‘Dignity of labour applies only to societies where equality is the norm’

“Even if you are a Dalit and you think some other subcaste is lower to you and feel happy about it, you are just practising a 3000-year-old system,” he said speaking at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) as part of the intersectionality series.  

Only if we can come out of the mindset of finding joy in being superior to another person can we overcome the caste system, says Bezwada Wilson, co-founder and National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA.) 

“Even if you are a Dalit and you think some other subcaste is lower to you and feel happy about it, you are just practising a 3000-year-old system,” he said, speaking at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) as part of the intersectionality series.  

He argued that similar is the case with patriarchy too and that men of most communities consider women lower to them. 

The Magsaysay award winner further noted that considering oneself as inferior to someone else was equally dangerous. 

“The scavengers feel that they are inferior to everybody else in this country because they have to clean, carry and dispose of human excreta and garbage. But in other countries who are doing similar work, people don’t feel the same way because of dignity of labour.” 

However, he noted that the concept of dignity of labour shouldn’t be applied in the Indian context to ask someone to clean another person’s toilet.  

“Only when you are able to understand and attain an equal society can you bring up the dignity of labour. We are unfortunately far away from it,” he said.