Scheduled caste the burden on my shoulders.

 The scheduled castes from lower strata often abused me .This is since childhood in here at Chennai.It reached its peak after 2012 .They did it in Blind school where I went to help and then on the roads and shops .The recent converts to Christianity were also very abusive.

Since I always had this pity towards them I ignored their hostile barbs and never took it to heart.With my fair complexion and handloom sarees it is easy to spot me as  a Brahmin.I' ll stick out in any crowd over here .I had discussion with  a scheduled  caste youth who was pouring his ire on Brahmins .I told him  in which Era are you in Is it Brahmins who attack you all in villages down south .Isn't it the non brahmins who are doing it . Are there any Brahmins left in villages these days ?Most of them have migrated to cities or abroad . He was'nt convinced .He said Brahmins would instigate and non brahmins would do the physical assault.I wasn't convinced .He was attacking Brahmins and not his actual aggressors since he was sacred to attack non brahmins. Brahmins are the whipping boys .There will be no retaliation from them how much ever they are castigated or abused.But it is not the case as far as non brahmins are concerned .They will give it back.

But there were highly educated Scheduled castes who were affluent who would seek out our company and treat us very well .They were proud of our friendship.But those at the bottom are extremely abusive.

Whilst some  Non Brahmins including my friends at school etc would sneer at me for being a Brahmin They were hostile but not abusive .They did not harbour the hatred that SC's had towards me.

I kept understanding their ire at us as my anscestors long back[centuries] have treated them shabbily for centuries and made them outcasts.They did not belong to the Hindu fold .They never had a caste hence were always treated as aliens. They are the fifth caste and so on .

Then i read some where that as per Shastras the Hindu fold or Sanatana Dharma recognises only four castse and they viz Sc's belonged to the fourth caste viz Sudras.This outlook  was novel to me and I didnot believe it.I always thought they had no caste and therefore not entitled to follow Hindu practises.

Won't the Sudras be offended by this new theory?Won't they protest violently at such a concept for clubbing SC's in their fold?

Then i googled for more information on SC's and came upon Wikepedia.In it it was written that Mahatma Ghandhi always considered SC's as part of Sanatana Dharama since they belonged to the fourth caste viz Sudras! If Ghandhi said they belonged to the 4 th caste then I who have great respect for the Mahatma have to believe it and I did.That relieved me and lifted the burden of guilt I was carrying for decades -nearly 50 years!

So why should I go on pitying those who are part of Hindu fold?viz Sudras  some of whom who have been kept at a distance in the past owing to their dirty and unhygenic proffesion.

If Ghandhi  says they are within caste then he is right and i will follow it.This happened during lockdown .So nearly after 50 years of guilt towards SC's ,a constant burden on my shoulders I shed it and felt free.