The term “Dalit” means “those who have been broken and ground down deliberately by those above them in the social hierarchy.”
The Dalits comprise nearly one quarter of India’s society, with population estimates of 250 million people.
160 million people in India are born outside the four castes of the Varna system - the oldest surviving social hierarchy of the world.
They are called the "untouchables"
They thermselves have chosen the name DALITS (broken people).
Infos: http://www.idsn.org - International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN)
INDIA - THE DALIT STORY
The caste system of India has produced a classless people, literally outcasts, called the Dalits, or untouchables. They number about 300,000,000, representing close to one-third of India's total population. If the Dalits were a nation, it would be larger than the United States of America and the fifth largest in the world.
An incredible movement is taking place in which many Dalits are rejecting Hinduism, which is believed to be the cause of their condition, and in large numbers are embracing other religions, including Christianity.
Although some churches are found among the Dalits, mostly this movement is in its infancy. Other videos in this series, Sounds of Global Worship, feature examples of the varied worship expressions found among these people.
It is the desire of Heart Sounds International to help this emerging church develop its own indigenous worship forms. Of interest is the fact that many of India's artists and creative people come from among the Dalits, and we believe that in time these new Christian believers will compose many new songs of worship to the Lord.
This video is an excerpt from a documentary that Heart Sounds completed by invitation of a ministry within India. It reveals the plight of the Dalits as they struggle to find freedom in the midst of a very difficult situation. Many are finding this freedom through the good news of Jesus Christ Whom the Dalits also recognize as a Dalit, or outcast.
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