What Dalit means?

untouchable, also called Dalit, officially Scheduled Caste, formerly Harijan, in traditional Indian society, the former name for any member of a wide range of low-caste Hindu groups and any person outside the caste system.

What is the definition of Dalit in Constitution?

The word Dalit means ‘broken’. The Constitution called them Scheduled Castes. In 2008, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes held the same view. Both these directives were limited to official government work.

Who is a Dalit in short?

Dalits, also known as “Untouchables,” are members of the lowest social group in the Hindu caste system. The word “Dalit” means “oppressed” or “broken” and is the name members of this group gave themselves in the 1930s.

Why are Dalits sometimes called untouchables?

Dalits are part of the Indian culture wherein they are considered as the ones who do the dirty work such as scavenging, and removal of human wastes and dead animals. Therefore, they are considered “untouchable” for the main reason that they are ritually impure and the impurity that they carry is contagious. The answer is the first option. 4.8.

What does the term ‘Dalit’ mean?

The word dalit is a vernacular form of the Sanskrit दलित (dalita). In Classical Sanskrit, this means “divided, split, broken, scattered”. This word was repurposed in 19th-century Sanskrit to mean “(a person) not belonging to one of the four Brahminic castes”.

Who were the Dalit?

Dalit is the name given to the lowest caste of people in Indian society, who were formally referred to as “the untouchables.”. In Sanskrit , dalit means “divided,” “broken” and “oppressed.” Those born into this life were traditionally limited to jobs that were considered too menial for those higher on the social…

Who are Dalits in India?

In the Indian caste system, a dalit is someone who is without caste. There are several other terms for dalits, including untouchables, outcastes, kanjjar, bhangi , harijan , and chura.