In the scheme of untouchability, what followed when the mere touch of an 'untouchable' person fell on members of other castes?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The 'untouchable' person was punished and the others had to perform elaborate purification rituals
Option (1) The 'untouchable' person was fined and made to give unpaid labour to the others — Incorrect. Forced, unpaid labour belongs to the economic exploitation side of untouchability. The belief about touch itself leads to punishment for the 'untouchable' person and purification rituals for the others.
Option (2) The 'untouchable' person had to perform purification rituals and the others carried on as before — Incorrect. The roles are reversed here. The 'untouchable' person faces terrible punishment, and it is the other castes who must perform the purification rituals.
Option (3) The others were barred from collective worship until a caste council allowed their return — Incorrect. Being barred from collective religious worship is one of the forms of exclusion that Dalits themselves suffer. The touch belief places only elaborate purification rituals on the other castes.
Option (4) The 'untouchable' person was punished and the others had to perform elaborate purification rituals — Correct. Their touch is believed to severely pollute all other castes. So the 'untouchable' person faces terrible punishment and the others must perform elaborate purification rituals.
NCERT (2026-27): “Exercise for Tables 1 and 2 … “… Dalits experience forms of exclusion that are unique and not practised against other groups – for instance, being prohibited from sharing drinking water sources or participating in collective religious worship, social ceremonies and festivals. Moreover, untouchability is almost always associated with economic exploitation of various kinds, most commonly through the imposition of forced, unpaid (or under-paid) labour, or the confiscation of property. …” |