In this 21st century, modern man has been witnessing the great developments in the fields of Science and Technology. It plays a key role in improving the quality of education, infrastructure, and the health system. Science also made us feasible to connect, communicate, and transact.

With the advent of highly sophisticated technological revolutions, Homosapians have developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic systems. With the advancement of space technology and quest to explore the universe as never before, have landed rovers on the other planets in the quest of water and to find the living conditions.

Unfortunately, the intellectual humankind now is facing the huge health crisis in the form of COVID-19 and facing the biggest challenge to deal with it. Due to this novel coronavirus pandemic the entire world has stuck with stagnation, nations have been declaring lockdown to save the human race from the virus. Meanwhile, the populace fighting COVID-19 and maintaining physical distance to prevent the transmission of virus, the despicable Hindu savarnas in India and the indoctrinated white supremacists have begun to vindicate the unlawful Caste system and the untouchability.

Since the outbreak of Coronavirus, Savarnas and the Hindutvas have been flexing about the heinous laws of Hindu religion which had been imposed on the Shudras and Dalits by the Hindu lawgiver Manu. Further, these Savarna have been justifying untouchability as now World Health Organizations has been suggesting social distancing.

On the other hand, on social media platforms, Savarnas are humiliating Dalits and wishing Corona to catch Dalits on the basis of reservation. A woman on TikTok posted that the Corona can not catch them because they were Vaishyas, and the dominant Shudras like Kamma’s also made videos that they can not get infected with Corona because of their caste. By taking advantage of social distancing Brahmins are preaching the science behind practising of untouchability and greeting Namaskar.

If COVID-19 infects, physical distance should be maintained by the people even within the family and the caste to curb the spread of virus. Whereas the untouchability is different, here only the particular community has been isolated from the villages. The Hindu lawgiver Manu had given religious sanction to exclude the Dalit community not because of diseases or science, but caste or based on birth. And there was no single evidence to prove that the origin of untouchability was based on the science or the pandemic disease. In history, we can’t find anywhere the outbreak of epidemic diseases beginning in the untouchability. In fact, the untouchables were healthy and strong enough as iron, possed the great strength than the Brahmins because of their diet and hard work.

As opposed to what Savarnas are preaching there is nothing scientific in practising untouchability and greeting Namaskar. According to Dr B.R Ambedkar, the origin of untouchability is sought to be in the struggle of Brahminism against Buddhism. Also, the practice of monogamy with Brahmins closing doors for others led to this whole caste system, Dr Ambedkar explains well in his book Castes in India.

Dr Ambedkar says, “Untouchability has arisen out of the repugnance of the Hindu community, which as a result of Buddhism developed a reverence of the cow, towards those who have not ceased to eat the cow.”

Dr Ambedkar had preferred the Buddhist greeting “Om Mani Padmaye” rather than the Hindus greeting Namaskar. As Hindutvas are saying if Namaskar is science, then the Buddhist greeting also is more scientific than Hindu greeting. The famous physicist Albert Einstein had also said, “If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.” In fact, the Hindus greeting way of Namaskar and the meaning could mean “stay away from me”. So, one could even argue that while saying “Namaskar”, Hindus are practising untouchability.

Caste Hindus are also incapable of discovering their own science from the Vedas until something invented or discovered by the Westerners. After all the efforts by the scientists, caste Hindus are used to claim that was said in Vedas already, taking credit of others works to propagate their ideology.

Coming back to the COVID-19, scientists have been developing the test kits, and one day they will succeed in developing a vaccine to kill the virus. But, unfortunately, for thousands of years, no one invented a medicine to kill the caste virus. If Coronavirus affects the respiratory system, the caste virus damages the mind and the heart of the caste Hindus. Under the sky of coronavirus, everyone might be equal, but the caste virus without any mercy has been ruining the lives of only so-called lower castes for thousands of years.

Only by uprooting the Brahminism, annihilating the caste, and the destruction of the sovereignty of Hindu religious scriptures, which legitimise caste, are the vaccines to kill the caste virus in India. Thus, the coronavirus and the caste virus are competing with each other to take the lives of Dalits in India. It is a hard time for Dalits and steps must be taken to uproot Brahminism along with coronavirus.

Authors – Sridhar Jeripothula