. Clemens of Alexandria had acquired
much various reading in the Greek, and Tertullian in the Latin language; Julius Africanus
and Origen possessed a very considerable share of the learning of their times; and,
although the style of Cyprian is very different from that of Lactantius, we might almost
discover that both those writers had been public teachers of rhetoric. Even the study of
philosophy was at length introduced among the Christians, but it was not always
productive of the most salutary effects; knowledge was as often the parent of heresy as of
devotion, and the description which was designed for the followers of Artemon may, with
equal propriety, be applied to the various sects that resisted the successors of the apostles.
'They presume to alter the holy scriptures, to abandon the ancient rule of faith, and to
form their opinion according to the subtile precepts of logic. The science of the church is
neglected for the study of geometry, and they lose sight of Heaven while they are
employed in measuring the earth. Euclid is perpetually in their hands. Aristotle and
Theophrastus are the objects of their admiration; and they express an uncommon
reverence for the works of Galen. Their errors are derived from the abuse of the arts and
sciences of the infidels, and they corrupt the simplicity of the Gospel by the refinements
of human reason.'

"Nor can it be affirmed with truth that the advantages of birth and fortune were always
separated from the profession of Christianity. Several Roman citizens were brought
before the tribunal of Pliny, and he soon discovered that a great number of persons of
every order of men in Bithynia had deserted the religion of their ancestors. His
unsuspected testimony may, in this instance, obtain more credit than the bold challenge
of Tertullian, when he addresses himself to the fears as well as to the humanity of the
proconsul of Africa, by assuring him that, if he persists in his cruel intentions, he must
decimate Carthage, and that he will find among the guilty many persons of his own rank,
senators and matrons of noblest extraction, and the friends or relations of his most
intimate friends. It appears, however, that about forty years afterwards the emperor
Valerian was persuaded of the truth of this assertion, since in one of his rescripts he
evidently supposes that senators, Roman knights, and ladies of quality were engaged in
the Christian sect. The church still continued to increase its outward splendour as it lost
its internal purity; and in the reign of Diocletian the palace, the courts of justice, and even
the army concealed a multitude of Christians who endeavoured to reconcile the interests
of the present with those of a future life.

And yet these exceptions are either too few in number, or too recent in time, entirely to
remove the imputation of ignorance and obscurity which has been so arrogantly cast on
the first proselytes of Christianity. Instead of employing in our defence the fictions of
later ages, it will be more prudent to convert the occasion of scandal into a subject of
edification. Our serious thoughts will suggest to us that the apostles themselves were
chosen by providence among the fishermen of Galilee, and that the lower we depress the
temporal condition of the first Christians, the more reason we shall find to admire their
merit and success. It is incumbent on us diligently to remember that the kingdom of
heaven was promised to the poor in spirit, and that minds afflicted by calamity and the
contempt of mankind cheerfully listen to the divine promise of future happiness; while,
on the contrary, the fortunate are satisfied with the possession of this world; and the wise
abuse in doubt and dispute their vain superiority of reason and knowledge." Similarly
Hallam in his ' History of the Middle Ages ' speaks of the class from which the early
Christians were drawn.

The reason why Christianity became the religion of all citizens of Rome i.e. of the
higher classes as well was because of two extraneous reasons. The first reason was the
making of Christianity state religion which meant the proscribing every other religion.
The second reason was the change in the law of inheritance by the Roman Emperors after
they became converts to Christianity a preferential right to inherit the property of the
parents over a child which had remained pagan.

This only shows that the people to whom Christianity made a natural appeal were the
poorer classes and it is among them that Christianity first spread without the help of law
or other extraneous advantage.

The early Christian Missionary began by reversing this natural order of things. I call it
natural because it befits human psychology. Prof. Thorndyke a great authority on
Psychology says—"That a man thinks is a biological fact. But What he thinks is a
sociological fact ". This profound observation, the early Christian Missionary absolutely
overlooked. Every kind of thought is not aggreeable to every person. This is evident from
the fact that capitalism appeals to the rich and does not appeal to the poor. On the
contrary socialism appeals to the poor but does not appeal to the rich. This is beause there
is a very intimate connection between the interests of a man and the thoughts which have
an adverse effect on his interests. He will not give them any quarters in his mind.
Applying this annalysis of the working of the human mind it is clear that the Brahmin and
the higher classes could never be receptive to the Christian doctrine. It preaches
brotherhood of man and when applied leads to equality of man. Now the interests of the
Brahmin and the higher classes is to maintain the system of Chaturvarna—which is a
system based upon inequality and which in the scale gives them a higher rank, greater
opportunity to dominate and exploit the others. How can they be expected to accept
Christianity? It means a surrender of their power and prestige. To have pursued them has
been a vain effort and if the pursuit had been continued I am sure there would have been
no Christians in India at all. The number of Christians we see in India today is due to the
fact that some Christian Missionaries saw the futility of this. If they had not realized this
error and started to win over the lower classes, there would have been no Christians in
India at all. Even today hundreds and thousands of high caste Hindus take advantage of
Christian schools, Christian colleges and Christian hospitals. How many of those who
reap these benefits become Christian? Every one of them takes the benefit and runs away
and does not even stop to consider what must be the merits of a religion which renders so
much service to humanity.

CHAPTER 4

THE CONDITION OF THE CONVERT

I. Gandhi and his opposition to Christianity.

II. Christianity and social service.

III. Christianity and Paganism.

IV. Christianity and the spirit of the Convert.

V. Christian Community and its social standing.

In 1928, there was held a meeting of the International Fellowship, a body devoted to
promoting fellow feeling among persons of different faiths. It was attended by Christian
missionaries as well as by Hindus and Moslems. Mr. Gandhi was also present. At this
meeting the question was raised as to how far the fellowship could remain true to its
ideal, if those who belonged to it wished to convert others to their own faith. In the
debate that followed, Mr. Gandhi spoke. His friend Mr. C. F. Andrews, writes concerning
the discussion as follows:

" At the back of this question, there was a definite challenge to the whole Christian
Missionary position in India. Missionaries of a liberal type of mind had been finding
great joy in the Fellowship .. .. Then came Mahatma Gandhi's declaration. He stated that
in doing so, or injoining the Fellowship, if there was the slightest wish, or even the
slightest thought at the back of the mind, to influence, or convert, any other member of
the Fellowship, then the spirit of the movement could be destroyed. Any one who had
such a wish ought to leave the Fellowship ".

On being further questioned by Christian Missionaries 'Whether if they possessed the

greatest treasure in the World, they would be wrong in wishing to share if, Mr. Gandhi
was quick to rebuff their presumption. Mr. Andrews says—"he was adamant". "Even the
idea of such a desire was wrong ", he said emphatically; " and he would not move from
that position at all".

Mr. Gandhi's opposition to Christian conversion is by now quite well known. And since
1936 he has become quite a virulent adversary of all missionary propaganda. He
particularly objects to the missionaries spreading the Christian Gospel among the
Untouchables. His antagonism to Christian Missions and the conversion of Untouchables
to Christianity is based on certain propositions which have been enunciated by him in
quite unmistakable terms. I think the following four propositions may be taken to sum up
his position. I give them in his own words. He says:

1. " My position is that all religions are fundamentally equal. We must have the same
innate respect for all religions as we have for our own. Mind you, not mutual toleration
but equal respect."

II. " All I want them (the Missionaries) to do is to live Christian lives, not to annotate
them. Let your lives speak to us. The blind who do not see the rose, perceive its
fragrance. That is the secret of the Gospel of the rose. But the Gospel that Jesus preached
is more subtle and fragrant than the Gospel of the rose. If the rose needs no agents, much
less does the Gospel of Christ need agents". As to the work of the Christian Missions
he says:

III. "The social work of the missions is undertaken not for its own sake, but as an aid to
the salvation of those who receive social service. . . . .. While you give medical help,
you expect the reward in the shape of your patients becoming Christians." As to the
Untouchables he says—
 IV. " I do maintain . .. .. that the vast masses of Harijans and for that matter of Indian
humanity, cannot understand the presentation of Christianity, and that, generally
speaking, conversion, wherever it has taken place, has not been a spiritual act in any
sense of the term. They are conversions of convenience. They (the Harijans) can no
more distinguish between the relative merits (words omitted?) than can a cow. Harijans
have no mind, no intelligence, no sense of difference between God and no-God."

Gandhi advises the Christian Missions in the following somewhat offensive terms as to
what would be proper for them to do. He says—

"If Christian Missions will sincerely play the game..... they must withdraw from the
indecent competition to convert the Harijans.....

" Just..... forget that you have come to a country of heathens and (to) think that they are
as much in search of God as you are; just ..... feel that you are not going there to give
your spiritual goods to them, but that you will share worldly goods of which you have a
good stock. You will then do your work without mental reservation and thereby you will
share your spiritual treasures. The knowledge that you have this mental reservation, i.e.
you are expecting a man to be a convert in return for service, creates a barrier between
you and me."

" The history of India would have been written differently if the Christians had come to
India to live their lives in our midst and permeate ours with their aroma, if there was any.
"2 This hostility of Mr. Gandhi to Christian Missions and their work is of very recent
origin. I do not know if it can be traced beyond the Yeola Decision.

It is as recent as it is strange. I do not know of any declaration made by Mr. Gandhi

expressing in such clear and determined manner opposition to the conversion of the
Untouchables to Islam. The Muslims have made no secret of their plan to convert the
Untouchables. The plan was given out openly from the Congress platform by the late
Maulana Mohomed Ali when he presided over the annual session of the Congress held at
Coconada in 1923. In his Presidential address the Maulana pointed out in clear terms that:

"The quarrels (between Hindus and Musalmans) about Alams and pipal trees and
musical processions are truly childish; but there is one question which can easily furnish
a ground for complaint of unfriendly action if communal activities are not amicably
adjusted. This is the question of the conversion of the suppressed classes, if Hindu
Society does not speedily absorb them. The Christian missionary is already busy and no
one quarrels with him. But the moment some Muslim missionary society is organized for
the same purpose there is every likelihood of an outcry in the Hindu press. It has been
suggested to me by an influential and wealthy gentleman who is able to organize a
(Muslim) missionary society on a large scale for the conversion of the suppressed classes,
that it should be possible to reach a settlement with leading Hindu gentlemen and divide
the country into separate areas where Hindu and Muslim missionaries could respectively
work, each community preparing for each year, or longer unit of time, if necessary, an
estimate of the numbers it is prepared to absorb, or convert. These estimates would, of
course, be based on the number of workers and funds each had to spare, and tested by the
actual figures of the previous period. In this way each community would be free to do the
work of absorption and conversion, or rather of reform, without chances of collision with
one another".

Nothing can be more explicit than this. Nothing can be more businesslike and nothing
can be more materialistic than this pronouncement from the Congress platform. But I am
not aware that Mr. Gandhi has ever condemned it in the way in which he now condemns
the endeavour of Christian Missions to convert the Untouchables. Nobody from Gandhi's
camp protested against this outrageous suggestion. Probably they could not because the
Congress Hindus believed that it was their duty to help the Musalmans to fulfil what they
regarded as their religious duty, and that conversion is a religious duty with the
Musalman nobody can deny. At any rate the Hindu leaders of Congress, as stated by
George Joseph in 1920, held "that it was the religious duty of the Hindus to help Muslims
in the maintenance of the Turkish Khilafat over the Arabs in the Jazirut-al-Arab because
Muslim theologians and political leaders assured us that it was their religious duty. It
went against the grain because it meant the maintenance of a foreign Government over
Arabs; but Hindus had to stomach it because it was urged on them as part of the religious
duty of the Hindus . If this is true why should Gandhi not help the Christians to carry on
conversion because conversion is also a fulfilment of their religious duty.

Why there should be a different measuring rod today because it is the Christians that
are involved is more than one can understand. Mr. George Joseph was well within bounds
when he said:

" The only difference is that there are 75 millions of Muslims and there are only 6
millions of Christians. It may be worth-while making peace with Muslims because they
can make themselves a thorn in the side of Nationalism: Christians do not count, because
they are small in numbers."

That Mr. Gandhi is guided by such factors as the relative strength of the Musalmans
and Christians, their relative importance in Indian politics, is evident from the terms he
uses in condemning what he calls " propaganda by villification ". When such a
propaganda emanates from Christian missionaries he uses the following, language to
condemn it. (Quotation is not there in the MS.—Ed.).
 On the other hand when he comes out against a propaganda emanating from the
Muslim all that he says-.

" It is tragic to see that religion is dragged down to the low level of crude materialism to
lure people into mission which the most cherished sentiments of millions of human
beings are trodden under foot.

" I hope that the pamphlet has no support from thoughtful Musalmans who should read
it to realize the mischief such pamphlets can create.

" My correspondent asks me how to deal with the menace. One remedy I have applied,
viz, to bring hereby the villifying propaganda to the notice of the responsible Muslim
world. He himself can claim the attention of the local Musalman leaders to the
publication. The second and the most important thing to do is purification from within.
So long as the position of untouchability remains in the Hindu body it will be liable to
attacks from outside. It will be proof against such attacks only when a solid and
impregnable wall of purification is erected in the shape of complete removal of
untouchability."

The ferocity of the former and the timidity and softness of the latter are obvious
enough. Surely Gandhi must be regarded as an astute " respecter of persons ".

But apart from this difference in his attitude towards Muslim and Christian propaganda,
have Mr. Gandhi's arguments against Christian Missions, which I have summarized
above, any validity ? They are just clever. There is nothing profound about them. They
are the desperate arguments of a man who is driven to wall. Mr. Gandhi starts out by
making a distinction between equal tolerance and equal respect. The phrase "equal
respect " is a new phrase. What distinction he wants to make thereby is difficult to
recognize. But the new phraseology is not without significance. The old phrase "equal
tolerance" indicated the possibility of error. " Equal respect " on the other hand postulates
that all religions are equally true and equally valuable. If I have understood him
correctly then his premise is utterly fallacious, both logically as well as historically.
Assuming the aim of religion is to reach God— which I do not think it is—and religion is
the road to reach him, it cannot be said that every road is sure to lead to God. Nor can it
be said that every road, though it may ultimately lead to God, is the right road. It may be
that (all existing religions are false and) the perfect religion is still to be revealed. But the
fact is that religions are not all true and therefore the adherents of one faith have a right,
indeed a duty, to tell their erring friends what they conceive to be the truth. That
Untouchables are no better than a cow is a statement which only an ignoramus, or an
arrogant person, can venture to make. It is arrant nonsense. Mr. Gandhi dares to make it
because he has come to regard himself as so great a man that the ignorant masses will not
question his declarations and the dishonest intelligentsia will uphold him in whatever he
says. Strangest part of his argument lies in wishing to share the material things the
Christian Missions can provide. He is prepared to share their spiritual treasures provided
the Missionaries invite him to share their material treasures "without obligation".* (What
he minds is an exchange.) It is difficult to understand why Mr. Gandhi argues that
services rendered by the Missionaries are baits or temptations, and that the conversions
are therefore conversions of convenience. Why is it not possible to believe that these
services by Missionaries indicate that service to suffering humanity is for Christians an
essential requirement of their religion ? Would that be a wrong view of the process by
which a person is drawn towards Christianity? Only a prejudiced mind would say. Yes.

All these arguments of Mr. Gandhi are brought forth to prevent Christian Missionaries
from converting the Untouchables. No body will deny to Mr. Gandhi the right to save the
Untouchables for Hinduism. But in that case he should have frankly told Missions " Stop
your work, we want now to save the Untouchables, and ourselves. Give us a chance! "It
is a pity that he should not have adopted this honest mode of dealing with the menace of
the Missionaries. Whatever anybody may say I have no doubt, all the Untouchables,
whether they are converts or not, will agree that Mr. Gandhi has been grossly unjust to
Christian Missions. For centuries Christian Missions have provided for them a shelter, if
not a refuge.

This attitude of Mr. Gandhi need not deter either the missionaries or the Untouchables.
Christianity has come to stay in India and, unless the Hindus in their zeal for nationalism
misuse their political, social and economic power to suppress it, will live and grow in
numbers and influence for good.

II
What Christianity has achieved in India therefore becomes a proper subject for
examination from the points of view both of Christian Missions and of the Untouchables.

That Christian Missions have been endeavouring to provide the corpus sanum for the
people of India and to create the Mens Sana among those who have entered the fold is
undeniable. It would be difficult in this place to describe all the activities carried on by
Christian Missions in India. The work done by the Missionaries falls under five heads:
(1) among children, (2) among young men, (3) among the masses, (4) among women and
(5) among the sick.

The work done is vast. The following figures will give an idea of the scale on which the
work for education and relieving sickness is being carried on.
 1. CHRISTIAN MEDICAL WORK

1 Hospitals 256
2 Dispensaries 250
3 Sanatoriums 10
4 Leper Homes 38
5 Medical Schools 3
6 Number of Hospital ds 12000
7 Number of Sanatorium 755
Beds
8 Doctors, Foreign 350
9 Doctors, National 390
10 Nurses, Foreign 300
11 Nurses, National 900
12 Student Nurses 1800
13 Operations, Major 44000
14 Obstretrics, Total 32000
15 In—Patients 285000
16 Out—Patients 2600000

II. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Institutions Students
1 Elementary 13330 611730
Schools
2 Secondary 302 67229
Schools
3 Colleges 31 11162
4 Theological 25 556
Colleges and
Training Schools
5 Bible Training 74 2855
Schools
6 Teacher Training 63 3153
Schools
 What have the Hindus to show as against this? Historically speaking, service to
humanity is quite foreign to Hinduism and to Hindus. The Hindu religion consists
primarily, of rituals and observances. It is a religion of temples. Love of man has no place
in it. And without love of man how can service to man be inspired ? This is well reflected
in the purposes and objects for which Hindu charities are given. Very few people, even in
India, know the extent to which caste determines the scope and objects of charities
provided by the Hindus. It is difficult to get full and precise facts relating to Hindu
Charities. However, data collected several years ago, in the City of Bombay, throws a
flood of light on the subject. (Data not typed in the MS.)

That caste can influence doctors in the ministration to the sick was a charge made
among certain doctors in Bombay in 1918 during the influenza epidemic.

Comparatively speaking, the achievements of Christian Missions in the field of social

service are very great. Of that no one except a determined opponent of every thing
Christian can have any doubt. Admitting these great services, one may raise two
questions. Are these services required for the needs of the Indian Christian Community?
Are there any needs of the Indian Christian Community which have not been attended to
by Missions?

It is necessary to bear in mind that Indian Christians are drawn chiefly from the
Untouchables and, to a much less extent, from low ranking Shudra castes. The Social
Services of Missions must, therefore, be judged in the light of the needs of these classes.
What are those needs?

The services rendered by the Missions in the fields of education and medical relief are
beyond the ken of the Indian Christians. They go mostly to benefit the high caste Hindus.
The Indian Christians are either too poor or too devoid of ambition to undertake the
pursuit of higher education. High schools, colleges and hostels maintained by the
Missions are, therefore, so much misplaced and misapplied expenditure from the point of
view of the uplift of Indian Christians. In the same way much of the medical aid provided
by the Missions goes to the Caste Hindus. This is especially the case with regard to
hospitals.

I know many missionaries realize this. None the less this expenditure is being incurred
from year to year. The object of these services is no doubt to provide occasion for contact
between Christian Missionaries and high caste Hindus. I think it is time the Missionaries
realized that the pursuit of the Caste Hindus in the hope of converting them to
Christianity is a vain pursuit which is sure to end in complete failure. Mr. Winslow, I
think, is correct when he concludes his survey of the attitude of the intelligentsia of India
towards Christianity by saying: " Whilst the work of Duff and the Serampore
Missionaries resulted in some notable conversions and it seemed for a time as though
English education were going to lead to many and rapid accessions to the Christian
Church from amongst those who received it, a reaction soon set in and the movement
died down. Its place was taken by the Theistic Samajes, and in particular by the Brahmo
Samaj in Bengal, which enabled those Hindus who through the influence of Western
thought had become dissatisfied with idolatry and caste to surrender these without
forfeiting entirely their place within the Hindu system. For many years Christian
missionaries hoped and believed that the Brahmo Samaj would prove a half-way house to
Christianity and that many of its members would in course of time become dissatisfied
with an intermediate position and accept the Christian Faith, but this hope has in the main
been disappointed, though a few notable converts have come from the rank of the
Samajes. .....

* * * * *

What then, does the educated Indian of today, more particularly the Brahman, think of
Christ? It is perhaps foolish to try to generalize..... Yet there are certain broad features in
the picture which may be safely described ..... There is a wide-spread acceptance of the
main principles of Christ's teaching, particularly of His ethical teaching. It would be
generally conceded that the Sermon on the Mount, while not necessarily containing any
thing which might not be paralleled from other sources, is unsurpassable as a directory
for human conduct ..... Side by side with this widespread acceptance of Christ's teaching
goes a very general reverence for His life and character .....

On the other hand, the claim that Christ was, and is, in a unique sense divine is not one
which the majority of Hindus, even of those deeply attracted by His life, would be
prepared to accept ..... (They) would set Him side by side with (their) own great Prophet,
the Buddha. But the Christian claim that He, and He only, is God Incarnate, and that
salvation is to be won through faith in Him, and Him alone, (they) reject as exclusive and
narrow ..... Thus the Christian claim to possess the one way of salvation arouses in India
an almost instinctive repugnance. ...... The characteristic religious attitude of the educated
Hindu to day (is) still, whilst he greatly reverences Christ, and accepts the main principles
of His teaching, he is quite content to remain a Hindu."

I have no doubt that this correctly sums up the position. If this is so then the money and
energy spent by the Christian Missions on education and medical relief is misapplied and
do not help the Indian Christians.

The Indian Christians need two things. The first thing they want is the safeguarding of
their civil liberties. The second thing they want is ways and means for their economic
uplift. I cannot stop to discuss these needs in all their details. All I wish to point out is
that this is a great desideratum in the social work the Christian Missions are doing in
India.

While what has been accomplished by Christian Missionaries in the field of education
and medical aid is very notable and praise worthy there still remains one question to be
answered. What has Christianity achieved in the way of changing the mentality of the
Convert ? Has the Untouchable convert risen to the status of the touchable? Have the
touchable and untouchable converts discarded caste? Have they ceased to worship their
old pagan gods and to adhere to their old pagan superstitions? These are far-reaching
questions. They must be answered and Christianity in India must stand or fall by the
answers it can give to these questions.

