How English Is Helping India’s Dalits Fight the Caste System

I stepped off the metro in New Delhi and noticed something striking. It wasn’t the buzz of traffic or the colors of the crowded marketplace. It was the sound of English. Not the Queen’s English exactly, more of a fast-paced, accented version. But it was everywhere.

Across India today, especially in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, English isn’t just a foreign language. It’s a symbol of survival. And for millions of Dalits, the so-called “untouchables,” it is a weapon.

The caste system has haunted India for centuries. It divides society into rigid layers, assigning people their social roles based on birth. At the bottom are Dalits. Historically labeled “untouchables,” Dalits have faced brutal discrimination: banned from temples, segregated from water sources, and even killed for daring to rise above their “station.”

But today, something’s changing.

Dalits are pushing back. They’re arming themselves with knowledge, and the English language is their sharpest tool.

Why English?

For Dalits, English opens doors.

It grants access to higher education, white-collar jobs, and global networks. It offers an escape from caste-based expectations that say, “Stay where you are.”

Chief Minister Kumari Mayawati, a proud Dalit herself, made English compulsory in primary schools in Uttar Pradesh during her fourth term (2007–2012). She called it a “social equalizer.” And she was right.

While her policy drew fire from traditionalists who accused her of cultural betrayal, for many Dalit families, it was a beacon of hope.

This movement didn’t start with Mayawati. Its roots stretch back to Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the Dalit scholar, jurist, and architect of India’s constitution. Born in 1891 into a poor, untouchable family, Ambedkar defied the odds. He studied at Columbia University and the London School of Economics, becoming the first from his caste to earn such distinction.

Ambedkar believed English was key to liberation. He once said that caste was not divine destiny but man-made oppression. And language could dismantle it.

He wasn’t gentle with his critiques either. Ambedkar openly challenged Mahatma Gandhi, who, though an abolitionist, preferred to call Dalits Harijans, “children of God.” Ambedkar rejected the term as patronizing. For him, dignity meant choice, not labels handed down by the privileged.

Caste and Class in the New India

Today, English fluency creates both horizontal and vertical mobility. You’re not just getting a job, you’re stepping outside a system that once said your birth was your fate.

As educationist Bhalchandra Mungekar explains: “Caste is fixed. Jobs and skills allow movement.”

So English isn’t just about speaking with the world. It’s about changing your place within your society.

Not all gestures are equal. In 2009, Rahul Gandhi (scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty) caused a stir when he spent a night in the home of a Dalit woman. Cameras flashed. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband tagged along.

Was it genuine support or a political photo-op? Critics weren’t impressed. But the spotlight stayed on caste issues, and sometimes visibility matters.

India’s caste system hasn’t disappeared. But it’s under pressure.

Dalits are rewriting the rules. They’re logging into virtual classrooms, landing tech jobs, and telling their own stories. In English. It’s not just a language. It’s a ladder.

As Africans, we understand the weight of inherited hierarchies. From tribalism to classism, our histories echo with the struggle for dignity. The story of Dalits in India reminds us: liberation starts in the mind, and often, in the mouth.

So, next time you hear someone speaking English with pride, remember, it might not be about fluency. It might be about freedom.

#FeelNubia #CasteAndClass #DalitVoices #LanguageAsLiberation #GlobalSouthSolidarity

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