UPSC MAINS SOCIOLOGY SYLLABUS

Paper 2 – Section C

(v) Social Movements in Modern India:

(a) Peasants and farmers movements.
(b) Women’s movement.
(c) Backward classes & Dalit movement.
(d) Environmental movements.
(e) Ethnicity and Identity movements.


(vii) Challenges of Social Transformation:

(a)  Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems and sustainability.
(b) Poverty, deprivation and inequalities.
(c) Violence against women.
(d) Caste conflicts.
(e) Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.
(f) Illiteracy and disparities in education.




INTRODUCTION

The Dalit Panther Movement was formed in 1972, when the Dalit youths came forward and took up the task of bringing all the Dalits on to one single platform and mobilizes them for the struggle for their civil rights and justice. It demonstrated that the lower castes were not willing to accept indignities and their worst conditions without protest. The Dalit Panthers, organized in June 1972 in Mumbai, emerged as a resistance group against caste discrimination. Known to have based their political strategies on the U.S Black Panthers Movement.


REASON FOR DALIT ASSERTION

The most important factor responsible for the rise of the Dalit Panther movement was the repression and terror that the oppressed caste continued to receive while living in rural areas. Dalit youth demonstrated resilience in that the lowest caste were not going to accept indignities without protest. They organized, protesting objection towards caste Hindus who had done them injustice, and objecting their degraded status. Recognizing that protective discrimination policies do not do not benefit them, they built the organization on the premise of protecting each other, whether male or female.


GENESIS OF THE MOVEMENT

In order to understand the emergence and need for the Dalit Panther Movement, it’s best to trace back to the early 1950s and look at the mass conversions from Hinduism to Buddhism that were going on at the time. Caste discrimination was particularly prevalent in India in early 20th century, which prevented the “Untouchables” from using public water tanks, entering Hindu temples, sitting in classrooms with Caste Hindus, seeking dignified employment, and having social contact with higher castes. Many thought that this discrimination was rooted in the hierarchical ideology of Hinduism, and that caste was therefore a direct result of this religion. The first significant attempt of escaping this hierarchical social structure, and a way of resisting caste discrimination at the time, was led by B.R Ambedkar in what we know to be the Dalit Buddhist Movement (also known as the Neo-Buddhist Movement): a socio-political movement by Dalits in India in which Hindus converted to Buddhism as a method of resistance.


THE INTENSITY OF THE MOVEMENT

The action plan for the Dalit Panthers was incorporated into the manifesto which consisted of 18 demands pertaining to the emancipation of Dalits. The manifesto reflected the enthusiasm of the Dalits to mobilize the poor masses in order to fight against the partisan and exploitative social system in the country. The Dalit Panther Movement spread to cities such as Bombay, Poona, Nasik, and Aurangabad where a large number of Dalit population is concentrated. Since its inception, the Panther Party was solely based on the ideology of Dr Ambedkar and was quite radical in nature. However, later in other states at least a faction of the Panthers was found inclined to the leftist, especially to the Marxist ideology.

PANTHER LEADERSHIP

When the Dalit Panthers were founded in 1972, the initial leaders were Namdeo Dhasal, J.V. Pawar, Raja Dhale, and Arjun Dangle. The organization of the movement, while hierarchical, however, resided in some form of group or joint leadership. Most of the leaders were well-educated but lacked experience when it came to organizing a political movement.


DALIT LITERARY MOVEMENT

The 1960’s saw a new wave of educated youth, all Dalits, that thrived on poetry, prose as a passive means of getting their message across. Their determination to have their rights recognised was unparalleled. It was uncommon for anyone to not know that the media was dominated by Brahmins and majority of media conglomerates were Brahmin as well. The educated Dalits affirmed faith in the power of the pen.  These educated youths with their awakened sense of consciousness entered the literary realm, which was primarily dominated by caste Hindus and their supposedly sophisticated writings. This young generation or the new Dalit intelligentsia wanted to articulate themselves in their own words and in their own style, without a sense of borrowedness. In other words, this was attempt by the Dalit Panthers to un-caste the literary world.


SUCCESS OF THE MOVEMENT

Dalit Panther has had a massive influence on both the national political and social landscapes The Dalit Panther Party offered the guts to rise and battle against the heinous crimes against Dalits. Dalit Panther fought the mainstream power politics of the day with poems and novels, and subsequently with plays, street plays, and other forms of art, resulting in an obvious rival movement. This movement provided Dalits and labourers with a voice. They were successful in establishing a counterculture and a distinct identity. They popularised the name “Dalit” in place of phrases like “Harijans” and “Untouchables.”


CONCLUSION

Although it was short-lived, the movement had a significant influence on Dalits in India. It ushered in a new period of Dalit literature, poetry, and storytelling, allowing them to display their ability and bring their issue to the forefront. The Maharashtra-based movement quickly extended to other states. In both the United States and India, the Panthers addressed basic and important concerns about the essence of freedom, liberty, and justice for the oppressed — blacks in the United States and Dalits in India. What they were fighting for back then is still a matter of life and death for black and Dalit communities today, as evidenced by ongoing incidences of police violence, lethal vigilante justice and denial of equal rights.