The following extracts taken from the memorandum submitted by the Christian
Depressed Classes of South India to the Simon Commission throw a flood of light on the
position of the Untouchables who have gone into the Christian fold so far as the question
of caste is concerned.

" We are by religion Christians, both Roman Catholics and Protestants. Of the total
population of Indian Christians of the Presidency the converts from the Depressed
Classes form about sixty per cent. When the Christian religion was preached in our lands,
we, the Pallas, Pariahs, Malas, Madigas, etc., embraced Christianity. But others of our
stock and origin were not converted and they are known to be the Hindu Depressed
classes, being all Hindus or adherants to the Hindus in religion. In spite, however, of our
Christian religion which teaches us fundamental truths the equality of man and man
before God, the necessity of charity and love for neighbours and mutual sympathy and
forbearance, we, the large number of Depressed class converts remain in the same social
condition as the Hindu Depressed Classes. Through the operation of several factors, the
more important of them being the strong caste retaining Hindu mentality of the converts
to Christianity, and the indifference, powerlessness and apathy of the Missionaries, we
remain today what we were before we became Christians— Untouchables—degraded by
the laws of social position obtaining in the land, rejected by caste Christians, despised by
Caste Hindus and excluded by our own Hindu Depressed Class brethren.

"The small proportion of the Christians of South India, whose representatives are found
in the Legislative Council, say, in Madras, are caste Christians, a term which sounds a
contradiction, but which, unfortunately, is the correct and accepted description of high
caste converts from Hinduism, who retain all the rigour and exclusiveness of caste.
Particularly in the Mofussil parts and the villages, they who ought to be our fellow
Christians follow all the orthodox severity and unreason of caste exclusion; they damn us
as " Panchamas or Pariahs " and ignore our Christian claims and in the fulness of their
affluence, power, prestige and position exclude us poorer Christians from society, ......
Frequent outbursts of anti-Panchama activity are the scandal of the South Indian
Christian life, and the least attempt on our part to better our lot, forward our progress and
assert our elementary rights call down the wrath and fury of every man—official and
non-official—Christian or Hindu, who claims a foolish superiority of birth. Denying the
very foundations of Christianity, contrary to all love and charity and brotherhood, our
"fellow-Christians" treat us even in the Churches as Untouchables and Unapproachables,
and relegate us to separate accommodation removed from their precincts and barricade
their portions by means of iron rails and walls and fencings. There are several such
churches.

"In the matter of reception of sacraments, a most ridiculous segregation is practised to

avoid pollution; our claims to educate our children and train them for life are ruthlessly
denied and through sheer prejudice our children are denied access to schools, convents,
hostels, boarding houses, or if admitted, are assigned an ignominous separate
accommodation. Tracing his descent from high caste Hindu progenitors the caste
Christian looks for social status and position and finds favour in the eyes of his fellow
caste-men, the Hindus. He treats the Depressed Class Christians in the same way as the
Hindu Depressed Classes are treated by the Hindu Caste people". What is stated here in
general terms may be made concrete by reference to the two following incidents.
(Incidents not mentioned in the MS.— Ed.).

This is a terrible indictment. It is a relief to know that it does not apply to all parts of
India nor does it apply to all denominations of Christians. The picture is more true of the
Catholics than of the Protestants. It is more true of Southern India than it is of the
Northern or even Central India. But the fact remains that Christianity has not succeeded
in dissolving the feeling of caste from among the converts to Christianity. The distinction
between touchables and untouchbles may be confined to a corner. The Church School
may be open to all. Still there is no gainsaying the fact that caste governs the life of the
Christians as much as it does the life of the Hindus. There are Brahmin Christians and
Non-Brahmin Christians. Among Non-Brahmin Christians there are Maratha Christians,
Mahar Christians, Mang Christians and Bhangi Christians. Similarly in the South there
are Pariah Christians, Malla Christians and Madiga Christians. They would not
intermarry, they would not inter-dine. They are as much caste ridden as the Hindus are.

There is another thing which shows that Christianity has not been effective in wiping
paganism out of the converts. Almost all the converts retain the Hindu forms of worship
and believe in Hindu superstition. A convert to Christianity will be found to worship his
family Gods and also the Hindu gods such as Rama, Krishna, Shankar, Vishnu, etc. A
convert to Christianity will be found to go on a pilgrimage to places which are sacred to
the Hindus. He will go to Pandharpur, and make offerings to Vithoba. He will go to Jejuri
and sacrifice a goat to the blood-thirsty god, Khandoba. On the Ganesh Chaturthi he will
refuse to see the moon, on a day of eclipse he will go to the sea and bathe—superstitions
observed by the Hindus. It is notorious that the Christians observe the social practices of
the Hindus in the matter of births, deaths and marriages. I say nothing about the
prevalence of the Hindu social practices among the Christians. In as much as these social
practices have no religious significance it matters very little what they are. But the same
cannot be said of religious observances. They are incompatible with Christian belief and
Christian way of life. The question is why has Christianity not been able to stamp them
out?

The answer is that the Christian Missionaries although they have been eager to convert
persons to Christianity have never put up a determined fight to uproot paganism from the
Convert. Indeed they have tolerated it.

The retention by the Converts to Christianity of Paganism is primarily the legacy of the
Jesuit Missions which were the earliest to enter the field in modern times. The attitude of
the Catholic mission towards paganism has come down from the outlook and the ways
and means adopted by the Madura Mission. This Mission was founded by an Italian
Jesuit Father Robert de Nobili. He came to India in 1608. Having learned of the failure of
Francis Xavier he worked out a new plan. He decided to follow the footsteps of the
Apostle Paul who observed that he must bring all things to all men that he might save
some. Fortified with this belief he went to the Court of Ferumal Naik King of Madura
and founded the famous Madura Mission. The way he started is graphically told by Dr. J.
N. Ogilvie in his 'Apostles of India ' in the following passage:

" Through Madura there ran one day a striking piece of news. It was told how a strange
ascetic from some far land had arrived, drawn to the holy city by its great repute, and that
he had taken up his abode in the Brahman quarter of the city. Soon visitors flocked to the
house of the holy man to see what they should see, but only to find that the Brahman's
servants would not permit their entrance. 'The master,' they said, 'is meditating upon God.
He may not be disturbed.' This merely helped to whet the people's desire and increase the
fame of the recluse. The privacy was relaxed, and daily audiences were granted to a
privileged few.

"Seated cross legged on a settee the Sanyasi was found by his visitors, conforming in
every thing to Brahman usage. Over his shoulder hung the sacred cord of five threads,
three of gold to symbolise the Trinity, and two of silver representing the body and soul of
our Lord, and from the cord was suspended a small cross. Conversation revealed the
Sanyasi's learning, and observation and keen inquiry certified to this frugal and holy life.
One meal a day, consisting of a little rice and milk and acid vegetables, was all his food.
Soon not only ordinary Brahmins came to see him, but nobles also; and a great bound in
his reputation took place when, on being invited to the palace by the King, the Sanyasi
declined the invitation lest on going forth the purity of his soul should be sullied by his
eyes lighting upon a woman! Never was a holier saint seen in Madura. Where the life
bore such testimony to his holiness, how could his teaching be other than true ! His
statement that he was a " Roman Brahman" of the highest caste was accepted, and to
remove any possible doubts that might linger, an ancient discoloured parchment was
produced, which showed how the "Brahmans of Rome" had sprung direct from the god
Brahma, and were the noblest born of all his issues. To the genuineness of the document
the Sanyasi solemnly swore, and with open minds the people listened to his teaching.

" Book after book was written by the able and daring writer, in which he grafted a
modified Christian doctrine on the Hindu stem. Most notable of all such efforts was the
forging of a "Fifth Veda" to complete and crown the four Vedas received by Brahmans as
direct revelations from heaven. It was an amazing piece of daring as bold and hazardous
as it would be for a Hindu to forge for Christian use a fifth Gospel. Yet the forgery held
its place for one hundred and fifty years."

" Brahman disciples were soon freely won; baptisms became fairly numerous, though
the identity of the rite with the baptism administered by earlier European Missionaries
was disguised; and so far as outward tokens went, the new Missionary method was
proving a success. Without a doubt progress was greatly facilitated by the highly
significant concessions that were made to Hinduism, especially in connection with Caste.
According to de Nobili, caste had little signification. To him it was in the main a social
observance, and so regarding it he saw no reason for compelling his converts to break
with their caste fellowship or observances. His converts retained the ' Shendi ' or tuft of
hair which marked the caste Hindu, they wore a sacred cord indistinguishable from that
of their Hindu neighbours, and they bore an oval caste mark on their brow, the paste
composing or being made of the ashes of sandalwood instead of as formerly of the ashes
of cow dung.
 " For forty years de Nobili lived his life: a life of daily hardship, sacrifice and voluntary
humiliation, such as has seldom been paralleled. On February 16, 1656, he died, having
reached his eightieth year. Nearly one hundred thousand converts have been attributed to
him, directly or indirectly, and allowing for much exaggeration their number must have
been very great.

"In 1673, John de Britto, belonging to one of the noblest families of Portugal, sailed for
India. He is now a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. William Robinson of the London
Missionary Society and belonging to our own day said of him, '" His eminence as a
disciple, intrepid, selfless and enduring in all great qualities that add to the vigour of the
Christian life, is assured.

" He and the Christian converts, after the disruption of the Kingdom of Madura and the
establishment of petty Kingdoms, were mercilessly persecuted.

" Yet in spite of all that enemies could do, the worker went steadily on with his
accepted duty, and wherever he journeyed the same tale of success was told. To the
power of the message was added the charm of the messenger, and his converts were
numbered by thousands. When by his hands a prince of Marava, Tadia Tevar, was
baptized, measures were quickly taken to secure de Britto's death. He was mercilessly
done to death on February 4, 1693.

" Father Joseph Beschi, an Italian priest and successor to de Britto, reached India in
1707. Beschi adhered to the policy of the " Roman Brahmans," but in his missionary
practice differed considerably from his predecessors. De Nobili, so long as it had been
possible, acted the part of a devout recluse, a holy Guru; de Britto had been chiefly the
wandering Sanyasi, the holy pilgrim and in their personal life both had practised the
greatest asceticism and simplicity. But Father Beschi followed a new line. If Hinduism
had its ascetics, it had also its high priests, who lived in luxurious comfort, and whose
outward surroundings were marked by pomp and circumstance. This was the line chosen
by Beschi by magnificence he would dazzle the people. When he travelled it was a costly
palanquin. In advance went an attendant bearing an umbrella of purple silk, at each side
ran servants with gorgeous fans of peacock's feathers, and in the palanquin, upon a
splendid tiger skin and clad in rich and picturesque robes, reclined the mighty Guru! But
Beschi was no empty headed poseur. His method was adopted with a full understanding
of the people and with many it worked well. Nor does his fame rest on these
extravagances; it is based upon his wonderful scholarship. A born linguist he attained so
complete a mastery over Tamil that he became the ablest Tamil scholar of his time. No
native scholar was his equal. " High "' Tamil as well as " Low ", the Tamil of the
scholarly Brahman as well as the colloquial language of the people, were equally familiar
to Beschi. Dictionaries, grammars, works of poetry and treatises in prose issued from his
busy pen, and they are read and valued to the present day. When first issued they
delighted the native world of Southern India. So charmed with his learning was Chanda
Sahib, the Nabob of Vellore, that he appointed him to high office in the State, and for his
support presented him with four villages in the Trichinopoly district, which brought in a
revenue of 12,000 rupees. All this fame and material prosperity Beschi loyally used for
the furtherance of the Mission. Its palmiest days were in his time, and its rapid decline,
leading to its ultimate collapse, dates from about the period of Father Beschi's death,
which occurred in 1742." These Madura Missionaries, in their anxiety to present
Christianity to the convert free from any Western customs that might give offence had
tolerated among their converts several Hindu Customs as concessions to the converts.
Among these concessions were the retention of the sacred thread and the mark on the
forehead; the marrying of children before they attained puberty; the refusal of the
sacraments to females at certain times, bathing as a ceremonial purification, and other
points; and the refusal to marry and dine outside caste. These were called the "Malbar
Rites". They were abrogated on 12th September 1744, by the Bull Omnium
sollicitudinum issued By Pope Benedict XIV and since then every Roman Catholic
Missionary is required to take an oath to obey this Bull. All the same the tradition
remained that pagan ways and pagan beliefs were not incompatible with Christian faith.

It is no doubt true that a great obstacle in the way of the Missionaries in the 16th
Century was not only the evil example shown by bad Europeans but also the dislike with
which European customs were viewed by Hindus and Musalman alike. A wicked
European of course caused Scandal, but a devout European, who ate beef and drank
spirits, offended against Brahmanical and Mohammadan tenets and shocked native
prejudices. Thus Christianity was despised as the religion of the ' Feringis ' as Europeans
were contemptuously termed. To have cleansed the Christian Missionaries of these
impurities and infirmities was very necessary and not only justifiable but commendable.
But it was quite shameful and sinful for these Jesuit Missionaries in their zeal for
conversion to have gone to the length they did namely, not to mind what the convert
thought and did and how he lived so long as he was ready to be baptized, acknowledge
Jesus as his saviour and call himself a Christian.

What was the attitude of the Luthern Mission which came into the field soon after the
Madura Mission to this great question. Swartz the greatest missionary in India who by his
piety became the peace maker between warring kings was not a protagonist of the view
adopted by the Madura Mission. But did he believe that Caste and Christianity were two
incompatible things and that a true Christian could not believe in Caste much less could
he make it a plan of his life ? Whatever was his view of the question he certainly did not
carry on a campaign in support of it.
 What about the Protestant Missions? What attitude did they take towards this question?
They have first of all an excuse on their side to plead if they wish to. That they came late
on the scene. So far as history goes there is truth behind the assertion that they were
prevented from joining the field until 1813. This is due entirely to the attitude taken by
the East India Company towards Mission work in their territories in India.

The attitude of all the European powers who went to India were in the beginning of
their career greatly fired with an enthusiasm for the conversion of the Indians to the
Christian Faith.

Speaking of the Portuguese they were of course the most resolute in their propagation
for Christianity and suppression of paganism. Albuquerque suppressed Suti within
Portuguese India in 1510 and anticipated William Bentick by fully three hundred years.
As soon as Francis Xavier called out in despair the aid of John III of Portugal for forcible
conversion it was given. In the Dutch East Indies the Dutch Government which was a
protestant power, similar enthusiasm was displayed and strong, if not drastic, measures
were adopted. The principle of state aid for Christian propaganda was accepted in Ceylon
right from 1643 when the Dutch occupied that island. The erection of temples and pagan
pilgrimages were forbidden, Government appointments were reserved for Christians and
non-attendance at religious schools treated as state offence. By 1685, 3,20,000 Cinhalese
had yielded to these methods. The same religious fervour was shown by the East India
Company. In 1614, an young Indian had been brought to London by the Captain of the
Company's ship. The Company educated him at its own expense 'to be an instrument in
converting some of his nation '. His baptism was performed at Poplar. The Lord Mayor of
London and the Directors of the Company attended the baptism. King James I chose for
him the name of Peter and the priest who baptised him presented him to the Audience as '
the first fruit of India '. In 1617 there took place in Surat the conversion of a Mahomedan.
Thus the career of the Company began with conversions at both ends. In 1657 the
Directors applied to the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford for a Chaplain 'the
Company having resolved to endeavour the advance and spreading of the Gospel in
India'. In 1698 the Company very readily accepted a clause in her Charter which required
the Company's Chaplains 'should apply themselves to learn the languages of the
countries, the better to enable them to instruct the Gentoos, who should be the servants of
the Company or their agents, in the Protestant religion'.

Suddenly after 1698 the attitude of the Company seems to have undergone a significant
though gradual change. While the Portugal and the Dutch Governments were going on
with top speed the East India Company was slowing down. In the very year the Company
seems to have been of two minds on this question. While it accepted an obligation to train
its chaplains in vernaculars of India so as to make them potent instruments of propaganda
it allowed a prayer to be drawn up for the Company which said 'that, we adorning the
Gospel of our Saviour in all things, these Indian natives among whom we dwell,
beholding our good works, may be won over '. This prayer continued to be offered,
certainly till 1750. A close scrutiny of the wording of the prayer suggests if it does not
avow the complete abandonment of the original idea of active proselytising. This attitude
of the Company soon became a matter of controversy. Friends of conversion were
waiting for an opportunity to force the Company to give up this attitude. The Regulating
Act of 1773 and Pitt's East India Act had put an end to a ‘State disguised as a Merchant '
and brought the Company the chartered agent of Parliament to carry on the Government
of the Indian Territories. It was provided under the Act that the charter of the Company
should be only for 20 years and should be renewed thereafter. The year 1793 was of
immense importance since the revision of the charter of the Company was to fall due in
that year.

To those who favoured the diffusion of Christian knowledge the task seemed quite
easy. Wilberforce, who was in charge of the matter had secured the support of important
persons in Parliament. He had obtained Archbishop Moore's blessing, and still more
important he had won a promise of support from the minister in charge of the East India
Company's Charter Bill. As a preliminary to the passing of this Bill matters to be
incorporated in the charter were put in the form of resolutions to be passed by the House
of Commons. One of the resolutions passed ran as follows:

"That it was the peculiar and bounden duty of the British Legislature to promote, by all
just and prudent means, the interest and happiness of the inhabitants of the British
Dominions in India; and that for these ends such measures ought to be adopted as may
generally tend to their advancement in useful knowledge and to their religious and more
improvement."

" Be it therefore further enacted, that the said Court of Directors shall be and are hereby
empowered and required to appoint and send out, from time to time, a sufficient number
of fit and proper persons for carrying into effect the purposes aforesaid, by acting as
schoolmasters, missionaries, or otherwise every such person, before he is so appointed or
sent out, having produced to the said Court of I Directors, a satisfactory testimonial
or certificate from the Archbishop of Canterbury, or the Bishop of London for the time
being, or from the Society in London for the promotion of Christian Knowledge, or from
the Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge, of his sufficiency for these
purposes.

And be it further enacted, that the said Court of Directors are hereby empowered and
required to give directions to the governments of the respective presidencies in India, to
settle the destination and to provide for the necessary and decent maintenance of the
persons to be sent out as aforesaid; and also to direct the said governments to consider of
and adopt such other measures according to their discretion, as may appear to them most
conducive to the ends aforesaid. “ I It was largely due to the support of Dundas that the
House accepted the resolution without demur. Wilberforce was deeply moved.
'The hand of Providence', he wrote in his journal, 'was never more visible than in
his East Indian Affair,' This confidence was premature. Because, on the third reading of
the Bill, the clause was struck out with the consent of Dundas. Wilberforce wrote his
friend Gisborne " My clauses thrown out..... Dundas most false and double....."

This change of front was brought about by the Directors of the East India Company.
The East India trade was a monopoly of the Company and no Englishman could enter the
territories of the East India Company in India without license from the Directors of the
Company and any Englishman found in the territories of the Company without a license
was liable to be deported. The Company did not take long to realize what the effect of the
new clause would be. It knew that the clause would require them to open the gates of
India to the flood of the Missionaries and their propaganda. Should the Missionaries be
allowed a free hand, was the question of the hour. As was natural this became a subject of
a most interesting, instructive and bitter controversy and those who care to know it in its
details may usefully refer to the pages of the Edinborough Review and the. . . . . . . of the
day.

There were three parties to this controversy. There were the Directors of the East India
Company whose primary interest was to protect its shareholders who were clamouring
for dividends. The second party to the controversy was the English Middle Class which
was living on the East India trade and whose sons were finding new avenues for lucrative
careers in the territories. Thirdly there was the Church Missionary Society formed in the
year. ...... for the purpose of spreading the Christian faith. The interests of the first two
coincided. They were for the maintenance of the Empire and therefore wanted peace and
tranquility. The third did care for peace but was keen on the substitution of Indian
superstition by the Christian faith. The first made a powerful combination and obliged all
the forces against the third. The result was that they triumphed and the Church
Missionary Society lost. The arguments advanced by the controversialist on the
triumphant side are of course the most important and the most instructive part of the
controversy.

To the argument that the propaganda in favour of the Christian faith should begin at
once, that it was wrong to hold that the truth though sacred should be doled out in such a
way and in such bits as to avoid all risk, the reply given by Sydney Smith was a stunning
reply. This is what he said:
 "'When we consider for how many centuries after Christ, Providence allowed the
greater part of mankind to live and die without any possibility of their attaining to the
knowledge of the sacred truths by any human exertion, we must be satisfied that the rapid
and speedy conversion of the whole world forms no part of the scheme of its Almighty
Governor, and that it can give no offence in His eyes if we do not desert our
domestic duties and expose the lives and worldly happiness of multitudes of our fellow
country men

to hazard in our attempt to their conversion."

* * *

"The Directors would be doing their duty neither to the shareholders nor the British
Nation if they allowed 'itinerant tinkers to preach the natives into insurrection..... The
natives must be taught a better religion at a time and in a manner that will not inspire
them with a passion for political change.'. .... Our duties to our families and country are
set before us by God Himself. We are not at liberty to desert them in order to give a
remote chance of conferring greater benefits on strangers at a distance." It is arguments
such as those which prevailed with Parliament and led to the rejection of the Clause in
1793. Wilberforce twitted members of Parliament by reminding them with, their
Christianity was not a religion of convenience but it was a religion established by law.
But as has been well pointed out, "for the major portion of those 'counted ' .in the
eighteenth century the religion accepted by the State and Society as a convenience was
something to be used with fact and discretion at home. There was no need to diffuse it
recklessly abroad. The general atmosphere, as has often been pointed out, was
remarkably like that of Augustan Rome. To the statesman, thinking imperially, all
religions were equally useful, each in its proper place.'

The attempt to open the door to the Missionaries failed and the Missionary was shut out
from India till 1813. Not only was he shut out but the Company's Government kept a
strict vigil upon the activities of such stray missionaries who contrived to go to India
without their license.

