The ongoing conversions of 'Hindu Dalits' to Buddhism and Christianity, the latest being in Nagpur, raise a number of sensitive issues. This is true both for interfaith relations and the role of faith in the struggle against caste discrimination. 'Discrimination by work and descent' as the United Nations calls it affects up to 300 million people across the world with India alone registering around 200 million.

The Nagpur event attracted some 10,000 people. It happened in the context of threats posed by extremist Hindus, anti-conversion laws and persistent State interference. Around 500 Dalits were baptized Christians, some of them from Gujarat, where permission from the authorities is required to change their religion. The ceremony took place on the 50th anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar’s embracing of Buddhism in protest against the widespread caste discrimination across the country. The Dalit hero, though born a Hindu, openly said he would not die a Hindu.

On the occasion, Muslim, Christian and Buddhist leaders in unison spoke out against the perpetuation of caste discrimination. Udit Raj, one of the leaders of the conversion movement, said he believed that the 200 million Dalits (formerly called 'Untouchables') would not be free from caste bias until they renounced Hinduism entirely. “They need to be free from the ideology of enslavement,” he said. This was also the view of Dr Ambedkar, who got into in a bitter controversy with Mahatma Gandhi over the issue. The latter, though against untouchability, supported caste as a social and economic system.

The thinking of Dr Ambedkar echoed the role of faith in the struggle against slavery, apartheid and the economic structures of the 20^th century. For instance, Latin America gave rise to the liberation theology. In all these, though powerful religious institutions allied with the ruling powers, real faith was a great motivator for liberation.

The matter is further complicated by the view of some Dalit activists that Hinduism is not a religion at all. They argue there is only an ideology called Brahmanism, created and sustained by Brahmins to bolster their social and economic position, and maintain their privileged status at any cost. The psychology of caste, they say, is spelled out in the writings of Manu, sacred to the Hindu upper castes. The temples and traditions of Hinduism are simply the trappings which continue to enable the upper castes to retain their status.

Now that the caste struggle is rising, the political agenda is shaping up with India’s Report to the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination being vigorously challenged. The issue is being raised at the annual European Union- India Summits and a three-year United Nations study report calling for faith leaders to assess where they stand. Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs are becoming aware of a common interest in eliminating caste, though its presence still exists within their own communities.

The question is starkly put by Dalit leaders. Can Hinduism exist without caste? Can caste exist without discrimination? If the answer to either is negative, moderate Hindus need to demonstrate far more commitment to eliminating the shameful effect of caste and the rest of us need to help.