Dr. Syed Nesar Ahmad Rumy :
Society is consisting of different communities including people in marginal groups who are very much ignored in different situations. The service and work done by them are very much essential in our social life. However, they are not getting proper respect, honor and importance from the main stream end. Raising all the people with equal rights and opportunities are very essential to make the present society as the society of equal rights and opportunities for all.
In this transitional era Cobblers and Dhangor communities are being ignored everywhere. Cobblers, a professional community is very important in our social life. But they do not get the due respect from us. We think that they are the community of lower strata of our social texture. Our children’s attitude towards this community is as like as guardians or protectors of them. Nevertheless, we all try to keep this attitude towards them. We claim that all the people are equal in our society and county. In the constitution of Bangladesh, many important and essential sections are there regarding equal rights and opportunities for all. And it is also written that everyone has the right to get justice irrespective of caste, creed, religion and color. All are equal in the eye of law. But those who are getting all the advantages of service of the state are unwilling to show proper respect to the people of the lower strata of the society.
Dhangor/Harijans are considered untouchable community in Bangladesh. It seems general people do not consider them as normal human being. These people are mainly involved cleaning septic tanks, drains, toilets etc. In the different office buildings they are employed as cleaners and sweepers. Recently their chances of recruitment in the job markets are declining gradually as many non-sweeper community Muslim people are being recruited in those jobs. In this way their chances of being recruited in the jobs are declining. The Harijan/ Dhangor community has not that right to what the other people are enjoying. During British period this people came to this part of the sub-continent. With the introduction of railways and for functions of other offices Britishers brought them mainly from Odisha, Moddhapradesh and Bihar. Since then they are staying here generation after generation and doing those jobs which Bengalee people are not normally interested to do.
We see the people of lower strata in our society, especially the Dhangors, Cobblers are not allowed to take meal in the restaurant in many cases. In our boyhood we saw in the mofussil town that Dhangor community people used to buy food from the restaurants and had to have that meal on the side of the street outside of that particular restaurant. Even they had to drink water not with a glass. The hotel boy would pour the water about one foot high of the mouth of that person and then he had to swallow the water placing two hands by the side of his cheek. This was very common about forty years back. But gradually it is declining.
In the public transport this sort of discrimination is still happening in our society. People in general are very much unwilling to take seat by the side of Dhangor community people. Even the bus conductors discourage them not be on board in the buses. For that reason going one place to another place sometimes becomes very difficult for them. Moreover, in the schools this discrimination is also prevailing. Generally the school authority is not interested to take their children as the student because general students show unwillingness to take their seats by the side of the students of that community. Besides cobblers and Dhangors, there are many other professional communities are being suppressed/oppressed in our everyday life. In this regard we can refer barbers, aborigines in plain land and many others.
Moreover, we are following another prejudice and that is not to show due respect to the domestic workers in our homesteads. The domestic workers, especially maids are not allowed to sit with the same divan with the members and homemakers of that particular family. The children of that family are not that much respectful to them. Most of us are not interested to show proper respect to them. This is a kind of caste system in disguise. But we all are very much vocal to the rights of those people in different meetings, talk-shows and seminars. In the Western countries who work as domestic workers are called Nanny. In those countries their civil rights and personal security are very much ensured. They can sit on the chair — sofa and even they can take food from the refrigerators. There is no discrimination between the family members and Nannies.
So after fifty years our independence and in this era of 21st century all concerned should think of eradicating this discrimination and disguised caste system in our society. Always we raise our voice that we are civilized nation. People’s rights are ensured in our constitution but still now there are some people in different communities who do not get the equal rights and opportunities given by the state. The situation of our social texture and reality is so in our country that those people cannot be able to take the advantages of laws and opportunities. In this age of civilization this should not be continued. We have to change our attitude and all concerned, especially the decision makers should take notice to eradicate these anomalies currently prevailing in our society for the merger of the disadvantaged people into the mainstream.
