Religious conversion does not improve Dalits’ plight – research scholars

Religious conversion does not improve Dalits’ plight – research scholars

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Nov 27, 2012 : Dr. Shanmukha A, deputy director at the Center for Studies of Local Culture at Kuvempu University, and Shankarappa, a research scholar at the same university, spoke on the plight of Dalits who converted to Christianity.

Addressing the gathering on Problems of Christian Dalits in Karnataka at the IV International Conference on Rethinking Religion in India at SDM Law College on Monday,  the duo voiced their opinion that discrimination against Dalit converts to Christianity continues in spite of the change in religion.

Speaking of how mainstream Christians discriminate against them, they said that there is not much of a difference in mainstream Christians’ and upper caste Hindus’ treatment of the Dalits. Mainstream Christians look down upon Dalit converts as people who converted for monetary and social gains.

Further, he said that mainstream Christians and Dalit converts hardly socialize with one another. The caste evil continues to exist even after conversion with mainstream Christians keeping Dalit converts away from social functions. Religious conversion is a huge disadvantage for Dalits because it even deprives them of benefits they can claim under the SC/ST quota. 
 
However, a scholar in the audience begged to differ and said that religious conversion has helped Dalits live life in dignity, far away from the Hindu community, to a certain extent.