Why I Didn’t Celebrate Independence Day

Just a few days ago India celebrated its independence day with quite a bit of excitement despite the economy is in the doldrums and human rights are in shatter. I did not celebrate independence day. Why? Let me explain.

When I was in school, independence day was my favourite festival of the year, for one reason there was a holiday from school. Second, I would get a new uniform and sweets.

As I grew up I started to wonder whose independence are we really celebrating? My people, Dalits, are not included in this independence. Dalits are still not free from the shackles of caste slavery. How can you call India is a free country where indigenous people of this country are still chained oppressed and killed almost every day for no crime at all?

Basically, 15 August is the day in Indian history when so-called upper castes took over this country from the British and running it till now without giving any representation to Dalits in policymaking or shaping the future of India for betterment.

Dalits have been killed for owning or riding a horse, having a moustache, sitting in front of so-called upper caste person or having a ringtone on their mobile praising Dr Ambedkar, the saviour of Dalits.

According to the different reports, in more than 90% of the villages, entry of Dalits in Hindu temples is banned. 54% of government schools had a separate queue for Dalit children for the midday school lunch, in 64% of village councils made Dalit members sit separately and been given separate teacups or glasses to drink water.

In many villages, Dalits do not have access to burial grounds, or there are separate burial grounds or cremation places. Caste follows from ‘womb’ to ‘tomb’, there is no escape from caste discrimination. Just a few days ago the news came from Tamil Nadu where upper caste blocked the funeral procession of a Dalit and Dalits had to airdrop body for cremation.

Everyday manual scavengers are dying in the gutters, cleaning the shit that so-called upper castes make. One sanitation worker dies in every five days in this country. There are countless cases of social and economic injustice and endless discrimination against the indigenous people.

What freedom or independence are we really talking about or celebrating?

India has never been free for everyone especially for downtrodden people of this country. More than 70 years have passed since India’s independence and indigenous people are struggling for their survival, fighting to get ends meet. India is becoming a graveyard for lower caste Hindu. Justice is becoming scarcer with every passing year. The older I get, the more I dislike this day.

The author could be reached on his Twitter handle at @Bhaujan_connect

Edited by Velivada Team, Image Credit: Unsplash