Halfway to equality

Education, good jobs and privileges of the Harijans have helped but have by no means removed prejudices and stereotypes of the high castes. It is for the reader, however, to judge whether they are more or less than Halfway to Equality.

This book is about educated, aspiring Harijans who have made good in different fields. Thirty people – students, government officials, university professors, journalists, engineers, doctors and other professionals, and political leaders speak for and about themselves. They talk of their family background, their education, jobs, social life, their fears and dilemmas, and their hopes for the future. Their autobiographical ac­counts reveal with searing simplicity what it is to be born a Harijan and how they have battled and are still battling with their environment and their own inhibitions for a better life. Many Harijans try to hide their caste identity or ‘pass’. But they hardly ever fully succeed. Despite popular misconception they are quite ‘visible’, not in a crowd, but always to colleagues, neighbours, cus­tomers and clients. Clearly the stigma attached to their caste status still persists; colleagues often hesitate to share food with them; landlords in high caste localities refuse to rent houses to them, teachers show condes­cending attitude to them, insulting expressions are used with or without the conscious intent to hurt them.