“There are no Dalits in our Parish. Almost all our parishioners are well-to-do, studying in schools and colleges and there are several of them who have come up in life because of the various concessions extended to them by the schools/colleges run and managed by the clergy. Most of them speak English and some have even travelled abroad. They have more jewellery than others, they have better businesses than others, and even if they are domestic workers/daily wage labourers, they send their children to English medium schools, paying very high fees in schools managed by the Catholic clergy. Why do such people want to enrol their children in English medium convent schools when they cannot afford the same?”

Such statements, made by the clergy, leaders in churches and NGOs not only send out wrong messages but also affect the way we understand casteism, classism, social and political stratification, our attitude to education, wealth, discrimination, and how we define inequality.

It is hard to know if these statements stem from ignorance, jealousy or a caste arrogance that wants the status quo to be maintained. Such statements have far reaching consequences, influencing our collective mindsets, and the way governments and societies perceive atrocities on Dalits, and Dalit Rights. Such ideas, attitudes and insights do not come about by chance. They are the result of hard edged decisions made by politicians, policy makers, leaders, historians, and activists to reconfigure how we comprehend Dalits in a democracy.

The word ‘Dalit’ has become synonymous with ‘dirty’, ‘poor’, ‘illiterate, ‘unkempt’, ‘lazy’ and even ‘downright uncivilized’. How did this happen? How does this pseudo-denotation continue today? Who benefits? What is the loss for the Dalits? What underlies their struggle to reiterate their significance, and fight the inequality and deep discrimination they face that side-lines the importance of the rich culture that they add to the panorama of Indian Catholic culture, tradition, conservation of the environment, eco-systems and the very way of life?

Meet Arokiamary Maghimaaidas, aged around 47 years. She is a Tamizhian from Thiruvunamalai. Her grandfather and father were both catechists at the church in Vandavasi. She studied in a convent school from class III to SSLC. She has won several accolades in dance, singing, kabbaddi and kho-kho. When she was around 25 years her marriage was arranged, and she re-located to Bangalore. She belongs to the Mother of Perpetual Help Church, Akashnagar, Bangalore. She learnt Kannada, as this would help her in reaching out to people better. She can converse as fluently in Kannada as in Tamizh.

During our conversation, Arokiamary shared instances of clergy who treat Tamizh and Tamizhians with disdain and contempt. In general, with few exceptions, there is a condescending attitude towards Tamizh Dalits. Even in her church they are looked on with scorn by Dalits who consider themselves “better” because they do not eat beef. She shares several of her experiences, where the clergy and the so-called dominant-caste parishioners make use of the services of Dalits in doing menial and difficult jobs in the church. What pains and angers Tamizhians is that the head of the church is a silent bystander to the vilification and belittling of Dalit Catholics who speak a certain language. “Why, and how, is there caste discrimination in the church? Are we all not only Christians, with no caste or creed or class?” she asks with deep hurt.

None of this however, can dampen her passion to work for her church. She has single-handedly been instrumental in expanding the base of the ‘faithful’ in the sub-station which is her parish now. She has convinced the nuns of St. Anne’s of Thiruchanapalli to meet and visit the faithful in her parish. Ironically, there are some priests who have actively discouraged her. With a twinkle in her eyes, she laughs saying, “I go on with my work, because what I am doing is for my church and my God, not for any priest.”

What troubles her is that several Dalits do not even realise that welfare and entitlements from the government can be availed of as a “right”. On the contrary, they have been told that to remain in poverty is better than availing of entitlements from the government. The dominant-caste parishioners object to entitlements being claimed by the Dalits from the government or the church.

The Church is India is making efforts to address this disease among its people. In September 2016, at the 129th Standing Committee meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) “The Policy of Dalit Empowerment in the Catholic Church in India” was approved and subsequently released on December 13, 2016. It clearly spells out that Dalit women need to be given space in Church leadership and in decision making. Unfortunately, to comply with this, positions are given to a few Dalits in the church who are but figure-heads as they will not challenge the status quo.

Tired of the discrimination they face from the so-called dominant castes in the Church and the State, Dalit women are set to unleash their power. Dalit Christian Women for Change (DCWC) is an initiative of the CBCI Office for Dalit and Backward Classes. This National Forum was formed on February 13, 2017 when Dalit Women leaders gathered at the Jesuit Indian Social Institute (ISI), Bangalore. The ISI initiates programmes and activities to give a voice to the marginalised, and encourages liberal and rights-oriented thinking and action. Their gender studies unit works especially for the upliftment and empowerment of women, with special reference to Dalits, and the DCWC looks to their collaboration as it seeks to analyse and create awareness of the reality of Dalit Christian women, build a DCWC movement across India, and enhance the capacity of Dalit Christian women leadership to enable them to sit at the decision-making table in the Church.

Jesuits are known for their missionary zeal and their penchant for challenging conventional practices and exploring the unknown. Their passion for initiating and deepening a rights-oriented development is also well known. In this context it would be only natural for Jesuits to recognise and denounce the prevalent harsh treatment meted out to women and Dalits in the Church. Dalits are being subtly side-lined by the so-called dominant castes within the Church, and the time has come to recognise that this discrimination, both overt and covert, is disintegrating the Church from within and outside. Jesuits must address these issues of inequality, injustice, and biases. In their homilies, talks and seminars they should steer conversations towards changes in attitudes, and engaging people from all walks of life in understanding the true meaning of loving one’s neighbour. Jesuit institutions could go a step further, by reiterating these thoughts and practices, so that the positional power held by the dominant castes can make spaces for Dalit women. It is only when we identify and support the personal power and leadership of Dalit women that we can hope to develop a more robust and spiritual Catholicism.