Dalit discrimination in Christian community continuing

Why do Dalits have separate churches? Why are Dalit Christians still condemned on the margins in this ‘new liberating religion’, despite converting to Christianity to escape the oppression of Brahminic Hinduism? These are some of the disturbing thoughts pervading the air.

One can see this method in the madness happening in the educational field. For example, the elitist St Stephen’s College of Delhi University and Saint Columbus School in Delhi, among others, deny reservation to Dalit students. Some of their best institutions are so expensive that the poor and Dalits just cannot afford it. The current debate to have reservations in minority institutions has not persuaded Christian leaders to offer affirmative action as a solution. In Kerala, there are 14 private engineering colleges and half of them belong to them; similarly, several medical and engineering colleges are run by them where the poor and backwards just cannot think of studying.

So far as socialization is concerned, most Upper Caste Christians make friends with dominant caste Hindus; this can be observed in marriages and festivals. They espouse the cause of secularism with each other only. In these circumstances, how can Christianity deliver and liberate, least of all fight Hindutva’s inherent fascism?

Dalit Christians are so frustrated with ‘Upper Caste’ Christians that many of them are thinking of re–converting. It is easy to malign them, but a close scrutiny of their plight will make their wounds transparent. Syrian Christians in Kerala still feel that they have inherited royal blood and marriage with lower caste Christians will pollute them. Upper Caste Christians do not face the ire of the Sangh Parivar because they are living in a protected zone and do not have to relate to the subalterns. Most of the churches attacked by Hindutva fundamentalists are in far–flung areas and are being managed by mainly Dalit Christians and Adivasis.

Till the British model of schooling was introduced, untouchables did not have access to education in India. True, the Christian missionaries did a lot in this sphere. Before this, education was exclusively reserved for the dominant castes but missionary schools threw open opportunities for everyone. However, the British rulers did not like the philanthropic work of missionaries because they were spreading revolutionary western thoughts that stood for self determination, equality, liberty and freedom.

Indian Christians must introspect about this inherited legacy. They should get politicized and form a block with the Dalits, poor and backwards and share their resources with them. In a social system like ours, this form of political activism is the only option for a powerful movement of empowerment.