Which statements about the word Dalit are correct?
(A) The word itself carries an inherent denial of pollution.
(B) The word itself carries an inherent denial of justified caste hierarchy.
(C) It was first used in the new context by neo-Buddhists in Hindi.
(D) It refers to those broken, ground down by those above them.
(E) It was first used in the new context by followers of Jyotiba Phule.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A, B and D only
(A) The word itself carries an inherent denial of pollution. — Correct. The word Dalit itself rejects the idea of pollution attached to caste.
(B) The word itself carries an inherent denial of justified caste hierarchy. — Correct. The same word also rejects karma and a caste hierarchy claimed to be justified.
(C) It was first used in the new context by neo-Buddhists in Hindi. — Incorrect. It was first used in the new context in Marathi. The users were neo-Buddhist activists in the early 1970s.
(D) It refers to those broken, ground down by those above them. — Correct. Dalit refers to people who have been broken and ground down, in a deliberate way, by those above them.
(E) It was first used in the new context by followers of Jyotiba Phule. — Incorrect. The first users in the new sense were neo-Buddhist followers of Babasaheb Ambedkar.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Dalit Movement … “There is, in the word itself, inherent denial of pollution, karma and justified caste hierarchy.” |