Deprivation and Social Exclusion of the Dalits: An Anthropological Observation

Abstract

Social stratification is an outcome of the unequal distribution of goods and services within a society. The basic question here is who gets what and why? It depends on cultural values, the organization of production and the access acquired by different individuals and groups within a society. The idea of social stratification is rooted in the customary ways in which economic resources are allocated and distributed. Certain other aspects, like prestige and power, also get unequally distributed. It varies from one society to another. Indian society is old and extremely complex. In the Hindu social system, there is a fifth or Pancham Varna or Avarna, which accommodates those supposedly unclean occupations that are believed to be polluting and untouchable. Dalits are the downtrodden and poor. It includes those termed in administrative parlance as scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. They are the poorest of the villages’ poor, living in squalor and misery, deprived of education and opportunities for improvement. Along with a number of other factors, sometimes the contemporary political situation plays a major role in the exploitation and deprivation of Dalits, which violates their fundamental human rights. These issues have been highlighted in this article.