Why the Dalit movement needs to talk about humiliation

The Dalit movement must move beyond traditional narratives and adopt new ones, mainly humiliation, in accordance with the changing realities.

On June 4, I visited the Gurkha village of Dhampus in the Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality, close to the town of Pokhara. I was invited there to address a gathering of Dalits to celebrate the Day for the Elimination of Untouchability and Caste Discrimination. What I saw there was not just the persistent exclusion and humiliation of Dalits, but also a great mismatch between the aspirations of the Dalit community in Dhampus (and beyond) and the narratives of the Dalit movement.