Dalits: Margins of
Indian Society
Dr. Andrey Shastri,
Amity University, Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh, India.
Abstract: Even in the modern era, the caste system
continues to play a significant role and occupies a distinct position within
India’s social class structure. Dalits have historically been perceived as
undereducated and have been subjected to severe exploitation within society.
Even today, many Dalits are compelled to struggle for basic survival and
livelihood. Contemporary Dalit communities face various forms of violence, with
caste-based discrimination by upper-caste groups remaining one of the most
critical factors contributing to their marginalized condition. The persistent
reluctance of dominant castes to accept Dalits in positions of social,
economic, and political authority further reinforces this inequality. This
paper attempts to present a comprehensive review of the social, educational,
economic, and political status of Dalits in India, while highlighting the key
issues and challenges confronting them.
Keywords:
Dalits, women, untouchability, India, education.
Introduction
Indian society has historically been structured around
the caste system, which has deeply influenced social relations, access to
resources, and opportunities for different communities. Among the most
marginalized groups within this structure are the Dalits, who have faced
centuries of exclusion, discrimination, and social oppression. Despite
constitutional safeguards and policy interventions in independent India,
caste-based inequalities continue to shape the everyday realities of Dalit
communities.
In country like India, caste was something very deep
rooted in the social structure. In short, people were defined sometime by their
caste only. India is a rich country with its tremendous mixed cultures, sub
cultures and traditions. It has the richest heritage and civilization(s).
Furthermore, India is moving ahead in the field of business, in the field of
science, in the field of technology, in terms of scientific research technique
and many more things. Undoubtedly, India is growing rapidly through its efforts
and hardworking steps. Day by day with its efforts it is becoming the fastest
developing countries in the world. But after watching the daily news, or even
reading the articles in the newspaper, the condition of Dalits did not seems to
be improved. There is not much changes in the social attitudes in the behaviour
of upper caste people. India is still in the grip of caste system. It is not
away from the shackles of social hierarchies of the society. The sections of the
people who are considered as Dalits or Marginalized are also the important
section of Indian society. They also play an important role in the development
of a society, development of a country, or development in terms of a nation.
Different studies and reports reveal that they are the victims of the any kind
of violence.
Dalits: Identity and Social Status
Dalit is a term used in India to refer to
communities that were historically placed outside the traditional caste
hierarchy and subjected to social exclusion, discrimination, and
untouchability. The word Dalit comes from the Sanskrit root “dal”, meaning broken, oppressed,
crushed, or downtrodden. It signifies not just economic poverty but a
condition of systematic social
oppression and denial of human dignity.
In contemporary usage, Dalit is a
self-assertive and political identity,
adopted to challenge caste-based injustice and to demand equality, rights, and
social justice. The term Dalit refers to those communities in India who
have historically suffered social exclusion, caste-based discrimination, and
economic deprivation. Traditionally positioned at the lowest levels of the
caste hierarchy, Dalits were denied access to education, land ownership,
religious spaces, and dignified occupations. This systemic marginalization
resulted in generations of social and economic backwardness.
In modern India, the term Dalit
has evolved from a label of oppression to an identity of resistance and
assertion. Influenced by the ideas of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Dalit consciousness
emphasizes human dignity, equality, and social justice. Despite constitutional
protections and affirmative action policies, many Dalits continue to face
discrimination, violence, and unequal access to opportunities, highlighting the
persistence of caste-based inequalities in Indian society.
They are the ones who lived within the Hindu traditional
society, but had very limited freedom. The majorities of the Dalits or minorities
are poor, socially backward, and usually deprived from all basic needs. They
had no rights on anything. They are also deprived from educational
opportunities. Although some of the Dalits had very good jobs and good
educational background but still more people are lagging behind in every
aspect. Every day in most of the sector they face multiple discriminations in
various forms. Earlier, they named as "Untouchables" by the Caste
Hindus. Later on, they were recognized as 'Depressed classes' and 'scheduled
castes'. These phrases came out by the Government Act of 1935. Mohandas K.
Gandhi coined the word 'Harijan', which means "the children of God."
But this term was not welcomed by the Dalits because it did not adequately
describe their condition. They are not treated even as human beings leave alone
being respected as people of God. They are not treated equally in this society.
From a theoretical perspective, Dalit denotes a structurally produced condition of social
marginality rooted in the caste system rather than merely an identity based on
economic deprivation. Dalit status is historically constructed through
practices of untouchability, ritual exclusion, and graded inequality, which
systematically denied certain communities access to social capital, political
power, and cultural legitimacy. The caste order institutionalized hierarchy by
assigning hereditary occupations and enforcing social distance, thereby
reproducing inequality across generations.
