When Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915, he confronted a society fractured by deeply entrenched social divisions. Among these, one practice stood out as particularly abhorrent to him: untouchability. Gandhi considered this practice not merely a social evil but the greatest sin in Hinduism, one that debased millions of people based solely on their occupation. His lifelong crusade against untouchability revealed his understanding that true harmony in society could never be achieved while such discrimination persisted.
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Gandhi’s vision: Varna versus caste
To understand Gandhi’s approach to untouchability, we must first grasp his crucial distinction between varna and caste. While these terms are often used interchangeably, Gandhi saw them as fundamentally different concepts with vastly different implications for society.
The distinction that mattered
Gandhi believed that the original varna system was based on occupation and aptitude, not birth or social status. In his ideal conception, varna represented four broad categories of work: learning and teaching, protection and governance, trade and commerce, and service and labor. Each category was meant to be equally valuable to society, with no hierarchy implied.
The caste system as it existed in Gandhi’s time, however, had become something entirely different. It had evolved into a rigid, hereditary structure that trapped people into occupations based on birth, created insurmountable social barriers, and most critically, gave rise to the practice of untouchability. Gandhi observed that in modern India, the varna system had essentially collapsed, with only one group-the Shudras, or those condemned to servitude-remaining clearly defined. The supposed higher varnas had long abandoned their traditional occupations.
Throughout his life, Gandhi’s views on caste evolved dramatically. While he initially defended certain aspects of the varna concept in the 1920s, by 1935 he was declaring that caste must go. He wrote unequivocally that the caste system had become a drag on Hinduism and that the sooner public opinion abolished it, the better. This evolution demonstrates Gandhi’s willingness to adapt his thinking based on deeper understanding and practical experience.
Untouchability as the greatest sin
Gandhi reserved his most passionate condemnation for the practice of untouchability. As early as 1915, he declared that if untouchability were proved to be an essential part of Hinduism, he would openly rebel against the religion itself. This was no empty rhetoric-Gandhi meant every word.
The practice of untouchability designated certain communities as “impure” based on their traditional occupations, particularly those involving sanitation, leather work, and disposal of the dead. These individuals were denied entry to temples, barred from using public wells, forced to live in segregated areas, and subjected to countless daily humiliations. Gandhi saw this as a fundamental assault on human dignity that corrupted both those who practiced it and those who suffered under it.
Elevating the work of scavengers
One of Gandhi’s most controversial positions was his elevation of the work done by bhangis-the manual scavengers who cleaned latrines and removed human waste. In a society that considered these workers the lowest of the low, Gandhi took a radically different view. He argued that their work represented the epitome of selfless service to humanity and, by extension, to God.
Gandhi compared the bhangi’s service to that of a mother caring for her child. Just as a mother performs the most intimate and unglamorous tasks for her infant without considering them degrading, so too did the bhangi serve society by maintaining cleanliness and preventing disease. Gandhi believed that society should learn from their humility and sacrifice rather than shunning them.
This was not mere theoretical support. Gandhi personally undertook scavenging work, cleaned latrines at his ashrams, and insisted that his family and followers do the same. He called untouchables “Harijans”-children of God-and accepted them into his ashrams on completely equal terms. When orthodox Hindus protested and withdrew financial support, Gandhi prepared to move his ashram to the untouchables’ quarters rather than abandon his principles.
The deeper wounds: Social and spiritual impact
Gandhi’s opposition to untouchability went beyond concerns about social justice. He understood that this practice inflicted wounds that were simultaneously social, moral, and spiritual-damaging not only individuals but the very fabric of society and the spiritual health of the nation.
Weakening society at its core
Untouchability created what Gandhi saw as a fundamental weakness in Indian society. By excluding and degrading millions of people, it deprived the nation of their full potential and contribution. Gandhi made the removal of untouchability a central plank of the independence movement, arguing that India could never achieve true swaraj-self-rule-while a significant portion of its population remained enslaved by social discrimination.
The practice perpetuated a cycle of ignorance, poverty, and exclusion that harmed everyone. Those who considered themselves “higher” castes were corrupted by their sense of superiority and their participation in oppression. Those designated as untouchables were denied education, economic opportunities, and the basic dignity that should be every person’s birthright. The entire society suffered from this mutual degradation.
Gandhi observed that untouchability also weakened Hinduism spiritually. It contradicted the fundamental religious principles of truth, non-violence, and the unity of all creation. By treating fellow human beings as polluting and inferior, those who practiced untouchability violated the very essence of their faith. This is why Gandhi called it a “blot on Hinduism” and a practice that “stinks in my nostrils.”
Service without expectation
At the heart of Gandhi’s philosophy was the concept of nishkama karma-selfless action without expectation of reward. He saw this principle embodied in the work of those condemned to the lowest occupations. These individuals performed essential services that kept society functioning, yet they received nothing but contempt in return.
Gandhi believed that everyone should adopt this attitude of service. True devotion to God, he argued, came not through ritual or caste status but through humble service to humanity. The person who cleaned latrines with dedication was closer to God than the Brahmin who performed elaborate ceremonies while looking down on others. This radical reordering of spiritual values struck at the root of the caste hierarchy.
By reframing manual scavenging as sacred service rather than degrading labor, Gandhi sought to transform how society valued different types of work. He envisioned a community where all labor was honored, where a person’s worth was measured by their character and service rather than their birth, and where the artificial distinctions that divided people would dissolve in the face of shared humanity and mutual respect.
Gandhi’s ultimate vision was of a society built on the foundation of equality and fraternity. He understood that such a society could never be achieved through legislation alone. It required a transformation of hearts and minds-a recognition that untouchability not only harmed its victims but corrupted and weakened everyone it touched. Only by rooting out this evil completely could India hope to build the harmonious, just society to which Gandhi dedicated his life.
What do you think? Can true social harmony be achieved in any society that maintains forms of systemic discrimination against certain groups? How can we apply Gandhi’s insights about service and dignity to address modern forms of social exclusion and inequality?
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