Pidti* (which means stupid and small in Hindi) dug through the village garbage after the festival. She took the leftover scraps of food she recovered to her hut. There, she ground the food with her hands into bits that she then set out to dry. Later, she would store the dried food in plastic bags. When she was hungry, she would cook the dried bits in water for her daily meals.
Pidti was a frail, elderly woman whose children had left the area to work in the cities. Her children rarely visited Pidti in the village as she had no proper home. They could not send her money for food as she had no address. Pidti couldn’t find work as she was old and weak. She was dirty, malnourished, and possibly ill. She lived in a mud hut with a dirt floor built on another person’s property, her “landlord.”
Pidti, by law, should have had a ration card and should have been able to get some food free or at a reduced price. She should have been given land to build a home and plant a garden to grow food. Pidti should have had an education, which is a constitutional right in India. But because of a lack of information and the tradition of not asking for help, she did not receive land. Her lack of education came from prejudice and rejection when she tried to go to school as a child.
Why Such a Life?
So why did Pidti live in such terrible conditions? What had led to her life of pain, filth, malnourishment, and hopelessness?
Her way of life comes from her being a Musahar. The Musahar are one of the groups of people of the lowest caste in India, the Dalits (Hindi for broken or oppressed people.) While the Hindu caste system does not constitutionally exist, socially the beliefs are still affecting society. The Musahar are the lowest of the Dalit caste. They are broken mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Musahar is derived from ‘masu,’ meaning ‘flesh,’ and ‘annera,’ meaning ‘seeker.’ They are often called rat-takers, rat-killers, or rat-eaters. In the past, they did kill and eat rats.
The Plight of a Dalit Child
To further explain the plight of the Dalit caste, Thomas, ANM’s Regional Director of South Asia, shared the story of how he first met a Dalit child. He noticed a boy about six years old in a railway station who was alone and filthy. Thomas wanted to ask the boy about his condition of being alone on the street at such a young age. At first, the boy ran, but Thomas finally engaged him in a conversation.
“What is your name?” Thomas inquired. “My name is Budhu,” the boy responded. (Budhu means foolish.) Distracted by such a derogatory name, Thomas asked, “Who gave you that name?” Much to his dismay, Budhu said, “God gave me the name ‘foolish.’” Budhu daily believed that his god identified him as foolish.
It is hard to imagine being labeled so negatively for his entire life. Can you remember being called by a harsh name, like clumsy or lazy? How did that one comment affect you? Did it sting? Did the comment haunt you for days? How much worse to be daily identified by a harsh name, believing that your god views you that way. That is the plight of the Musahar.
Give today to help the Musahar children of India.
Living a Difficult Life – The Musahar Way
As stated, the Musahar are of the untouchable caste, the Dalit. Being Dalit has such a negative connotation but being Musahar means they are even looked down on by most of the Dalit. Thomas did research for his doctoral thesis on the Musahar. What he found out about their lives is heart-wrenching.
The Musahar are a mainly landless society. They build small huts on another’s property, who becomes their ‘landlord.’ Their lack of knowledge prevents them from gaining access to ration cards, free land, and other help to have a better life. Prejudice because of their caste also affects their opportunities for education, jobs, health care, and other basic necessities of life, such as receiving more than a daily wage. The Musahar have so little understanding of what they earn or how much they should receive as a wage. They only know if they ask for money for food after working all day, they will receive enough money to purchase food for that day. They are held back by thinking only of their immediate needs. Their lack of education and understanding of fair wages keep them in a cycle of earning a daily wage to barely meet their daily needs.
A Cry of Pain
One of the traditional behaviors of the Musahar is to cry out during the night. When the pain of a Musahar person’s plight becomes too much to bear, that person arises in the middle of the night and screams out in pain. No one is surprised or comes to ask why they are crying out in distress. The Musahar knows what the person in their community is experiencing and why they shout in pain.
You Can Stop the Cries of the Musahar
Do you hear the cry of the Musahar? The time to help them heal is now.
You can help by participating in ANM’s campaign to educate 600 Musahar children. Two different ministries are working with 300 children each. They have already set up informal village schools to educate the children in a safe, accepting environment. However, the children need more help to succeed. With your help, the children will receive nourishment and vitamins, too. They will be supplied with two sets of clothing to wear for different seasons. They will also be given school supplies for daily use. The teachers will continue sharing the Gospel with the children in the schools.
This ten-year project will impact the children and change their perception of themselves. As they learn the truth of who they are and that God loves them, the desire is that they will break free from the negative thoughts, traditions, and ways of life that have kept them oppressed. The two ministries that have been working to establish relationships in the villages have used digging wells for the villages to supply fresh water to gain access in the village. Thomas developed a relationship with one of his college students to overcome barriers and gain access to study and help the Musahar as well.
Help the Musahar Children of India.
As Thomas stated, “We believe the Gospel has the power of transformation. It has the power to break chains and bondages.” The project aims to free the Musahar from visible, social, mental, emotional, and spiritual bondage. Thomas and ANM desire to see the Musahar’s plight changed. Would you like to help stop their pain and break the negative patterns of 500 years? Giving to the Musahar campaign means you will help the children.
*Name chosen for security reasons.
