Note÷ English and Hindi Language.
LOWER CASTE STATUS AND CONSCIOUSNESS IN UNITED PROVINCES (1900-1950).
Dr Om prakash Singh
This article attempts to document the status and consciousness of lower castes in the United Provinces. The main objective of this article is to describe the condition of the lower castes and the consciousness that emerged during the development of the Dalit movement in the United Provinces. The main argument put forward is that many associations formed out of awakening (consciousness) in the lower castes, prepared the ground work for the rise of the Dalit movement among the Dalit castes. Thus caste unions played an important role in social mobilization of Dalits, which created an environment conducive for mobilizing Dalits to achieve political rights in the United Provinces.
Dalit movement in United Provinces attracted the attention of several scholars on account of its success in the form of the Bahujan Samajwadi Party. It has been perceived as a symbol of new trend in Indian politics from below. Studies of Sudha Pai,[1][Chrisstrofar Jafferlot[2] Badri Narayan[3] and Ramnarayan Rawat,[4][4] look at Dalit assertion from the perspective of politics of people for power. These studies did a commendable job by reflecting upon the historical dynamics of Dalit movement in United Provinces. But the fact is that the role of caste associations established by Dalits and their impact upon the politics of Dalits received insignificant coverage. Consequently, the valuable contribution of Dalit caste associations remained unexplored. This chapter tries to document the ideas and activities of Dalit caste associations and their impact upon Dalits movement of United Provinces.
Uttar Pradesh is a state located in northern part of India. It was part of United Provinces. The present state of Uttar Pradesh was created in 1950. Lucknow is the capital city and Kanpur is the commercial capital and the largest city of Uttar Pradesh. On 9 November 2000, a new state, Uttarakhand, was carved from the mountainous Himalayan region of Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh shares an international boundary with Nepal and is bordered by the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Hariana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. The state can be divided into two distinct geographical regions. The larger Gangetic Plain region is in the north; it includes the Ganges-Yamuna Doab, the Ghaghra plains, the Ganges plains and the Tarai. It has fertile alluvial soil and a flat topography (with a slope of 2 m/km) broken by numerous ponds, lakes and rivers. The smaller Vindhya Hills and plateau region is in the south. It is characterized by hard rock strata and a varied topography of hills, plains, valleys and plateaus.[5]
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India, with a population of 199,581,477 million people as of 1 March 2011.[6] If it were a separate country Uttar Pradesh would be the world's fifth-most-populous nation, trailing only China, India, the United States of America and Indonesia. As per the 2001 Indian census about 80 percent of Uttar Pradesh population is Hindu, while Muslims make up around 18.5 percent of the population. The remaining consists of Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians and Jains.[7][7] Uttar Pradesh is between latitude 24°-31°N and longitude 77°-84°E. Area wise, it is the fourth largest state of India.
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Lower caste population covered here are those who are listed in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Lists (Modification) Order 1956, for Uttar Pradesh. This order lists 66 castes in the Schedule for the State, of which 64 are Scheduled Castes throughout the State and two Kori and Gond are for a part of the State. Scheduled of Utter Pradesh as follows: Chamar, Passi, Dhobi, Khatik, Dusadh, Basor, Dhanuk, Balmiki, Kori, Dom, Gond, Kol, Dharikar, Kharwar, Musahar, Beldar, Kanijar, Nat, Bhuaiar, Ghasi, Habuda, Hari, Kalabaz, Kapadia, Karbal, Khairaha, Agariya, Badhik, Vadi, Bansphor, Barwar, Bedia, Bhandu, Bauriya, Korwa, Laibegi, Mazhai, Parika, Paradiya, Patri, Saharia, Sansiya, Bahelia, Balai, and Bawaria. Percentage wise scheduled composition of scheduled caste as follows: Chamar (56%), Passi (14%), Dhobi (6%), Kori (5%), Shilpkar (3%), Balmiki (4%), Khatik (2%), Dhanuk and Korwa (1%).The rest of the 57 castes account for a bare 8 per cent of the Scheduled Caste population.[8]
STATUS OF LOWER CASTE IN UNITED PROVINCES
United Province generally treated as cradle for Aryan civilization. Caste based inequalities and discrimination are part of socio-cultural ethics of upper strata of population. At the same time Utter Pradesh is also birth place of Sant Kabir, Sant Ravidas, and othrs who revolted against inequalities in human society. These saints had opposed to Varna and caste system, gave the message equality of human society. The teaching of these great persons had significant impact upon Dalit society.
