Dalit

noun (countable); also adjective

/ˈdælɪt/

A self-designation adopted by communities formerly labelled 'Untouchables' — those outside the fourfold varna system who faced severe ritual and social exclusion — derived from Marathi/Sanskrit meaning 'broken' or 'ground down'. B.R. Ambedkar popularised political consciousness around this identity in the 20th century. Constitutionally, Dalits correspond to Scheduled Castes, who comprised approximately 16.6% of India's population per the 2011 Census; they are entitled to reservations in education, employment, and legislative bodies under Articles 341, 15(4), and 16(4).

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Rohith Vemula tragedy (2016), in which a Dalit doctoral scholar at the University of Hyderabad took his own life after institutional exclusion, reignited national discourse on the structural violence that Dalit students continue to encounter in India's premier higher-education institutions.

Synonyms

Scheduled Casteuntouchable (historical/pejorative)depressed class (colonial)oppressed communityAmbedkarite community

Antonyms

savarnaupper-castetwice-born (dvija)

🌱 Word Family

Dalit (adjective), Dalit movement (noun phrase), Dalit Panthers (noun phrase), Dalit literature (noun phrase)

🔡 Root

Sanskrit/Marathi dal = to crack, split, crush; dalit = past participial form = that which has been broken/ground down

📜 Etymology

Derived from Sanskrit dalita (oppressed, broken), the term was used by Jyotiba Phule in the 19th century. It gained nationwide political currency through Ambedkar's movements and the Dalit Panthers (founded 1972 in Mumbai, inspired by the US Black Panthers). The term replaced the colonial census category 'Depressed Classes' and Gandhi's term 'Harijan', which Dalits themselves largely rejected as paternalistic.

🧠 Memory Hook

DAL-it: like a dal (lentil) that has been split and ground down. The word literally means crushed — those who were crushed under the weight of the caste hierarchy. The broken lentil imagery encodes the meaning in a single syllable.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Mains 2015 · GS1 · 12.5 marks — Indian Society
Mains 2015 · GS4 · 20 marks — Social Ethics / Caste Discrimination / Governance

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Dalit” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚖️ Social Justice 📖 Seen in: Dalit Rights & SC/ST Atrocities Act — ...

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