Dalits' relentless march from caste to capital

Ashok Khade, 60, vividly remembers how they did not belong. His cobbler father's family stayed outside a village in Sangli, could not enter the temple and he had to sit outside the classroom in school. But his outstanding performance in school took care of everything. Today, he stands at the head of his multi-crore offshore engineering company. Giridhar, 28, cannot recall any instance of caste discrimination. He had a normal childhood as son to a father who moved from being a labourer to a labour contractor. He did his engineering and then MBA from IIM-Kolkata and is a "monopoly manufacturer" of transformers in Visakhapatnam. But while he provides livelihood to people, he says the workers, in some corner of their mind, are conscious that their employer is a Dalit.  It is old hat to chronicle Dalit achievers in industry -- names like Kalpana Saroj and Khade are well known and youngsters like Giridhar believe they are set to follow the illustrious elders defying caste. But it is the army of aspirants taking tentative steps towards business which establishes Dalit capitalism as a growing phenomenon. "I have decided not to work for anyone. I will provide jobs," says N Sashidhar, having moved from driving an autorickshaw to launching a mineral water plant in Bengaluru. The plant is facing trouble but he is firm in his belief. Some are building on the gains of their parents. Like Arjun Nayak and wife Shreya, who have launched a brand of bottled water in Bengaluru. The idea to be one's own boss, and of others, is the new refrain among Dalits, rooted in the twin belief that discrimination exists in offices and business can obliterate caste handicap for good.

In 1990s, Bijender Singh was urged by his parents to leave his village in Bulandshahr after his decision to install an Ambedkar statue triggered strong reaction from upper castes. He began as a helper in a printing press in Delhi, moved on to fabricating spares, and now manufactures printing machines in Haryana. "I am the first businessman from my village," he proudly claims, a massive statement for an SC.

The businesspersons, stalwarts and upstarts, met at a function organized by the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) on Tuesday where Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented business excellence awards to five persons.

Jaiprakash, hailing from Siwan (Bihar), has an interesting story. Like most 'Biharis', he too sought a secure 'naukri' but flunked 11 times in the sought-after bank PO interview. He shifted to Badarpur in Delhi in search of a livelihood in 2009, and now trades in equipment for waste water treatment. "In hindsight, its good I failed the PO test," he chuckles. "I am much better off now." The community's inexorable march towards business has been helped by the government's Dalit Venture Capital Fund as also bodies like DICCI that help navigate the labyrinthine process.

But the true catalyst has been their movement towards cities. Having seen his leap from "village to palace", Khade remembers his early life to say discrimination exists "mostly in villages". Urban centres have helped Dalits break the tradition and fly on the wings of ambition. As an entrepreneur underlined, Ambedkar prescribed this remedy.