Dalit Christians and St. Stephen's College

My remarks at the St. Stephen’s function at India International Centre (June 23, 2007)

Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of all the organisers I would like to thank all of you for coming here this evening. As a proud Stephenian, who graduated in History (Hons) in 1993. I feel a special sense of happiness today. I am proud today of two things especially. The first is that reverend Valson Thampu, who was the chaplain at St. Stephen's while I studied there, is now the acting principal.

Rev. Thampu, may I take this opportunity as an Indian, as a Christian and as a former student of yours to congratulate you on becoming the acting principal of our beloved St. Stephen's College. We are happy to know that the college is in very dedicated, devout and able hands.

I am also proud of the fact that the college has made special room for Dalit Christians. The very foundation and reason for education is to replace darkness with light. The darkness that our nation has seen due to injustice, illiteracy, unemployment and many other social evils has now seen some light at the end of the tunnel for those Christians who belong to the lower caste of society. While casteism itself is a social evil and must ultimately be abolished, the reality is that caste system does exist and as long as it does, the lower and underprivileged castes must be given an opportunity to be uplifted. We can not discriminate against a person who is oppressed because of the faith that he or she follows. While Christianity does not have castes per se, we cannot ignore the plight of those Christians who happen to be Dalits. As a Stephenian, I am proud that this opportunity has been given to Dalit Christians.

St. Stephen's is one of the most prestigious institutions in our nation. By studying there, many Dalit Christians will get a better chance in life. We must applaud the work done by Right Reverend Bishop Karam Masih sahib and Rev. Valson Thampu in this endeavour. May I also take this opportunity to congratulate my teacher and former Editor of Delhi Mid Day Dr. John Dayal for the tireless work he has done for the community and in particular for the cause of Dalit Christians. As Dr. Dayal mentioned I have finished my LL.B. course and await my degree after the results are declared. I'm praying to God that I pass, but so far He has made me do well.

In my first year, we studied the Indian Constitution. Article 14 of the Constitution is about right to equality before the law, Article 15 is about prohibition of discrimination on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them and Article 21 is about right to protection of life. I will come to these later.

There are still many things that need to be done to fully enshrine the ideals that our Constitution framers had in mind when they wrote it. There are still certain personal laws in India – such as adoption laws that are discriminatory in nature. In India, a Christian person cannot adopt a child. Even worse, even a Christian child cannot be adopted by a Christian. Yes, some may argue that you can take a child under guardianship if you are a Christian. But there is a difference. A child who is adopted is the legal heir and inherits property and rights of the parents even if they die intestate. However, Guardianship does not give such rights. We are living in the Third Millennium A.D., the 21st Century and we are living in a sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republic where we enjoy fundamental rights that cannot be taken away from us.

We live in a secular nation, where laws should not be about religious discrimination but about social upliftment and equality. As a citizen of this country, I should be allowed to adopt a child as my own even if I am a Christian. Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains are allowed to adopt children. So, why should I not be? I personally may never adopt a child, but I should be allowed to do so in India if my Hindu neighbour is allowed.

This is where Article 14 of our Constitution comes in. It states clearly the following: “The state shall not deny to any person equality before the law”. Art. 15 says that the state shall not discriminate on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. So it is a violation of Art. 14 and Art. 15 to discriminate between people based on religion only. Article 21 – protection of life – is violated because a non-Hindu child cannot be adopted in India and a non-Hindu cannot adopt a child.

Right to have a family is given under Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and having a good family life is one of the cornerstones of living with human dignity, which is an important aspect of protection of life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The irony is that a foreign Christian can come to India, become a legal guardian, take the child back to their own country and then legally adopt the child there. But an Indian Christian who lives here in this country can not. This is very sad and needs to be changed. We need a Christian Adoption Act or even a secular version such as an Indian Adoption Act will do. Not doing so is a direct violation of three important fundamental rights.

So ladies and gentlemen, today we celebrate a new day. Dalit Christians are now being given the rights that their Hindu counterparts enjoy. But this is just one battle we have won in the war against injustice. Other battles are yet to be fought in the spirit of justice and constitutional values. As the poet Robert Frost wrote, "The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep; And miles to go before I sleep; And miles to go before I sleep." With that, I thank you all for coming here this evening and may God bless you all.