The Status and Problems of Dalits in India: the Status and Problems of Rural Dalits: a Study in Coimbatore District, Tamilnadu, India

Indian society is highly stratified, with many glaring inequalities among different socio-economic groups. The worst positioned among them are the dalits. The caste system segregated the dalits from the rest of the society to such an extent that they were denied even the basic human rights that one must enjoy in order to ensure one's bare existence. Denial of the right to drink water from any public well and to walk on the road in broad daylight were some of the notable examples of social persecution of the dalits at the hands of the upper-caste. They were forced to cook their food in broken earthen pots. They wore dirty clothes, if at all they did so, because their wearing clean and neat clothes would irritate the upper castes. Further, the torn and dirty clothes would enable the upper castes to easily identify dalits. They were destined to live in Katcha houses on the outskirts of villages, because their living in Pukka houses would insult the upper castes, while their living in the vicinity of a village would insult in intermingling with the members of the upper castes and pollute them. This description could be infinitely extended.