Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Dalits and Question of Caste Discrimination
There are around 12,000 villages in Punjab and according to one report, there are around 8,000 small-big deras in Punjab. Caste divides and discrimination has led Dalits as well as others to form deras for their respective caste groups. A few of the biggest deras in Punjab are Radha Soami, Dera Sacha Sauda, Dera Sachkhand Ballan, Nirankari, and Dera Baba Bhaniarewala, with followership of in millions.
Dalits in the hope of escaping caste discrimination to seek belongingness and acceptance joined these deras in large numbers. Many of these deras are controlled by so-called upper castes and though many enjoy a huge following of devotees comprising of mainly Dalits the history or present of such deras is marked with stains of caste discrimination.
Radha Soami Dera was founded by Radha Soami of Agra (1818-1878) and on similar lines, it was started in Punjab at Beas, the dera at present has the branch in almost all the districts of India.
In the earlier years of Radha Soami dera (one of the biggest dera in Punjab with most of its followers from the lower castes) a separate dining hall was maintained for the lower castes. Later, canteens were established so that those who don’t want to “get polluted” by eating with lower castes can buy from canteens and eat separately. These canteens are still maintained by the dera and Dalits still form the majority of its followership.
L. R. Balley notes that Radha Soami colony is a rest house for the rich, with Scheduled castes to do the work. Mark Juregensmeyer wrote in ‘Religious Rebels in the Punjab’ that from the standpoint of wealth and privilege, the Radha Soami dera is not an egalitarian place at all. According to Mark Juregensmeyer’s research till the mid-1970s more than half of the dera followers were from lower castes yet only 1 lower caste person had ever served on the 17 member executive trust committee.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the situation is still the same. Radha Soami dera has filled its coffers by exploiting lower castes and have kept them in dark, killed the spirit of the fight against injustice.
Radha Soami dera runs like a cult and has grabbed most of its land for dera branches from innocent people by misguiding them. Dalits haven’t found equality at the dera but have given away not only money but also whatever small possession they had. Will people wake up and rise against such deras one day?
[irp]
Saints never came to bind us to cast, nation, religion or anything else. There purpose is to enrich the disciple with spirituality. Rather than studying about any mystic, we should first try to understand there teachings. We forgot the teachings and just remain indulged in cast, religion, country etc.
We are only dividing our human community, which is believed to have sense of intellect and is therefor above all the other forms of lives. We are just pushing our sense of intellect down by dividing ourselves into cast and all that.
Who is following whom should not be our matter of concern because everybody has intellect and has right to do so. If an individual follows any path then it is there personal choice.
If we are following are believes with our whole heart then why don’t we let other people follow there’s.
If we don’t want other people follow there believe then it means we wish to have control over them. Unfortunately this shows our lower mentality.
Its such a shame that the caste system has given rise to this fraudulent sect with there fake Guru. The Sikh religion was established without caste or creed, but unfortunately the caste system is still present and this is the reason why Beas has capitalised on people from lower castes by brain washing them. The problem really is with the SPGC they ought to be promoting Sikhi in Punjab and the importance of a casteless sikh community. Unfortunately this has been there failure and whilst the Badhal clan in heading the SPGC Sikhi in Punjab is doomed!
I need to knw about what Dr.B.R.Ambekar says about radhasoami and satsang
Another episode of dera I narrate you sir. I & sant Rasila Ram belong to the same caste. He was to be the next successor of dera Radha Soami. As he was a scheduled caste, he was barred of being Head of dera. Since dera owned by Jats, they devised strategy & pushed him out because they did not want to bow down against Scheduled caste saint. Sant Rasilla Ram came out to establish his own dera. Now I don’t understand why still a lot of numbers schedule caste people are still sitting there.