Injustice at one place Affects Justice at every place

“I have been a victim of racism in India” was quoted recently as said by the Mizoram Chief Minister Mr. Lalthanhawla in a seminar in Singapore, which has caught the attention of media all across the nation, describing such a statement as an embarrassment to the Indian pride. This statement also comes at a time when Indian students in Australia are being beaten up on the count of racism, creating a situation of fear and threatening. Today, I have seen a cartoon, where an Australian student studying India is manhandling an Indian on the same pretext of racism. Certainly such forms of violence and racist activities needs to be condemned and the law needs to be enforced in such cases, across the globe. Several protest rallies by the students have been organized by Indian students in Australia and in India to condemn such activities and have been demanding to provide safety and security to all Indians there. The politicians have been raising their voices in and out of Parliament to address this issue of attacks on Indian students abroad. Discussions with Australian political leaders are on, articles requesting Indian students to assimilate with Australian culture and people have been voluminous, the ministry of External Affairs has been on the job, the ministry of Oversees Indian Affairs has been working hard and counselling to the victims is also on the move. As I pen down my thoughts, there is news that two Indians are assaulted in Sydney. Discrimination and hate campaigns against colour and race needs to be condemned and should be on the top priority of the international community in addressing it. I was pleased to see the FIFA football match between the USA and the Spain, where before the match began, when both the teams stand for the guard of honour, the captains of both the teams said at last, “ Let us say NO to RACISM”. Such gestures can serve as a token to make understand people in overcoming racism. I wish when India and Australia plays next a cricket match, if both the captains on behalf of their countries announce “no to racism and no to discrimination, for all of us as human beings are one and equal”, for such gestures also will send in the message of equality.

But what comes to me, as surprise is that all of a sudden racism comes to the forefront, and there have been discussions on this topic on all most every television channels and news columns. Is racism a new phenomenon that we have been caught by its sensation today? Is discrimination by colour something new to our Indian society? Or is it because such attacks are done to Indians on a foreign land that there is a lot of hue and cry? Does our Indian society and Indian political leadership have forgotten that in our own land from several ages, there have been a community of people called Dalits, who have been discriminated, ostracized and are being beaten up every day just on the similar grounds of race, or even a worse form called caste? Do caste discriminations and attacks on people in the name of caste not attract the Indian media and public? Does our Indian government give heed to the plights of these our Dalit brothers & sisters? I am not sure how to go about in answering these realistic questions of our times.

Discrimination on Dalits, violence on Dalits, and violation of human rights to Dalits have been an ongoing saga from ages in India. Caste has been one of the cruel forms that have divided our society and unfortunately it has crept deep into our societies and families that we are least bothered to address such inhuman system, which divides and discriminates people. Discrimination and exclusion have been dominating not only the rural contexts of India, but also the higher places of learning centers are not free from such evil forces. Dalit students are beaten up, Dalit students have been looked down and humiliated on the basis of caste, at some places the government schemes allotted for Dalit students have not been implemented and some even staged protests over the reservations and preferential options given to Dalits in India. When Dalit students were brutally attacked in Ambedkar Law University in Chennai, how many responsible citizens of India raised their voice? There are several incidents to be quoted, and the question still remains, are Dalits safe in India?

I am reminded of the saying, “injustice done at one place affects justice at every place”. Therefore, when there has been a great pressure on the government on India from all section of people to act on the attacks on Indian students in Australia, and provide them safety and security, I am of the opinion that the same pressure needs to be kept on the government to address the attacks on Dalits and the discriminations done to them. Let’s not forget, that since it is mostly upper middle class and upper class and caste, who can afford to study abroad when attacked, the government makes sure that no stone is left unturned in bringing the situation to normalcy. But when the poor Dalits are marginalized, discriminated, excluded and beaten up, on a daily basis, hardly there is any one to be in solidarity with them and to present their case with the government in ensuring justice to them. I think it is high time, that we as civil society needs to take up this cause of Dalits on prime importance with the attacks on Indian students in Australia and strive to be the harbingers of peace and justice. Justice, liberation, safety, freedom, equality and peace need to be ensured to Dalits in India on every front of life. India needs to be free from all sorts of discriminations, India’s unity in diversity can be witnessed when the last of the Dalits is free from the clutches of caste, India as a cradle of all major religions will be vibrant, when every faith opposes and destroys caste from its labyrinth, India as a pride for software technologies will be creative, when every industry upholds the values of equality and fraternity, with a preferential option for Dalits, and India as a developing nation will sustain, when stratification of society on the basis of caste discrimination is buried and when all its citizens live in total freedom and peace. To that vision of India, may my India remain truthful and committed for a just and inclusive community.

29.06.2009