The caste division in India is deep rooted. Among them, towards the bottom of the strata, are the Musahar Community. They are under the umbrella of Dalit community (a term for people belonging to the lowest castes in India).‘Musahar’, the name means 'rat-eater' due to their former occupation of catching rats.
Almost all Musahars live in rural areas, with a mere 3% living in the city. They are primarily bonded agricultural labourers and often go without work for as much as eight months in a year. The Musahar literacy rate is 3% overall, and falls to 1% among women. By some estimates, as many as 85% of some villages of Musahars suffer from malnutrition and with limited access to health centres, diseases such as malaria are prevalent.
The 2011 Census of India for Uttar Pradesh showed the Musahar population as around 250,000. This video shows a Musahar community of Bhadohi District, Uttar Pradesh. They were settled next to a forest, away from the town area, because of their ‘untouchable’ status. Community Correspondent Anil Kumar here reported a heart wrenching story of a young boy picked up by a wolf from the nearby jungle and the community could only find the boy's half eaten body parts. In that Musahar settlement, though the Government has provided them shelter, all the houses are without doors.
In this year of 2022, when we talk about societal equity and we have space missions, the caste system looms large as a blot of shame for India. Please share the video to make people aware to eradicate this dehumanising caste system.
Statistics source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
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