What is meant by Harijan?

‘Harijan’, meaning ‘children of God’, was a term first used by Gandhi to refer to Dalits in 1932. He used the word ‘Harijan’ to bring the untouchables closer to God, and thereby to those who believed in God, which was the rest of Hindu society.

Who are known as Harijan?

Harijan. The term Harijan, or ‘children of God’, was coined by Narsinh Mehta, a Gujarati poet-saint of the Bhakti tradition, to refer to all devotees of Krishna irrespective of caste, class, or sex. Mahatma Gandhi, notably an admirer of Mehta’s work, first used the word in the context of identifying Dalits in 1933.

What is the meaning of untouchability?

Untouchability is the practice of ostracising a group of people regarded as ‘untouchables’, resulting in the segregation and persecutions from the people regarded as “higher” caste. The term is most commonly associated with treatment of the Dalit communities in India and Nepal.

What is the meaning of Harijan Class 10?

Harijan was a term popularized by Indian political leader Mohandas Gandhi for referring communities traditionally considered so called “Untouchable”. 1Thank You. CBSE > Class 10 > Social Science.

Who started Harijan newspaper?

Mahatma Gandhi
Ahmedabad: The facsimile version of ‘Harijan’, a weekly publication started by Mahatma Gandhi, to highlight the social and economic problems of India and the world, will be released today. “‘Harijan’ is one of the two main publications of Gandhiji.

What does Harijan mean in Sanskrit?

History and Etymology for harijan Sanskrit harijana one belonging to the god Vishnu, from Hari Vishnu + jana person.

Can a Dalit become a Brahmin?

Because a dalit Hindu can convert to Islam, Christianity or to Buddhism, but she can never turn into a Brahmin.

What’s another name for untouchable?

In this page you can discover 19 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for untouchable, like: intangible, impalpable, inviolable, taboo, imperceptible, invulnerable, sacrosanct, invisible, forbidden, denied and illegal.

What is a word for untouchable?

invulnerable, imperceptible, sacrosanct, intangible, forbidden, impalpable, inviolable.

Who were Harijans Class 10?

Children of God: Harijan was a term used by Mohandas Gandhi to refer to the community of Dalits. Before that time, they were called ‘Untouchables. Gandhi said it was not right to call people “untouchable”, and started to refer to them as Harijans, which essentially means Children of God.

What origin means?

origin, source, inception, root mean the point at which something begins its course or existence. origin applies to the things or persons from which something is ultimately derived and often to the causes operating before the thing itself comes into being.

Where can I find a definition of Harijan?

Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia. A Dalit. [Sanskrit harijanaḥ, person of Hari, child of God (coined as a euphemism for Untouchable by Mohandas K. Gandhi in 1931) : Hariḥ, Hari, a name for Vishnu; see Hare Krishna + janaḥ, person, child; see genə- in Indo-European roots .]

Is the term Harijan banned in India now?

They are now called Dalits, though even this term is banned in some states of India such as Kerala. The term Harijan is regarded as condescending by many, with some Dalit activists calling it insulting. As a result, the Government of India and several state governments forbid or discourage its use for official purposes.

Why is there disagreement over the use of Harijans?

The disagreement over usage of ‘Harijans’ points to a larger issue which remains relevant in today’s India, where identities of caste and religion play a significant political role, and the privileged classes still deny that casteism is still a major problem.

Why do people continue to call Dalits Harijan?

Even today, many among do not accept that caste-divisions run deep, and continue to believe that casteism is not prevalent. From Gandhi to this day, one significant road-block to Dalit liberation has been the refusal to accept that upper castes are strongly caste-minded.