In 1793 Dr. Carey went as an interloper without license. As he was not allowed to enter
Calcutta being without license, he made Serampore, 14 miles away from Calcutta as his
base of operation. Serampore was a Danish settlement and the Danes had placed no
restrictions on missionaries or mission propaganda. On the contrary the Governor of
Serampore actively helped them. Carey and his Mission was always suspect in the eyes
of the Company's Government. lo 1798 the Serampore Mission decided to engage four
missionaries who arrived in the year 1800. They went to reside in the Danish settlement
of Serampore. As a matter of fact the Governor General had nothing to do with them. But
the unconcealed residence of those unlicensed enthusiasts was too much for the
Company's Governor General and Lord Wellesley wrote to the Governor of Serampore,
"Would His Excellency see to the expulsion of these interlopers who might at any
moment violate the territories of the British East India Company ", to which the Danish
Governor replied that he would do nothing of the kind . Similar action was taken in
1806 when Captain Wickes brought two more Missionaries in the ' Crieterion " which
anchored off Calcutta. Sir George Barlow was then the Governor General. He took a
most extra-ordinary action to prevent the landing of these two missionaries. He ordered
that the Captain be not given his clearance papers unless he agreed to take back the two
missionaries. Although they had gone to live in Serampore and were in fact under the
protection of the Danish Crown. This was not only a more unreasonable attitude towards
missionaries but it was also an attitude which could not but be regarded as hostile .

The Vellore Mutiny among Indian Soldiers which took place in 1806 was quite
erroneously attributed to missionary propaganda and Sir George Barlow in a panicky
condition proceeded to put the following restrictions on the activities of the Serampore
Missionaries:

1. The Missionaries remain at Serampore.

2. They must not preach openly in the bazar.

3. Native converts might preach provided they are not sent forth as emissaries from
Serampore. The vehemence with which the Government of Bengal came down upon the
Serampore Mission in 1807 for issuing a tract on Islam in which quite inadvertently the
prophet Mahomed was called an imposter also furnishes further evidence of the attitude
of hostility which Government of the Company bore towards the Missionaries.

The Government of Bengal refused to be satisfied with the apologies of Dr. Carey and
insisted upon the transfer of the Press from Serampore to Calcutta in order that
Government may be in a better position to control the literature issued therefrom. The
news caused dismay for it meant the disruption of the mission. As usual, the Governor of
the Danish settlement came to their rescue and told the frightened Serampore
Missionaries that he would fight their battle if the Government of Bengal forcibly
removed the Press to Calcutta. Subsequently matters were settled and the order was
withdrawn3. But the fact remains that the Government of the Company was not a friend
of the Missionaries.

So much for the excuse which they can legitimately plead. But what attitude did they
take when they were allowed after 1813 to operate in the field ? Did they take the line
that caste must go from the thought and life of the Convert? The earliest pronouncement
of a Protestant Missionary does not warrant an affirmative answer.

Missionaries intolerating caste : Dr. Heyne in 1814 wrote: Missionaries, in many

instances, have fallen into a mistake of a very injurious nature to their rapid or even
ultimate success. In converting a Hindu to Christianity, they oblige him to adopt a line of
conduct by which he loses his caste; this, in India is considered such a disgrace. that it
must present a powerful obstacle to conversion. But the political division of the Hindus is
no part of their religious tenets, though it has been so mistaken by the most enlightened.
In giving to the Hindus the Christian religion, allow them to retain their caste, and they
could be found to embrace it without reluctance, and in considerable numbers."

But I do not wish to judge the attitude of the Protestant Missions to so important a
question from so stray a pronouncement of a solitary individual. There is evidence to
show that the Protestant Missions were once early in their career called upon to make up
their mind on this important issue so that it can be said that the view maintained by the
Protestant Mission is a considered view. The time when this issue was discussed
seriously was the time when Rev. Heber was appointed the Bishop of Calcutta. He
assumed his duties in the year 1823. During his episcopate he toured extensively in the
whole of India and in Ceylon. In the course of his tour, he became aware of the sharp
conflict of opinion among Protestant Missionaries to the question of toleration of caste
among converts. He decided to resolve this difference. How he went about the business is
told in the words of Mr. Kaye who has succintantly narrated it:

"There was strife, therefore, among the missionaries, which Heber was anxious to allay.
The question had been brought before him, before he quitted Bengal. He had there sought
to arm himself with ail the information that he could obtain, respecting not only the
practice of the earlier Protestant missionaries, but the true nature of the institution of
Caste. There was then in Bishop's College a Christian convert, known as Christian David.
He had been a pupil of Schwartz; and was truly a remarkable man. No less distinguished
for his intelligence than for his piety, he was regarded by the good Bishop as the one of
all others to whom he might most expediency refer for the solution of his doubts. Heber
drew up, therefore, a series of questions, which he submitted to the native Christian, and
received from him a series of replies, stated not only in excellent English, but with a force
and precision which could not be easily surpassed.

" First, with regard to .the nature of Caste, it was declared by Christian David, that it
was, among the natives of Southern India, "purely a worldly idea"-- "not connected in
their minds with any notion of true or false religion," that the native converts, drawn from
the higher castes, were disinclined to intercourse with low-caste proselytes, not on
religious or superstitious grounds, but simply for social reasons; that there were certain
distinctions between high-caste and low-caste persons not by any means ideal, and that
these distinctions were not to be gilded over merely by the acquisition of worldly wealth.
He specially set forth that low-caste people indulged habitually in an unseemly mode of
speech—frequently using coarse or indecent expressions very revolting to the feelings of
high-caste men; and that they were altogether less decorous and self respectful in their
way of life. Learning, he said, might elevate them; and if a Pariah became learned he was
called a pundit, and respected by the Church; and then his brother converts would
associate with him, but still they would not " from worldly fear or pride " eat with him
from the same dish. From the days of Ziegenbalg downwards they had been wont to sit at
Church in two separate divisions, and had communicated separately at the Lord's table,
drinking out of the same cup, but the high-caste converts drinking first. As a proof,
however, that these were regarded as merely worldly distinctions, Christian David said
that high-caste and low-caste, among the Christian congregations of the South, were
buried in a common burial ground, and took part promiscuously in the funeral
ceremonies, "as if with the consciousness, contrary to the heathen nations, that death
levelled all distinctions."

" Rather by mild remonstrance and persuasion than by the enactment of any stringent
rules, which might have proved great obstructions to Christianity, the elder missionaries
had sought to mitigate the evil; and Christian David declared that under the ministration
of Schwartz the evil had considerably diminished. But Mr. Rhenius, of the Church
Missionary Society, a truly conscientious and devout Christian, had taken other views of
the duties of Christian teachers, and had gained over to his opinions the younger
missionaries in the South; so that they agreed, as I have said, among themselves, to make
the total repudiation of Caste, even in its mere social aspect, an essential condition of
admittance to the Christian Church; and they had, moreover, spoken and preached against
the elder missionaries—even the most venerated of their predecessors—denouncing them
as " corrupters of the Gospel " for having permitted such things to soil the purity of
Christianity.

Of all this Christian David spoke with profound regret. His own opinions were
naturally inclined towards the doctrine and the practice of his old master Christian
Schwartz. The mild interference and affectionate advice of the Bishop might, he thought,
dispose the hearts of the younger missionaries towards greater toleration and forbearance.

" Very earnestly and very conscientiously did Heber revolve this important subject in
his mind. It is in accordance with all that we know of the character of the man, that he
should have inclined towards the more conciliatory practices of the elder missionaries.
But he deferred any final decision, until the opportunity should arrive for the collection of
further information and the delivery of a sounder and fuller judgment on the spot. When,
therefore, he visited the Southern Presidency, he wrote letters of inquiry to some of the
principal missionaries and instituted a select committee of the Christian Knowledge
Society for the purpose of making further investigation into the subject. From one letter
written to the Rev. D. Schrievogel, though little more than a series of questions, the bent
of his opinions may be derived. It appeared to him, after much deliberate consideration,
that Caste, as represented to exist among the Christian converts on the Coast was in
reality an institution differing little in its essential features from the social exclusiveness
prevailing in Christian countries. Is there no such thing, he asked himself, as Caste in
Europe? Is there no such thing as Caste in America? Do not the high and the low sit apart
in our English churches ? Do not our well-dressed high-caste folks go up first to the altar
to communicate? Do high and low sit down to meat together—do their children attend the
same schools? Are there no Pariahs amongst us? In other civilized countries, is there not
a prevailing sense of Caste, apart from all associations of worldly distinction? Does not
the Spanish hidalgo wear his Caste bravely beneath his threadbare cloak? Is the
wealthiest mulatto fit companion for the poorest white? It may be called blood, or
anything else in another; but in its essential features the one thing differs but little from
the other. It is an intelligible and appreciable Christian principle that all men in the sight
of God are equal. But it is equally certain that all are not equal in the sight of Man; and it
is a fair presumption that God never intended them to be equal. Social distinctions exist
every where; and if, argued the Bishop, the distinctions which exist among the converts
on the Southern coast are merely social distinctions, why should we endanger the success
of our efforts by endeavouring to enforce a law of equality, which is maintained among
no other classes of men?

" In this wise thought Bishop Heber. He had said from the first, that if he could be of
any service to the Christian cause in India, it would be as a moderator—that by a
conciliatory course, smoothing down the asperities of the over-zealship, he might hope to
do much good as the chief missionary; and now he believed that it was his duty to cast in
the weight of his authority upon the side of those who had resolved not to pour too much
of new wine into the old bottles."

This view was more forcefully expressed by another Protestant Missionary Rev. Robert
Noble who came out to India in 1841 and was in charge of the Church of England
Mission Work in Masulipatam made it a rule to exclude Pariahs, leather workers and
scavengers from his school. Defending himself against the charge of introducing caste in
the Christian fold he defended himself in the following terms: " The humblest and most
pious Christian parents in England would not allow their sons, much less their daughters,
to be educated with their footmen, with their cooks and their scullery maids. Perhaps I
was punished oftener by my pious father for stealing away to play with the boys of the
village than on any other account; while in the best ordered Christian family I have ever
seen, the children were not allowed to converse with the servants or to descend the
second step of the stairs into the kitchen. My father would not have allowed us to mix
with the cook's or stable boy's children; nor can I see it right to require of Brahmins that
before we will teach them the Gospel, they must sit down on the same form with the
pariah and the sweeper. The requirement is to me unreasonable and unchristian."

It is true that many wise and devout Christians since Heber's time believed that he was
altogether wrong; and that Bishop Wilson at a later period reversed his decision
emphatically pronouncing against all toleration for the inequities of caste on the ground
that it was an ingrained part of Hindu religion. But the fact remained not only the official
but also the general view of the Protest Missions in India regarding the place of
caste in Indian Christianity.

Thus all Missionaries agreed that Christianity should be made easy in order that it may
spread among India. On this point there seems to be difference of kind among Catholics,
Lutherners or Protestants. Such difference as exists is one of degree. If there exists Caste
and other forms among Christian converts it is the result of this policy — policy of
making Christianity easy. In adopting this policy the Missionaries never thought that
some day, somebody would ask them 'What good is Christianity for a Hindu if it does not
do away with his Caste'. They misunderstood their mission and thought that making a
person Christian was the same thing as making him a follower of Christ.

V
Let us take the second part of the question. Has Christianity been able to save the
convert from the sufferings and the ignominy which is the misfortune of every one who is
born an untouchable? Can an untouchable after his conversion to Christianity take water
from a public well ? Are his children admitted to a public school ? Can he enter a hotel or
tavern which was not open to him? Can he enter a shop and buy things from inside? Will
a barber shave him? Will a washerman wash his clothes? Can he travel in a bus? Will he
be admitted in Public offices without compunction ? Will he be allowed to live in the
touchable quarters of the village? Will the Hindus take water from him ? Will they dine
with him ? Will not the Hindu take a bath if he touches him? I am sure the answer to
every one of these questions must be in the negative. In other words conversion has not
brought about any change in the social status of the untouchable convert. To the general
mass of the Hindus the untouchable remains an untouchable even though he beomes a
Christian.

The question is, why has Christianity not succeeded in raising the status of the
untouchable convert? What are the reasons for this failure? I am not sure that my reasons
will be accepted by all those who are interested in the problem. But I will state them for
what they are worth. To understand and appreciate what I am going to say I must begin
by pointing out that a change in the social status of the convert can be the result of a two-
fold change. There must be a change in the attitude of the Hindus. Secondly there must be
a change in the mentality of the convert. Status is a dual matter, a matter inter se between
two persons and unless both move from their old position there can be no change. What
has been done by those who are in charge of Christian endeavour to make the parties
move on? A consideration of this question will enable us to understand why Christianity
has failed to raise the status of the untouchable convert.

Let us consider the question in parts. What has Christianity done to make the Hindus
move on? I find they have done nothing. They seem to be depending upon an idea doing
the miracle. The faith in an idea doing the work has been well expressed by the late Duke
of Argyle when he said:

" There is no method of reform so powerful as this. If alongside any false or corrupt
belief, or any vicious or cruel system, we place one incompatible idea,—then without any
noise of controversy or clash of battle, those beliefs and customs will wave an idea. It
was thus that Christianity, without one single word of direct attack, killed off one of the
greatest and most universal curses of the pagan world,—the ever deepening curse of
slavery."

Whatever may be the importance of an idea, I am sure, history does not bear out the
conclusion of the Duke of Argyle. It is debatable question whether the end of slavery in
the Roman Empire was due to the influence of Christianity. It is beyond doubt that
serfdom continued in Europe although Christianity was an established institution for
several hundred years. It is an incontrovertible fact that Christianity was not enough to
end the slavery of the Negroes in the United States. A civil war was necessary to give the
Negro the freedom which was denied to him by the Christians.

The dependence of those in charge of Christian endeavour upon planting of an idea and
leaving it to work a miracle is therefore one of the reasons why the untouchable has
remained an untouchable notwithstanding his Christian faith.

Let me take the other part of the question. Does Christianity inspire the untouchable to
move on? I am constrained to say that (it)does not. So far as I am able to see, Christian
preaching to the untouchable is less centered on 'practical' reforms and more centered
around the development of Christian social attitudes. Christians who desire the
conversion of the untouchables insist on regarding Christianity as purely " spiritual ". To
teach that Christians have an obligation to love others is no doubt very valuable. But to
stop there and argue that spiritual life expressed in a social attitude is quite unrelated to
material life and Christians can have nothing to do with it, is in my judgment to preach an
empty doctrine. What is the use of a daily exhortation to a wrong doer to be good and just
if the exhortation is not followed by action to make the wrong doer just and good. The
Christian Missionaries have never thought that it was their duty to act and get the
injustice that pursues the untouchables even after his conversion to Christianity removed.
That Missions should be so inactive in the matter of the social emancipation of the
untouchable is of course a very sad thing. But far more painful is the inaction of the
untouchable Who becomes a convert to Christianity. It is the saddest thing. He continues
to suffer from the Hindus the same disabilities which were his lot before conversion. It is
an extraordinary thing that the movement for the redress of wrongs is carried on by the
untouchables who have not become converts to Christianity. I have never noticed the
untouchable Christians meeting in Conferences for the redress of their social wrongs.
That they have grievances is beyond question. That there are many who are educated
enough to lead them in their struggle is also well known. Why is it then there has been no
movement for the redress of their wrongs?

I see three reasons why the Christian untouchables have failed to raise a movement.

The first reason is to be found in the complete absence of desire on the part of the
educated among the Christians to take up the cause of the community and fight for it.
This is due in my judgment to the fact that within the Christian Community the educated
class and the mass has no kinship. The Christian Community is a composite community.
In some places it is divided into touchables and untouchables. In all places it is divided
into high class and low class. The educated class is largely drawn from the touchable or
the higher class. This educated class being detached from the lower or the untouchable
class of Christians is not charged with the wants, the pains, cravings, desires, aspirations
of the latter and does not care for their interest. The untouchable Christians are therefore
leaderless and therefore unable to mobilize for the redress of their wrongs.

The second reason why there is no movement among the untouchable Christians is due
to certain faults in the mental make-up of the convert. The mental make-up of the
untouchable Christian is characterized by a complete absence of any urge to break his
bonds. What is the reason for this absence of any urge in the untouchable Christian ? It
seems to me that there are two reasons which account for this. One reason is to be found
in the antecedent of the untouchable who becomes a Christian. An untouchable becomes
a Christian for some advantage or he becomes a Christian because he likes the teaching of
the Bible. But the case is very rare of an untouchable becoming a Christian because of a
positive discontent or dislike of the Hindu religious teachings. The result is that
Christianity becomes only an addendum to his old faith. It does not become a substitute
for his old faith. He cherishes both and observes them on occasions appropriate to each.
 The second reason for the absence of any urge is due I am afraid to the teachings of the
Christian Church. The Christian Church teaches that the fall of man is due to his original
Sin and the reason why one must become Christian is because in Christianity there is
promise of forgiveness of sins. Whatever may be the theological and evangelistic basis of
this doctrine there is no doubt that from a sociological point of view it is a doctrine which
is fraught with disaster. This Christian teaching is a direct challenge to sociology which
holds that the fall of man is due to an unpropitious environment and not to the sins of
man. There is no question that the sociological view is the correct view and the Christian
dogma only misleads man. It sets him on a wrong trail. This is exactly what has happened
with the untouchable Christians. Instead of being taught that his fall is due to a wrong
social and religious environment and that for his improvement he must attack that
environment he is told that his fall is due to his sin.

The consequence is that the untouchable convert instead of being energized to conquer
his environment contents himself with the belief that there is no use struggling, for the
simple reason that his fall is due to the sin committed not by him but by some remote
ancestor of his called Adam. When he was a Hindu his fall was due to his Karma. When
he becomes a Christian he learns that his fall is due to the sins of his ancestor. In either
case there is no escape for him. One may well ask whether conversion is a birth of a new
life and a condemnation to the old.

VI
Does the Indian Christian Community count in India? What importance, what influence
does it have in settling the affairs of the country. It ought to have importance and
influence both in the country and society. It is undoubtedly the most educated and
enlightened community in India. Not only the percentage of literacy among Indian
Christians is relatively larger than in many other communities in India but the University
Graduate, Doctors, lawyers are far in excess than can be found in communities which are
vastly superior to them in number. Not only the men are educated but also women are
educated. With all this light and learning the Christians as a community, it must be said,
counts for very little—if at all—-in the affairs of India. There may be difference of
opinion on this. But this is the conclusion I have arrived at after as close and as impartial
a study as I have been able to make. My opponent might say that I am mistaken or that I
am misrepresenting. But I take comfort in the fact that there are some Indian Christians
who share my view and also my regret. Here are two letters which I take from Young
India.

'The first is from an Indian Christian to Mr. Gandhi and published in the Young India,
August 25, 1921. This is what he says:
 " I am sorry to say that you do not take us Indian Christians as the people of India, as I
have seen many times Young India mentioning Mussalmans, Hindus, Sikhs, etc., but
omitting the Christians.

" I should like you to believe that we Indian Christians are also people of India, and
take much interest in India's own affairs." The following is the comment made by Mr.
Gandhi on this letter. He says:

" I assure the correspondent and other Indian Christians that noncooperation is no
respecter of creeds or races. It invites and admits all to is fold. Many Indian Christians
have contributed to the Tilak Swaraj Fund. There are some noted Indian Christians as
non-cooperators in the front rank. There is constant mention of Musalmans and Hindus,
as they have hitherto regarded one another as enemies. Similarly there always has been
some cause when any race has been specially mentioned in these columns."' Apart from
the question whether it is true that many Indian Christians have contributed to the Tilak
Swaraj Fund and whether it is true or not that noted Christians were front rank non-
cooperators, the answer given by Mr. Gandhi to the main question of the correspondent is
incorrect if not misleading. If Musalmans are mentioned only because they regard the
Hindus as their enemies why were Sikhs mentioned? Surely they did not regard the
Hindus as their enemies. Why were they mentioned? The Sikhs were not only mentioned
but were treated as an important party without whose active cooperation it was felt that
the struggle for Swaraj could not be carried on. And be it remembered that the
cooperation given by the Sikhs was not given unconditionally. As is well known the
Sikhs had put down two conditions in return for their cooperation . One condition was
that in designing a national flag for India the Sikh colour which they said was black
should find a place in it. Their second demand was that they should be guaranteed by the
Congress representation in the legislature. It is thus clear that Sikhs were not mentioned
but placated. But the Christians were not even mentioned. Now there are only two
explanations for not mentioning the Indian Christians. Either they were with the Congress
in the struggle for Swaraj or that they were not worth mentioning as being too
insignificant. That they were not with the Congress in this struggle for Swaraj cannot be
gainsaid. The following letter written by an Indian Christian written to the Editor of the
Indian Social Reformer and reproduced in the Young India expresses the attitude of the
Indian Christians to Swaraj:

" We have positive evidence to show that as early as the second century of Christian era
there were Christian settlements in India. Such being the case, Christians in India can
claim to have existed in India some centuries earlier than the very birth of Islam. How
comes it then that the Indian Christian born and bred on the soil of India and of ancestry
purely Indian, has not learnt to cherish the ancient history of this country, its culture and
to look upon its people, however different in their religious persuations, as his bone and
of his flesh ? Whence is it that unlike him Hindu or Mahomedan fellow citizen he has not
watched for, aspired to and eagerly welcomed every stage that adds a cubit to the
cultural, social or political statute of his motherland. Why is it that Vande Mataram is a
national outpouring of the Hindus and Mahomedans only and till now ignored by the
Indian Christian?

Again how comes it that both Hindus and Mahomedans regard the Indian Christian
sentiment towards their aspirations as lukeworm if not positively hostile and conversely
why is it that the ever-growing height of the national spirit in India makes the Indian
Christian feel dwarfed and helpless and suspicious of his security in the future."

Notwithstanding Mr. George Joseph, K. T. Paul, and Dr. S. K. Datta there is no doubt
that the Indian Christian Community far from taking active part in the struggle for Swaraj
was really afraid of it and that this letter depicts truly the prevailing attitude of the Indian
Christians. The reason why the Indian Christians were not mentioned along with the
Musalmans and the Sikhs is therefore clear. "The omission to mention them is certainly
not due to their being friends of Swaraj. The only conclusion that one can draw for such a
omission is that they did not count. It is a sad thing that so enlightened a community
should have no importance and no influence in the affairs of the country.

What can be the reasons for such a position? The most obvious reason is of course the
smallness of its numbers. The weight of its numbers is too small to make its existence felt
as a force in public life as can be the case with the Musalmans or with the Depressed
Classes. But this cannot wholly account for their insignificance. There must be other
factors to account for this. I see two.

