Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Akshay Valmiki,a Dalit boy,runs his fingers through the coarse white janeyu or sacred thread,an upper-caste symbol. At first,he wears it around his neck like a garland,but the priest shakes his head in disapproval. Confused,Akshay tries a second time and this time the priest smiles from the other side of the sacred fire.
Twelve-year-old Akshay,who belongs to the Valmiki community that traditionally engages in scavenging and cleaning,is the youngest among 251 caste members who participated in an Upnayan or sacred thread-binding ceremony organised by the Delhi-based Swaraj group on Sunday at Aryapura. Akshay didnt quite get the symbolism of the thread. All he knew was he could flaunt it at school,something that would elevate his status.
In the background,a statue of Valmiki,the communitys patron saint,sits on a pedestal with Lord Ram occupying the lower rung,setting the tone for the ritual.
The event is the first in a series of 100 such ceremonies planned across the NCR. There are also plans to hold such rituals for Dalits to adopt upper caste markings throughout the country. The project would cost about Rs 1 crore,members of the Swaraj group said.
These people have not been allowed to venture into Indian culture, says Dr Sambit Patra,the founder and president of the organisation. They are equals. This may not being any change in the near future but it will definitely help Dalits to come into the mainstream. This is nothing short of a social revolution.
As the conch blew on Sunday,and chanting reached a crescendo,a priest stood beside the ritual fire,holding a bunch of sacred threads in his hands. On the other side of the flames,men and children belonging to the Dalit community sat with expectant eyes and outstretched hands. For them,the thread that they would sling across their shoulders spelled a way to challenge the caste hierarchy.
Historically,such ceremonies arent unusual. Described as Sanskritisation by the sociologist M S Srinivas,it implies a process by which lower castes claim a higher position in the caste hierarchy by emulating the practices and rituals of the dominant castes. In 2007,a similar ceremony was organised in Delhi where more than 500 Valmikis had taken on the janeyu,Patra said.
Vishnu Prapanna,a Brahmin priest who presided over the ceremony,says religious texts invested the right of wearing the thread to all,but all four sects of the Varna system look up to the Brahmins as the bearers of knowledge. Whoever learns the culture and the texts can become a Brahmin, he says.
But wearing the janeyu isnt the ticket to an elevated status for many Valmikis who refused to participate in the ceremony. Every morning,Amit Birla,a sweeper,goes about cleaning the streets. When he is thirsty,he reaches out for a glass,usually kept near the entrance of a house,and the owner pours water from a height. Thats when he is reminded of his place. I cant and wont wear the thread because I am a sweeper. They will kill us if they see us wearing what is theirs. I dont know what Patraji was thinking. I am sure it is a good thing but who will save us when the upper castes get angry?
Days before the thread-binding ceremony,Sarvesh Mawana,another Valmiki,was told by some priests they would take offence if he were to wear the thread. I need to feed my family. I dont want to be scorned and lose my job, says Mawana.
But for Sunny Mangeram,a Valmiki who works at Delhi University,wearing Brahmin symbols is not the same as abandoning a Valmiki identity. He is proud to be a Valmiki but sees the thread as an equaliser,he says. In 1995,when he was travelling to Bulandshahr in for a wedding,his group was handed tea in porcelain cups at a dhaba. But when we were asked our caste,and we said Valmiki,they took away the cups and gave chai in clay bowls. Now,I will walk into the campus,my shirt unbuttoned,flaunting the thread.
BSP MP Ambeth Rajan,a Dalit,is also of the view that such ceremonies will help bring about social change and says he welcomes the idea of more such events.
However,Dalit leader and president of the Indian Justice Party Udit Raj says that such ceremonies are of no use. Why should they wear a janeyu? They should be abolished. Even if they do wear the sacred thread,they will still be outcastes. The caste stigma has not left them, he says. This is no social revolution. If tanything,they should give up the broomstick. Valmiki was a writer. The community should hold pens.
Patra,meanwhile,argued that the janeyu symbolised the responsibilities of a man towards his ancestors,teachers and gods and Dalits too should be able to express those values.
