UNTOUCHABILITY AND LAWLESSNESS 55
according to custom, caste Hindus alone can use the word ‘uppu’ for salt; being only a Harijan he ought to have used the word ‘pulichatan’. Consequently, the high caste grocer was very angry and is alleged to have thrashed Sivaraman so severely that the latter died.”
The following instances are collected from the ‘ Samata ’:
(1) “At Kathi (District Poona) the people have begun to persecute the Untouchables because the latter have begun saying ‘Ram, Ram and Namaskar’. Be it known to the unintimated that these are salutations which only the higher castes have the right to employ; the Mahars, etc. must say ‘Johar’ or ‘Paya Lagu’ (I touch your feet) to the people.
(2) The Untouchables of Tanoo (District Poona) tried to behave ‘like Touchable Hindu people’; the result of this impudent encroachment is that many of them have had to leave the village and some have migrated to Bavda.
(3) At Valapur (District of Sholapur) the Mahars are persecuted because they have dared to refuse to address Touchables as ‘Saheb’ and to say ‘Paya Lagu’ (‘I touch your feet’) in salutation.
(4) At Jambad (District Sholapur) the Untouchables refused to make ‘Nautch’ and ‘Tamasha’ for the diversion of their Touchable lords. Therefore these Untouchables were thrashed, their huts were burnt down or pulled down, and they were driven out of the village, limits.
(5) At Bavda (District Poona) some Untouchables exhorted their fellow-outcastes to give up eating the leavings of higher caste people, dead animals, etc., and to refuse to do the dirty work of the people. The elders of the village have told these Mahars with new fanglad notions that it is their ‘Dharma’ to eat what they have always been eating and do what they have been doing. Those Mahars who do not follow their ancient and eternal ‘Dharma’ have been thrashed by the people and threatened with expulsion from the village.”
XII
The Hindu treats the Untouchables as being born to serve the Hindu community. It being his duty to serve, the Untouchables cannot refuse to serve the Hindu whenever the latter call upon to do so. The Hindus of the village hold the belief that they can commandeer the labour of the Untouchables. The system is known as ‘ Begar ’, or forced labour. A few instances will show that dire consequences follow from the refusal of the Untouchables to submit to the system.