One is this. The Indian Christians are living in sheltered waters. They are, at any rate, a
large majority of them are living in the laps of the missionaries. For their education, lor
their medical care, for religious ministration and for most of their petty needs they do not
look to Government. They look to the Missions. if they were dependent upon
Government they would be required to mobilize, to agitate, educate, and organize their
masses for effective political action. For without such organization no Government would
care to attend to their needs and their requirements. They are not in the current and not
being in the current they care not for public life, and therefore no recognized place in the
public.

The second reason is that the Indian Christian is a disjointed—it is a better word than
the word disunited—Community. All that it has in common is a common source of
inspiration. Barring this one thing which they have in common everything else tends to
keep them apart. Indian Christians like all other Indians are divided by race, by language
and by caste. Their religion has not been a sufficiently strong unifying force as to make
difference of language, race and caste as though they were mere distinctions. On the
contrary their religion which is their only cement is infected with denominational
differences. The result is that the Indian Christians are too disjointed to have a common
aim, to have a common mind and to put a common endeavour. To an Indian Christian
from Tamil, a Hindu from Tamil is much nearer than an Indian Christian from the
Punjab; An Indian Christian from U.P. feels greater kinship for a Hindu from U.P. than
he does for an Indian Christian from say Maharashtra. In short, the term Indian Christian
is just a statistical phrase. There is no community feeling behind this phrase. Indian
Christians are not bound together by what is consciousness of kind which is the test of the
existence of a community.

I do not know what Indian Christians will think of what I have said of the weaknesses
which infect their life. One thing I can say. It is this--I am deeply interested in Indian
Christians because a large majority of them are drawn from the untouchable classes. My
comments are those of a friend. They are not the strictures of an adversary. I have drawn
attention to their weaknesses because I want them to be strong and I want them to be
strong because I see great dangers for them ahead. They have to reckon with the scarcely
veiled hostility of Mr. Gandhi to Christianity taking its roots in the Indian Social
structure. But they have also to reckon with militant Hinduism masquerading as Indian
Nationalism. What this militant Hinduism will do to Christians and Christianity can be
seen from what happened at Brindaban very recently. If newspaper reports are true a
crowd of mild Hinduism quietly went and burned down the Mission buildings in
Brindaban and warned the missionary that if he rebuilt it they would come and burn it
down again?! This may be the solitary instance of misguided patriots or this may be just a
piece of what the Hindus are planning to get rid of Christians and Christianity. If it is the
shadow of events to come then Indian Christians must be prepared to meet them. How
can they do that except by removing the weaknesses I have referred to? Let all Indian
Christians ponder.

324 The whole script consists of 64 pages.—Ed.

324 The Sea of Rome, pp. 143-45.

324 Quoted by Crowley. 'Tree of life', p. 5.

324 The Religion of the Semites, p.

324 The word 'religion ' inserted here is not in the original MS.—Ed.

324 "The Religious Reconstruction", pp. 39-40

324 Ibid., pp. 45-46.

325 The Religious Reconstruction ", pp. 42-43.

325 "Society in its Psychological aspects" (1913), pp. 356-57.

325 " Religion of the Semites ". p. 273.

325 " Introduction to Social Psychology ", p.

325 The Religion of the Semites. Lecture II. Prof. Smith makes this distinction as though it was a distinction between ancient society and
modern society. It is of wider importance. In reality, it is a distinction which marks off a community from a society.

325 On this subject see Smith, The Religion of the Semites, pp. 270-71.

325 Ibid., pp. 271-72.

325 The Reconstruction of Religion, pp. 40-41.

325 "
Quoted by Kaye, Christianity in India, p. 106.

325
Kaye. Christianity in India, p. 106.

325
lbid.. p. 44.

325
Census of India, 1901 Vol. XVI. N. W. Pandbudh, Report Part I, p. 98.

325
Rambles and Recollections Vol. 1. Ch. 53, p. 407.

325
Psychology, Vol. 1.

325 "The Basis of Inter-Religious Fellowship" by C. F. Andrews in "The Young Men of India, Burma and Ceylon."
June 1928. Vol. XI, No. 6.

325 Harijan. 1936. p. 330.

325 Harijan, 1936, p. 353.

325 Harijan, April 1937, p. 86.

325 Harijan for 1937, p. 137.

325 Harijan. 18th July 1936. p. 178.

325 Harijan for 1936. pp. 140-41.

325 Harijan for 1936, p. 360.

325 Harijan, 8th February 1936, p. 415.

325 Harijan, August 8, 1936.

326 In India, Burma and Ceylon.

326 In India.

326 Krishna District Manual, p. 282.

326 Mayhew—Christianity and the Government of India.p. 51.

326 J. C. Marshman. Life & Times of Carey, Marshman and word. Vol. 1. p.

326 Ibid., p. 307.

326 Krishna District Manual, p. 282.

326 An exception must however be made in favour of the Protestant Missionaries of America. In July 1847 the
American Missionaries passed the following resolution regarding this question—

"That the Mission regards caste as an essential pan of heathenism, and its full and practical renunciation, after
instruction, as essential to satisfactory evidence of piety: and that renunciation of caste implies at least readiness to eat.
under proper circumstances, with Christians of any caste."

326 Quoted by C. F. Andrews. Christ and Labour, p. 25.

326 Young India, Aug. 4. 1921.

326 Young India, 21st Dec. 1922.

326 Indian witness

THE UNTOUCHABLES WHO WERE THEY AND WHY

THEY BECAME

UNTOUCHABLES ?

_____________________________________________________
____________
Inscribed to the memory of
 NANDNAR

RAVIDAS

CHOKHAMELA

THREE RENOWNED SAINTS WHO WERE BORN AMONG THE

UNTOUCHABLES AND WHO BY THEIR PIETY AND VIRTUE WON THE
ESTEEM OF ALL.

_______________________________________________________________________
__________________

CONTENTS

PREFACE
PART I: A COMPARATIVE SURVEY

Untouchability Among Non-Hindus

Untouchability Among Hindus.

PART II: PROBLEM OF HABIT

Why do the Untouchables Live Outside The Village?

Are The Untouchables Broken Men ?

Are There Parallel Cases ?

How Did Separate Settlements For Broken Men Disappear Elsewhere ?

PART III: OLD THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF UNTOUCHABILITY

Racial Difference as the Origin of Untouchability

Occupational Origin Of Untouchability

PART IV: NEW THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF THE UNTOUCHABILITY

Contempt for Biddhist as the root of Untouchability

Beaf-eating as the root of Untouchability

PART V: THE NEW THEORIES AND SOME HARD QUESTIONS

Did the Hindus Never Eat Brief?

Why Did Non-Brahmins Give Up Beef-Eating?

What Made the Brahmins Vegetarians?

Why Should Beef-Eating Make Broken Men Untouchables?

PART VI: UNTOUCHABILITY AND THE DATE OF ITS BIRTH

The Impure And The Untouchables

When Did the Broken Men Become Untouchables?

PREFACE

This book is a sequel to my treatise called The Shudras—Who they were and How they
came to be the Fourth Varna of the Indo-Aryan Society which was published in 1946.
Besides the Shudras, the Hindu Civilisation has produced three social classes whose
existence has not received the attention it deserves. The three classes are :-
(i) The Criminal Tribes who number about 20 millions or so;
(ii) The Aboriginal Tribes who number about 15 millions; and
(iii) The Untouchables who number about 50 millions.

The existence of these classes is an abomination. The Hindu Civilisation, gauged in the
light of these social products, could hardly be called civilisation. It is a diabolical
contrivance to suppress and enslave humanity. Its proper name would be infamy. What
else can be said of a civilisation which has produced a mass of people who are taught to
accept crime as an approved means of earning their livelihood, another mass of people
who are left to live in full bloom of their primitive barbarism in the midst of civilisation
and a third mass of people who are treated as an entity beyond human intercourse and
whose mere touch is enough to cause pollution?
 In any other country the existence of these classes would have led to searching of the
heart and to investigation of their origin. But neither of these has occurred to the mind of
the Hindu. The reason is simple. The Hindu does not regard the existence of these classes
as a matter of apology or shame and feels no responsibility either to atone for it or to
inquire into its origin and growth. On the other hand, every Hindu is taught to believe
that his civilisation is not only the most ancient but that it is also in many respects
altogether unique. No Hindu ever feels tired of repeating these claims. That the Hindu
Civilisation is the most ancient, one can understand and even allow. But it is not quite so
easy to understand on what grounds they rely for claiming that the Hindu Civilisation is a
unique one. The Hindus may not like it, but so far as it strikes non-Hindus, such a claim
can rest only on one ground. It is the existence of these classes for which the Hindu
Civilisation is responsible. That the existence of such classes is a unique phenomenon, no
Hindu need repeat, for nobody can deny the fact. One only wishes that the Hindu realised
that it was a matter for which there was more cause for shame than pride.

The inculcation of these false beliefs in the sanity, superiority and sanctity of Hindu
Civilisation is due entirely to the peculiar social psychology of Hindu scholars.

Today all scholarship is confined to the Brahmins. But unfortunately no Brahamin

scholar has so far come forward to play the part of a Voltaire who had the intellectual
honesty to rise against the doctrines of the Catholic Church in which he was brought up;
nor is one likely to appear on the scene in the future. It is a grave reflection on the
scholarship of the Brahmins that they should not have produced a Voltaire. This will not
cause surprise if it is remembered that the Brahmin scholar is only a learned man. He is
not an intellectual. There is a world of difference between one who is learned and one
who is an intellectual. The former is class-conscious and is alive to the interests of his
class. The latter is an emancipated being who is free to act without being swayed by class
considerations. It is because the Brahmins have been only learned men that they have not
produced a Voltaire.

Why have the Brahmins not produced a Voltaire? The question can be answered only
by another question. Why did the Sultan of Turkey not abolish the religion of the
Mohammedan World? Why has no Pope denounced Catholicism? Why has the British
Parliament not made a law ordering the killing of all blue-eyed babies? The reason why
the Sultan or the Pope or the British Parliament has not done these things is the same as
why the Brahmins have not been able to produce a Voltaire. It must be recognised that
the selfish interest of a person or of the class to which he belongs always acts as an
internal limitation which regulates the direction of his intellect. The power and position
which the Brahmins possess is entirely due to the Hindu Civilisation which treats them as
supermen and subjects the lower classes to all sorts of disabilities so that they may never
rise and challenge or threaten the superiority of the Brahmins over them. As is natural,
every Brahmin is interested in the maintenance of Brahmanic supremacy be he orthodox
or unorthodox, be he a priest or a grahastha, be he a scholar or not. How can the
Brahmins afford to be Voltaires? A Voltaire among the Brahmins would be a positive
danger to the maintenance of a civilisation which is contrived to maintain Brahmanic
supremacy. The point is that the intellect of a Brahmin scholar is severely limited by
anxiety to preserve his interest. He suffers from this internal limitation as a result of
which he does not allow his intellect full play which honesty and integrity demands. For,
he fears that it may affect the interests of his class and therefore his own.

But what annoys one is the intolerance of the Brahmin scholar towards any attempt to
expose the Brahmanic literature. He himself would not play the part of an iconoclast
even where it is necessary. And he would not allow such non-Brahmins as have the
capacity to do so to play it. If any non-Brahmin were to make such an attempt the
Brahmin scholars would engage in a conspiracy of silence, take no notice of him,
condemn him outright on some flimsy grounds or dub his work useless. As a writer
engaged in the exposition of the Brahmanic literature I have been a victim of such mean
tricks.

Notwithstanding the attitude of the Brahmin scholars, I must pursue the task I have
undertaken. For the origin of these classes is a subject which still awaits investigation.
This book deals with one of these unfortunate classes namely, the Untouchables. The
Untouchables are the most numerous of the three. Their existence is also the most
unnatural. And yet there has so far been no investigation into their origin. That the
Hindus should not have undertaken such an investigation is perfectly understandable.
The old orthodox Hindu does not think that there is anything wrong in the observance of
untouchability. To him it is a normal and natural thing. As such it neither calls for
expiation nor explanation. The new modern Hindu realises the wrong. But he is ashamed
to discuss it in public for fear of letting the foreigner know that Hindu Civilisation can be
guilty of such a vicious and infamous system or social code as evidenced by
Untouchability. But what is strange is that Untouchability should have failed to attract
the attention of the European student of social institutions. It is difficult to understand
why. The fact, however, is there.

This book may therefore, be taken as a pioneer attempt in the exploration of a field so
completely neglected by everybody. The book, if I may say so, deals not only with every
aspect of the main question set out for inquiry, namely, the origin of Untouchability, but
it also deals with almost all questions connected with it. Some of the questions are such
that very few people are even aware of them; and those who are aware of them are
puzzled by them and do not know how to answer them. To mention only a few, the book
deals with such questions as : Why do the Untouchables live outside the village?

Why did beef-eating give rise to Untouchability ? Did the Hindus never eat beef ? Why
did non-Brahmins give up beef-eating ? What made the Brahmins become vegetarians,
etc.? To each one of these, the book suggests an answer. It may be that the answers given
in the book to these questions are not all-embracing. Nonetheless it will be found that the
book points to a new way of looking at old things.

The thesis on the origin of Untouchability advanced in the book is an altogether novel
thesis. It comprises the following propositions :-

(1) There is no racial difference between the Hindus and the Untouchables;
(2) The distinction between the Hindus and Untouchables in its original form, before
the advent of Untouchability, was the distinction between Tribesmen and Broken
Men from alien Tribes. It is the Broken Men who subsequently came to be treated
as Untouchables;
(3) Just as Untouchability has no racial basis so also has it no occupational basis;
(4) There are two roots from which Untouchability has sprung:
(a) Contempt and hatred of the Broken Men as of Buddhists by the Brahmins:
(b) Continuation of beef-eating by the Broken Men after it had been given up by
others.
(5) In searching for the origin of Untouchability care must be taken to distinguish the
Untouchables from the Impure. All orthodox Hindu writers have identified the
Impure with the Untouchables. This is an error. Untouchables are distinct from the
Impure.
(6) While the Impure as a class came into existence at the time of the Dharma Sutras
the Untouchables came into being much later than 400 A.D.

These conclusions are the result of such historical research as I have been able to make.
The ideal which a historian should place before himself has been well defined by Goethe
who said :

"The historian's duty is to separate the true from the false, the certain from the uncertain,
and the doubtful from that which cannot be accepted ... ... Every investigator must before
all things look upon himself as one who is summoned to serve on a jury. He has only to
consider how far the statement of the case is complete and clearly set forth by the
evidence. Then he draws his conclusion and gives his vote, whether it be that his opinion
coincides with that of the foreman or not."
 There can be no difficulty in giving effect to Goethe's direction when the relevant and
necessary facts are forthcoming. All this advice is of course very valuable and very
necessary. But Goethe does not tell what the historian is to do when he comes across a
missing link, when no direct evidence of connected relations between important events is
available. I mention this because in the course of my investigations into the origin of
Untouchability and other interconnected problems I have been confronted with many
missing links. It is true that I am not the only one who has been confronted with them.
All students of ancient Indian history have had to face them. For as Mount Stuart
Elphinstone has observed in Indian history "no date of a public event can be fixed before
the invasion of Alexander: and no connected relation of the natural transactions can be
attempted until after the Mohammedan conquest." This is a sad confession but that again
does not help. The question is: "What is a student of history to do? Is he to cry halt and
stop his work until the link is discovered?" I think not. I believe that in such cases it is
permissible for him to use his imagination and intuition to bridge the gaps left in the
chain of facts by links not yet discovered and to propound a working hypothesis
suggesting how facts which cannot be connected by known facts might have been inter-
connected. I must admit that rather than hold up the work, I have preferred to resort to
this means to get over the difficulty created by the missing links which have come in my
way.

Critics may use this weakness to condemn the thesis as violating the canons of
historical research. If such be the attitude of the critics I must remind them that if there is
a law which governs the evaluation of the results of historical results then refusal to
accept a thesis on the ground that it is based on direct evidence is bad law. Instead of
concentrating themselves on the issue of direct evidence versus inferential evidence and
inferential evidence versus speculation, what the critics should concern themselves with
is to examine (i) whether the thesis is based on pure conjecture, and (ii) whether the
thesis is possible and if so does it fit in with facts better than mine does?

On the first issue I could say that the thesis would not be unsound merely because in
some parts it is based on guess. My critics should remember that we are dealing with an
institution the origin of which is lost in antiquity. The present attempt to explain the
origin of Untouchability is not the same as writing history from texts which speak with
certainty. It is a case of reconstructing history where there are no texts, and if there are,
they have no direct bearing on the question. In such circumstances what one has to do is
to strive to divine what the texts conceal or suggest without being even quite certain of
having found the truth. The task is one of gathering survivals of the past, placing them
together and making them tell the story of their birth. The task is analogous to that of the
archaeologist who constructs a city from broken stones or of the palaeontologist who
conceives an extinct animal from scattered bones and teeth or of a painter who reads the
lines of the horizon and the smallest vestiges on the slopes of the hill to make up a scene.
In this sense the book is a work of art even more than of history. The origin of
Untouchability lies buried in a dead past which nobody knows. To make it alive is like an
attempt to reclaim to history a city which has been dead since ages past and present it as
it was in its original condition. It cannot but be that imagination and hypothesis should
pay a large part in such a work. But that in itself cannot be a ground for the
condemnation of the thesis. For without trained imagination no scientific inquiry can be
fruitful and hypothesis is the very soul of science. As Maxim Gorky has said* :

"Science and literature have much in common; in both, observation, comparison and
study are of fundamental importance; the artist like the scientist, needs both imagination
and intuition. Imagination and intuition bridge the gaps in the chain of facts by its as yet
undiscovered links and permit the scientist to create hypothesis and theories which more
or less correctly and successfully direct the searching of the mind in its study of the
forms and phenomenon of nature. They are of literary creation; the art of creating
characters and types demands imagination, intuition, the ability to make things up in
one's own mind".

It is therefore unnecessary for me to apologise for having resorted to constructing links

where they were missing. Nor can my thesis be said to be vitiated on that account for
nowhere is the construction of links based on pure conjecture. The thesis in great part is
based on facts and inferences from facts. And where it is not based on facts or inferences
from facts, it is based on circumstantial evidence of presumptive character resting on
considerable degree of probability. There is nothing that I have urged in support of my
thesis which I have asked my readers to accept on trust. I have at least shown that there
exists a preponderance of probability in favour of what I have asserted. It would be
nothing but pedantry to say that a preponderance of probability is not a sufficient basis
for a valid decision.

On the second point with the examination of which, I said, my critics should concern
themselves what I would like to say is that I am not so vain as to claim any finality for
my thesis. I do not ask them to accept it as the last word. I do not wish to influence their
judgement. They are of course free to come to their own conclusion. All I say to them is
to consider whether this thesis is not a workable and therefore, for the time being, a valid
hypothesis if the test of a valid hypothesis is that it should fit in with all surrounding
facts, explain them and give them a meaning which in its absence they do not appear to
have. I do not want anything more from my critics than a fair and unbiased appraisal.
January 1,1948

1, Hardinge Avenue,
New Delhi. B. R. AMBEDKAR

PART I

A COMPARATIVE SURVEY
CHAPTER I
UNTOUCHABILITY AMONG NON-HINDUS

WHO are the Untouchables and what is the origin of Untouchability? These are the main
topics which it is sought to investigate and the results of which are contained in the
following pages. Before launching upon the investigation it is necessary to deal with
certain preliminary questions. The first such question is : Are the Hindus the only people
in the world who observe Untouchability? The second is: If Untouchability is observed
by Non-Hindus also how does Untouchability among Hindus compare with
Untouchability among non-Hindus? Unfortunately no such comparative study has so far
been attempted. The result is that though most people are aware of the existence of
Untouchability among the Hindus they do not know what are its unique features. A
definite idea of its unique and distinguishing features is however essential not merely for
a real understanding of the position of the Untouchables but also as the best means of
emphasising the need of investigating into their origin.

It is well to begin by examining how the matter stood in Primitive and Ancient
Societies. Did they recognise Untouchability? At the outset it is necessary to have a clear
idea as to what is meant by Untouchability. On this point, there can be no difference of
opinion. It will be agreed on all hands that what underlies Untouchability is the notion of
defilement, pollution, contamination and the ways and means of getting rid of that
defilement.

Examining the social life of Primitive Society* in order to find out whether or not it
recognised Untouchability in the sense mentioned above there can be no doubt that
Primitive Society not only did believe in the notion of defilement but the belief had given
rise to a live system of well-defined body of rites and rituals.

Primitive Man believed that defilement was caused by

(1) the occurrences of certain events;
(2) contact with certain things; and
(3) contact with certain persons.

Primitive Man also believed in the transmission of evil from one person to another. To
him the danger of such transmission was peculiarly acute at particular times such as the
performance of natural functions, eating, drinking, etc. Among the events the occurrence
of which was held by Primitive Man as certain to cause defilement included the
following :—

(1) Birth
(2) Initiation
(3) Puberty
(4) Marriage
(5) Cohabitation
(6) Death

Expectant mothers were regarded as impure and a source of defilement to others. The
impurity of the mother extended to the child also.

Initiation and puberty are stages which mark the introduction of the male and the
female to full sexual and social life. They were required to observe seclusion, a special
diet, frequent ablutions, use of pigment for the body and bodily mutilation such as
circumcision. Among the American Tribes not only did the initiates observe a special
dietary but also took an emetic at regular intervals.

The ceremonies which accompanied marriage show that marriage was regarded by the
Primitive Man as impure. In some cases the bride was required to undergo intercourse by
men of the tribe as in Australia or by the chief or the medicine man of the tribe as in
America or by the friends of the grooms as among the East African Tribes. In some cases
there takes place the tapping of the bride by a sword by the bridegroom. In some cases,
as among the Mundas, there takes place marriage to a tree before marriage with the
bridegroom. All these marriage observances are intended to neutralise and prepare the
individual against the impurity of marriage.

To the Primitive Man the worst form of pollution was death. Not only the corpse, but
the possession of the belongings of the deceased were regarded as infected with
pollution. The widespread custom of placing implements, weapons, etc., in the grave
along with the corpse indicates that their use by others was regarded as dangerous and
unlucky.

