A discussion on the changing identity of dalits in India and the Namasudra movement is incomplete if we do not take the religious aspect into consideration. This aspect forms an important part when we are discussing dalits in Bengal as this also pertains to the Hindu-Muslim crisis of the partition. The dalits belong to the lower levels of the varnashram and thus the Hindu society. Some of them were even treated as untouchables. The Hindu society for long had been able to contain the protests of the dalits against this caste system by means of assimilating the few upwardly mobile groups in the caste into a higher level in the hierarchy. The colonial economy and social structure and western education sharpened the sense of oppression of the leaders of the dalits in Bengal. It is interesting to note that inspite of this, there was no violent protests against the caste structure in Bengal and most of the movements were absorbed into the manifold of Hinduism, unlike in other parts of India. I have already discussed the effects of western education and colonial economy on the sense of identity of these lower classes.
The Namasudras in Bengal formed the largest Hindu group associated with agriculture. The region in eastern Bengal that their population was most concentrated was also populated by Muslim peasants in large numbers. Both these groups worked for the Muslim and upper caste Hindu landowners. Till the last decade of colonial rule, the dalits in Bengal did not associate their identity with Hinduism. They considered themselves unique as a community – an ‘Other’ – and also unique to the Muslims whom they considered also as the ‘Other’. They were concerned more with economic issues of land and share in the produce than with social issues. They often got into violent struggle with the Muslim peasantry but this had almost always to do with economic issues like land disputes or over women and cattle. But it would be unfair to say that there was no attempt to rise in the social structure. Various movements and organisations since the early twentieth century had tried to assimilate social symbols of authority. Some had started wearing the sacred thread that was a mark of Brahminhood to assert their identity as upper castes. The Brahmins had retorted by calling it a useless thread. There were also attempts at asserting their status as Kshatriyas like the Rajbansis of north Bengal.
The whole situation changed after 1911 when the various Hindu groups began to take interest in the dalits due to their numerical strength and the perceived threat from Islam. Various Hindu groups, like the Hindu Mission, Bharat Sevasram Sangh and the All India Hindu Mahasabha began to open branches in Bengal and began to win over the dalits. They held public meetings in the dalit areas where the various members of the upper castes began to accept water from the dalits as a symbol of acceptance of the dalits into the Hindu society. They also began to address issues like the wearing of shoes by dalits in the presence of upper castes, entry into temples and others. The Hindu organisations also realised that the dalit groups could also be used to militarily protect Hinduism from the onslaught of Islam and could also be used to drive back Islam. Groups like the Santhals were highlighted in public meetings where the dalits were glorified as the protectors of the religion. Many of the dalit groups began to rally behind these organisations and especially the Hindu Mahasabha. The leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, was highly respected by the dalits.
The work of these various organisations began to bear fruit after 1937 when the dalit leaders and the masses began to realise that the Huq government in Bengal was working only for the Muslim population. The various meetings of the Mahasabha and other organisations began to be reported by the various dalit newspapers. By this time the Muslim League demand for Pakistan was also becoming louder. The Hindu Mahasabha on the other hand began to demand an Akhand Bharat or an undivided India. The dalit masses began to align themselves behind the Mahasabha and began to raise their voices for the same. The Hindu Mahasabha did not lose time in consolidating this support from the dalit peasantry. The dalits had always had violent confrontations with the Muslim peasantry on economic grounds. These riots when they broke out during this time were used by the Mahasabha to plant the seeds of communalism. Rumours were spread about Muslim atrocities and their attempts at temple desecration. This brought forth the zeal in the dalits to protect their religion and made them feel an important part of Hinduism. Their identification with Hinduism and the influence of the Hindu organisations can be seen from the census in which most of the dalits referred to themselves as Hindus.
By 1945 when it became sure that partition was the only solution in front of them, the Hindu Mahasabha began to demand that the Hindu majority regions of eastern Bengal, populated by the dalits and the Namasudras in particular, should be joined with India. The dalit masses gave their full support to this demand for they had lost faith in their Muslim counterpart and were identifying more with the Hindu society. Many petitions to this effect were sent to the Viceroy, but as it turned out, they fell on deaf ears. The Namasudra majority areas were given over to East Pakistan and a vast majority of the dalits had to flee to India as refugees and began their struggle for self-respect and identity once again.
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