The Village - 16

...Then there are meaningful ways devised to prevent them from attending the schools. In the grand tradition of separation between jatis the students from the weakest of society are made to sit separately. They are also not allowed to draw water from school taps for the purpose of drinking for the fear of contamination. They have to wait for somebody from upper caste to open the tap so that they drink water and who will also close it afterward. Further to add insult to injury the teacher never misses a chance to scold or punish them in a humiliating manner in front of the class or the school on filmsy grounds. It is always caste exemplary. The insults are added after insults as if though the ever present insults in their lives are not enough. The more they are insulted the more soothing it is to others. A cloud of insults always hovers over their heads ever ready to rain furiously. At times the punishment can be corporal and so severe and so frequent that the student stops going to school. Even the social insulting is some times sufficient for them to leave the school. Had it not been for British and their egalitarian outlook the untouchables would have never got the education. The British with an attitude of superiority in favor of their educational system overrode the dharmic and social and divine objections of upper castes in allowing the lowest stratum to enter the schools. They did the greatest damage to sacred, pure and divine Varna dharma in forcing the upper castes and the lowest castes to sit together in the schools. Not even the Muslims tried that with the Hindus. Anyway the people whose dharma got contaminated must have gone straight to hell or must have taken the birth of jackals, lizards, insects, worms and other lower level form of lives.

Just out of context, there are people who consider the Vedic Rishis being superior to Newton and Einstein on the grounds best understood by them. They agree with each other and live in eternal bliss. The explanations they offer are restricted to themselves and not to be told to lower strata people. They also illogically consider the Vedic education to be superior to modern education.

And in rural areas there is a system of two tumblers. It is matter of preventing the contaminations of different castes through touch. It is a matter of keeping away the clean from the unclean. The village restaurant is a small dingy makeshift arrangement of dirty wooden work. All the broken, uneven and unequal pieces of wood are joined to give it a semblance of a room. The gaping holes are covered with dirty and torn cloth pieces. No cleanliness reaches there but they keep the clean separate from unclean. One set of tumbler is meant for the use of higher caste people. There is one more lone tumbler for the use of the lowest stratum of the society. A member of the fifth stratum has to drink the tea in the tumbler marked for untouchables. After that he has to clean it and keep it back. Then another fifth stratum member can repeat the process. And if there are many of them then they have to drink tea in sequence. No staff from these dingy and dirty restaurants would touch this tumbler and neither would clean it. The higher caste people would not drink from this tumbler to maintain the sanctity of their higher social status. It is an indication of wisdom of ancient people who categorized people into different compartments and made their dwellings and other things separate to keep the pollution at bay. However, the new generation of the lowest section of the society does not believe in such wisdom, they are infused or contaminated with the ideas of modern world and considers it to be inhuman thereby questions the entire philosophy of Varna dharma...

The Village -15

...Getting education also qualifies to be major offence. One reason is that it involves sitting of high caste children with untouchable children which is responsible for spread of impurities directly from person to person. One should know this dharmic fact. This can make all the high caste children impure which require bathing at home or risk the spread of impurities in other members of family and thereby in the whole of village society. This can impurify whole of the village endangering the pure, sacred and innocence dharma. Secondly it goes against the major rule of Varna dharma of subordination of untouchables to higher Varnas. The education enables the untouchables to fill the gap between themselves and others. Thus it is a major move toward their emancipation. And high castes do not like them to get nearer; the lower down they are, the better it is. The education among the untouchables jeopardizes the entire dharma. However the education to them is considered purposeless especially when the traditional education specialists in other Varnas are available. Only the higher three Varnas are eligible for education. After all there should be labor specialization. The untouchables are deemed to be fit only for leatherwork, scavenging and at best for doing the agriculture labor or lower level unskilled work. This is the maximum talent they are supposed to possess and not the awesome talent of cramming Vedas. They are supposed to be unfit for any higher-level work like education. There were the golden times for Brahmans when the molten lead was poured into the ears of impure people who happen to hear even a single word of sacred and divine Vedas. Such times of non-competition are looked upon by upper castes with nostalgia. Tears after tears are shed for disappearance of such dharmic times. These tears come straight from the pious, pure and innocent hearts. If untouchables are allowed to study then it is an indication that the civilization has since degenerated to abysmal depths. The education is not supposed to be part of life of these lowly people and it should not become one. Getting education means going to school which means encroaching on the dharmic monopoly of high castes and which is strongly resented in village society. It is needless to say that the schools are deemed to be meant for upper caste people. It is getting to be repetitive but the crippled lives of the people from lowest stratum have been a integral part of the Hindu civilization for 2500 years which requires to be repeatedly told. The people from lowest stratum are supposed to follow their traditional jobs only for which they are supposed to have appropriate and innate talent. They should not cut off themselves from their traditional roots of their cultural heritage. In addition it was the dharma which their ancestors followed faithfully. In getting education they are supposed to be flouting the rules by which their forefathers lived. ...

