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Una Dalit unrest: ‘Why should I stay a Hindu? Maybe I will convert to Buddhism this year’
Divyesh Solanki: A Dalit and Class 9 dropout from Una, where six people were flogged for skinning a cow carcass; wants to become a policeman.
Written by Gopal B Kateshiya | Updated: January 1, 2017 1:45 am
A Dalit protest in Ahmedabad on July 27
To mark 2017, The Sunday Express meets 17-year-olds across the country touched by the big events of 2016 — to listen to their questions as they begin their first year of adulthood.
“No money today either,” says Divyesh Solanki as he walks home with his mother and sister after a day spent sorting and packing freshly harvested onion bulbs. They are hired for Rs 160 a day, and for the last three days, haven’t been paid their money. “The farmer has asked me to come back tomorrow,” says Divyesh. He doesn’t know what else he could do for a living, he says. He knows what he “won’t do”, however. “Until a few months ago, almost every male member in our extended family and community skinned cows for a living. I never learnt to do it and even if I did, after what happened to members of our community, I can’t imagine doing it either.”
Divyesh’s village Mota Samadhiyala was the epicentre of Dalit unrest in Gujarat after seven men from the village were flogged on July 11 by a group of ‘gau rakshaks’ for skinning a cow carcass. Divyesh says he is a “distant cousin” of Vashram and Ramesh Sarvaiya, the two brothers who were among the seven attacked by gau rakshaks on July 11. The third of five siblings, Divyesh dropped out of school after his Class 9 to help his parents, he says. Apart from working in the farm, he works as a nightwatchman at an upper caste villager’s farm for Rs 300 a night.
Divyesh, who turns 18 in March, says the July 11 incident has left him bitter.
Divyesh’s father Govind Sarvaiya cultivates fodder on one bigha of government land. The six-member family lives in a single-room house in the village’s Dalit quarter. Divyesh, who turns 18 in March, says the July 11 incident has left him bitter. “We respect the cow as much as anybody else does. We never kill a cow; only skin dead ones. Yet, we are victimised. I wonder if this will ever change,” he says.
Talking about the discrimination they live with, Divyesh adds, “Even while we work on others’ fields, we have to bring our own utensils from home for food and tea. We are made to sit at a distance during lunch. Why should I stay a Hindu? Maybe I will convert to Buddhism next year,” says the Virat Kohli fan. Divyesh hopes to be a policeman some day. “The job will earn me respect and a salary. But for that, I need to clear Class 10. I have applied as an external student and will take the exam in March,” says Divyesh.
Both Hinduism and Buddhism are part of Sanatan Dharm,there should be no issues with it
Well Buddhism is an Indian religion and conversion to it should be encouraged.
VHP, Siva sena have no problem with darmic religion such as buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism and all other 'ism' religions.
As long as u r not Muslim and christian, sane hindu people will welcome your decison.Budhisim is the religion of this land...So no issues
Buddhists are also Hindus
I ll give u one another such piece..... Gautam buddha was an avatar of lord Vishnu.What kind of cockeyed bull shyt is that, Buddhism may be Darmic but it's the very antithesis of Hinduism
I ll give u one another such piece..... Gautam buddha was an avatar of lord Vishnu.
What kind of cockeyed bull shyt is that, Buddhism may be Darmic but it's the very antithesis of Hinduism
No dalit should be a hindu
It is like accepting slavery
They can be Muslim, Christians or Buddists but they must immediately dump hinduism or suffer forever
Hilarious to the point of irritation I would say. The only saving grace is that it's a comedy, unlike many who take this seriously aka pushpak viman.Like i mentioned before, Some of these posters here remind me of these.. Hilarious entertainment