Sociological and critical caste theories view Dalits as a
subordinated social group whose marginalization is maintained through
intersecting structures of caste, class, power, and ideology. Dalit identity,
therefore, represents both a lived experience of oppression and a site of
political resistance. Drawing on Ambedkarite thought, the concept of Dalit
challenges Brahmanical social order and calls for the annihilation of caste as
a prerequisite for social democracy. Despite constitutional guarantees of
equality, the persistence of caste-based discrimination reveals the limits of
legal reforms in transforming deeply entrenched social structures.
India’s caste system assigns individuals a hierarchical
social status largely rooted in traditional Hindu beliefs. Beyond the four
varna categories, Dalits are positioned outside this framework and are
constitutionally classified as Scheduled Castes. Occupying the lowest rungs of
the social hierarchy, Dalits have historically faced multiple and overlapping
forms of discrimination. These include restricted access to education,
healthcare, housing, and employment opportunities, as well as enforced social
segregation.
The scale of discrimination against Dalits is
particularly significant due to the vast number of people affected solely on
the basis of caste identity. India is home to more than 200 million Dalits,
making caste-based exclusion a major human rights concern. As noted by Paul Diwakar,
a Dalit activist associated with the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights,
India has approximately 600,000 villages, and in nearly every village Dalits
are compelled to live in segregated settlements located on the outskirts.
Demographically, Dalits constitute around 16.6 per cent
of India’s total population. According to the 2011 Census, nearly 20.14 crore
individuals were recorded as belonging to various Scheduled Castes, reflecting
a significant increase from 16.66 crore reported in the 2001 Census. These
figures highlight both the numerical strength of Dalit communities and the
continuing urgency of addressing caste-based inequalities in Indian society.
Within the Dalit community, there are
many divisions into sub-castes. Dalits are divided into leather workers, street
sweepers, cobblers, agricultural workers, and manual “scavengers”, these are
the different sub-divisions of this caste. Approximately three-quarters of the
Dalit workforce are in the agricultural sector of the economy. A majority of
the country’s forty million people who are bonded labourers are Dalits. These kinds of job rarely provide them income to feed their
families or to send their children to school. As a result, due to which many Dalits
are impoverished, uneducated, and illiterate and backward.
Since from the very early times, Dalits
have been oppressed, culturally subjugated, and politically marginalized. Even
sometime the Dalits are not allowed to sit in front or along with the high
caste people, they are also not allowed to eat with, and not even allowed to
marry. Discrimination for Dalits does not end if they convert from Hinduism to
any other religion.
Dalit and Education
Education has been regarded as
a crucial instrument for the social emancipation and empowerment of Dalits.
Historically, Dalits were systematically denied access to formal education
through caste-based restrictions, reinforcing their social and economic
marginalization. The exclusion from knowledge systems functioned as a mechanism
of domination, ensuring the reproduction of caste hierarchy across generations.
In post-independence India,
constitutional provisions, affirmative action policies, and reservation in
educational institutions have expanded educational access for Dalits. However,
deep structural inequalities continue to shape educational outcomes. High dropout
rates, poor quality of schooling, economic deprivation, caste-based
discrimination within educational spaces, and digital divides remain
significant barriers. From an Ambedkarite perspective, education is not merely
a means of mobility but a transformative force essential for achieving social
equality, dignity, and democratic participation.
The education plays a crucial and important role in the upliftment
of the society and it members. Education is the means to achieve equality at
all levels in a society. Universally it is declared as a fundamental right, and
to ensure that everybody must have equal opportunities in education sector. It
is considered a powerful instrument in the process of overcoming inequalities
and accelerating social transformation. It can help to establish a new social
order which should be based on equality, liberty, and fraternity. Education
creates awareness among people and gives voice to people to speak up. To
overcome from this situation different schemes created to make growth in terms
of education. Education acts as an emancipator because without education no
human can be emancipated.
Plato has visualized education as a means to create an
ideal stat and planned a curriculum and a structure of education, which would
produce his ideal republic. Karl Mannheism portrayed the aims of education in a
social, historical and visualized the possibilities of progressive social
change through education. It is well said that education plays an important
role as well as it can be a great emancipator.