The village - 14

...However, all this fabulous display of bravery is reserved to be used against helpless, weak and unarmed people who can barely manage to make the ends meet. None of this fabulous, legendry and god created inherently superior bravery was on display when it met with Muslim invaders and British colonizers. Then their righteous mightiness disappeared into unknown places with its tail tucked deep inside. At that time they gladly adjusted to their subordinated status; not an iota of an effective bravery was on display. All the bravery was trampled upon by the foreigners with ridiculous ease; the Hindus could rule only over a disarmed, unclothed and hungry population. Only a handful of foreigners were needed to bring this ancient and mammoth civilization down to its knees and that too with effortless ease. Absolutely at that time the question of their honor or honor of their womenfolk did not arise. The Muslim warriors who were without women were not supposed to play marbles with the girls and women of this land. It was forced Niyoga. The question of honor or dharma did not arise at that time. Actually the concept of dharma became malleable instead of being permanent or divine. The non-Hindu human beings could easily play with this divine dharma. This malleability or a tendency to capitulation enabled this Varna dharma to survive. They opted for submission to avoid further damage. Had they taken brave and rigid stand at that time then the dharma would have been destroyed totally. The authority of Muslims was submissively acknowledged. So it was not desirable for Muslims to push the servile Hindus too far. The sheer arrogance of higher Varnas got completely reduced to dust. Their pride crawled on the ground. At that time the eternal dharma went to pieces and nobody effectively objected to it. The God created intelligence, the God created bravery, which were used with killing effects against the untouchables refused to essay anything other than complete servility. A paralysis developed in the innate superior qualities. After all, the God created them to rule; they turned out to be miserable failures. Dharma survived by accepting the meek position of servitude and subordination. The divinely ordained intelligence and bravery hid themselves under the dust raised by the hooves of horses of Muslim invaders. These qualities readily mingled with earth on which the foreigners treaded with their mighty boots. The half-baked bravery and half-baked intelligence were reserved for the landless, hungry, weaponless, isolated untouchables living in small mud huts without any viable means of subsistence...

The village - 13

...And wearing sleepers is also a great offence. It is out of touch with their social status. This simple act is also an absoloute act of insubordination. Thus it is punishable by the dharmic high caste people. Anybody can take law into his hands to save the dharma which amounts to saving Varna dharma. All the untouchables have to take off the sleepers when passing by upper castes or their houses. They cannot wear them in their presence. There should be no quarrel with that. They have to appear totally helpless with a bare minimum covering on their bodies. Any untouchable assertion is dharmically prohibited.

And taking an untouchable groom on a mare during a marriage procession can play havoc with the mental peace of upper castes. The man who is supposed to go barefoot and wear unclean, old and torn clothes dares to ride a mare, which is the sign of a ruler, in their presence and bring so many people to show off. From such a height he dares to look down upon the upper castes. He can never raise himself to their heights. And going through the cluster of houses of upper caste! It is pure sacrilege. It may cause serious law and order problem. It seems that the heathen people have slapped the upper caste people right in the face; anybody superior to them doing it would have been all right; but the untouchables? They are not allowed to do that. Their status and dharma is in danger. So the mentally tortured upper castes decide to save dharma by taking recourse to arms. A brave display of bravery takes place. The violence erupts. The troubled conscious of upper caste people does not take rest until the blood of unarmed untouchables flows on the earth like polluted red water. Few untouchable dead bodies are sufficient to give the feelings of serenity to their agitated conscious. So some of heathens are killed and this continues until the untouchables have given up. After killing they safely go to their large houses while the cries of bereaved people can be clearly heard from small untouchable huts. The honor of upper castes has been saved and they are satisfied; a sense of eternal bliss prevails. These heathen people cannot play with their honor. The gaping whole that was about to appear in the delicately woven fabric of dharma has been embroidered with a few corpses. They cannot be accused of not being aesthetic. Everybody on the side of dharma heaves a sigh of relief. The twang of pain on the faces of untouchables is equally matched by the radiant smiles on the faces of tormentors; the protectors of divine Varna dharma; the Brahman lawmakers appreciate themselves in an appreciating way; the self satisfied grins spread on their faces and silent appreciating glances are exchanged...