Establishment of colonial rule and its economic process crated congenial atmosphere for Dalits in India in general, of United Provinces in particular,[9] to achieve upward mobility. Particular places like Agra, Kanpur and Meerut wherein sizable portion of Dalit population exists brought under colonial economic process on account of thriving leather trade.[10] These towns were known for leather related works which colonial state was interested.[11] As most of Dalits in these towns engaged in leather related professions they acquired work mobility and in fact acquired wealth.[12] It was this dynamic situation that created fertile ground for mobilization of Dalits by others and by themselves to achieve rights and concessions. This situation was further augmented by the colonial form of representational politics in which representative form of native opinion was encouraged. It was this context that compelled Dalits to mobilize for achieving political rights.
LOWER CASTE CONSCIOUSNESS IN UNITED PROVINCES
Being land of Aryan civilization, rigid form of caste distinctions were observed in north India. However, begging of British rule is an important factor in the history of Dalit movement. From 1880s on wards one would see mobilization of Dalit castes for civil rights over the issue of identity. Studies on Dalit movement in United Provinces mainly focused on manifested versions of Dalit movement especially in the form of Adi Dharm movement. But this chapter shows the fact that Dalit politics propagated and nourished by in the form of mobilization for dignity and civil rights by Dalit caste associations. Much before Adi Hindu movement, Dalit had begun to be organized on the basis of caste associations established by different Dalit castes. Dalit movement of United Provinces thus had strong roots in lower caste associations.
The political process of colonial Indian in the end of 19th and beginning of 20th centuries were determined by associational politics as a means to interact with colonial modernity. These associations were established for social reforms, cultural assertions, to safeguard the interests of certain groups (caste and religion), and finally to fight for political rights. This paradigmatic change had reflections in the political process of Dalits of United Provinces. As a means to put forward united voice, several lower castes established Associations to steer overall development of lower castes. Some of the lower caste associations as follows: Chamar caste established Chamar Mahasabha, Ravidas Mahasabha, Jatav Maha Sabha by Jatavs in western parts of United Provinces: Passi Mahasabha by Passis in Lucknow: Dhobi Mahasabha by Dhobi and Balmiki Mahasabha by Balmikis. These associations acted as reformist, political and other requirements to particular castes. Besides this caste associations also engaged in improving their cultural and opposed to child marriage, drinking wine and advocated for education as a means for development.
The associations of lower caste can be classified based the factors such as establishment, nature of representation, representation of demands and nature work they undertook. On the basis of these factors associations worked for lower castes in United Provinces can be divided in the following way: associations established by non Dalits however for development of Dalits: political associations established for representation of Dalits and finally caste associations by different Dalit castes.Along with improving the social status of their respective castes, all these organizations also advocated for their political rights. As a result, a strong base of Dalit movement was created in Uttar Pradesh. Later, whose leadership came in the hands of Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. Who provided a solid foundation to the Dalit movement.
REFERANCE:-
[1] Sudha Pai, Dalit Assertion and the unfinished Democratic Revolution: The Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh , Cultural Subordination and the Dalit Challenge, Vol-3, New Delhi, Sage, 2002.
[2] C. Jaffrelot, India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Low caste in North India. Delhi, Permanent Black, 2005.
