Untouchables: My Family's Triumphant Escape from India's Caste System

by Narendra Jadhav

Book Overview

Every sixth human being in the world today is an Indian, and every sixth Indian is an untouchable. For thousands of years the untouchables, or Dalits, the people at the bottom of the Hindu caste system, have been treated as subhuman. In this remarkable book, at last giving voice to India's voiceless, Narendra Jadhav tells the awe-inspiring story of his family's struggle for equality and justice in India. Based on his father's diaries and family stories,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520252632
• ISBN13: 9780520252639
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Very Informative

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and gave a great view of what living in India with the label of the caste system would have been like. I liked the way the author offered different points of view from chapter to chapter. It allowed the reader to understand each character better.

Amazing account of journey out of prejudice

I just received this book and ended up reading the entire book in one night -- it was that enthralling. This is a true account of a Dalit ("untouchable") family in India. The author -- Narendra Jadhav -- born into a Dalit sub-caste, has recorded the journals his father had kept of his parents' resistance against ancient prejudice. Inspired by the Dalit leader, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Damu Jadhav (the author's father) finally had reached his limit on all of the indignities that had been thrust upon him by the higher-caste authorities. He refused to perform an unconscionable duty demanded of him by a village official; for this refusal, he was brutally beaten. This was the beginning of the family's quest for freedom. There are stirring accounts of demonstrations, led by Dr. Ambedkar, where Dalits (including Damu Jadhav and his wife) had demanded their human dignity. This account relates the Jadhav family's struggles, set against the Dalit human rights struggle. Finally the reader sees how the Jadhav family emerged in triumph, having escaped their onerous discriminatory conditions, going through all sorts of conditions to make sure that the children would all receive a good education. Dr. Narendra Jadhav grew up to became an esteemed economist and his brothers and sisters also became eminent in their fields of study. In the cities, prejudice against the Dalits has greatly diminished. Unfortunately, in India's vast rural areas, caste-based discrimination and violence continues to exist in far too many instances. This book lays out a foundation for ways to continue the fight for Dalit human rights.

An unusual inside-out view of the struggles and achievments of an Indian family

Written in a rather spare style this book is not Arundhati Roy, but does provide a honest view of a Mahar family in the villages of Maharashtra and the slums of its capital Mumbai. In terms of the Indian caste ladder, Mahars are at the lowest rung and were (and in some mental pockets still are) considered 'untouchables'. The correct term for this lowest rung is "Dalit", and Dalits are found in almost all the regions of India, speaking each region's local language, at about 15-20% of the population. But the Mahars have been a little more fortunate than other regional Dalit communities, in their recent history. During the British Raj they were designated as a martial caste, and military regiments were organized from amongst them. Also B.R. Ambedkar, a lesser known visionary from early 20th century India, the 'architect' of free India's constitution, and a Mahar himself, was an inspiring force in showing the way for socio-economic progress. I have some reservations about the English title of the book, and the original Marathi title, "My father and mother" just resonates a little more.

An interesting, insightful story

This is an interesting book and I learned alot from it, never realizing the caste system of India played such a horrifying role at one point in time. The endurance of the author's family is commendable, and it is a story worth reading. Very interesting and insightful observations coming from a family who has struggled to be treated well - sometimes just to be treated better than a dog, literally. Well done.

Great insight into Indias still prevalent caste system

This book tells the story of the authors parents and their lives as lower caste members of Indias social system. It is a great reminder of how tough the road for some people was/is because of the name their family carries. In India to this day a persons last name can attach to him or her heavy social baggage. Baggage that comes with social behavior not fit for animals. Mr. Jadhav writes about how his dad was determined to free his children from the bonds of caste by educating them.This book should be read by all young people of Indian origin. It is an important part of Indian history. Very akin to what the African American population faced during the years of segregation. This is a book worth owning.