Education and Social Status of Scheduled Castes in India

The social inequalities and injustices, the cruelties of the social order, have weakened Indian society. The fight against Untouchability was historic, spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar in the face of entrenched obscurantism. Strong support for the removal of Untouchability, alleviation of poverty, ending of disgraceful occupations that offended human dignity, and spreading literacy and awareness were the result of social reform movements that commenced long before the Independence. The social reform movements by Swami Vivekananda, Shri Narayana Guru, Mahatma Phule, Dr. Ambedkar, Shri Ramaswami Naicker, Swami Sampurnanand and others provided significant impetus to the restoration of human dignity of these classes and of their determination to assert their place under the Sun.