Caste and Business

 

-Raghothama Hoba

Usually daily I go to market to purchase many things as I needed. I go to hotel, mall, vegetable vendors,... So on. Everywhere I find people but I doesn't find my own people viz, my downtrodden people. If I find them it may be near toilets ready to clean it, on the roads holding brooms to the collect wastages. Sometimes I find them as labourers to load lorries with rice, grocery bags etc,. Definitely I never found them as owners.

Alas, what's happening around us! Where's our men in shop as owners chamber collecting huge amount of money? May be it a dream up to now. Question is can we still keep it as a dream for the coming generations too? Can't we not make it a reality at least for future!

Basically we thought just about manusmriti's gradation list, that also first position that of brahmans. But never thought about vaishyas where they are fixed with money with profession of trading! Arey, what's the problem with us? Because its business that is ruling this world now. After liberalisation privatisation globalization (LPG) people started look everything on trade and business ground. Of course there are theories like Hinduism, Marxism, liberalism like that. But purpose behind every theory now is business. we failed to understood it.

It is true that there is casteism, it will always be true snake will always be there. Then? Do we kept poor? Do we kept ourselves away from money? Have we don't have other options? Its all foolishness. Its all simply we can call it as dogma of inferiority complex. As long as we keep mum about business related topics of vaishyas we will be kept always in the darkness of oppression. Our guys will find place only as slaves. According to newtons first law of motion nobody will make us a way unless we make ourselves. Means we have to overcome that feeling that "Dalits can't do business or can't enter field of business". Yes, there will always be casteism. But at a point it will lose its priority when quality and price of goods comes first. Then gradually customers will come whether its Dalit or someone else.

Another question will also raise. As Babasaheb Ambedkar did lot to liberate us through his writings and also constitutional provisions what's the necessity of thinking towards this? Answer like question is have we also responsibility? Shouldn't we also do something? Yes. We must sure make way for the economic liberation of downtrodden people. Is it meant that we have to fight again with Hindus? No. With mutual business cooperation we have to have association with them. May be for customers we must organize our own people to do business with us as a basic customers like Muslims do. Slowly other Hindu castes will also join us. May be some foreigners too!

So its time for dalits to start their own business. If not now it will not be forever.

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