Caste system a hypocrisy : B V Raghavulu
CPI (M) State secretary B. V. Raghavulu escorted Dalits into the temple at Hanavole near Adoni in Kurnool district on Monday as part of the campaign against untouchability.
Mr. Raghavulu accompanied by a handful of Dalit families entered the temples of Anjaneya Swamy and Laxminarasimha Swamy and offered prayers.
Tension prevailed in the village as the CPI(M) leaders attempted to do some thing radical for the first time. Earlier, he advocated local barber Mahanandiah to shave the beard of Dalits.
He volunteered but the family members of the barber tried to oppose it on the ground that they might invite the wrath of other villagers and may lose livelihood.
Mr. Raghavulu himself cut the hair symbolically to infuse confidence in Mahananadiah who did the rest of the job. Later, the CPI(M) leaders moved into Dalit locality and had lunch with the families.
Campaign
The CPI (M) leaders chose Hanavole as their place of campaign as several forms of untouchability were still prevalent in the village.
Dalits were denied entry to temples and were served food in the separate plates and glasses in the local roadside hotels.
Deputy SP and other senior officers were in the village when the CPI (M) leaders were around. They said they were for implementing the law and protecting the Dalits rights.
Meanwhile, addressing the gathering, Mr. Raghavulu said caste system was bane of Indian society and India could not progress without giving equal rights to all. He said a country developed only when people developed. India was the only country which discriminated people in the name of caste.
He said caste system was only a hypocrisy which prevailed only in villages. He wanted to know whether any patient asked for the caste of the blood donor or a customer asked for the caste of the cook in a star hotel before eating the food there.
CPI (M) district secretary T. Shadrak, Kula Vivaksha Vyathireka Porata Samithi leader Anandbabu and others were present.
(Courtesy : The Hindu)
Monday, April 12, 2010
Novel Protest against untouchability in Kurnool
New awakening: A barber offers his services to a Scheduled Caste person,ignoring the diktat of upper caste landlords, near Yemmiganur in Kurnool district on Sunday
Kula Vivaksha Vyatirekha Porata Samiti (KVVPS) a front organisation of CPI(M) organised a protest to remove the age-old residual untouchability in a remote village near Yemmiganur in Kurnool district on Sunday. Under threat from upper caste landlords, the washermen and barbers in the village refused to extend their services to Scheduled Caste families of the village.
The SC families either washed their clothes on the own or went to nearby town to have a haircut. The volunteers of KVVPS led by CPI(M) district secretary T. Shadrak counselled the service castes to extend the service to SC members.
Feudal practice
Bheemanna, an elder from the barber community told the activists that they were willing to undertake the job if protection was given to them from the landlords who wanted to enforce the age-old feudal practice. Mr. Bheemanna trimmed the hair of Samuel and Moshe and received remuneration for the service. Dalits of the village expressed happiness for breaking the age-old caste system and joining the mainstream social life.
(Courtesy : The Hindu)
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