Dalits turning entrepreneurs against all odds!

While liberal economist Swaminathan Aiyer may rarely agree with Karl Marx, he does however support Marx's view of capitalism smashing feudalism. At a panel discussion on Dalit entrepreneurship, moderated by acclaimed scholar and India expert Robin Jeffrey, Aiyer spoke of the rise of Dalit millionaires without props or government subsidies. "The Economic Times ran a series of 11 articles on Dalit capitalism," says Aiyer, who spoke of the manner in which capitalism had helped erode the caste system and had gone on to produce dollar millionaires.
Dalits turning entrepreneurs against all odds without any outside help is a miracle of sorts, says Chandrabhan Prasad, political commentator and mentor to the Dalit India Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Prasad coauthored a book on Dalit entrepreneurship with Shyam Babu, senior fellow at the Centre for Policy.
He has often been asked whether the rise of the Dalit entrepreneur has meant that all Dalits have turned millionaires or all Dalits acquired Mercedes cars. Pat comes Prasad's reply___"Are all banias millionaires? Are all Americans capitalists?"
"The message we've tried to convey through our book is that when Dalits are given equal opportunity and the rules are applied to them equally, they can succeed on their own," says Babu.
Surinder Jodhka, scholar and development expert, who has collected his own data and conducted field research on the prevalence of the caste system, says it's important not to presume that all Dalits are poor or have stayed on the outskirts of villages. "There have always been movements up and down the caste system. Those of lower castes who have done well for themselves have often had their castes redesignated," says Jodhka, adding that a Sikh temple for Dalits in Birmingham has had a considerable impact back home in Punjab.
Jodhka points to empirical evidence that suggests that caste continues to exist in very rugged forms in Indian society.
He talks of the prevalence of caste in corporate hiring and the fact that Dalits graduating from IIT do not get the same job offers as their peers.