[3] B. Narayan, Fascinating Hindutva: Saffron Politics and Dalit Mobilisation, New Delhi, Sage, 2009.
[4] Ramanarayan Rawat, Reconsidering Untouchablity: Chamars and Dalit History in North India, Indiana University Press, 2011.
[5] H. Frowde, The Imperial Gazetteer of the India, Volume XIX, Nayakanhatti to Parbhani, (Oxford- at the Clarendon Press, 1908) pp. 278.279.
[6] Census Report, Uttar Pradesh, 2011.
[7] Census Report, Uttar Pradesh, 2001.
[8] R.S. Mathur,‘Sources and Forms of Discrimination against Scheduled Castes in U.P’, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Oct., 1975), pp. 207-221.
[9] Nandini Gooptu, Swami Acchutanand & the Adi Hindu Movement, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2006.
[10] Tirthankar Roy, ‘Trading Firms in Colonial India’, Business History Review, 88, spring 2024, pp. 9-42.
[11] Chitra Joshi, Lost Worlds: Forgotten Histories of Indian Labour, New Delhi, Permanent Black, 2006.
[12] Thrinthankar Roy, Traditional industries in the Economy of Colonial India, New York, Cambridge University Press, 1999.
सन्दर्भ÷
1] सुधा पाई, दलित अभिकथन और अधूरी लोकतांत्रिक क्रांति: उत्तर प्रदेश में बहुजन समाज पार्टी, सांस्कृतिक अधीनता और दलित चुनौती, खंड-3, नई दिल्ली, ऋषि, 2002।
[2] सी. जाफ़रलॉट, इंडियाज़ साइलेंट रेवोल्यूशन: द राइज़ ऑफ़ द लो कास्ट इन नॉर्थ इंडिया। दिल्ली, परमानेंट ब्लैक, 2005।
[3] बी नारायण, आकर्षक हिंदुत्व: केसर राजनीति और दलित मोबिलिज़ेशन, नई दिल्ली, सेज, 2009।
[4] रामनारायण रावत, रिकॉन्सिडरिंग अनटचैब्लिटी: चमार एंड दलित हिस्ट्री इन नॉर्थ इंडिया, इंडियाना यूनिवर्सिटी प्रेस, 2011।
[5] एच. फ्राउड, भारत का इंपीरियल गजेटियर, खंड XIX, नायकनहट्टी से परभणी, (ऑक्सफोर्ड- क्लेरेंडन प्रेस में, 1908) पीपी 278.279।
[6] जनगणना रिपोर्ट, उत्तर प्रदेश, 2011।
[7] जनगणना रिपोर्ट, उत्तर प्रदेश, 2001।
[8] आर.एस. माथुर, 'यूपी में अनुसूचित जातियों के खिलाफ भेदभाव के स्रोत और रूप', इंडियन जर्नल ऑफ इंडस्ट्रियल रिलेशंस, वॉल्यूम। 11, नंबर 2 (अक्टूबर, 1975), पीपी. 207-221।
[9] नंदिनी गुप्तु, स्वामी अच्युतानंद और आदि हिंदू आंदोलन, कैम्ब्रिज यूनिवर्सिटी प्रेस, कैम्ब्रिज, 2006।
[10] तीर्थंकर रॉय, 'कोलोनियल इंडिया में ट्रेडिंग फर्म्स', बिजनेस हिस्ट्री रिव्यू, 88, स्प्रिंग 2024, पीपी. 9-42।
[11] चित्रा जोशी, लॉस्ट वर्ल्ड्स: फॉरगॉटन हिस्ट्रीज ऑफ इंडियन लेबर, नई दिल्ली, परमानेंट ब्लैक, 2006।
[12] थ्रिनथंकर रॉय, औपनिवेशिक भारत की अर्थव्यवस्था में पारंपरिक उद्योग, न्यूयॉर्क, कैम्ब्रिज यूनिवर्सिटी प्रेस, 1999
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