Manuski

The Manuski Project

The aim of this project is to help socially deprived members of Indian society become free of the material and psychological obstacles to their full participation in a caste free society as envisioned by Dr. Ambedkar, so that they take part in, initiate and take responsibility for activities leading to social transformation.

The oppressed population in India is one of the most oppressed in the world, numbering over 200 million classified in official terms as members of ‘Scheduled Castes’, and ‘Scheduled Tribes’. While sub-sections of these populations have made economic and social progress since Independence, membership of these communities remains a marker for serious social, educational, health and economic disadvantage. As well as material disadvantage the legacy of caste oppression includes a powerful psychological burden limiting full participation in civil society, discouraging any initiative to improve their own situation and resulting in a crippling dependence on others.

The Manuski Centre is run by people from Scheduled Caste backgrounds who know from their own experience the ground realities of caste and untouchability. Some have a wide experience in developing social projects, while others are well qualified academically. They are all dedicated to encourage others from socially deprived backgrounds to take a creative approach to the problems they face.

“Caste has killed public spirit. Caste has destroyed the sense of public charity. Caste has made public opinion impossible. A Hindu’s public is his caste. His responsibility is only to his caste. His loyalty is restricted only to his caste. Virtue has become caste-ridden, and morality has become caste-bound. There is no sympathy for the deserving. There is no appreciation of the meritorious. There is no charity to the needy. Suffering as such calls for no response. There is charity, but it begins with the caste and ends with the caste. There is sympathy, but not for men of other castes.”

- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

“…transcend the Hindu caste system and fight it. Religion cannot be allowed to be the source of further divisions”.

- H. H. Dalai Lama

“Even after 60 years of constitutional and legal protection and support, there is still social discrimination against Dalits in many parts of our country Dalits have faced a unique discrimination in our society that is fundamentally different from the problems of minority groups in general. The only parallel to the practice of untouchability was apartheid. Untouchability is not just social discrimination, it is a blot on humanity”

- Dr. Manmohan Singh (Prime Minister of India)