The shame of India

Thèmes abordés

Dalits - Macwan's personality - is Liz Stuart

Résumé du document

The shame of India is an article from the Guardian Weekly, a famous British Sunday newspaper. The columnist is Liz Stuart. It dates back to January the 10th of 2002. It's a fairly recent article. It raises the issue of the Caste System and in particular the shameful / disgraceful status of the Dalits, the Untouchables who represent between 18 and 25% of the population in India that is to say about 250 million people.

We learn in this article that contrary to what most people think outside India, the Caste System has not been abolished and that this social segregation still continues. This 3000 (three thousand)-year-old system of social classes is based on the Hindu religion and consists in dividing the Indian society into four great hereditary divisions: The Brahmans (Priests and learned class), the Kshatriyas (wariors and rulers), The Vaisas (farmers and merchants and the Sudras (peasants and labourers). There is also an outcaste called the Untouchables (Dalits) who are not considered part of the human society. Because of tradition and cultural barriers, millions of Dalits are discriminated against and are still living on the fringe of society, rejected and deprived of their rights by upper castes people. The article describes who they are and deals with Macwan, a Dalit, who has dedicated his life to fighting against this disgraceful tradition. We learn about his successes but also about his difficult struggle and about his doubts and sometimes discouragement.

Extraits

[...] So, as for me, I think the columnist, Liz Stuart, has really achieved her purpose / goal in informing her reader and denouncing this awful situation. I felt disconcerted / staggered / amazed I couldn't believe what I read I imagined that this sort of abuse / discrimination / prejudice belonged to the 19th century I still don't understand why such a shame can continue in the 20th century I think we should stand up against / speak up/out for the Dalits as well as for other victims of oppression around the world . [...]

[...] They are often bullied and intimidated so that they don't even dare to go to the ballots. They are often denied some rights which for us seem obvious: They are forbidden to ride their bicycles in town. Tucking their shirts into their trousers is also forbidden for them. Besides they may not wear sunglasses which also sound ludicrous / ridiculous (they may not be allowed to hide their eyes in front of upper caste people, they are supposed to lower their eyes in front of them as a sign of respect What's more, they undergo many bad treatments : Dalit women are regularly raped by high caste men and are even prostituted to temples and forced to sleep with high caste men even though they are not to be touched by them as they are supposed to be impure hence their name of untouchables What hypocrisy ! [...]

[...] How can such a disgraceful / shameful system persist ? How can this be accounted for explained) ? On the one hand, Hinduism as a religion, favours a certain fatalism which explains why Dalits tend to accept their lot leur sort). Hindus believe that if they are obedient, respectful, patient, they will be rewarded in another life Since all people are reincarnated on earth, they will have a chance to be reborn into a higher caste in another life . [...]

[...] The Dalits' status in India: A real shame / A total disgrace. After reading the text we understand the last sentence This is the shame of India which is also the title of the text. The way the Dalits are treated is shameful / disgraceful / outrageous They are underdogs / outcasts / pariahs living on the fringe of the Indian society because of hypocritical and privileged people who stick to tradition It is all the more intolerable as this sort of discrimination is illegal under Indian law. [...]

[...] The columnist is Liz Stuart. It dates back to January the 10th of 2002. It's a fairly recent article. It raises the issue of the Caste System and in particular the shameful / disgraceful status of the Dalits, the Untouchables who represent between 18 and 25% of the population in India that is to say about 250 million people. We learn in this article that contrary to what most people think outside India, the Caste System has not been abolished and that this social segregation still continues. [...]