I was intrigued and surprised to read a short piece written by Anup Tanaeja titled Untouchability Is Repugnant To Spirit Of Hinduism in a column “The Speaking Tree” in “The Times of India”, dated 30th January, 2026. You may treat my piece as a rebuttal or a response to Anup Tanaja, a senior academic fellow with ICHR. He argues why Untouchability is repugnant to the Spirit of Hinduism by citing Gandhi’s ideals as part of his defence.
He starts by revisiting Gandhi’s purpose for establishing Satyagraha Ashram at Kocharab in 1915 was to accommodate the Untouchables as equals in the ashram. One can imagine the intensity, ferocity, and savageness that the so-called ‘high-castes’ would have gone through when they heard about it and its existence was at stake.
However, a few months later, according to the author “a Harijan family arrived at the ashram. Their names were Duda, Dani, and Lakshmi. Gandhi accepted them into the ashram community and made them a part of his own family. He even began treating their daughter, Lakshmi, as his own daughter.”
The move of Gandhi would have certainly infuriated the in-mates as well as the neighbours. As said “Other residents of the ashram were outraged, women refused to accept the untouchable women as family. The man in-charge of community well baulked at allowing the family to draw water from it and cursed them and Gandhi.” The dynamic of purity and pollution can be seen the way restricting the new in-mates to draw water as it symbolises the binary “We Vs You” as “We” means pure and they mean “Other” as impure. Hinduism hinges on a system of caste which is the heart-beat that makes the Indian society to function.
“It was a challenging situation for Gandhi; he, as a matter of principle, considered the evil of untouchability as a blot on Hinduism and believed that it was bringing a bad name to Hindu dharm.” Untouchability is not only a blot as it is insulated within Hinduism, it opens-up the entire citadel on which Hinduism is premised. Gandhi’s move on addressing Untouchability in his ashram by accommodating one family which boomeranged is the litmus test for the Indian society. Caste is the very basis and the base of the Indian societal structure that regulates birth and occupation—which caste will have to perform what job.
When the in-mates got angry and showed their unease, “He thus gave strict instructions to every inmate to remain clam.
Satyagraha thus proved successful; the man felt repentant and stopped bothering Gandhi.” For a man to repent Gandhi had to go for satyagraha. If this was case hundred years ago, how many satyagraha’s Gandhi should undergo to change the entire Hindus. Continuing further, “Later, during a discussion Gandhi had with followers of Sanatan Dharm, he claimed that he was true “Sanatanist” as he considered his conduct to be in consonance with the spirit of the scriptures.”
According to Gandhi’s statement “Sanatan Dharm” refers to “eternal” or “ageless” law, is the foundational, timeless, and universal cosmic order of righteousness historically rooted in Vedic tradition dating back to 1500 BC.
Over and above, it is considered as original that encompasses spiritual way of life, rather than merely as religion or a set of beliefs emphasising duty, self-realisation, and virtue over dogmas. Untouchability is the main attribute of the system of caste. In this way Sanatana Dharma thus becomes part of the Hinduism. Observing it meticulously is a way of life that enjoins duty, self-realisation and virtue.
This is how Untouchability continues to survive for thousands of years. In line to what Gandhi said that based on his in-depth study of scriptures, “Untouchability is repugnant to the spirit of Hinduism.” How come, if it is part of Sanatana Dharma, then Untouchability is one of the manifestations along with others.
The moment someone says that he/she is Sanatanist, then he/she a believer in casteism. This is why when Gandhi said “Untouchability is repugnant to the spirit of Hinduism.” For this statement of Gandhi, “Many Sanatanists, however, contended that Gandhi had no right to call himself a Sanatanist.”
This is where I see the contradiction of Gandhi who on the one hand says he is Sanatanist, while on the other, claims that “Untouchability is repugnant to the spirit of Hinduism”. Therefore, “Many Sanatanists, however, contended that Gandhi had no right to call himself a Sanatanist.” Substantiating further, “no one could be called Sanatanist who did not believe in untouchability, shraddha, murti-worship and other outward observances.” This is what all about the system of caste and its one of the attributes “Untouchability”. However, Anup Taneja brings out to his defence of Gandhi’s response that “the only true test of Sanatan Dharm was the touchstone of truth – outward observance was nothing of a man lived a crooked life.”
Adding further, in a speech Gandhi delivered at a meeting with Harijans in Dec, 1933 said that “it was his firm belief that caste Hindus would not have fulfilled their obligations until they had opened all their temples to Harijans.
He further said that he would not consider untouchability eradicated unless and until the bar against Harijans’ entry into temples was removed altogether.” Gandhi as rightly pointed out being a Sanatanist was trying to tackle one of the expressions of the system of caste vis-à-vis Untouchability which could not be done unless and until the entire system is annihilated—an anathema to Sanatana Dharm.
We can see the contradictions developing as Gandhi gets into it that “apart from the entry of Harijans into temples, other efforts were also being made to ensure that Harijans did not remain segregated from society.” By quoting Gandhi “It is not to keep you segregated that schools are being opened and wells are being dug for you.
All this is being done because I cannot bear to see you get no water at all. How can I tolerate that Harijans get water from the same trough from which dogs and cattle drink water? In villages, caste Hindus are so arrogant that they do not permit Harijans to go near well at all. Even when they give them water, they do so from distance and with words of abuse. You and I ought not to tolerate such a thing.”
The above quote of Gandhi unfolds the intricate issues that lie underneath the system of caste. There are schools, wells, and temples, but entry into those and drawing water from wells and host of others the so called ‘Untouchables’ should not enjoy, whereas the animals can drink water, but not the ‘Untouchables’ because of their ranking in the varna system. Unless and until we address the root or the base surface levels of inter-dining, allowing ‘Untouchables’ to enter into some temples or to fetching water from some ponds and wells or opening the schools would in no way change the structural injustices meted out by the ‘Untouchables’. In sum, Gandhi had never opposed the system of caste and the term he coined ‘Harijans’ meaning ‘children of god’, in reality means totally opposite ‘children of lesser god”.
Dr. John Mohan Razu
Thursday, March 12, 2026