Nandanar: Untouchable Saint and Caste Hindu Anomaly
Author(s)
Vincentnathan, Lynn
Abstract
The author studied the differences within the Indian culture about conceptions of the untouchables. Many caste Hindus believe that castes differ in inherent qualities, which are suited to the various caste occupations. Persons are born into a higher or lower caste due to deeds in previous lives, and they share the basic attributes of their caste. Untouchables, on the other hand, have a basic egalitarian concept of person. Most do not believe they are inherently different from or more polluted than persons of other castes, but attribute differences in occupation, pollution levels, and achievements to external factors. A study of the differing caste versions of an untouchable saint legend (Nandanar) helps reveal some of the psychological and social aspects of untouchability beliefs through a discussion of attribution theory in social psychology and M. Bakhtin’s (1981) dialogic approach to literature.
