Nineteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Dalits are commonly understood to comprise those people who were previously called untouchables and who are therefore discriminated against on the basis of their caste. Ever since the dawn of civilization in Nepal, Dalits were compelled to live an inferior life and were (even more than others) denied the opportunity of education. They were excluded from the affairs of the state. Their plight and grievances were never taken into consideration by the government. With an objective for their social transformation, the Dalit jointly launched several movements in Nepal. Viswa Sarvajan Sangh (Association for the Peoples of the World) was the first Dalit organization in Nepal. It emerged in 1947 in Baglung district (western Nepal) and was founded by Bhagat Sarbajeet Bishwakarma and Bhagat Laxmi Narayan Bishwakarma. The explicit objective was to promote the self-respect of oppressed Dalits. Writings on the Dalit social movement in Nepal usually link the Dalit social movement to different political periods and national movements in Nepal. The Dalit Social Movement in Nepal (Vishwakarma 2002; Kisan 2005; M.B. Bishwakarma 2006; M.D. Bishwakarma 2006; P.L. Bishwakarma 2006; Pyakurel 2010) are the major movements that forced the government for their social transformation. In this paper, I shed light on the evolution of social movements in Nepal. I also highlight how Dalits were discriminated against based on their caste compelling them to launch several social movements. Finally, I consider Dalit Social movements that laid the ground for their social transformation.