Turning to pollution arising out of contact with objects. Primitive Man had learned to
regard certain objects as sacred and certain others as profane. For a person to touch the
sacred was to contaminate the sacred and to cause pollution to it. A most striking
example of the separation of the sacred and the profane in Primitive Society is to be
found among the Todas, the whole of whose elaborate ritual and (it would not be too
much to say) the whole basis of whose social organisation is directed towards securing
the ceremonial purity of the sacred herds, the sacred dairy, the vessels, and the milk, and
of those whose duty it is to perform connected rites and rituals. In the dairy, the sacred
vessels are always kept in a separate room and the milk reaches them only by transfer to
and fro of an intermediate vessel kept in another room. The dairyman, who is also the
priest, is admitted to office only after an elaborate ordination, which in effect is a
purification. He is thereby removed from the rank of ordinary men to a state of fitness for
sacred office. His conduct is governed by regulations such as those which permit him to
sleep in the village and only at certain times, or that which entails that a dairyman who
attends a funeral should cease from that time to perform his sacred function. It has,
therefore, been conjectured that the aim of much of the ritual is to avert the dangers of
profanation and prepare or neutralise the sacred substance for consumption by those who
are themselves unclean.

The notion of the sacred was not necessarily confined to objects. There were certain
classes of men who were sacred. For a person to touch them was to cause pollution.
Among the Polynesians, the tabu character of a Chief is violated by the touch of an
inferior, although in this case the danger falls upon the inferior. On the other hand, in
Efate, the 'sacred man' who comes into contact with Namin (ceremonial uncleanliness)
destroys his sacredness. In Uganda, before building a temple, the men were given four
days in which to purify themselves. On the other hand, the Chief and his belongings are
very often regarded as sacred and, therefore, as dangerous to others of an inferior rank. In
the Tonga island, anyone who touches a Chief contacted tabu; it was removed by
touching the sole of the foot of a superior chief. The sacred quality of the chief in Malaya
Peninsula also resided in the Royal Regalia and anyone touching it was invited with
serious illness or death.

Contact with strange people was also regarded as a source of Untouchability by the
Primitive Man. Among the Bathonga, a tribe in South Africa, it is believed that those
who travel outside their own country are peculiarly open to danger from the influence of
foreign spirits and in particular from demoniac possession. Strangers are tabu because,
worshipping strange gods, they bring strange influence with them. They are, therefore,
fumigated or purified in some other way. In the Dieri and neighbouring tribes even a
member of the tribe returning home after a journey was treated as a stranger and no
notice was taken of him until he sat down.

The danger of entering a new country is as great as that which attaches to those who
come from thence. In Australia, when one tribe approaches another, the members carry
lighted sticks to purify the air, just as the Spartan kings in making war had sacred fires
from the alter "arried before them to the frontier.
 In the same manner, those entering a house from the outside world were required to
perform some ceremony, even if it were only to remove their shoes, which would purify
the incomer from the evil with which otherwise he might contaminate those within, while
the threshold, door-posts and lintel—important as points of contact with outer world—
are smeared with blood or sprinkled with water when any member of household or of the
community has become a source of pollution, or a horse-shoe is suspended over the door
to keep out evil and bring goodluck.

Of course, the rites and ceremonies connected with birth, death, marriage, etc., do not
positively and unequivocally suggest that they were regarded as sources of pollution. '
But that pollution is one element among many others is indicated by the fact that in every
case there is segregation. There is segregation and isolation in birth, initiation, marriage,
death and in dealing with the sacred and the strange.

In birth the mother is segregated. At puberty and initiation there is segfegadon and
seclusion for a period. In marriage, from the time of betrothal until the actual ceremony
bride and bride-groom do not meet. In menstruation a woman is subjected to segregation.
Segregation is most noticeable in the case of death. There is not only isolation of the
dead-body but there is isolation of all the relatives of the dead from the rest of the
community. This segregation is evidenced by the growth of hair and nail and wearing of
old clothes by the relatives of the dead which show that they are not served by the rest of
the society such as the barber, washerman, etc. The period of segregation and the range
of segregation differ in the case of death but the fact of segregation is beyond dispute. In
the case of defilement of the sacred by the profane or of defilement of the kindred or by
intercourse with the non-kindred there is also the element of segregation. The profane
must keep away from the sacred. So the kindred must keep away from the non-kindred. It
is thus clear that in Primitive Society pollution involved segregation of the polluting
agent.

Along with the development of the notion of defilement. Primitive Society had
developed certain purificatory media and purificatory ceremonies for dispelling impurity.

Among the agents used for dispelling impurity are water and blood. The sprinkling of
water and the sprinkling of blood by the person defiled were enough to make him pure.
Among purificatory rites were included changing of clothes, cutting hair, nail, etc.,
sweat-bath, fire, fumigation, burning of incense and fanning with the bough of a tree.

These were the means of removing impurity. But Primitive Society had another method
of getting rid of impurity. This was to transfer it to another person. It was transferred to
some one who was already tabu.
 In New Zealand, if anyone touched the head of another, the head being a peculiarly
'sacred' part of the body, he became tabu. He purified himself by rubbing his hands on
femroot, which was then eaten by the head of the family in female line. In Tonga, if a
man ate tabued food he saved himself from the evil consequences by having the foot of a
chief placed on his stomach.

The idea of transmission also appears in the custom of the scapegoat. In Fiji, a tabued
person wiped his hands on a pig, which became sacred to the chief, while in Uganda, at
the end of the period of mourning for a king a 'scapegoat' along with a cow, a goat, a dog,
a fowl and the dust and fire from the king's house was conveyed to the Bunyoro frontier,
and there the animals were maimed and left to die. This practice was held to remove all
uncleanliness from the king and queen.

Such are the facts relating to the notion of pollution as it prevailed in Primitive Society.

II

Turning to Ancient Society the notion of pollution prevalent therein was not materially
different from what was prevalent in Primitive Society. There is difference as to the
sources of pollution. There is difference regarding purificatory ceremonies. But barring
these differences the pattern of pollution and purification in Primitive and Ancient
Society is the same.

Comparing the Egyptian system of pollution with the Primitive system there is no
difference except that in Egypt it was practised on an elaborate scale.

Among the Greeks the causes of impurity were bloodshed, the presence of ghost and
contact with death, sexual intercourse, childbirth, the evacuation of the body, the eating
of certain food such as pea-soup, cheese and garlic, the intrusion of unauthorised persons
into holy places, and, in certain circumstances, foul speech and quarrelling. The
purificatory means, usually called kaopoia by Greeks, were lustral water, sulphur,
onions, fumigation and fire, incense, certain boughs and other vegetative growths, pitch,
wool, certain stones and amulets, bright things like sunlight and gold, sacrificed animals,
especially the pig and of these specially the blood and the skin; finally, certain festivals
and festival rites particularly the ritual of cursing and the scapegoat. One unusual method
was the cutting of the hair of the polluted person or sacrificial communion with the deity.

A striking feature of the Roman notion of pollution and purification is to be found in

the belief of territorial and communal pollution and purification. Parallel to the lustratio
of the house is the periodical purificatory ritual applied to a country district (Pagi). The
lustractio pagi consisted in a religious procession right round its boundaries, with
sacrifice. There seems to have been in ancient days a similar procession round the walls
of the city, called amburbium. In historical times special purification of the City was
carried out when a calamity called for it, e.g. after the early disasters in the Second Punic
War. The object of all such expiations was to seek reconciliation with the gods. Lustral
ceremony accompanied the foundation of a colony. The Therminalia protective of
boundaries, and the Compitalia of streets in the City were also probably lustral in their
origin. Down to the late period, priests called Luperci perambulated in the boundaries of
the earliest Rome, the settlement on the Palatinate. Earlier there was an annual solemn
progress round the limits of the most ancient territory of the Primitive City. It was led by
the Archaic priesthood called the Arval brotherhood. The ceremony was called
ambravalia and it was distinctly piacular. When Roman territory was expanded no
corresponding extension of the lustral rite seems ever to have been made. These round-
about piacular surveys were common elsewhere, inside as well as outside Italy and
particularly in Greece. The solemn words and prayers of the traditional chant, duly gone
through without slip of tongue, seem to have had a sort of magical effect. Any error in
the pronouncement of these forms would involve a need of reparation, just as in the
earliest Roman legal system, the mispronunciation of the established verbal forms would
bring loss of the lawsuit.

Other forms of quaint ancient ritual were connected with the piacular conception. The
Salii, ancient priests of Mars, made a journey at certain times round a number of stations
in the City. They also had a 'cleaning of the weapons' and a 'cleaning of the trumpets'
which testify to a primitive notion that the efficiency of the army's weapons required
purification. The 'washing' (lustrum) with which the census ended was in essence
military; for it was connected with the Comitia Centuriata, which is merely the army in
civil garb. Lustratio exercitus was often performed when the army was in the field, to
remove superstitious dread which sometimes attacked it at other times, it was merely
prophylactic. There was also a illustration of the fleet.

Like all Primitive people the Hebrews also entertained the notion of defilement. The
special feature of their notion of defilement was the belief that defilement was also
caused by contact with the carcass of unclean animals, by eating a carcass or by contact
with creeping things, or by eating creeping things and by contact with animals which are
always unclean such as "every beast which divided the hoof, and is not cloven footed,
nor chewed the cud. ..whatsoever goes upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that
go on all four". Contact with any unclean person was also defilement to the Hebrews.
Two other special features of the Hebrew notion of defilement may be mentioned. The
Hebrews believed that defilement might be caused to persons by idolatrous practices or
to a land by the sexual impurities of the people.
 On the basis of this survey, we can safely conclude that there are no people Primitive or
Ancient who did not entertain the notion of pollution.

CHAPTER II

UNTOUCHABILITY AMONG HINDUS

IN the matter of pollution there is nothing to distinguish the Hindus from the Primitive
or Ancient peoples. That they recognised pollution is abundantly clear from the Manu
Smriti. Manu recognises physical defilement and also notional defilement.

Manu treated birth, death and menstruation as sources of impurity. With regard to
death, defilement was very extensive in its range. It followed the rule of consanguity.
Death caused difilement to members of the family of the dead person technically called
Sapindas and Samanodakas It not only included maternal relatives such as maternal
uncle but also remote relatives It extended even to nonrelatives such as (1) teacher (2)
teacher's son, (3) teacher's wife, (4) pupi (5) fellow student, (6) Shrotriya, (7) king, (8)
friend, (9) members of the household, (10) those who carried the corpse and (II) those
who touched the corpse.

Anyone within the range of defilement could not escape it. There were only certain
persons who were exempt. In the following verses Manu names them and specifies the
reasons why he exempts them:—

"V.93. The taint of impurity does not fall on kings and those engaged in the
performance of a vow, or of a Sattra; for the first are seated on the throne of
India, and the (last two are) ever pure like Brahman.
94. For a king, on the throne of magnanimity, immediate purification is prescribed,
and the reason for that is that he is seated (there) for the protection of (his)
subjects.
95. (The same rule applies to the kinsmen) of those who have fallen in a riot or a
battle, (of those who have been killed) by lightning or by the king, and for
cows and Brahmins, and to those whom the king wishes to be pure (in spite of
impurity).
96. A king is an incarnation of the eight guardian deities of the world, the Moon,
the Fire, the Sun, the Wind, Indra, the Lords of wealth and water (Kubera and
Varuna) and Yama.
97. Because the king is pervaded by those lords of the world, no impurity is
ordained for him for purity and impurity of mortals is caused and removed by
those lords of the world."
 From this it is clear that the king, the kinsmen of those who have fallen in a noble cause
as defined by Manu and those whom the king chose to exempt were not affected by the
normal rules of defilement. Manu's statement that the Brahmin was 'ever pure' must be
understood in its usual sense of exhalting the Brahmin above everything. It must not be
understood to mean that the Brahmin was free from defilement. For he was not. Indeed
besides being defiled by births and deaths the Brahmin also suffered defilement on
grounds which did not affect the Non-Brahmins. The Manu Smriti is full of tabus and
don'ts which affect only the Brahmins and which he must observe and failure to observe
which makes him impure.

The idea of defilement in Manu is real and not merely notional. For he makes the food
offered by the polluted person unacceptable.

Manu also prescribes the period of defilement. It varies. For the death of a Sapinda it is
ten days. For children three days. For fellow students one day. Defilement does not
vanish by the mere lapse of the prescribed period. At the end of the period there must be
performed a purificatory ceremony appropriate to the occasion.

For the purposes of purification Manu treats the subject of defilement from three
aspects :(l) Physical defilement, (2) notional or psychological defilement, and (3) ethical
defilement The rule for the purification of ethical defilement which occurs when a person
entertains evil thoughts are more admonitions and exhortations. But the rites for the
removal of notional and physical defilement are the same. They include the use of water.
earth cows urine, the kusa grass and ashes Earth, cow's urine, Kusa grass and ashes are
prescribed as purificatory agents for removing physical impurities caused by the touch of
inanimate objects. Water is the chief agent for the removal of notional defilement. It is
used in three ways (1) sipping, (2) bath, and (3) abludon Later on panchagavya became
the most important agency for removing notional defilement. It consists of a mixture of
the five products of the cow, namely, milk, urine, dung, curds and butter.

In Manu there is also provision for getting rid of defilement by transmission through a
scapegoat namely by touching the cow or looking at the sun after sipping water.

Besides the individual pollution the Hindus believe also in territorial and communal
pollution and purification very much like the system that prevailed among the early
Romans. Every village has an annual jatra. An animal, generally a he buffalo, is
purchased on behalf of the village. The animal is taken round the village and is
sacrificed, the blood is sprinkled round the village and towards the end toe meat is
distributed among the villagers. Every Hindu, every Brahmin even though he may not be
a beef eater is bound to accept his share of the meat. This is not mentioned in any of the
Smritis but it has the sanction of custom which among the Hindus is so strong that it
always overrides law.

II

If one could stop here, one could well say that the notion of defilement prevalent
among the Hindus is not different from that which obtained in Primitive and in Ancient
Societies. But one cannot stop here. For there is another form of Untouchability observed
by the Hindus which has not yet been set out. It is the hereditary Untouchability of
certain communities. So vast is the list of such communities that it would be difficult for
an individual with his unaided effort to compile an exhaustive list. Fortunately such a list
was prepared by the Government of India in 1935 and is attached to the Orders-in-
Council issued under the Government of India Act of 1935. To this Order-in-Council
there is attached a Schedule. The Schedule is divided into nine parts. One part refers to
one province and enumerates the castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within steps
which are deemed to be Untouchables in that province either in the whole of that
province or part thereof. The list may be taken to be both exhaustive and authentic. To
give an idea of the vast number of communities which are regarded as hereditary
Untouchables by the Hindus. I reproduce below the list given in the Order-in-Council.

SCHEDULE

PART 1 – MADRAS
(1) Scheduled Castes throughout the Province :—
Adi-Andhra. Gosangi. Paidi.

Adi-Dravida. Haddi. Painda.

Adi-Karnataka. Hasla. Paky.

Ajila. Holeya. Pallan.

Arunthuthiyar. Jaggali. Pambada.

Baira. Jambuvulu. Pamidi.

Bakuda. Kalladi. Panchama.

Bandi. Kanakkan. Paniyan.

 Bariki. Kodalo. Panniandi.

Battada. Koosa. Paraiyan.

Bavuri Koraga. Parvan.

Bellara. Kudumban. Pulayan.

Bygari Kuravan. Puthirai Vanaa. Raneyar.

Chachati. Chakkiliyan. Madari. Relli

Chalvadi.
Madiga. Samagara.
Chamar.
Maila. Samban.
Chandala. Cheruman.
Mala. Separi
Dandasi.
Devendrakulathan. Mala Dasu. Semman.
Ghasi.
Matangi. Thoti.
Godagali.
Moger. Tiruvalhivr.
Godari.
Muchi. Valluvan.
Godda.
Mundala. Valmiki.

Natekeyava. Vettuvan.

Nayadi

Paga dai

(2) Scheduled Castes throughout the Provinces except in any special constituency
constituted under the Government of India Act, 1935, for the election of a representative
of backward areas and backward tribes to the Legislative Assembly of the Province :—
Arnadan. Kattunayakan. Kuruman.
Dombo. Kudiya. Malasar.
Kadan. Kudubi. Mavilan.
Karimpalan. Kurichchan. Pano.
PART II.—BOMBAY
Scheduled Castes:—
(1) Throughout the Province :—
Asodi. Dhor. Mang Garudi.
Bakad. Garode. Maghval, or Menghwar.
Bhambi. Halleer. Mini Madig.
Bhangi. Halsar, or Haslar. Mukri.
Chakrawadya-Dasar. Hulsavar. Nadia.
Chalvadi. Holaya. Shenva, or Shindhava.
Chambhar or Mochigar or' Khalpa. Shinghdav, or Shingadya.
Samagar. Kolcha, or Kolgha. Sochi.
Chena-Dasaru. Koli-Dhor. Timali.
Chuhar, or Chuhra. Lingader. Turi.
Dakaleru. Madig, or Mang. Vankar.
Dhed. Mahar. Vitholia.
Dhegu-Megu.
(2) Throughout the Province except in the Ahmedabad, Kaira, Broach and Panch
Mahals and Surat Districts—Mochi.

(3) In the Kanara distirct—Kotegar.

PART III — BENGAL

Scheduled Castes throughout the Province :—
Agarua Bhumij. Gonrili.

Bagdi Bind. Hadi.

Bahelia. Bmjhia. Hajang.

Baiti. Chamar. Halalkor.

Bauri. Dhenuar. Hari.

Bediya. Dhoba. Ho.

Beddar. Doai. Jalia Kaibartta.

Berua. Dom. Jhalo Malo, or Malo.

Bhatiya. Dosadh Kadar.

Bhiumali. Garo. Kalpahariya.

Bhuiya. Ghasi. Kan.

Kandh. Lodha. 0raon.

Kandra. Lahor. Paliya.

Kaora. Mahli. Pan.

Kapuria. Mal. Pasi.

Karenga. Mahar. Patni

Kastha. Mallah. Pod.

Kaur. Mech. Rabha.

Khaira. Mehtor. Rajbanshi.

Khatik. Muchi. Rajwar.

Koch. Munda. Santal.

Konai. Musahar. Sunn.

Konwar. Nagesia. Tiyar.

Kora. Namasudm. Tun.

Kotal. Nat

Lalbegi. Nuniya.

PART IV — UNITED PROVINCES

Scheduled Castes:—

(1) Throughout the Province :—

Agaria. Chamar. Kharwar (except

Benbansi)
Aheriya. Chero.
Khatik.
Badi. Dabagar. Dhangar.
Dhanuk(Bhangi). Kol.
Badhik. Dharikar.
Korwa.
Baheliya. Dhobi.
Lalbegi.
Bajaniya. Dom.
Majhawar.
Bajgi. Domar.
Nat
Balahar. Ghaiami.
Pankha.
Balmiki. Ghasiya.
Parahiya.
Banmaus. Gual.
Bansphor. Pasi.
Habura.
Barwar. Patari.
Hari.
Basor. Rawat.
Hela.
Bawariya. Saharya.
Khairaha.
Beldar. Sanaurhiya.
Kalabaz.
Bengali. Sansiya.
Kanjar.
Berya. Shilpkar.
Kapariya.
Bhantu. Tharu.
Karwal.
Bhuiya. Turaiha.
Kharot.
Bhuiyar.
 Boriya.

(2) Throughout the Province except in the Agra, Meerut and Rohilkhand divisions—
Kori.

PART V—PUNJAB
Scheduled Castes throughout the Province :—
Ad Dharmis. Marija, or Marecha. Khatik.
Bawaria. Bengali. Kori.
Chamar. Baiar. Nat.
Chuhra, or Balmiki. Bazigar. Pasi.
Dagi and Koli. Bhanjra. Pema.
Dhumna. Chanal. Sepela.
Od. Dhanak. Siridband.
Sansi. Gagra. Meghi.
Sarera. Gandhila. Ramdasis.
PART VI.—BIHAR
Scheduled Castes:—
(1) Throughtout the Province :—
Chamar. Halalkhor. Mochi.
Chaupal. Hari. Musahar.
Dhobi. Kanjar. Nat.
Dusadh. Kurariar. Pasi.
Dom. Lalbegi.
(2) In the Patna and Tirhut divisions and the Bhagalpur, Monghyr, Palamau and Pumea
districts :—
Bauri. Bhumij. Rajwar.
Bhogta. Ghasi. Tun.
Bhaiiya. Pan.
(3) In the Dhanbad sub-division of the Manbhum district and the Central Manbhum
general rural constituency, and the Purulia and Raghunathpur municipalities:—
Bauri. Ghasi. Rajwar.
Bhogta. Pan. Turi.
Bhuiya.
PART VII—CENTRAL PROVINCES AND BERAR
Scheduled Castes Localities
Basor, or Burud, Throughout the Province.
Chamar,
Dom,
Ganda,
Mang,
Mehtar or Bhangi,
Mochi,
Satnami
Audhelia In the Bilaspur distict.
Bahna In the Arnraoti district
Balahi, or Balai In the Berar division and the Balaghat, Bhandara Betul,
Chanda, Chhindwara, Hoshangabad, Jabbulpore,
Mandia, Nagpur, Nimar, Saugor and Wardha districts.
Bedar In the Akola, Arnraoti and Buldana districts.
Chadar In the Bhandara and Saugor districts.
Chauhan In the Durg district.
Dahayat In the Damoh sub-division of the Saugor district.
Dewar In the Bilaspur, Durg and Raipur districts.
Dhanuk In the Saugor district, except in the Damoh sub-division
thereof.
Dhimar In the Bhandara district.
Dhobi In the Bhandara, Bilaspur, Raipur and Saugor districts
and the Hoshangabad and Seoni-Malwa tahsils of the
Hoshangabad district.
Dohar In the Berar division and the Balghat, Bhandara, Chanda,
Nagpur and Wardha districts.
Ghasia In the Berar division and in the Balaghat, Bhandara,
Bilsaspur, Chanda, Durg, Nagpur, Raipur and Wardha
districts.
Holiya In the Balaghat and Bhandara districts.
Jangam In the Bhandara district.
Kaikari In the Berar division, and in Bhandara, Chanda, Nagpur
and Wardha districts.
Katia In the Berar division, in the Balghat, Betui, Bhandara,
Bilaspur, Chanda, Durg, Nagpur, Nimar, Raipur and
Wardha districts, in the Hoshangabad and Seoni-Malwa
tahsils of the Hoshangabad district, in the Chhindwara
district, except in the Seoni sub-division thereof, and in the
Saugor district, except in the Damoh sub-division thereof.
 Khangar In the Bhadara, Buldhana and Saugor districts and the
Hoshangabad and Sconi Malwa tahsils of the
Hoshangabad district.
Khatik In the Berar division, in' the Balaghat, Bhandara, Chanda,
Nagpur and Wardha districts, in the Hoshangabad tahsil
of the Hoshangabad district, in the Chhindwara district,
except in the Seoni sub-division thereof, and in the Saugor
district, except in the Damoh sub-division thereof.
Koli In the Bhandara and Chanda districts.
Kori In the Arnraoti, Balaghat, Betui, Bhandara, Buldana,
Chhindwara, Jubbulpore, Mandia, Nimar, Raipur'and
Saugor districts, and in the Hoshangabad district, except
in the Harda and Sohagpur tahsils thereof.
Kumhar In the Bhandara and Saugor districts and the
Hoshangabad and Seoni-Malwa tahsils of the
Hoshangabad district.
Madgi In the Berar division and in the Balaghat, Bhandara,
Chanda, Nagpur and Wardha districts.
Mala In the Balaghat, Betui, Chhindwara, Hoshangabad,
Jubbuipwe Mandla, Nimar and Saugor districts.
Mehra or Mahar. Throughout the Province, except in the Harda and
Sohagpur tahsils of the Hoshangabad district
Nagarchi In the Balaghat, Bhandaia, Chhindwara,Mandla, Nagpur
and Raipur districts.
Ojha In the Balaghat, Bhandara and Mandia districts and the
Hoshangabad tahsil of the Hoshangabad district
Panka In the Berar division, in the Balaghat, Bhandara, Bilaspur,
Chanda, Durg, Nagpur, Raipur, Saugor and Wardha
districts and in the Chhindwara district, except in the
Seoni subdivison thereof.
Pardhi In the Narsinghpura sub-division of the Hoshangabad
district.
Pradhan In the Berar division, in the Bhandara, Chanda, Nagpur,
Nimar, Raipur and Wardha districts and in the
Chhaindwara district, except in the Seoni sub-division
thereof.
Rajjhar In the Sohagpur tahsil of the Hoshangabad district.
PART VIII – ASSAM
 Scheduled Castes :-

(1) In the Assam Valley :-

Namasudra. Hira. Mehtar, or Bhangi.

