Harijan

Harijan ("son of God") was a term coined by Gandhi for Dalits, which is now considered patronizing. The term can also be attributed to Dalits of Pakistan called the "haris", who are a group of mud-hut builders. Neo-Buddhist Dalits try to make 'Harijan' appear as a disgrace to all Dalits as it comes from a Hindu name. This term had already been used, in a different form, by the medieval philosopher Ramanuja who uplifted many backward caste peoples: as Thirukulattar, or People of Holy Clan. The term Harijan is considered a bad and weak word by many of the 'lower' caste people of India, as the name implies that the section is weak and should be taken care of. They prefer the word 'Dalit' (meaning Oppressed) instead of harijan. Recently there was a Dalit conference in Kerala which demanded the use of 'harijan' to be banned in media and political circles.

Gandhi's publications

Harijans was also several weekly newspapers published by Mahatma Gandhi. He created three publications, "Harijan" in English, "Harijan Bandu" in Gujarati and "Harijan Sevak" in Hindi. These newspapers found the Mahatma concentrating on social and economic problems. [ [http://www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/masters/mahatma-gandhi/journalist.asp Gandhi As A Journalist ] ]

References


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  • Harijan —   [Hindi »Person Gottes«], von M. K. Gandhi geprägte Bezeichnung für die Kastenlosen (Paria). * * * Ha|ri|dschan, Ha|ri|jan, der; s, s [engl. harijan < Hindi harijana = Person Gottes, gepr. von dem indischen Freiheitskämpfer Gandhi (1869… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • harijan — ● harijan nom (mot sanskrit signifiant créature de Dieu) Nom donné par Gandhi aux intouchables, qu il voulait réhabiliter …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • harijan — hàrijan m <G harijána> DEFINICIJA pripadnik grupe koju je Mahatma Gandhi nazvao nedodirljivima (najsiromašniji slojevi u Indiji) ETIMOLOGIJA neoskr. hariyana: Harijev čovjek (Hari = ime Višne), odatle u Gandhijevu shvaćanju: dijete Božje …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • harijan — [har′i jən, hu′rijən; har′jan΄, hur′ijan΄] n. [also H ] in India, an untouchable or, later, a member of the Scheduled Castes …   English World dictionary

  • Harijan — Dalits in Jaipur Dalit (der Begriff entwickelte sich aus dem Sanskritwort दल् , dal; er wird übersetzt mit zerbrochen, zerrissen, zerdrückt, vertrieben, niedergetreten, zerstört und der zur Schau Gestellte) ist die Selbstbezeichnung der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Harijan — Intouchable (dalit) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Intouchable (homonymie). Une petite fille dalit en Andhra Pradesh, en Inde …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Harijan — /har i jan /, n., pl. Harijans, (esp. collectively) Harijan. (often l.c.) Hinduism. 1. untouchable (def. 5). 2. a member of the group formerly known as untouchables in India: a term used by Mohandas K. Gandhi. [1930 35; < Neo Skt harijana person… …   Universalium

  • harijan — noun Usage: often capitalized Etymology: Sanskrit harijana one belonging to the god Vishnu, from Hari Vishnu + jana person Date: 1932 a member of the outcaste group in India ; untouchable …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • harijan — Inglish (Indian English) Dictionary member of lower caste, termed coined by Mahatma Gandhi; now referred to as Dalit …   English dialects glossary

  • Harijan — Har|i|jan [ hʌrıdʒən ] noun count INDIAN ENGLISH OLD FASHIONED someone who belongs to the lowest CASTE (=social class) in the traditional Hindu social system …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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