Untouchability... ohh.

Why can't they have the freedom which we have? Untouchability is an Immortal act. Untouchability is one of the social evil practices that the world has been facing for ages. When I talk about untouchability, the story which immediately comes to my mind, is how horribly and inhumanly the low-caste people were treated during the years 1940s. Well, this is a real-life incident which took place during that time. Just because one of the lower caste people drank water from the well to quench his thirst, he was punished so severely by the so-called high-class people. They made him drink their urine, as they felt that their wells got contaminated and unholy by his touch. 

How horrible is it? Isn't it an inhuman act? It makes me so infuriated when I just think of this. Aren't they humans like us? It is we who have created such discrimination.

More than 160 million people in India are considered as untouchables. People should not be discriminated against based on their caste, colour, Creed, or religion. It is considered a social evil because the low caste people are denied the fundamental rights which are granted and enjoyed by every person by the constitution. 

Many religious and social reformers in India have raised their voice against untouchability. It was Mahatma Gandhi who named them Harijans meaning the offspring of God. Gandhiji was very much against this Evil practice of untouchability. He not only visited them but also used to eat with them, to break the barrier between the general crowd and the untouchables. Isn't it a great initiative taken by him? There are many other religious and social reformers like Swami Dayanand, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and Dr. B. R Ambedkar who raised their voice against this.

The government has also passed many laws against untouchability. The Untouchability (Offences) Act, of 1955 makes this practice a punishable offence. Caste Disabilities Removal Act of 1850 disallowed the curtailment of rights of citizens due solely to change of religion or caste. But all these laws have failed to bring the desirable outcome, as untouchability is still practiced in some places. Law alone is not enough, it's we the people who have to bring about this change. We must understand that it's our morality to eradicate this. 

The eradication of untouchability should begin at our schools. There should not be different schools for the untouchables and other people. We have to educate the young Minds that, they are also humans like us who eat, drink, and feel the same way as we all do. When we inculcate these thoughts in the young Minds, I hope we can make a huge difference in our society, as children are the future generation.

So, let us all come together to eradicate untouchability and make the world a better place to live.

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