Christianity and the untouchables.Dear editor The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party's move to prevent religious conversions among Hindus in India is meant to comfort the upper castes of the Brahmin and Kshatriya ("Indian churches fight new law on conversions," November). As a British service officer during the Second World War. I served in India and Burma shortly before the division of "British India British India The part of the Indian subcontinent under direct British administration until India's independence in 1947. " into two countries. Pakistan and India. During officer's training I had a bearer or personal servant, a Christian named Francis, whose family was in the-then Portuguese enclave of Goa. I could not expect him to clean the toilet area or sweep the floor--that was the duty of the sweeper, an untouchable untouchable Former classification of various low-status persons and those outside the Hindu caste system in Indian society. The term Dalit is now used for such people (in preference to Mohandas K. . My clothes were washed by a dhobi A dhobi is a washerman in Pakistan and India. Scope and job Dhobis usually run door to door collecting dirty linen from households. After a day or two, they return the linen washed, sometimes starched and ironed. and water was brought by a bhisti. They were all untouchables untouchables: see Harijans. Untouchables lowest caste in India; social outcasts. [Ind. Culture: Brewer Dictionary, 1118] See : Banishment . After independence. Gandhi declared that untouchability should be abolished and the non-caste, apparently renamed dalit, became the lowest caste. I think that the other castes see the dalit's embrace of Christianity as spelling an end to cheap menial MENIAL. This term is applied to servants who live under their master's roof Vide stat. 2 H. IV., c. 21. service. Ted Westall Hamilton Ont. |
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