Kaibartta. Lalbegi. Bansphor.

Bania, or Brittial-Bania.

(2) In the Surma Valley –

Mali, or Bhuimali. Sutradhar. Kaibartta, or Jaliya.

Dhupi, or Dhobi. Muchi. Lalbegi.
Dugla, or Dholi. Patni. Mehtar, or Bhangi.

Jhalo and Malo. Namasudra. Bansphor.

Mahara.
PART IX - ORISSA
Scheduled Castes :-

(1) Throughout the Province :-

Adi-Andhra. Chamar. Chandala. Ghusuria.
Dandasi.
Audhelia. Godagali.
Dewar.
Bariki. Godari.
Dhoba or Dhobi.
Bansor, or Burud. Ganda. Godra.

Bavuri. Gokha.

Chachati. Haddi, or Hari.

Irika, Mala. Panchama.

Jaggali, Mang. Panka.

Kandra, Mangan. Relli.

Sapari.
Satnami.
 Katia, Mehra, or Mahar. Siyal.

Kela. Mehtar, or Bhangi. Valmiki.

Kodalo. Mochi or Muchi.

Madari. Paidi.

Madiga. Painda.

Mahuria. Pamidi.

(2) Throughout the Province except in the Khondmals district, the district of Sambalpur
and the areas transferred to Orissa under the provisions of the Government of India
(Constitution of Orissa) Order, 1936, from the Vizagapatam and Ganjam Agencies
in the Presidency of Madras :-
Pan, or Pano.
(3) Throughout the Province except in the Khondmals district and the areas so
transferred to Orissa from the said Agencies :-
Dom, or Dambo.
(4) Throughout the Province except in the district of Sambalpur :
Bauro. Bhumij. Turi.
Bhuiya. Ghasi, or Ghasia.
(5) In the Nawapara sub-division of the district of Sambalpur :-
Kori. Nagarchi. Pradhan.

This is a very terrifying list. It includes 429 communities. Reduced to numbers it means
that today there exist in India 50-60 millions of people whose mere touch causes
pollution to the Hindus. Surely, the phenomenon of Untouchability among primitive and
ancient society pales into insignificance before this phenomenon of hereditary
Untouchability for so many millions of people, which we find in India. This type of
Untouchability among Hindus stands in a class by itself. It has no parallel in the history
of the world. It is unparalleled not merely by reason of the colossal numbers involved
which exceed the number of great many nations in Asia and in Europe but also on other
grounds.
 There are some striking features of the Hindu system of Untouchability affecting the
429 Untouchable communities which are not to be found in the custom of Untouchability
as observed by Non-Hindu communities, primitive or ancient.

The isolation prescribed by Non-Hindu societies as a safeguard against defilement, if it

is not rational, is at least understandable. It is for specified reasons such as birth,
marriage, death, etc.. But the isolation prescribed by Hindu society is apparently for no
cause.

Defilement as observed by the Primitive Society was of a temporary duration which

arose during particular times such as the performance of natural functions, eating,
drinking, etc. or a natural crisis in the life of the individual such as birth, death,
menstruation, etc. After the period of defilement was over and after the purificatory
ceremonies were performed the defilement vanished and the individual became pure and
associable. But the impurity of the 50-60 millions of the Untouchables of India, quite
unlike the impurity arising from birth, death, etc., is permanent. The Hindus who touch
them and become polluted thereby can become pure by undergoing purificatory
ceremonies. But there is nothing which can make the Untouchables pure. They are born
impure, they are impure while they live, they die the death of the impure, and they give
birth to children who are born with the stigma of Untouchability affixed to them. It is a
case of permanent, hereditary stain which nothing can cleanse.

In the third place, Non-Hindu societies which believed in defilement isolated the
individuals affected or at the most those closely connected with them. But the
Untouchability among the Hindus involves the isolation of a class-a class which today
numbers about 50 to 60 million people.

In the fourth place, Non-Hindu societies only isolated the affected individuals. They
did not segregate them in separate quarters. The Hindu society insists on segregation of
the Untouchables. The Hindu will not live in the quarters of the Untouchables and will
not allow the Untouchables to live inside Hindu quarters. This is a fundamental feature of
Untouchability as it is practised by the Hindus. It is not a case of social separation, a
mere stoppage of social intercourse for a temporary period. It is a case of territorial
segregation and of a cordon sanitaire putting the impure people inside a barbed wire into
a sort of a cage. Every Hindu village has a ghettto. The Hindus live in the village and the
Untouchables in the ghetto.

Such is the Hindu system of Untouchability. Who can deny that it is not altogether
different from what is found to exist among Non-Hindu societies? That Untouchability
among Hindus is a unique phenomenon is beyond question. Persons were treated by non-
Hindu communities as impure but as individuals. Never a whole class was treated as
impure. But their impurity was of a temporary duration and was curable by the
performance of some purifactory rites. There has never been a case of permanent
impurity based on the rule 'once impure always impure'. Persons were treated as impure
by Non-Hindu Communities and they were even cut off from social intercourse. But
there has never been a case of persons having been put into permanent segregation
camps. A whole body of people have been treated as impure by Non-Hindu communities.
But they were strangers outside the fold of the kindred. There has never been a case of a
people treating a section of their own people as permanently and hereditarily impure.

Untouchability among Hindus is thus a unique phenomenon, unknown to humanity in

other parts of the world. Nothing like it is to be found in any other society- primitive,
ancient or modern. The many problems that arise out of a study of Untouchability and
which call for investigation may be reduced to two :

(1) Why do the Untouchables live outside the village?

(2) What made their impurity permanent, and ineradicable?

The following pages are devoted to finding answers to these two questions.

PART II
PROBLEM OF HABITAT

CHAPTER III

WHY DO THE UNTOUCHABLES LIVE

OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE ?
THAT the Untouchables live outside the village is so notorious a fact that it must be
taken to be within the cognisance even of those whose knowledge about them is not very
profound. Yet, nobody has thought that this was a serious question calling for
satisfactory answer. How did the Untouchables come to live outside the village? Were
they declared to be Untouchables first and then deported out of the village and made to
live outside? Or were they from the very beginning living outside the village and were
subsequently declared to be Untouchables? If the answer is that they were living outside
the village from the very beginning, there arises a further question, namely, what can be
the reason for it ?
 As the question of the separate settlement of the Untouchables has never been raised
before, naturally there exists no theory as to how the Untouchables came to live outside
the village. There is, of course, the view of the Hindu Shastras and if one wants to
dignify it by calling it a theory one may do so. The Shastras of course say that the
Antyajas should live and have their abode outside the village. For instance,' Manu says:

"X. 51. But the dwellings of the Chandalas and the Shvapakas shall be outside the
village, they must be made Apapatras and their wealth (shall be) dogs and
donkeys.
X. 52. Their dress (shall be) the garments of the dead, (they shall eat) their food from
broken dishes, black iron (shall be) their ornaments and they must always
wander from place to place.
X. 53. A man who fulfils a religious duty, shall not seek intercourse with them; their
transactions (shall be) among themselves and their marriages with their
equals.
X. 54. Their food shall be given to them by others (than an Aryan giver) in a broken
dish; at night they shall not walk about in village and in towns.
X. 55. By day they may go about for the purpose of their work, distinguished by
marks at king's command, and they shall carry out the corpses (of persons)
who have no relatives; that is a settled rule.
X. 56. By the King's order they shall always execute the criminals, in accordance with
the law, and they shall take for themselves the clothes, the beds, and the
ornaments of (such) criminals."

But what conclusion can one draw from these statements of the Shastras? They are
capable of double interpretation. When the Shastras say that the Untouchables should
stay outside the village, they may be purporting to say no more than that the
Untouchables should stay where they have been staying, i.e. outside the village. This is
one interpretation. The second interpretation is that those who are declared Untouchables
should not be allowed to stay inside the village but should be required to go out of the
village and live outside. Following up the alternate interpretations of the Shastras there
are two different possibilities which call for consideration. One is that the Untouchability
has nothing to do with the Untouchables living outside the village. From the very
beginning they lived outside the village. Thereafter when the stigma of Untouchability
fell on them they were prohibited from coming to live inside the village. The other
possibility is that Untouchability has everything to do with the Untouchables, living
outside the village. In other words, the Untouchables originally lived inside the village
and that thereafter when the stigma of untouchability fell on them they were forced to
vacate and live outside the village.
 Which of the two possibilities is more acceptable?

The second possibility is on the face of it absurd and fantastic. One argument is quite
enough to expose its absurdity. The phenomenon we are discussing is not confined to a
single village or single area. It exists all over India. The transplantation of the
Untouchables from within the village to outside the village is a vast operation. How and
who could have carried on an operation of such colossal dimensions? It could not have
been carried out except by the command of an Emperor having his sway ever the whole
of India. Even to him such a transplantation would have been impossible. But possible
and impossible it can only be the work of an Emperor. Who is the Emperor to whom the
credit or discredit of this task can be assigned? Obviously, India had no Emperor to
perform this task If there was no Emperor to do the transplantation, then the second
possibility must be abandoned.

That those who are called Untouchables lived outside the village from the very
beginning even before they became Untouchables and that they continued to live outside
the village because ,of the supervention of untouchability at a later stage is the only
possibility worth consideration. But this raises a very difficult question: Why did they
live outside the village? What made them or forced them to do so? The answer is that
having regard to the factors which are known to students of Sociology to have influenced
the transformation of Primitive Society into Modern Society all over the world it is only
natural to suppose that the Untouchables should have from the beginning lived outside
the village.

Not many will realise why this is natural without some explanation of the factors which
have affected the condition of Primitive Society into Modern Society. For a clear
understanding of the matter it is necessary to bear in mind that Modern Society differs
from Primitive Society in two respects. Primitive Society consisted of nomadic
communities while Modern Society consists of settled communities. Secondly, Primitive
Society consisted of tribal communities based on blood relationship. Modem Society
consists of local communities based on territorial affiliation. In other words there are two
lines of evolution along which Primitive Society has proceeded before it became
transformed into Modem Society. One line of evolution has led the Primitive Society to
become a territorial community from being a tribal community. There can be no doubt
that such a change has taken place. Clear traces of the change are to be seen in the
official style of kings. Take the style of the English kings. King John was the first to call
himself the king of England. His predecessors commonly called themselves kings of the
English. The former represent a territorial community. The latter represent a tribal
community. England was once the country which Englishmen inhabited. Englishmen are
now the people .who inhabit England. The same transformation can be seen to have taken
place in the style of the French kings who were once called kings of the Franks and later
as kings of France. The second line of evolution had led-Primitive Society to become a
settled community instead of the Nomadic community which it was. Here again, the
change is so definite and so impressive that no illustration is required to convince
anybody of its reality.

For the purpose in hand all we need is to confine ourselves to a consideration of the
second line of evolution. How did Primitive Society become a settled community? The
story of how Primitive Society became a settled community is too long to be detailed in a
chapter-much too long to be compressed in a section thereof. It is enough to note two
things. The first thing to understand is what made Primitive Society give up its nomadic
life and secondly what happened in the transition from nomadic to settled life.

Primitive Society was no doubt nomadic. But it was nomadic not because of any
migratory instinct. Nor was it due to any mental trait peculiar to it. It was the result of the
fact that the earliest form of the wealth held by Primitive Society was cattle. Primitive
Society was migratory because its wealth, namely the cattle, was migratory. Cattle went
after new pastures. Primitive Society by reason of it's love for cattle, therefore, went
wherever its cattle carried it. Primitive Society became fixed in its abode, in other words
became a settled-community, when a new species of wealth was discovered. This new
species of wealth was land. This happened when Primitive Society learned the art of
farming and of cultivating land. Wealth became fixed at one place when it changed its
form from cattle to land. With this change Primitive Society also became settled at the
same place.

This explains why Primitive Society was at one time nomadic and what led it take to
settled life.

The next thing is to note the events that have happened when Primitive Society was on
the road to becoming a Settled Society. The problems which faced Primitive Society in
its transition from Nomadic life to Settled life were mainly two. One confronted the
Settled Community. The other confronted the Broken men. The problem that confronted
the Settled community was that of its defence against the Nomadic tribes. The problem
which confronted the Broken men was that of the protection and shelter. It may be
desirable to elucidate how and why these problems arose.

For an understanding of the problem which confronted the Settled tribes, it is necessary
to bear in mind the following facts. All tribes did not take to settled life at one and the
same time. Some became settled and some remained nomadic. The second thing to
remember is that the tribes were never at peace with one another. They were always at
war. When all tribes were in a Nomadic state the chief causes for intra-tribal warfare
were (1) stealing cattle, (2) stealing women, and (3) stealthily grazing of cattle in the
pastures belonging to other tribes. When some tribes became settled, the tribes that
remained nomadic found it more advantageous to concentrate their fight against the
settled tribes. It was more paying than a war against other Nomadic tribes. The Nomadic
tribes had come to realise that the Settled tribes were doubly wealthy. Like the Nomadic
tribes, they had cattle. But in addition to cattle, they had corn which the Nomadic tribes
had not and which they greatly coveted. The Nomadic tribes systematically organized
raids on the Settled tribes with the object of stealing the wealth belonging to the Settled
tribes. The third fact is that the Settled tribes were greatly handicapped in defending
themselves against these raiders. Being engaged in more gainful occupation, the Settled
tribes could not always convert their ploughs into swords. Nor could they leave their
homes and go in pursuit of the raiding tribes. There is nothing strange in this. History
shows that peoples with civilization but no means of defence are not able to withstand
the attacks of the barbarians. This explains how and why during the transition period the
Settled tribes were faced with the problem of their defence.

How the problem of the Broken men arose is not difficult to understand. It is the result
of the continuous tribal warfare which was the normal life of the tribes in their primitive
condition. In a tribal war it often happened that a tribe instead of being completely
annihilated was defeated and routed. In many cases a defeated tribe became broken into
bits. As a consequence of this there always existed in Primitive times a floating
population consisting of groups of Broken tribesmen roaming in all directions. To
understand what gave rise to the problem of the Broken men it is necessary to realise that
Primitive Society was fundamentally tribal in its origanisation. That Primitive Society
was fundamentally tribal meant two things. Firstly, every individual in Primitive Society
belonged to a tribe. Nay, he must belong to the tribe. Outside the tribe no individual had
any existence. He could have none. Secondly tribal organisation being based on common
blood and common kinship an individual born in one tribe could not join another tribe
and become a member of it. The Broken Men had, therefore, to live as stray individuals.
In Primitive Society where tribe was fighting against tribe a stray
collection of Broken Men was always in danger of being attacked. They did not
know where to go for shelter. They did not know who would attack them and to whom
they could go for protection. That is why shelter and protection became the problem of
the Broken Men.

The foregoing summary of the evolution of Primitive Society shows that there was a
time in the life of Primitive Society when there existed two groups- one group consisting
of Settled tribes faced with the problem of finding a body of men who would do the work
of watch and ward against the raiders belonging to Nomadic tribes and the other group
consisting of Broken Men from defeated tribes with the problem of finding patrons who
would give them food and shelter.

The next question is: How did these two groups solve their problems? Although we
have no written text of a contract coming down to us from antiquity we can say that the
two struck a bargain whereby the Broken Men agreed to do the work of watch and ward
for the Settled tribes and the Settled tribes agreed to give them food and shelter. Indeed,
it would have been unnatural if such an arrangement had not been made between the two
especially when the interest of the one required the co-operation of the other.

One difficulty, however, must have arisen in the completion of the bargain, that of
shelter. Where were the Broken Men to live? In the midst of the settled community or
outside the Settled community? In deciding this question two considerations must have
played a decisive part. One consideration is that of blood relationship. The second
consideration is that of strategy. According to Primitive notions only persons of the same
tribe, i.e.. of the same blood, could live together. An alien could not be admitted inside
the area occupied by the homesteads belonging to the tribe. The Broken men were aliens.
They belonged to a tribe which was different from the Settled tribe. That being so, they
could not be permitted to live in the midst of the Settled tribe. From the strategic point of
view also it was desirable that these Broken men should live on the border of the village
so as to meet the raids of the hostile tribes. Both these considerations were decisive in
favour of placing their quarters outside the village.

We can now return to the main question, namely, why do the Untouchables live outside
the village? The answer to the question can be sought along the lines indicated above.
The same processes must have taken place in India when the Hindu Society was passing
from Nomadic life to the life of a settled village community. There must have been in
Primitive Hindu society, Settled tribes and Broken Men. The Settled tribes founded the
village and formed the village community and the Broken Men lived in separate quarters
outside the village for the reason that they belonged to a different tribe and, therefore, to
different blood. To put it definitely, the Untouchables were originally only Broken Men.
It is because they were Broken Men that they lived outside the village.

This explains why it is natural to suppose that the Untouchables from the very
beginning lived outside and that Untouchability has nothing to do with their living
outside the village.

The theory is so novel that critics may not feel satisfied without further questioning.
They will ask:

(1) Is there any factual evidence to suggest that the Untouchables are Broken Men?
 (2) Is there evidence that the process of settlement suggested above has actually taken
place in any country?
(3) If Broken Men living outside the village is a universal feature of all societies, how
is it that the separate quarters of the Broken Men have disappeared outside India
but not in India?

CHAPTER IV

ARE THE UNTOUCHABLES BROKEN MEN ?

To the question : Are the Untouchables in their origin only Broken Men, my answer is in
the affirmative. An affirmative answer is bound to be followed by a call for evidence.
Direct evidence on this issue could be had if the totems of the Touchables and the
Untouchables in the Hindu villages had been studied. Unfortunately the study of the
totemic organisation of the Hindus and the Untouchables has not yet been undertaken by
students of anthropology. When such data is collected it would enable us to give a
decisive opinion on the question raised in this Chapter. For the present, I am satisfied
from such inquiries as I have made that the totems of the Untouchables of a particular
village differ from the totems of the Hindus of the village.

Difference in totems between Hindus and Untouchables would be the best evidence in
support of the thesis that the Untouchables are Broken Men belonging to a tribe different
from the tribe comprising the village community. It may, however, be admitted that such
direct evidence as has a bearing on the question remains to be collected. But facts have
survived which serve as pointers and from which it can be said -that the Untouchables
were Broken men. There are two sets of such evidentiary facts.

One set of facts comprise the names Antya, Antyaja and Antyavasin given, to certain
communities by the Hindu Shastras. They have come down from very ancient past. Why
were these names used to indicate a certain class of people? There seem to be some
meaning behind these terms. The words are undoubtedly derivative. They arc derived
from the root Anta. What does the word Anta mean? Hindus learned in the Shastras argue
that it means one who is born last and as the Untouchable according to the Hindu order
of Divine creation is held to be born last, the word Antya means an Untouchable. The
argument is absurd and does not accord with the Hindu theory of the order of creation.
According to it, it is the Shudra who is born last. The Untouchable is outside the scheme
of creation. The Shudra is Savarna. As against him the Untouchable is Avarna, i.e
outside the Varna system. The Hindu theory of priority in creation does not and cannot
apply to the Untouchable. In my view, the word Antya means not end of creation but end
of the village. It is a name given to those people who lived on the outskirts of the village.
The word Antya has, therefore, a survival value. It tells us that there was a time when
some people lived inside the village and some lived outside the village and that those
who lived outside the village, i.e. on the Antya of the village, were called Antyaja.

Why did some people live on the border of the village? Can there be any other reason
than that they were Broken Men who were aliens and who belonged to tribes different
from those who lived inside the village? I cannot see any. That this is the real reason is to
be found in the use of these particular words to designate them. The use of the words
Antya, Antyaja and Antyavasin has thus double significance. In the first place, it shows
that living in separate quarters was such a peculiar phenomenon that a new terminology
had to be invented to give expression to it. Secondly, the words chosen express in exact
terms the conditions of the people to whom it applied namely that they were aliens.

