With reference to Mr. Bezwada Wilson’s speech on the occasion of Shradhanjali Diwas
Shevroy House
28.07.2022
St. Mary’s School
Data by the National commission for Safai Karamcharis revealed that a safai karamchari dies every two days, which also translates to 1,470 people dying due to the act of cleaning manholes and septic tanks in the last two years
As if it was not vicious enough, the problem has further depth to its malice. According to government data, 97 per cent of manual scavengers belong to the Dalit community.
Here comes into play India’s historical blasphemy—the caste system. A system set in place since the fall of the Indus Valley Civilization, elevating the social status of Brahmins to deities and Dalits to a level below slavery, because masters usually buy slaves. Slaves have ‘economic value’ attached to them while Dalits were exempted from that ‘privilege’ too. This system drove function and society in India.
Or , better put—it has been driving function and society in India all the way up till today.
As Dr. Wilson exclaims: “Caste, my friend, is not a thing of the past, it still exists.” The mere fact that every day Dalits and other people enter manholes and septic tanks as dark as oil , more noxious than stagnant water and more pernicious than any venom because the society ‘developed’ this way while all upper-classes gladly contribute relentlessly to the sewage build-up is pathetic. Our ignorance of such a reality is more alarming. In the midst of this, we have justifications, even glorifications of manual scavenging as a job of utmost importance. Such statements fail the test of veracity. If the system’s pursuit was to provide each person a dignified and ‘distinct’ job, manual scavenging would not be an off-limitsprofession, in terms of the demographic participating in it. It would be as highly—and perhaps more—paid than a lawyer or a police officer or a doctor.
Dr. Bezwada Wilson also talked about one of the solutions to compensate for the loss suffered by the Dalit and other Scheduled Classes—reservation. The concept of societal privilege, directly tied to the intricacies of the caste system, serve as an explanation behind it. Certain sections of the society possess privileges at the beginning of the (metaphorical) race, giving them an edge for social mobility. Now to compensate, the finishing line for the unprivileged must be decreased. University and administrative positions, long-held by children of the so-called upper castes, must allocate a section of their seats for the underprivileged to make the work/student body as diverse as possible. As Dr. Wilson better concludes: “ It has been harder for me to be here than you all (people in the audience )”
Throughout the speech, he cautioned his audience “to beware of societal roles, whether they be caste roles or gender roles.” Society—or, more precisely, the elite classes—cannot tell you who you are. You have to build yourself , your identity, your place in the country and world. He also included in his speech the basic morals of forgiveness and gratitude, for us to never forget these principles when we build our own identity. Another point worth mentioning is the fact that as Indians, our collective identity also includes the morals of the Constitution.“It’s all there in the constitution,” he says, “but we never implement.”
It is again noteworthy that while Dr. Wilson used the words ‘we’ and ‘people’ as intended subjects, he was also referring to the system or the government, which implies that there is a larger spectrum to blame. Therefore, these reforms are incomplete if neither the government nor the people show willingness and effort to make a more equal, free and peaceful society.
To conclude, Dr. Wilson’s enlightening speech and his relentless pursuit for his mission came out to be in perfect blend with Madam Sara Mathew commemoration and the theme of “The Road Less Travelled” as her own efforts were relentless and unique as our speakers.
To quote Dr. Wilson: “ some names should always be remembered as they are too good to be forgotten.”