The Village -12

...The Varna dharma morality also dictates that the untouchables shall behave their divinely ordained status. The untouchable shall not indulge in such acts which offend upper castes and that is dharmically final and settled. He shall never try to become equal to an upper caste; that is the bare bone essential. He shall never indulge in the unethical act of hurting social sensibilities of his superiors. He shall willfully submit to all the humilities heaped upon him, his family and his jati. He shall always be servile to upper castes. He shall possess no ego. He shall not study. He shall not walk in an upright posture. He shall not talk back. He shall never assert himself. He shall never enter into temples. He shall endure with the insults heaped on his womenfolk. That is the culture.

He has committed the involuntary ghastly crime of being born in an untouchable family and goes on to compound his sins by wearing a decent set of clothes and thus treading upon the dharmic egos of upper caste people. He ought to be taught a lesson and he will be. It will be an enduring lesson. It should set up such a depth containing cruel example so that it prevents other untouchables from following the same anti-social path of dishonoring the upper castes by trying to become honorable. He is guilty of tearing the delicate and meticulously built social fabric of the society where preponderous servility passes as proof of social harmony. He is guilty of challenging the social authority. He is impurifying the society by trying to mix his polluted self with others. So a nice piece of ruthless thrashing, at least, would be forthcoming, in order to maintain the divinely ordained Varna dharma. So that in future he desists from such an anti-social act amounting to interference in the cosmic order. He shall not wear away from god assigned nature and duties. He should wear only old, unclean and torn out clothes. He shall extend all his servile cooperation in maintaining the Varna dharma otherwise it should be extracted from him. The punishment also assures the high caste people of their great dharmic heritage. A river of such assuring and soothing feelings runs through upper caste psyches through the system of punishing the untouchables. If the punishments were not deemed to be sufficient then dishonoring their womenfolk would be next in order. And they shall be mute witness to this, cursing their helplessness, destiny and of course Karmas. Only their Karmas are to be blamed for dishonoring of their womenfolk; nobody can be held responsible for this; especially when the high caste people are not answerable to low caste people. Sometimes the upper caste people do not need any flimsy reasons for committing this highly cultural dastardly act. This dastardly act has been long culturalized in Hindu society. Since ancient time, there has been no law and order as far as untouchables are concerned. It has been a Goonda Raj for them from the very beginning. They are like the preys to be hunted upon by the dharmic people....

The Village - 11

...And should an untouchable desire to dress him well? The heavens would fall. It would be quite contrary to dharmic ways. An untouchable is supposed to talk, walk, wear, eat, sleep and behave his jati. All his acts should be in perfect alignment with his lowest status in the society. It is quite painful and mentally unstabilizing for an upper caste to see an untouchable getting out of this alignment. Perfect geometry of alignment has to be maintained. Harmony is harmony no matter what. The way of living of an untouchable should be in harmony with his insulting status. Otherwise it makes high castes emotional wrecks. It makes them angry with a perfect degree of righteousness. It is sufficient to send them in a maniacal mind set causing destruction to untouchables and their huts. Nobody can ever accuse them of not being geometrical and. they cannot also be accused of not believing in harmony. The upper castes do not see any meaning in seeing a well-dressed untouchable. They think it is purposeless and the particular untouchable is aspiring for too much; getting out of alignment of dharmic social structure. It is an affront to their dignity. Any untouchable ought to be satisfied with getting two square meals a day; filling his belly should be the highest ambition for him. That is the limit imposed on him by Varna dharma. If he is dressing himself well then he is crossing the ethical limits; it is unethical to hurt the dignity of higher castes; no dharma-abiding untouchable should do it. It is demeaning for higher castes to see a polluted man going around the village in decent clothes. By wearing decent clothes he is being indecent to others. The decency incorporates indecency. The honor of untouchables implies dishonor of high castes. And dishonor of untouchables means honor of high castes. Some untouchable has been indecent enough to wear decent clothes. Now he has to be fixed for that. His forefathers never dared to do it. No high caste can bear such social indecency; it is a matter of honor. The untouchables were never in a position to face the wrath of upper castes and they are still not. It is not for him to fill the gap in clothing between him and the upper castes; he is supposed to know his wretched place. He shall not dare to come out of his wretchedness. Otherwise breaking few bones of such a recalcitrant untouchable is quite satisfactory to righteously, morally and ethically superior high castes. Thrashing badly an untouchable is like thrashing the wheat...