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| | India on the crossroads: New societal benchmarks beckon | | | In his famed book ‘Untouchable’, author Mulk Raj Anand has sketched a contemporary frame presenting to us a complete profile of the novel’s protagonist, Bhaka. The story is all set up in the pre-Independence era when Mahatma Gandhi, popularly called ‘Bapu’ talks in one of his speeches, about a machine that cleans bathrooms automatically in the Western nations. One gets to know about our protagonist’s thoughts in this matter, when he reminisces over the possible outcome of such a scenario upon the introduction of the same in the Indian society.
Philosopher Bhaka
The novel seems to regale at times with the supposed philosophical meanderings of Bhaka’s mind; nevertheless his clean manners impress everyone who reads this book. There is an endless rumination on his part on the supposed benefits of the said machine where he begins to imagine the emerging contours of a casteless society. What is graceful about the book is the way the central character has been showing never to indulge in expletives or ill manners towards anyone which seems to be given in the circumstances present for anyone else.
That machine is relevant even now
That the nation after traversing the choppy waters of economic stagnation in the decades preceding the globalized ones, starting form 1990’s onwards, is a testimony to a number of win-win situations. Ironic is the part where the tenets of a largely defunct social order as laid down by sage Manu (including the controversial statements about women), are followed in letter and spirit by the upper echelons of the society. The most shameful aspect of the whole thing is the manual scavenging being still carried by unfortunate people who have been closed avenues of other dignified employment. Whether the machine can indeed bring any change at the deeper levels or it just remains a distant pipe-dream for those involved in the unsavory business of cleanliness, is something only time will tell.
Manual scavenging, even now?
How can this happen in a so-called liberalized age of ours, when education is emerging as the saving grace of a nation marred by otherwise innumerable scams? But, the statement in itself exposes the fact behind the general psyche of the common populace when it comes to indulge in hypocrisy of all sorts, particularly when it comes to enforcing the caste divisions with impunity.
Barring a few instances, when the upper castes have stood up while defending their (Dalit’s) rights, mostly it has been a sordid story. A miniscule percentage from within the upper echelons of the society can’t change overnight the demographics of a generally accepted societal structure and this has happened umpteen times. But the change has, will and is coming from their side, though with the inevitable consequences of caste backlashes happening frequently in several States.
The government intervenes
So much for a public report on scavenging by the Indian Government to eradicate the menace by the year 2007! A laughable prognosis (because of its non-implementation) done on the basis of frequently emerging reports regarding the inhuman practice in the dailies and elsewhere.
According to a news report in the Hindu (April 9) “Employing people for manual scavenging and cleaning of septic tanks and sewers will attract a hefty penalty once the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012 is passed”. The Bill that seeks to prohibit employment as sanitary workers is to be tabled in Parliament in the monsoon session.
The proposed law suggests that every insanitary latrine will have to be demolished or converted into sanitary latrines within nine months of the notification of the law. It prohibits any agency or individual from employing manual scavengers and those already in this kind of job — directly or indirectly — will have to be discharged irrespective of any contract, agreement, custom or traditional commitments. (Courtesy: The Hindu)
From the pages of History
History is replete with the instances when Dalits have been forced to carry on with this barbaric practice just because a certain scripture ordained them to do so. That in a book like ‘Narada Samhita’, the mean denizens are expected to do the menial and thankless tasks is a testimony of the ancient beliefs regarding the ‘varna vyavastha’. It is however, widely believed that with the advent of British in the country, the practice crossed unbelievable limits exposing their _ white man’s burden _ true agenda.
The former’s destructive forays in the land grabbing cases wherein the people as well as the rulers were forced to part away with their land holdings and other small scale trade in the countryside brought with it an endless vortex of untold hurdles. Hurdles, which were there in the form of limiting of other viable and decent job options, left them with nothing but to adopt this inhuman practice.
Where do Bhaka’s predicaments end?
According to the same report in The Hindu, Sanitary workers or one family member will be imparted training in skill development and entitled to a stipend of Rs. 3,000 during the training period. They will also be eligible for subsidy and concessional loans to start their own alternative occupation on a sustainable basis.
With the introduction of community toilets in the form of ‘Sulabh’, a movement borne out of pioneering efforts by B.N. Shrivastava, the situation has eased in the cities atleast, but there are still some dark corners in the country where the menace flourishes. It might be small in comparison to earlier years when it was almost a norm, yet it seems to be monstrous by any yardstick given the age we are living in. Or, is this really so?
Paradoxes still rule the nation with one end of the spectrum corroborating to the so-called ‘shining India’ and the other teeming with the human waste in open. Six decades and a back, India was called a ‘big toilet’ by Katherine Mayo in her book ‘Mother India’ and she was right!
But, to clean them through human beings who are entitled to otherwise a decent life as enshrined in the Constitution, is highly deplorable. Promises are there as have always been, with the recent monsoon session showing the way but it will remain a toothless tiger despite the will shown by the government. We say this because of the widely held apprehension that the government lacks initiative as has been the case with the other issues and as far as the actual implementation of the proposed scheme is concerned.
Whether the above ruling becomes a polestar of hope for the millions of Dalits engaged in these menial jobs or will it be Bhaka’s dream gone unsavory, remains hidden in the layers and sub-layers of time.
Or, in other words, only time will tell! |
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