Society is consisting of different communities including people in marginal groups who are very much ignored in different situations. The service and work done by them are very much essential in our social life. However, they are not getting proper respect, honor and importance from the main stream end. Raising all the people with equal rights and opportunities are very essential to make the present society as the society of equal rights and opportunities for all.
In this transitional era Cobblers and Dhangor communities are being ignored everywhere. Cobblers, a professional community is very important in our social life. But they do not get the due respect from us. We think that they are the community of lower strata of our social texture. Our children’s attitude towards this community is as like as guardians or protectors of them. Nevertheless, we all try to keep this attitude towards them. We claim that all the people are equal in our society and county. In the constitution of Bangladesh, many important and essential sections are there regarding equal rights and opportunities for all. And it is also written that everyone has the right to get justice irrespective of caste, creed, religion and color. All are equal in the eye of law. But those who are getting all the advantages of service of the state are unwilling to show proper respect to the people of the lower strata of the society.
Dhangor/Harijans are considered untouchable community in Bangladesh. It seems general people do not consider them as normal human being. These people are mainly involved cleaning septic tanks, drains, toilets etc. In the different office buildings they are employed as cleaners and sweepers. Recently their chances of recruitment in the job markets are declining gradually as many non-sweeper community Muslim people are being recruited in those jobs. In this way their chances of being recruited in the jobs are declining. The Harijan/ Dhangor community has not that right to what the other people are enjoying. During British period this people came to this part of the sub-continent. With the introduction of railways and for functions of other offices Britishers brought them mainly from Odisha, Moddhapradesh and Bihar. Since then they are staying here generation after generation and doing those jobs which Bengalee people are not normally interested to do.
We see the people of lower strata in our society, especially the Dhangors, Cobblers are not allowed to take meal in the restaurant in many cases. In our boyhood we saw in the mofussil town that Dhangor community people used to buy food from the restaurants and had to have that meal on the side of the street outside of that particular restaurant. Even they had to drink water not with a glass. The hotel boy would pour the water about one foot high of the mouth of that person and then he had to swallow the water placing two hands by the side of his cheek. This was very common about forty years back. But gradually it is declining.
In the public transport this sort of discrimination is still happening in our society. People in general are very much unwilling to take seat by the side of Dhangor community people. Even the bus conductors discourage them not be on board in the buses. For that reason going one place to another place sometimes becomes very difficult for them. Moreover, in the schools this discrimination is also prevailing. Generally the school authority is not interested to take their children as the student because general students show unwillingness to take their seats by the side of the students of that community. Besides cobblers and Dhangors, there are many other professional communities are being suppressed/oppressed in our everyday life. In this regard we can refer barbers, aborigines in plain land and many others.
Moreover, we are following another prejudice and that is not to show due respect to the domestic workers in our homesteads. The domestic workers, especially maids are not allowed to sit with the same divan with the members and homemakers of that particular family. The children of that family are not that much respectful to them. Most of us are not interested to show proper respect to them. This is a kind of caste system in disguise. But we all are very much vocal to the rights of those people in different meetings, talk-shows and seminars. In the Western countries who work as domestic workers are called Nanny. In those countries their civil rights and personal security are very much ensured. They can sit on the chair — sofa and even they can take food from the refrigerators. There is no discrimination between the family members and Nannies.
So after fifty years our independence and in this era of 21st century all concerned should think of eradicating this discrimination and disguised caste system in our society. Always we raise our voice that we are civilized nation. People’s rights are ensured in our constitution but still now there are some people in different communities who do not get the equal rights and opportunities given by the state. The situation of our social texture and reality is so in our country that those people cannot be able to take the advantages of laws and opportunities. In this age of civilization this should not be continued. We have to change our attitude and all concerned, especially the decision makers should take notice to eradicate these anomalies currently prevailing in our society for the merger of the disadvantaged people into the mainstream.
(Dr. Rumy is a retired civil
servant and freelancer)
