ROLE OF EDUCATION IN BRINGING SOCIAL CHANGES: A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE DALITS OF MALWA REGION OF PUNJAB

Abstract

Education is one of the most important factor that plays a leading role in human development and emancipation of humankinds. It promotes a productive, welinformed and enlightened citizenry and creates opportunities for socially and economically underprivileged sections of the society. In the modern life, education occupies an important role and more so, in case of groups which are historically deprived and marginalized in society, namely scheduled castes or untouchable people who are also known as Dalits in the day to day political discourse. After independence in 1947 ensuring access to education for the Dalits and diminishing the social effects of the caste system in the society were the greatest challenges for the Indian government. Therefore the government framed many policies to increase the assess of education for the underprivileged sections of the society and as a result remarkable changes occurred in the traditional caste system. The present paper tries to explore the impact of education in brining social changes among the educated
dalits of Malwa region of Punjab. Attempts have been made to present the impact of education on the intercaste relations, untouchablility, caste based discriminations, commensality among castes and occupational mobality among the Dalits.