The second set of facts which shows that the Untouchables were Broken men relates to
the position of a community called the Mahars. The Mahar community is a principle
Untouchable community in Maharashtra. It is the single largest Untouchable community
found in Maharashtra. The following facts showing the relations between the Mahars and
the Touchable Hindus are worthy of note: (1) The Mahars are to be found in every
village; (2) Every village in Maharashtra has a wall and the Mahars have their quarters
outside the wall; (3) The Mahars by turn do the duty of watch and ward on behalf of the
village; and (4) The Mahars claim 52 rights against the Hindu villagers. Among these 52
rights the most important are:-

(i) The right to collect food from the villagers;

(ii) The right to collect corn from each villager at the harvest season; and
(iii) The right to appropriate the dead animal belonging to the villagers.

The evidence arising from the position of the Mahars is of course confined to
Maharashtra. Whether similar cases are to be found in other parts of India has yet to be
investigated. But, if the Mahars case can be taken as typical of the Untouchables
throughout India it will be accepted that there was a stage in the history of India when
Broken Men belonging to other tribes came to the Settled tribes and made a bargain
whereby the Broken men were allowed to settle on the border of the village, were
required to do certain duties and in return were given certain rights. The Mahars have a
tradition that the 52 rights claimed by them against the villagers were given to them by
the Muslim kings of Bedar. This can only mean that these rights were very ancient and
that the kings of Bedar only confirmed them.

These facts although meagre do furnish some evidence in support of the theory that the
Untouchables lived outside the village from the very beginning. They were not deported
and made to live outside the village because they were declared Untouchables. They
lived outside the village from the beginning because they were Broken Men who
belonged to a tribe different from the one to which the Settled tribe belonged.

The difficulty in accepting this explanation arises largely from the notion that the
Untouchables were always Untouchables. This difficulty will vanish if it is borne in mind
that there was a time when the ancestors of the present day Untouchables were not
Untouchables vis-a-vis the villagers but were merely Broken Men, no more and no less,
and the only difference between them and the villagers was that they belonged to
different tribes.

CHAPTER V

ARE THERE PARALLEL CASES ?

ARE there any cases known to history of Broken Men living outside the village? To
this question it is possible to give an affirmative answer. Fortunately for us we have two
reported cases which show that what is said to have occurred in India particularly has
also actually occurred elsewhere. The countries wherein such a development has actually
been reported to have taken place are Ireland and Wales.

The organisation of the Irish village in primitive times can be seen from the Brehon
Laws of Ireland. Some idea of it as revealed in these Laws may be obtained from the
following summary given by Sir Henry Maine. Says Sir Henry Maine* :-

"The Brehon Law discloses a stage when the tribe has long been settled, in all
probability upon the tribal territory. It is of sufficient size and importance to constitute
a political unit, and possibly at its apex is one of the numerous chieftain whom the Irish
records call kings. The primary assumption is that the whole of .the tribal territory
belongs to the whole of the tribe, but in fact large portions of it have been permanently
appropriated to minor bodies of tribesmen. A part is allotted in special way to the chief
as appurtenant to his office, and descends from chief to chief according to a special rule
of succession. Other portions are occupied by fragments of the tribe, some of which are
under minor chiefs while others, though not strictly ruled by a chief, have somebody of
noble class to act as their representative . All the unappropriated tribelands are in a
more special way the property of the tribe as a whole, and no portion can theoretically
be subjected to more than a temporary occupation. Such occupations are, however,
frequent and among the holders of tribeland, on these terms, are groups of men calling
themselves tribesmen, but being in reality associations formed by contract, chiefly for
the purpose of pasturing cattle. Much of the common tribeland is not occupied at all,
but constitutes, to use the English expression, the 'waste' of the tribe. Still this waste is
constantly brought under tillage or permanent pasture by settlements of tribesmen, and
 upon it cultivators and servile states are permitted to squat, particularly towards the
border. It is part of the territory over which the authority of the chief tends steadily to
increase, and here it is that he settles his 'fuidhir' or stranger- tenants a very important
class-the outlaws and 'broken men' from other tribes who come to him for protection,
and who are only connected with their new tribe by their dependence on its chief, and
through the responsibility which he incurs for them".

Who were the Fuidhirs? According to Sir Henry Maine the Fuidhirs were:

"Strangers or fugitives from other territories, men in fact, who had broken the
original tribal bond which gave them a place in the community, and who had to obtain
and then as best they might in a new tribe and new place. Society was violently
disordered. The result was probably to fill the country with 'Broken Men' and such men
could only find a home and protection by becoming Fuidhir tenants.
"The Fuidhir was not a tribesman but an alien. In all societies cemented together by
kinship the position of the person who has lost or broken the bond of union is always
extraordinarily miserable. He has not only lost his natural place in them but they have
no room for him anywhere else".

II
Now as to Wales. The organisation of the Welsh village in primitive times is described
by Mr. Seebhom. According to Mr. Seebhom a village in Wales was a collection of
homesteads. The homesteads were separated into two groups, the homesteads of the
Free-tenants and the homesteads of the Unfree-tenants. Mr. Seebhom says that this
separation in habitation was a common feature of the primitive village in Wales. Why
were these Unfree-tenants made to live in a separate and detached place? The reason for
this separation is explained by Mr. Seebhom in the following terms :-
"At first sight there is a great confusion in the class of men mentioned in the ancient
Welsh Laws— of tribesmen, Uchelore bryre and innate boneddings : of non-
tribesmen, talogo Aillte, Alltude, etc. The confusion vanishes only when the principle
underlying the constitution of tribal society is grasped. And this principle would
apparently be a very simple one if could be freed from the complications of conquest
and permanent settlement of land from the inroads of foreign law, custom, and
nomenclature. To begin with there can be little doubt that the ruling principle
underlying the structure of tribal society was that of blood relationship among the free
tribesmen. No one who did not belong to a kindred could be a member of the tribe,
which was in fact, a bundle of Welsh kindred. Broadly then under the Welsh tribal
system there were two classes, those of Cymric blood— and those who were stranger
in blood. There was a deep, if not unpassable, gulf between these two classes quite
 apart from any question of land or of conquest. It was a division in blood and it soon
becomes apparent that the tenacity with which the distinction was maintained was at
once one of the strong distinctive marks of the tribal system and one of the main secrets
of its strength."

III
This description of the organisation of the Irish and the Welsh villages in the primitive
times leave no doubt that the case of the Untouchables of India is not the only case of a
people living outside the village. It proves that in it was exhibited a universal
phenomenon, and was marked by the following features :
1. That in primitive times the Village Settlement consisted of two parts. One part
occupied by the community belonging to one tribe and another part occupied by
the Broken Men of different tribes.
2. The part of the settlement occupied by the tribal community was regarded as the
village proper. The Broken Men lived in the outskirts of the village.
3. The reason why the Broken Men lived outside the village was because they were
aliens and did not belong to the tribal community.

The analogy between the Untouchables of India and the Fuidhirs of Ireland and the
Alltudes of Wales is complete. The Untouchables lived outside the village for the same
reason for which the Fuidhirs and Alltudes had to live outside the village in Ireland and
Wales. It is, therefore, clear that what is said about the Untouchables on the issue of their
living outside the village is not without a parallel elsewhere.

CHAPTER VI

HOW DID SEPARATE SETTLEMENTS FOR BROKEN MEN DISAPPEAR

ELSEWHERE ?

THAT the Fuidhirs of Ireland and the Alltudes of Wales were Broken Men is true. That
they lived in separate quarters is also a fact. But it is also true that the separate quarters of
those Broken Men disappeared and they became part of the Settled tribe and were
absorbed in it. This is somewhat strange. The Broken Men according to the theory set out
before were given quarters outside the village because they belonged to a different tribe
and, therefore, to different blood. How is it then that they were absorbed by the tribe later
on? Why such a thing did not happen in India? These are questions which are natural and
which call for an answer.
 The question is integrally connected with the process of evolution through which
Primitive Society came to be transferred into Modern Society. As has already been said
this evolution has proceeded along two different lines. One marked the transformation of
Primitive Society from Nomadic into a settled community. The other marked the
transformation of Primitive Society from tribal into a territorial community. The question
with which we are immediately concerned relates to the second line of evolution. For it is
the substitution of common territory for common blood as the bond of union that is
responsible for the disappearance of the separate quarters of the Broken Men. Why did
Primitive Society substitute common territory for common blood as the bond of union?
This is a question for which there is no adequate explanation. The origin of the change is
very-obscure. How the change was brought about is however quite clear.

At some stage there came into being in Primitive Society a rule whereby a non-
tribesman could become a member of the tribe and become absorbed in it as a kindred. It
was known as a rule of ennoblement. This rule was that if a non-tribesman lived next to
the tribe or married within a tribe for a given number of generations he became their
kindred Mr. Seebhom gives the following rules for a non-tribesman becoming a
tribesman as it was found in the Welsh village system.

(1) Residence in Cymru (Wales) according to the tradition of South Wales made the
descendant of a stranger at last, a Cymru, but not until continued to the ninth
generation.
(2) Intermarriage with innate Cymraeses generation after generation made the
descendent of a stranger an innate Cymru in the fourth generation. In other -words,
the original stranger's great grandson, whose blood was at least seven-eighths
Cymric was allowed to attain the right to claim the privileges of a tribesman.

Should not such a thing have happened in India? It could have-indeed it should have.
For a rule similar to that which existed in Ireland and Wales also existed in India . It is
referred to by Manu. In Chapter X, verses 64-67, he says that a Shudra can be a Brahmin
for seven generations (if he marries) within the Brahmin Community. The ordinary rule
of Chaturvarna was that a Shudra could never become a Brahmin. A Shudra was born a
Shudra and could not be made a Brahmin. But this rule of antiquity was so strong that
Manti had to apply rule of Untouchability to the Shudra. It is obvious that if this rule had
continued to operate in India, the Broken Men of India would have been absorbed in the
village community and their separate quarters would have ceased to exist.

Why did this not happen? The answer is that the notion of Untouchability supervened
and perpetuated difference between kindred and non-kindred, tribesmen and non-
tribesmen in another form; namely; between Touchables and Untouchables. It is this new
factor which prevented the amalgamation taking place in the way in which it took place
in Ireland and Wales, with the result that the system of separate quarters has become a
perpetual and a permanent feature of the Indian village.

PART III

OLD THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF UNTOUCHABILITY

CHAPTER VII

RACIAL DIFFERENCE AS THE ORIGIN OF UNTOUCHABILITY

WHAT is the origin of Untouchability? As has been said the field is quite unexplored.
No student of Sociology has paid any attention to it. Writers, other than Sociologists,
who have written about India and her people have been content with merely recording
the custom of Untouchability with varying degrees of disapprobation and leaving it at
that. So far as my researches go, I have come across only one author who has attempted
to explain how Untouchability has come about. It is Mr.Stanley Rice*. According to Mr.
Rice-

There is a strong probability that the outcasts were the survivors of the conquered
peoples, who, as caste tended to coincide with occupation, became the drum-beating,
leather-working, and farm labouring classes to which as serfs they had been relegated
from early times. They were not the races conquered by the Aryans; the Paraiyans
belonged to the aborigines who were conquered by the Dravidians and being of a
different race they were not admitted to the totem of similar clans with which marriage
is always intimately connected, since that would have led to free intercourse and the
gradual degradation of race. But this prohibition cannot have been absolute; there are
always exceptions. In the course of the centuries, some forty or more, the inevitable
miscegenation may very well have obliterated the racial distinctions between aboriginal
and early Dravidian. These people have been admitted to a sort of lowly participation
in the Hindu system in the atmosphere of which they have lived for so long, for
Hinduism is at once the most tolerant and intolerant of creeds. It does not proselytize;
you cannot become a Hindu as you can become a Mussalman, and those within the fold
are liable to the most rigid restrictions. But it has always been ready to embrace
aboriginal tribes who are willing to submit to its laws, though it may assign to them a
very lowly place and they have always been kept at a distance and have been excluded
from the temples. It would seem, therefore, that anthropological arguments are in any
case not conclusive when we consider these factors which must have profoundly
modified the original racial characteristics and must have changed their outlook. Thus
the Dravidians applied to the Paraiyans the same test which the Aryans are assumed to
have applied to the conquered inhabitants. They reduced them to the position of serfs
 and assigned to them those duties which it was thought beneath their own dignity to
perform. Nor was marriage the only consideration. The disabilities of the Paraiyans
were due also- and to an even greater degree- to the mystical qualities inherent in Tabu.
To admit such a man to the totem family was not only contrary to the social order; it
would bring upon the clan the anger of their particular god. But to admit him to the
worship of the god within the sacred precincts of a temple was to call down authentic
fire from Heaven, whereby they would be consumed. It would be sacrilege of the same
kind as the offering of unconsecrated or unorthodox fire by Korah, Dathan and
Abhiram. But though debarred from taking an active part in worship, the Paraiyans
might yet do the menial services connected with it, provided that they did not entail the
pollution of the sacred building. In Christian terminology the Paraiyan, although he
could neither officiate at the altar, nor preach a sermon nor even be one of the
congregation, might still ring the bell- on one condition. He could not regard himself as
of the communion; he was, in fact, ex-communicate. And as such, he was ceremonially
unclean. No washing with water, no cleansing ceremony, could remove that stain
which was indelibly fixed by the operation of Tabu. To touch him, to have any dealings
with him save as it were, at arm's length, was by a sort of contagious magic a
defilement. You could employ him to till your field because that entailed no contact of
any kind, beyond giving an order, you need have no further communication with him.
The seal of pollution was set on his forehead; it was inherent in him as surely as the
blood in his veins. And so from being the vile, degraded fellow which Indian opinion
had made him, he became viler and more degraded from the kinds of occupation left
open to him."

The theory of Mr. Rice really divides itself into two parts. For, according to him, the
origin of untouchability is to be found in two circumstances—Race and Occupation.
Obviously, they require separate consideration. This Chapter will be devoted to an
examination of his theory of racial difference as the origin of untouchability.

The racial theory of Mr. Rice contains two elements :-

(1) That the Untouchables are non-Aryan, non-Dravidian aboriginals; and

(2) That they were conquered and subjugated by the Dravidians.

This theory raises the whole question of the invasions of India by foreign invaders, the
conquests made by them and the social and cultural institutions that have resulted
therefrom. According to Mr. Rice, there have been two invasions of India. First is the
invasion of India by the Dravidians. They conquered the non-Dravidian aborigines, the
ancestors of the Untouchables, and made them Untouchables. The second invasion is the
invasion of India by the Aryans. The Aryans conquered the Dravidians. He does not say
how the conquering Aryans treated the conquered Dravidians. If pressed for an answer he
might say they made them Shudras. So that we get a chain. The Dravidians invaded India
and conquered the aborigines and made them Untouchables. After Dravidians came the
Aryans. The Aryans conquered the Dravidians and made them Shudras. The theory is too
mechanical, a mere speculation and too simple to explain a complicated set of facts
relating to the origin of the Shudras and the Untouchables.

When students of ancient Indian history delve into the ancient past they do often come
across four names, the Aryans, Dravidians, Dasas and Nagas. What do these names
indicate? This question has never been considered. Are these names Aryans, Dravidians,
Dasas and Nagas the names of different races or are they merely different names for a
people of the same race? The general assumption is that they are different races. It is an
assumption on which theories like that of Mr. Rice, which seek to explain the social
structure of the Hindu Society, particularly its class basis, are built. Before such a theory
is accepted it is necessary to examine its foundations.

Starting with the Aryans it is beyond dispute that they were not a single homogeneous
people. That they were divided into twosections is beyond dispute. It is also beyond
dispute that the two had different cultures. One of them may becalled Rig Vedic Aryans
and the other the Atharva Vedic Aryans. Their cultural cleavage appears to be complete.
The Rig Vedic Aryans believed in Yajna. The Atharva Vedic Aryans believed the Magis.
Their mythologies were different. The Rig Vedic Aryans believed in the Deluge and the
creation of their race from Manu. The Atharva Vedic Aryans did not believe in Deluge
but believed in the creation of their race from Brahma or Prajapati. Their literary
developments also lay along different paths. The Rig Vedic Aryans produced
Brahmanas, Sutras and Aranyakas. The Atharva Vedic Aryans produced the Upanishads.
Their cultural conflict was so great that the Rig Vedic Aryans would not for a long time
admit the sanctity of the Atharva Veda nor of the Upanishads and when they did
recognize it they called it Vedanta which contrary to the current meaning of the word—
namely, essence of the Vedas—originally meant something outside the boundary of the
Vedas and, therefore, not so sacred as the Vedas and regarded its study as Anuloma.
Whether these two sections of Aryans were two different races we do not know. We do
not know whether the word Aryan is a term indicative of race. Historians have therefore
made a mistake in proceeding on the assumption that the Aryans were a separate race.

A greater mistake lies in differentiating the Dasas from the Nagas. The Dasas are the
same as Nagas. Dasas is merely another name for Nagas. It is not difficult to understand
how the Nagas came to be called Dasas in the Vedic literature. Dasa is a Sanskritized
form of the Indo-lranian word Dahaka. Dahaka was the name of the king of the Nagas.
Consequently, the Aryans called the Nagas after the name of their king Dahaka, which in
its Sanskrit form became Dasa a generic name applied to all the Nagas.

Who were the Nagas? Undoubtedly they were non-Aryans. A careful study of the
Vedic literature reveals a spirit of conflict, of a dualism, and a race for superiority
between two distinct types of culture and thought. In the Rig Veda, we are first
introduced to the Snake-god in the form of Ahi Vitra, the enemy of the Aryan god Indra.
Naga, the name under which the Snake-god was to become so famous in later days, does
not appear in early Vedic literature. Even when it does for the first time in the Satapatha
Brahmana (X1.2,7,12), it is not clear whether a great snake or a great elephant is meant.
But this does not conceal the nature of Ahi Vitra, since he is described always in Rig
Veda as the serpant who lay around or hidden in waters, and as holding a full control
over the waters of heaven and earth alike.

It is also evident from the hymns that refer to Ahi Vitra, that he received no worship
from the Aryan tribes and was only regarded as an evil spirit of considerable power who
must be fought down.

The mention of the Nagas in the Rig Veda shows that the Nagas were a very ancient
people. It must also be remembered that the Nagas were in no way an aboriginal or
uncivilised people. History shows a very close association by intermarriage between the
Naga people with the Royal families of India. The Devagiri record of the Kadamba king
Krisnavarma connects the beginning of the Kadamba-kula with the Nagas. The Royakota
grant of 9th Century A.D.

mentions the marriage of Asvathama with a Nagi and the foundation of the Pallava line
by Skandasishya, the issue of this marriage. Virakurcha, who according to another
Pallava inscription dated in the 9th century A.D. was the ruler of the dynasty, is also
mentioned in the same inscription as having married a Nagi and obtained from her the
insignia of royalty The marriage of Gautamiputra, the son of the Vakataka king
Pravarasena, with the daughter of the Bharasiva king Bhava Naga, is a historical fact. So
is the marriage of Chandragupta II with princess Kuvera Naga 'of Naga Kula A Tamil
poet asserts that Kokkilli, an early Chola king, had married a Naga princess.Rajendra
Chola is also credited to have won 'by his radiant beauty the hand of the noble daughter
of Naga race.The Navasahasanka Charita describes the marriage of the Paramara king
Sindhuraja (who seems to have reigned towards the early part of the 10th Century A. D.)
with the Naga princess Sasiprabha, with such exhaustive details in so matter-of-fact-a-
manner as to make us almost feel certain that there must have been some historical basis
for this assertionFrom the Harsha inscription of V. S. 1030-973 A.D. we know that
Guvaka I, who was the sixth king in the genealogy upwards from Vigraharaja
Chahamana and thus might be supposed to have been ruling towards the middle of the
9th Century was "famous as a hero in the assemblies of the Nagas and other princes."
Sanatikara of the Bhaumn dynasty of Orissa, one of whose dates was most probably 921
A.D., is mentioned in an inscription of his son as having married Tribhuana Mahadevi of
the Naga family

Not only did the Naga people occupy a high cultural level but history shows that they
ruled a good part of India. That Maharashtra is the home of the Nagas goes without
saying. Its people and its kings were Nagas

That Andhradesa and its neighourhood were under the Nagas during the early centuries
of the Christian era is suggested by evidence from more sources than one. The
Satavahanas, and their successors, the Chutu Kula Satakarnis drew their blood more or
less from the Naga stock. As Dr. H.C. Roy Chaudhri has pointed out, the Dvatrima
satpukalitta represents Salivahana, the mythological representative of the Satavahana
dynasty, as of mixed Brahmana and the Naga origin This is amply attested to by the
typical Naga names which occur in their dynastic lists. That the Naga grew to be very
powerful towards the end of the Satavahana rule is also proved by a number of facts. A
chief called Skandanaga is found ruling the Bellary district, in the reign of Pulumavi, the
last king of the main Satavahana line. Secondly, Naga Mulanika the daughter of a Chutu
king, is mentioned as making a gift of a Naga, together with her son, who is called
Sivakanda-Naga-Sri. All the known kings of this line bear the same name and thus prove
a close association with the Nagas. Thirdly, the name of Uragapura, the capital of
Soringoi, suggests not an isolated reign of one Naga king but a Naga Settlement in that
locality of tolerably long duration.

From Buddhist tradition of Ceylon and Siam we also know that there was a Naga
country called Majerika near the Diamond Sands, i.e. Karachi

Then during the third and early part of the 4th Century A.D. Northern India also was
ruled by a number of Naga kings is clearly proved by Puranic as well as numismaric and
epigraphic evidence. Three independent groups of Vidisa, Campavati or Padmavati and
Mathura are distinctly mentioned in such a way as to leave little doubt of their
importance. The name Bhava Naga, the only known king of the Bharasiva dynasty, also
seems to connect him with the Nagas. It is not possible to enter here into a discussion of
the coins of the second group, or the question of indentification of Achyuta Ganapati
Naga or Nagasena of Allahabad Pillar inscription with these Puranic Naga kings Of all
the Nagas referred to in ancient Indian History, the North Indian Naga houses of the 4th
century A.D. stand out as the most prominent and historically the most tangible. We do
not know whether Nagabhatta and his son Maharaja Mohesvara Naga of the Lahore
Copper Seal belonged to any of these three groups or formed a separate Naga family by
themselves. But all this sufficiently justifies the conclusion of Dr. C. C. Roy Chaudhari
that the Kushana kingdom of Northern India disappeared in the 4th Century A.D. having
been conquered by the Nagas. These Nagas must have been ruling over different portions
of Uttarapatha till they were themselves swept away before the conquering arms of
Samudragupta.