It is well said that “Education is the passport to the
future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Education is the first towards the progress and
development. Education is the most
powerful agent for bringing desired changes in any society. Education has an immense impact on the human
society. Education placed as one of
major weapon to liberate Dalits in India by many Dalits leaders like Mahatama
Phule, Savitri Bai Phule, and most important leader the so called as Dalit
Massiha, none another than Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, these leaders put their every
best efforts in uplift lifting the Dalits people in society.
Education could give confidence to the exploited ones to
fight against the injustice and oppression. But Dalits of India are lagging
behind in terms of education, it is still like a dream to achieve it. Eve today
in this modern time, where the discussion was about the development and
discrimination against the Dalits is present throughout all the stairs of
education. Number of dropout rates among the Dalits is high due to their social
and economic factors. The literacy rate of SCs in 2011 is 66.1% and total
literacy rate is 73%.
In context to women, the
literacy rate of SC women is about 42% in 2001, increased to 56.5% in 2011. As the data shows
that woman condition are very deplorable in every field. They face a lot of
discrimination being a woman and being a Dalit woman. They also suffer from
patriarchal nature of the society, which don't allow them to move ahead in
their life. The number of dropout rates is also higher among girl children of Dalits.
The socio-economic nature of their family did not allow them to pursue higher
dreams in their life. They are more indulge in the house hold activities,
helping their mothers in the kitchen, taking care of their siblings, poverty,
less education of their parents and many more others factors hampers their
educational rates in their life.
Systemic Exclusion and Social Oppression
At present, Dalits constitute approximately 16.2 per cent
of India’s total population; however, their control over the nation’s resources
remains extremely limited, estimated at less than five per cent. Nearly half of
the Dalit population continues to live below the poverty line. A significant
proportion of Dalits engaged in agriculture are landless or marginal
agricultural labourers, reflecting their continued economic vulnerability.
Access to basic amenities such as safe drinking water, electricity, and sanitation
remains severely inadequate, with fewer than ten per cent of Dalit households
able to afford these necessities, underscoring their deplorable living
conditions.
Dalits are also disproportionately affected by crimes and
atrocities, often making them daily victims of caste-based violence. Many such
crimes remain unreported due to fear of retaliation, social pressure, and lack
of trust in law enforcement agencies. Even when reported, cases are frequently
ignored or inadequately addressed by the police. Between 1992 and 2000, a total
of 334,459 cognisable offences against Scheduled Castes were registered
nationwide, indicating the persistent nature of caste violence. More than six
decades after Independence, Indian society continues to be deeply afflicted by
the entrenched caste system, with Dalits remaining one of the most vulnerable,
marginalized, and brutalized communities.
Dalit women, in particular, face multiple and
intersecting forms of oppression. Certain forms of violence are
disproportionately directed at them, rooted in both caste and gender
hierarchies. Often unaware of their legal rights, Dalit women are vulnerable to
exploitation by dominant caste groups, law enforcement agencies, and even the
judicial system. They are subjected to exploitation not only by upper-caste men
and women but also, at times, by Dalit men within their own communities.
Domestic violence, alcoholism, gambling, and the appropriation of women’s wages
by male family members further aggravate their condition, frequently pushing
entire families into extreme poverty and hunger.
In rural areas, Dalit women are commonly employed as
agricultural labourers on lands owned by upper-caste landlords, where they
receive meager wages and endure exploitative working conditions. Recent data
further highlight the severity of social violence: during the first half of
2019, 72 mob attacks were reported across the country, of which 28 targeted
Dalits. In eight of these cases, Dalit victims were lynched to death. Such
incidents reveal the intense and layered nature of oppression faced by Dalit
communities, particularly Dalit women.
These realities underline the urgent need for a
fundamental transformation in social attitudes across caste and religious
lines. Recognizing women as integral and equal participants in society is
essential, as meaningful social development remains incomplete without their
dignity, security, and empowerment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the
persistence of caste-based inequalities in contemporary India highlights the
limited transformation of deeply entrenched social structures despite
constitutional safeguards and policy interventions. Dalits, particularly Dalit
women, continue to experience systematic exclusion, economic deprivation, and
multiple forms of violence rooted in the intersection of caste and gender.
While legal frameworks and affirmative action have created opportunities for
social mobility, their impact remains constrained by discriminatory social
attitudes and institutional failures.
Addressing Dalit marginalization
requires more than legal reform; it demands a fundamental change in social
consciousness, effective implementation of protective laws, and inclusive
development policies that prioritize education, economic empowerment, and
gender justice. The realization of a truly democratic and egalitarian society
is possible only when caste hierarchies are dismantled and the dignity, rights,
and agency of Dalits — especially Dalit women—are fully recognized and upheld.
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