By Krishiv Shah
The Indian caste system initially was a concept I had learned in my 6th-grade social studies class, about how there was a rigid divide between Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (traders/merchants), Shudras (laborers), and Dalits (untouchables). However, as I learned more about the injustice that lower-caste individuals have faced for centuries, especially the “untouchables,” I began my journey of Dalit advocacy.
Dalits constitute up to a quarter of the Indian population, and an overwhelming majority of India’s poor and illiterate. In fact, almost half of Indian Dalit villages are denied access to clean water sources. This stark divide between upper-caste and lower-caste Indians is exacerbated through discrimination and stereotypes.
As a young advocate, I reached out to Dalit Solidarity, a not-for-profit initiative based in California dedicated to assisting impoverished Dalit children and widows in Southern India. I began my journey as a researcher, spending two years in my school's advanced research program on ways to decrease caste-based discrimination for Indian Dalits. I referenced numerous datasets that displayed the atrocities that Dalits face daily on the casteist insults that come their way, despite there being laws in place that have banned untouchability and caste-based discrimination for decades. This social injustice made me realize that as a youth from America, I have access to resources that could help me fight to end caste-based discrimination abroad.
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Image courtesy E-International Relations (The Dalits of India: Education and Development)
Thus, Operation Mooknayak was born. I spent years after that first 6th-grade social studies class invested in learning more about Dalit advocacy—and the first and most important man I came across was Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He is not only one of the fathers of the Indian constitution but also the father of “Dalit Awareness.” He created a publication called Mooknayak in 1920, which in Marathi means the Voice of the Voiceless. Although it did not last long, the effects were permanent; thousands of Dalits now began to express themselves freely and protested against receiving discrimination simply based on their caste which they had no control over. Operation Mooknayak serves as a contemporary version of The Mooknayak, where I write several articles showcasing Dalit voices, my research regarding Dalit discrimination, and raise thousands of dollars to send towards impoverished Dalit children and widows living in Tamil Nadu, India.
My mission is to spread advocacy and awareness for ending caste-based discrimination towards Dalits. I strongly believe that social justice is a cause that anyone can dedicate themselves to, and with the correct guidance and resources, they can make a tangible impact in the lives of any marginalized group. As I fundraised and sent financial assistance to an impoverished Dalit school in the Villupuram District of Tamil Nadu, I realized that no matter how small or large my contribution was, it was bound to have an impact on a person who needed it. And that is the notion that I carry out all my initiatives with, keeping in mind that I have the power to make a change—and so do you.
Check out operationmooknayak.org for information regarding caste and Dalit discrimination, and ways to helpout.
(Krishiv Shah, the founder and submission coordinator of Kaleidoscope, is an Indian-American senior at Syosset High School with aspirations to pursue a degree in South Asian Studies and Business.)