As late as the time of Skandagupta, however we find one Sarvanaga as the governer of
Antarvedi In the neighbourhood of Saurashtra and Bharukaccha especially, the Nagas
seem to have held a prominent position down to the 6th Century A.D. From the Junagadh
inscription Skandagupta appears to have dealt severely with a Naga rebellion In 570 A,
D. Dadda I Gurjara uprooted the Nagas who have been indentified with the jungle tribes
ruled over by Brihul laka of Broach Dhruvasena 11's grant of G.S. 334 (645 A.D.) also
mentions as Dutaka the Pramatri Srinaga

The next important revival of the Nagas particularly in Central India seems to date
about the 9th Century A.D. In 800 A.D. Maharaja Tivaradeva of Sripura in Kosala most
probably defeated a Naga tribe. Sometime after this period, we also note two references
to Nagas in the inscription of Bengal. The Ramganj record of Mahamandalika lsvara
Ghosha introduces us to a Ghosha Naga family of Dhekkari, which was to be assigned to
11th century A.D. The Bhuvanesvara Prasasti of Bhatta Bhavadeva, the minister of
Harivarmadeva in 12th century A.D. also refers to destruction of Naga kings by him. The
Ramacharita mentions the conquest of Utkala, the kingdom of Bhava-Bhushana-Santati,
by Ramapala, but it is not clear whether in this case the Nagas or the Chandras were
meant. The greater probability would however lie in favour of the former, since they
were the more well known.

It was in the period 10th-12th Century A.D. that the different branches of theSendraka,
Sinda, or Chindaka family, which called themselves lords of Bhogavati and Nagavarnsi
gradually spread themselves over different portions of Central India, particularly Baster.
The Nagattaras of Begur, too, appear in an inscription of the 10th Century A.D. as having
fought against king Viramahendra, on behalf of the W. Ganga king Ereyappa and being
distinguished for bravery in the fight. If the evidence of Navashasanka Charita is
accepted, then the Naga king, whose daughter Sasiprabha was married to Sindhuraja
Paramara, must also have been ruling in Ratnavad on the Narmada at about this period.

Who are the Dravidians? Are they different from the Nagas? Chare they two different
names for a people of the same race? The popular view is that the Dravidians and Nagas
are names of two different races. This statement is bound to shock many people.
Nonetheless, it is a fact that the term Dravidians and Nagas are merely two different
names for the same people.
 It is not to be denied that very few will be prepared to admit the proposition that the
Dravidians and Nagas are merely two different names for the same people and fewer that
the Dravidians as Nagas occupied not merely South India but that they occupied the
whole of India- South as well as North. Nonetheless, these are historical truths.

Let us see what the authorities have to say on the subject. This is what Mr. Dikshitiar, a
well-known South Indian scholar, has to say on the subject in his Paper on South India in
the Ramayana :

"The Nagas, another tribe-semi-divine in character, with their totems as serpent,

spread throughout India, from Taksasila in the North-West to Assam in the North-East
and to Ceylon and South India in the South. At one time they must have been powerful.
Contemporaneous with the Yakwas or perhaps subsequent to their fall as a political
entity, the Nagas rose to prominence in South India. Not only parts of Ceylon but
ancient Malabar were the territories occupied by the ancient Nagas ......... In the Tamil
classics of the early centuries after Christ, we hear frequent references to
Naganadu......... Remnants of Naga worship are still lingering in Malabar, and the
temple in Nagercoil in South Travancore is dedicated to Naga worship even today. All
that can be said about them is that they were a sea-faring tribe. Their womenfolk were
renowned for their beauty. Apparently the Nagas had become merged with the Cheras
who rose to power and prominence at the commencement of the Christian Era."

Further light is thrown on the subject by C. F. Oldham who has made a deep study of
it. According to Mr. Oldham

"The Dravidian people have been divided, from ancient times, into Cheras, Cholas and
Pandyas. Chera, or Sera (in old Tamil Sarai) is the Dravidian equivalent for Naga;
Cheramandala, Nagadwipa, or the Naga country. This seems to point distinctly to the
Asura origin of the Dravidians of the South. But in addition to this there still exists,
widely spread over the Ganges valley, a people who call themselves Cherus or Seoris,
and who claim descent from the serpent gods The Cherus are of very ancient race; they
are believed to have once held a great portion of the valley of the Ganges, which, as we
have already seen, was occupied in very early times by Naga tribes. The Cherus appear
to have been gradually ousted from their lands, during the troublous times of the
Mohammedan invasions, and they are now poor and almost landless. There can be little
doubt that these people are kinsmen of the Dravidian Cheras.

The Cherus have several peculiar customs and amongst them one which seems to
connect them with the Lichhavis, as well as with the Newars of Nepal. This is the
election of a raja for every five or six houses, and his investiture, in due form, with the
tilak or royal frontal mark. Both Lichavis and Newars had many customs in common
with the Dravidians of the South. Each venerated the serpent, Karkotaka Naga being to
Nepal what Nila Naga was to Kashmir. A Naga, too, was the tutelary deity of Vaisali, the
Lichavi capital. The marital relations of Newars and Lichavis closely resembled those of
the Tamil people, and go far to show a common origin .

Property amongst the Newars descended in the female line, as it (Mice did amongst the
Arattas, Bahikas or Takhas of the Punjab, whose sisters' sons, and not their own, were
their heirsThis is still a Dravidian custom. In short, a recent Dravidian writer, Mr.
Balakrishna Nair, says that his people 'appear to be, in nearly every particular, the
kinsfolk of the Newars.

Besides all this, however, there are other links connecting the Naga people of the
South with those of the north of India. In an inscription discovered by Colonel Tod at
Kanswah near the river Chambal, a Raja, called Salindra, 'of the race of Sarya, a tribe
renowned amongst the tribes of the mighty' is said to be ruler of Takhya.

This was evidently the Takhya or Takha kingdom of the Punjab, which was visited by
Hiou-en-Tsiang, and which has been already referred to. It seems, therefore, that the
Naga people of Takhya were known also. by the name of Sarya.

Again, in the outer Himalaya, between the Sudej and Beas Valleys, is a tract of
country called Sara, or Seoraj. In this district the Naga demigods are the chief deities
worshipped.
There is another Seoraj in the Upper Chinab Valley, and this too is occupied by a
Naga worshiping people.

The name Saraj, or Seoraj, appears to be the same as the Sarya of Colonel Tod's
inscription and as Scori, which is the alternative name of the Cherus of the Ganges
Valley. It also seems to be identical with Sarai, which we have already seen, is the old
Tamil name for the Chera or Naga. Apparently, therefore, the Saryas or Takhya, the Saraj
people of the Sutlej Valley, the Scons or Cherus of the valley of the Ganges, and the
Cheras, Seras, or Kerakis at Southern India, are but different branches of the same Naga-
worshipping people.

It may be noted, too, that in some of the Himalayan dialects, Kira or Kiri means a serpent
This name, from which was perhaps derived the term Kirate so often applied to the
people of the Himalayas, is found in the Rajatarangini, where it is applied to a people in
or near Kashmir. The Kiras are mentioned by Varaha Mihira, and in a copper plate
published by Prof. Kielhom.
 An inscription at the Baijnath temple in the Kangra valley gives Kiragrams as the then
name of the place This, in the local dialect, would mean the village of serpents. The
Naga is still a popular deity at Baijnath, and throughout the neighbouring country. The
term Kira is thus an equivalent for Naga, and it can scarcely be doubted that the
serpent-worshipping Kiras of the Himalayas were closely related to the Dravidian
Keras, Cheras or Keralas of the South.
Similarity of name is not always to be trusted, but here we have something more.
These people, whose designation is thus apparently the same, are all of Solar race; they
all venerate the hooded serpent; and they all worship, as ancestors, the Naga demi-
gods.

From the foregoing it would seem tolerably certain that the Dravidians of Southern India
were of the same stock as the Nagas or Asuras of the North."

It is thus clear that the Nagas and Dravidians are one and the same people. Even with
this much of proof, people may not be found ready to accept the thesis. The chief
difficulty in the way of accepting it lies in the designation of the people of South India by
the name Dravidian. It is natural for them to ask why the term Dravidian has come to be
restricted to the people of South India if they are really Nagas. Critics are bound to ask :
If the Dravidians and the Nagas are the same people, why is the name Nagas not used to
designate people of South India also. This is no doubt a puzzle. But it is a puzzle which is
not beyond solution. It can be solved if certain facts are borne in mind.

The first thing to be borne in mind is the situation regarding language. Today the
language of the Southern India differs from that of the people of Northern India. Was this
always so? On this question the observations of Mr. Oldham are worth attention.

"It is evident that the old Sanskrit grammarians considered the language of the Dravidian
countries to be connected with the vernaculars of northern India; and that, in their
opinion, it was especially related to the speech of those people who, as we have seen,
were apparently descendants of the Asura tribes. Thus, in the 'Shahasha Chandrika',
Lakshmidhara says that the Paisachi language is spoken in the Paisachi countries of
Pandya, Kckaya, Vahlika, Sahya, Nepala, Kuntala, Sudesha, Bhota, Gandhara, Haiva and
Kanoj; and that these are the Paisachi countries. Of all the vernacular dialects, the
paisachi is said to have contained the smallest infusion of Sanskrit.

That the Asuras originally spoke a language which differed from that of the Aryas seems
evident. Several passages are quoted by Prof. Muir, from the Rig Veda, in which the
word 'mridavach' is applied to the speech of the Asuras (R.vi.74, 2; v. vi.3; v.vii.6). Of
these passages. Professor Muir observes: "The word mridavach, which I have translated
"injuriously speaking", is explained by Sayana as meaning "one whose organs of speech
are destroyed". The original meaning of the expression was, doubtless that the language
of the Asuras was more or less unintelligible to the Aryas. The same explanation will
apply to another passage in the Rig Veda, where it is said : 'May we (by propitiating
Indra) conquer the ill speaking man.'
From the Satapatha Brahmana we find that 'the Asuras, being deprived of speech,
were undone, crying. 'He lava', 'He lava'. Such was the unintelligible speech which they
uttered. And he who speaks thus is a Miecha. Hence, let no Brahman speak barbarous
language, since such is the speech of Asuras
We learn from Manu, that 'those tribes who are outside of the classes produced from
the mouth, arms, thighs and feet of Brahman, whether they speak the language of the
Miechas or of the Aryas, are called Dasyus., In the time of Manu; therefore, the Aryan
language and that of the Miechas or Asuras were both in use. At the period described in
the Mahabharata, however, the Asura language must have almost died out amongst the
Aryanized tribes; as Vidura addressed Yudhishthira in the Miecha tongue, so as to be
unintelligible to all except Yudhishlhira.
At a later period than this, however, the grammarian Rama Tarkavagisa refers to
'those who speak like Nagas.' It would seem, therefore, that the unregenerate Asuras
retained the language, as well as the religion and customs, of their forefathers long after
their converted brethren had discarded them. It was evidently amongst these
unregenerate tribes that the Paisachi dialects were in use; and amongst these tribes, as
we have just seen, were the Dravidian Pandyas

This view, that the Tamil and cognate tongues were founded upon the ancient Asura
speech, is very strongly confirmed by the fact that the language of the Brahuis, a tribe on
the borders of Sind, has been found to be very closely allied to them. Indeed, Dr.
Caldwell says: 'The Brahui (language) enables us to trace the Dravidian race, beyond the
Indus, to the southern confines of Central Asia. This country, as I have already pointed
out, was the home of the Asuras or Nagas, to which race apparently belonged the
founders of the Dravidian kingdoms.'

Taking into consideration all the evidence which has been brought forward, the only
possible conclusion seems to be, that the Dravidians, of the south of India, were of the
same stock as the Asuras or Nagas of the North."

The second thing to be borne in mind is that the word 'Dravida' is not an original word.
It is the Sanskritized form of the word Tamil'.

The original word Tamil' when imported into Sanskrit became Damita and later on
Damilla became Dravida. The word Dravida is the name of the language of the people
and does not denote the race of the people. The third thing to remember is that Tamil or
Dravida was not merely the language of South India but before the Aryans came it was
the language of the whole of India and was spoken from Kashmere to Cape Camorin. In
fact, it was the language of the Nagas throughout India. The next thing to note is the
contact between the Aryan and the Nagas and the effect it produced on the Nagas and
their language. Strange as it may appear the effect of this contact on the Nagas of North
India was quite different from the effect it produced on the Nagas of South India. The
Nagas in North India gave up Tamil which was their mother tongue and adopted Sanskrit
in its place. The Nagas in South India retained Tamil as their mother tongue and did not
adopt Sanskrit the language of the Aryans. If this difference is borne in mind it will help
to explain why the name Dravida came to be applied only for the people of South India.
The necessity for the application of the name Dravida to the Nagas of Northern India had
ceased because they had ceased to speak the Dravida language. But so far as the Nagas of
South India are concerned not only the propriety of calling them Dravida had remained in
view of their adherence to the Dravida language but the necessity of calling them
Dravida had become very urgent in view of their being the only people speaking the
Dravida language after the Nagas of the North had ceased to use it. This is the real reason
why the people of South India have come to be called Dravidians.

The special application of the use of the word Dravida for the people of South India
must not, therefore, obscure the fact that the Nagas and Dravidas are the one and the
same people. They are only two different names for the same people. Nagas was a racial
or cultural name and Dravida was their linguistic name.

Thus the Dasas are the same as the Nagas and the Nagas are the same as the
Dravidians. In other words what we can say about the races of India is that there have
been at the most only two races in the field, the Aryans and the Nagas. Obviously the
theory of Mr. Rice must fall to the ground. For it postulates three races in action when as
a matter of fact we see that there are only two.

II
Granting however that there was a third aboriginal race living in India before the
advent of the Dravidians, can it be said that these pre-Dravidian aboriginals were the
ancestors of the present day Untouchables of India? There are two tests we can apply to
find the truth. One is the anthropometric test and the other is the ethnological. Considered
in the light of the anthropometric characteristics of the Indian people Prof. Ghurye has
something very striking to say in his volume on 'Caste and Race in India' from which the
following is an extract:
"Taking the Brahmin of the United Provinces as the typical representative of the
ancient Aryans we shall start comparisons with him. If we turn to the table of
differential indices we find that he shows a smaller differential index as compared with
the Chuhra and the Khatri of the Punjab than with any caste from the United Provinces
except the Chhatri. The differential index between the Khatri and the Chuhra is the only
slightly less than that between the Brahmin of the United Provinces and the Chuhra of
the punjab. This means that the Brahmin of the United Provinces has closer physical
affinities with the Chuhra and the Khatri of the Punjab than with any caste from his
own province except the very high caste of the Chhatri...... The reality of this close
affinity between the United Provinces Brahmin and the Punjab Chuhra is more clearly
brought out if we look at the table of differential indices between the United Provinces
Brahmin and the Brahmins of other regions. Even the differential index between the
United Provinces Brahmin and the Bihar Brahmins, who from what we know about the
history of spread of the Aryan culture, is expected to be very nearly allied to the
former, is just as high as that between the United Provinces Brahmin and the
Chuhra........ On historical ground we expect Bihar to approximate to the United
Provinces. On referring to the table we find that the Kurmi comes near to the Brahmin,
and the Chamar and the Dom stand much differentiated from him. But the Chamar in
this case is not as much distinct from the Brahmin as the United Provinces Chamar is
from the United Provinces Brahmin.. The table for Bengal shows that the Chandal who
stands sixth in the scheme of a social precedence and whose touch pollutes, is not much
differentiated from the Brahmin, from whom the Kayasthas, second in rank, can hardly
be said to be distinguished. In Bombay the Deshastha Brahmin bears as closer affinity
to the Son-Koli, a fisherman caste, as to his own compeer, the Chitpavan Brahmin. The
Mahar, the Untouchable of the Maratha region, come next together with the Kunbi, the
peasant. Then follow in order the Shenvi Brahmin, the Nagar Brahmin and the high
caste Maratha. These results are rather old. Stated in a generalised form they mean that
there is no correspondence between social gradation and physical differentiation in
Bombay.
Finally we come to Madras. Here we must treat the different linguistic areas
separately for the schemes of social precedence in the various areas are different.
According to the average given by Risely and by E. Thurston the order of castes is as
follows: Kapu, Sale, Malla, Golla, Madiga, Fogata and Komati.
According to their social status they are ranked as below:
Brahmin, Komati, Golla, Kapu and others and Sale, Fagota and others. Mala Madiga
occupy the lowest rank being the Pariahs of the Telugu country.
In the Canarese the nasal index gives the following order : Kamatak Smarts,
Brahmin, Bant, Billiva, Mandya Brahmin, Vakkaliga, Ganiga, Linga Banajiga,
Panchala, Kurha, Holeya, Deshastha Brahmift, Toreya and Bedar.
In the scheme of social precedence the castes are as under : Brahmin, Bant and
Vakkaliga, Toreya, etc., Kuruba and Ganiga, Badaga and Krumba and Solaga, Billiva,
Beda Holeya.
The significance of the comparison is enhanced when we remember that the nasal
index of the Holeya, the Untouchables of the Canarese region is 75.1 that of the highest
 of the Brahmin being 71.5 while those of the jungle Krumba and the Solaga, who when
Hinduised occupy the rank allotted to them in the list, are86.1 and 85.1 respectively.
The Tamil castes may be arranged according to their nasal index as follows:

Ambattan, Vellai, Ediayan, Agamudaiyan, Tamil Brahmin, Palli, Malaiyali, Shanan and
Parayan. The Nasal indices of four typical Malayalam castes are: Tiyan, 75; Nambudri
75.5; Nayar 76.7; Charuman 77.2. The order of social precedence among these is :
Nambudri, Nayar, Tiyan and Charuman. The nasal index of the Kanikar, a jungle tribe of
Tranvancore is 8.46. Thus, the Charuman (an Unapproachable) belonging to the same
race as the Brahmin rather than to Kanikar."

To omit from the above extract what is said about other communities and to draw
attention to what relates to the Untouchables only, it is clear that the nasal index of the
Chuhra (the Untouchables) of the Punjab is the same as the nasal index of the Brahmin of
the United Provinces; the nasal index of the Chamar (the Untouchables) of Bihar is not
very much distinct from the Brahmin of Bihar; the nasal index of the Holeya (an
Untouchable) of the Carese is far higher than that of the Brahmin of Kamatak and
that the nasal index of the Cheruman (an Unapproachable lower than the Pariah) of the
Tamil belongs to the same race as the Brahmin of the Tamil Nad. If anthropometry is a
science which can be depended upon to determine the race of a people, then the result
obtained by the application of anthropometry to the various strata of Hindu society
disprove that the Untouchables belong to a race different from the Aryans and the
Dravidians. The measurements establish that the Brahmin and the Untouchables belong
to the same race.

From this it follows that if the Brahmins are Aryans the Untouchables are also Aryans.
If the Brahmins are Dravidians the Untouchables are also Dravidians. If the Brahmins are
Nagas, the Untouchables are also Nagas. Such being the facts, the theory propounded by
Mr. Rice must be said to be based on a false foundation.

Ill

The racial theory of Untouchability not only runs counter to the results of
anthropometry, but it also finds very little support from such facts as we know about the
ethnology of India. That the people of India were once organized on tribal basis is quite
well known, and although the tribes have become castes the tribal organisation still
remains intact. Each tribe was divided into clans and the clans were composed of groups
of families. Each group of families had a totem which was some object, animate or
inanimate. Those who had a common totem formed an exogamous group popularly
known as Gotra or Kula. Families having a common gotra were not allowed to
intermarry for they were supposed to be descended from the same ancestor having the
same blood running in their veins. Having regard to this fact an examination of the
distribution of the totems among the different castes and communities should serve as
good a test for determining race as anthropometry has been.

Unfortunately, the study of the totems and their distribution among different
communities has been completely neglected by students of sociology. This neglect is
largely due to the current view propagated by the Census Commissioners that real unit of
the Hindu social system and the basis of the fabric of Hindu society is the sub-caste
founded on the rule of endogamy. Nothing can be a greater mistake than this. The unit of
Hindu society is not the sub-caste but the family founded on the rule of exogamy. In this
sense the Hindu family is fundamentally a tribal organisation and not a social
organisation as the sub-caste is. The Hindu family is primarily guided in the matter of
marriage by consideration of Kul and Gotra and only secondarily by considerations of
caste and sub-caste. Kul and Gotra are Hindu equivalents of the totem of the Primitive
Society. This shows that the Hindu society is still tribal in its organisation with the
family at its base observing the rules of exogamy based on Kul and Gotra. Castes and
sub-castes are social organisations which are superimposed over the tribal organisation
and the rule of endogamy enjoined by them does not do away with the rule of exogamy
enjoined by the tribal organisations of Kul and Gotra.

The importance of recognizing the fact that it is the family which is fundamental and
not the sub-caste is obvious. It would lead to the study of the names of Kul and Gotra
prevalent among Hindu families. Such a study would be a great help in determining the
racial composition of the people of India. If the same Kul and Gotra were found to exist
in different castes and communities it would be possible to say that the castes though
socially different were racially one. Two such studies have been made, one in
Maharashtra by Risley and another in the Punjabby Mr. Rose and the result flatly
contradict the theory that the Untouchables are racially different from the Aryans or the
Dravidians. The main bulk of the population in Maharashtra consists of Marathas. The
Mahars are the Untouchables of Maharashtra. The anthropological investigation shows
that both have the same Kul.. Indeed the identity is so great that there is hardly a Kul
among the Marathas which is not to be found among the Mahars and there is no Kul
among the Mahars which is not to be found among the Marathas. Similarly, in the Punjab
one main stock of people consists of Jats. The Mazabi Sikhs are Untouchables most of
them being Chamars by caste. Anthropological investigation shows that the two have the
same Gotras. Given these facts how can it be argued that the Untouchables belong to a
different race? As I have said if totem, kul, and gotra, have any significance it means that
those who have the same totem must have been kindred. If they were kindred they could
not be persons of different race.
The racial theory of the origin of Untouchability must, therefore, be abondoned.

CHAPTER VIII