Movement

Details

Bhakti Movement

• This movement in 15th century was a popular movement which treated all sections of society equally and it developed two traditions of Saguna and Nirguna.
• The Saguna tradition advocated equality among all the castes though it subscribed to the Varnashram dharma and the caste social order.
• The followers of Nirguna believed in formless universal God. Ravidas and Kabir were the major figures of this tradition.
• It became more popular among the dalits in urban area in the early 20th century as it provided the possibility of salvation for all.
•    It also promised social equality.
• Hence, the teachings of Bhakti movement inspired and motivated scheduled castes for the beginning of dalit movement.
• These provided the means to protest against orthodox Hinduism for future generations of Dalits.

Neo-Vedantik Movements

• These movements were initiated by Hindu religious and social reformers.
• These movements attempted to remove untouchability by taking the dalits into the fold of the caste system.
• According to the pioneers of these movements, untouchability was not an essential part of Hinduism and, for that matter, of the caste system.
• Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj, believed that the caste system was a political institution created by the rulers ‘for the common good of society, and not a natural or religious distinction’.
• The neo-Vedantic movements and non-Brahmin movements played an important catalytic role in developing anti-caste or anti Hinduism dalit movements in some parts of the country.
• The Satyashodhak Samaj and the self-respect movements in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the Adhi Dharma and Adi Andhra movement in Bengal and Adi-Hindu movement in Uttar Pradesh are important anti-untouchability movements which were launched in the last quarter of the 19th and the early part of 20th century
• Consequently, the Dalits began to call themselves Adi-Andhras in Andhra, Adi- Karnatakas in Karnataka, Adi-Dravidas in Tamil Nadu, Adi-Hindus in Uttar Pradesh and Adi-Dharmis in Punjab.
• Further, Dalits also followed the route of conversion with a purpose of getting rid of untouchability and to develop their social and financial conditions.
• Other prominent movements in this category include:
• Adi Dravidas movement in Tamil Nadu
• Shri Narayan Dharma Paripalan movement in Kerala
• Nair Movement in 1861

Sanskritisation Movement

• Sanskritization is  a process by which “a low or middle Hindu caste, or tribal or other group, changes its customs, ritual ideology, and way of life in the direction of a high-born caste
• In this perspective Dalit leaders followed the process of ’Sanskritization’ to elevate themselves to the higher position in caste hierarchy.
• They adopted Upper Caste manners, including vegetarianism, putting sandalwood paste on forehead, wearing sacred thread, etc.
• This process was evident in the following movements:
• Adi-Dharm movement in the Punjab (organized 1926);
• The movement under Ambedkar in Maharastra, mainly based among Mahars which had its organizational beginnings in 1924;
• The Namashudra movement in Bengal;
• The Adi-Dravida movement in Tamilnadu;
• The Adi-Karnataka movement;
• The AdiHindu movement mainly centered around Kanpur in U.P; and
• The organizing of the Pulayas and Cherumans in Kerala.

Dalit Literary Movements

•  At a time, when there was no means of communication to support the Dalits, pen was the only solution.
• Given the Upper Castes would never allow the Dalits voice to be expressed, as it would be a threat for their own survival, the Dalits began their own magazine and began to express their own experiences.
• Dalit literature, the literature produced by the Dalit consciousness, emerged initially during the Mukti movement.
• The Mukti movement was led by very poor Dalits who fought against the saint – poets of the time.
• These literature argued that Dalit Movement fights not only against the Brahmins, but all those people whoever practices exploitation, and those can be the Brahmins or even the Dalits themselves.
• New revolutionary songs, poems, stories, autobiographies were written by Dalit writers.
• These were sung in every village, poem and other writings were read by the entire community.
• Baburao Bagul (1930–2008) is considered as a pioneer of Marathi Dalit writings in Marathi.