Broken People

In the 20th century, Gandhi endeavoured to bring untouchables back into Hindu society He renamed them the harijans, or, “children of God,” and tried to convince orthodox Hindus to admit them into their temples and their everyday lives. After Indian independence in 1947, the new constitution outlawed the practice of “untouchability” and established affirmative action programs to give untouchables access to better jobs and higher education. However, the cast system silently continues to harm the harijans since this practice has been embedded in society for more than five hundred years.