Sixty-eight years after India’s independence, the Dalit community continues to be oppressed. Their life conditions are abysmal, they are exploited, denied basic human rights and access to economic and natural resources, and continue in demeaning occupations such as manual scavenging. Dalit community is regarded as a group of people who have been victims of exploitation and traditionally considered as untouchables and socially considered an inferior class. They have had physical labour as a means of livelihood and from religious point of view all the principles and beliefs were laid down to humiliate and exploit them. Several Dalits have got converted to Christianity, Buddhism and other religions as a consequence of caste system and depicts exploitation and injustice. The main concern from a modern perspective is towards social justice that demands social reform and improvement in the condition of the depressed class to be able to lead a respectable life. This book provides a detailed and comprehensive account of the status of Dalits in India. This book provides information about Dalit movements in the India, their mode of organisation, engagement in politics and contribution to processes of democratization and egalitarianism. It explores the social, economic and cultural content of Dalit transformation in modern India.
