Two days back, I was having a discussion with my (Brahmin) friend on Dalits ( former untouchable Hindus)......and I surprised to know that most upper caste Hindus still think Dalits are a large majority .......however that is not correct ....... Dalits are a minority not only in India but also within broader Hindu society ........here are some facts Dalits are only 16% of Indias total population Dalits are 22% of Indias total Hindu population As for other religions: 90% of Indias Buddhist are Dalits (Neo-Buddhists from Maharashtra) 31% of Indias Sikhs are Dalits (Mazhabi Sikhs who pretty much remain isolated from upper caste Jat Sikhs) 9% of Indias Christians are Dalits (Christianity could never pick up among Dalits due to wide spread discrimination against Dalit Christians by Upper Caste Christian converts) Almost Negligible Muslim Dalits ( Islam almost never reached out to Dalits....most of lower caste Muslims are from shudra professional groups like, weavers etc.) Further, while Dalits are higher in number and percentage of total population in Northern and Eastern India, they are far lower in numbers and percentage in peninsular India.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 01:19:24 +0000