This beautiful article written by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, appeared in the Hindustan Times: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1930245,00120001.htm. Key points in the article with my notes:
- Every morning the Puja in Tirupati temple is first offered by the Scheduled Caste Banjara community
- Dalits have to assert their rights rather than turning their back on Hinduism; It isn’t solving anything otherwise
- Dalits have remained dalits even after conversion […to Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. I have witnessed posters in Leh to stop the practice of casteism in Buddhism; Dalit Muslims are recognised by the government of India as the most oppressed. Even Pakistan has Dalit Muslims. There are even Dalit Sikhs in India. More on this point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit_(outcaste)%5D
- Hinduism has seen several reformers who have fought casteism
- The author of Ramayana was a Dalit [More on this point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backward-caste_Hindu_Saints%5D
- Hinduism without a top central command cannot dictate a change; the change must come by assertion by the practitioners of the religion itself
Art of Living Foundation of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, is organising a Dalit Swarn Sammelan to put forward a 7 point action plan and take the message to rural India. These Seven points are:
- Temple entry for Dalits
- Collective celebration including community feasts
- Abolition of separate utensils for Dalits
- Empowerment of women from economically weaker sections of society
- Providing educational facilities especially to weaker sections of society
- Providing spiritual and religious education to Dalit children, which they have been deprived of for hundreds of years
- Equality and justice for one and all without any discrimination.