UNTOUCHABILITY IN THE SOUTH

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09415777229, 094055338

E-mail- [e-mail];[e-mail]

 

 

 

UNTOUCHABILITY IN THE SOUTH

 

 

Though untouchability appears in its worst and crudest form in the extreme south, that is Kerala, not much, at least not enough is being done by the reformers in the south to stamp out the evil. They will not even finance the movement to the extent that is necessary and possible for them. When, therefore, I started collections during my visit to Calicut amongst the people locally, I was glad to find that the South Indian colony in Bombay signified their intention of making a much more substantial collection than was made in Calicut and giving it to me when I passed through Bombay. In continuation of their promise a deputation came to me in Bombay during my recent visit and assured me that they had not forgotten it but that they were waiting for a favourable season for making the collections. One of them now writes: Many a young man with meagre salary is wasting his money in races and other city inducements, and if only we could wean them from their present tendencies, much could be expected of them for their own benefit as well as for the benefit of the city of Bombay.

I hope that this reform movement will take deep root amongst the South Indian young men. I would advise them not to wait for a “favourable season”. For any time is a favourable season for doing good work or begging or giving in a good cause. No cause can be better than the cause of the untouchables, the “unapproachable” and the “invisibles”. If the young men from the south living in Bombay will only deny themselves some of the costly luxuries such as smoking, races, visits to teashops, etc., there will be a fat collection. Every religion enjoins the setting a part of a certain portion of one’s income for charitable purposes. Unfortunately young men nowadays in most cases have given the go-by to religion. But if the practice of invariably allocating a certain portion of one’s income to charitable purposes can be revived, causes such as those of the untouchables need never wait for a “favourable season”