Indian bishops invite the faithful to celebrate April as ‘Dalit history month'
The Office for Scheduled Castes/Backward Classes wants to commemorate the people who struggle for the emancipation of the former "untouchables". Applications can be submitted until 25 March.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) – India’s Catholic bishops have called on the faithful to celebrate April as ‘Dalit history month’.
In a letter, the Office for Scheduled Castes/Backward Classes (SC/BC) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, says that “April is the most important period in the year to commemorate the radical struggle for liberation and the most important contributors who sacrificed their lives for Dalit empowerment”.
Fr Devasagayaraj, national secretary of the Office, urges everyone to remember "the unequivocal and everyday contribution of Dalit leaders to this precious period of inspiration."
To this end, the Office suggests sending short biographies of Dalit icons, living or dead, who have worked to improve the conditions of the former "untouchables".
The Office requires an introduction to the person, the awards and acknowledgments he or she obtained, information about the struggles and campaigns they carried out, and a passport-size photograph. The deadline is 25 March.
This can be done in person or by third parties via e-mail to the following addresses: cbciscst@gamil.com, dalitsinlimbo@gamil.com.
In India Dalits, or untouchables, have been marginalised for centuries and left outside the country’s caste hierarchy of four social classes.
Because of this rigid system, Dalits could only aspire to the most menial and degrading jobs, such as collecting human waste.
Even after India’s constitution abolished caste divisions, anti-Dalit discrimination remains rooted in society.
According to government figures, 201 million people belong to disadvantaged groups out of a population of 1.2 billion. About 60 per cent of the country’s 27.8 million Christians are Dalit.
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