Dalit Rights and Political Participation

Abstract

The word 'Dalit' is a Hindi version of the Depressed Class of English which means- suppressed, oppressed, exploited and taken away. In India at present times the word 'Dalit' is used in many meanings. Although there can be no universally accepted definition, it can be said that those classes are called Dalits who currently fall under Scheduled Castes. Every person who has been exploited, oppressed, belongs to the Dalit class. Whether they are Hindus, Muslims or Christians. Ramchandra Varma has written the meaning of Dalit in his dictionary - mashed, mourned, pressed, trashed or crushed, destroyed. 1 The meaning of the term 'Dalit' has changed considerably in the last six-seven decades. After Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar's movement, this word has become a symbol of the movement religion of the castes considered untouchable by hundreds of Varnas at the lowest rung in the Indian social system. In the Indian Constitution, these castes are known as Scheduled Castes. 2, Valmiki or Bhangi has been considered the lowest caste in Indian society and its traditional profession has been to clean the human excreta. But in today's time, this situation has changed a lot. The meaning of Dalit is derived by Shankaracharya from the dvaita in Madhuraashtakam 3. He has addressed Shri Krishna by calling him "Dalit Madhuram".