Everyone today thinks that the whole concept of ‘untouchability’ in the Indian society is an inhuman practice – a practice that arose due to the degeneration of the Vedic system of social hierarchy. The whole issue of ‘untouchability’ has been seen from various angles, like political, historical, economic and social, and has been politicized a lot. But I believe that the whole concept of untouchability had a scientific origin.
During the ancient times in India there was a social stratification based on occupation. This stratification was not very strict and there is no evidence of people being labelled as ‘untouchable’ based on their occupation. That period in time was an era when the reasons for a disease was generally taken to be a result of the wrath of God or a result of impure acts in this or the previous life of the person affected. The concept of bacterial infection was unknown and the remedies of diseases were mostly rituals. Only the remedies and causes of a few disease was known.
The social stratification, based on occupation, during that time led to certain people given the task of maintaining sanitation and disposal of the dead – both animals and humans. These people came in very close contact with disease carrying bacteria. Initially a large number of them may have died, but as time went by, they acquired an immunity to these diseases. The people engaged in other activities never had any major exposure to these disease carrying bacteria due to their occupation and remained vulnerable to these diseases. Over time, it was noticed by all that when other people came in close contact with the people who were in charge of maintaining sanitation and disposing off the dead, generally fell ill. It was also noticed that when there was an epidemic, these people suffered less casualties. The people of that time could not explain this phenomena in any other way apart from seeing it as a divine plan. These people were seen as the cursed people who brought only misery to the others. To stave off disease they cut off all physical contact with these people.
This was a scientific move, one we call today as quarantine. The access to the water sources were also closed to them – also scientific. They refused to even tread the shadow of these people – this was going too far but the people can still be pardoned for this as they had no means of explaining what was going on or what caused it. The children of the ‘untouchable’s also began to be shunned as they lived in the same environment as their parents and other children who came in contact with them fell ill. This concept of untouchability became institutionalised over the ages and has been used and misused and proliferated for political gain.
In today’s world, when we are aware of the causes of diseases caused by close association with maintaining sanitation and disposing off the dead, and we have medicines to cure illnesses that occur from these – it is time we moved ahead. The scientific causes for the creation of an ‘untouchable’ class are no longer as significant as it used to be. It is time we grew up and break out of this misused tradition. But the present political scenario in India will not allow the stigma of ‘untouchability’ attached to so many people to be removed since the proliferation of this concept will lead to a better vote bank than if ‘untouchability’ is removed.
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