Discrimination
It is carved out in my destiny in bold letters and I have to breathe with it every single day. It took me 19 years to reap out that our community also deserves equality and respect. I have only read the term equality in textbooks and heard about it in movies but witnessing it in real life is still a distant dream that I want to live. The road to it is still very long, covered with all the thorns and blockage but hoping things don’t cost us anything. What else we do apart from hoping for better days and getting slapped with humiliation the very next day. I wish if I lived in some big city where we can hide the label of being Dalit behind all the lush and lavishing life. But woefully, we live in a very small village under the jaws of orthodox people screaming at us for being a Dalit. I come across various articles, petitions, demands in newsletters screaming for justice but in the end, all the voices are suppressed and submerged in a jar that is sealed with permanent gum.
There are instances when I want to run away from my village, but when I look at my poor father who works day and night to earn a living for us I decided to stay back and contribute my part for the family.
I was asked to sit on the floor instead of benches on the first day of my school when I was 4. Sitting on a bench with all the kids was also a dream for me that I saw but hardly lived.
I didn’t receive chocolates on my classmate's birthday and I was never allowed to distribute chocolates on my birthday.
When we traveled on a bus to cities for some work, I and my sister never disclosed our surname to anyone in the city. We want to wipe out our last name and just scribble our first name wherever it is asked. Hiding your identity for the sake of getting respect is the most disrespectful thing that can happen to someone, but with time I have learnt it.
Usually, we are not invited to marriages but when we are invited it is for some work and not for enjoying the ceremony. I wish a grand wedding ceremony for myself with beautiful attire, jewellery, and a big cake.
We wear the clothes of other people who have already worn it several times and scratched it to the point where only we can wear it. A new outfit is yet another dream.
The upper caste boys look at us as we are toys and they look for the chance to rip us apart and snatch the little left dignity that we carry as humans and women.
I have heard that the situation is better for us in big cities than small villages where the government never casts a shadow to introspect the marginalized communities. Sometimes we group of Dalits think of protesting against the oppression but at the end of the day, money has infinite capacities and it can buy everything in the world.
I wish if the Government becomes a little more sensitive towards us and takes steps to sponge out humiliation silently attached to our names and destiny. We also dream of leading a normal life, sipping coffee, wearing new clothes, capturing pictures, going to parties, and most importantly receiving the designation of being equal humans in this cat race of the world.
About the Author:
Hi, I'm Unnati Saxena! I'm one of the writers of this platform. Apart from this, I'm also a content writer and curator for online newspapers and blogs. I'm an introverted person who loves to create fictional stories with creative imagination and words. I always choose books over people and I'm a fan of fictional characters, deep talks, and gazing at the stars. You can find me elsewhere!
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