Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part C (2024)

The plight of the Untouchables and the daily atrocities they endure have been the subject of much scholarly discussion; nonetheless, we wonder if these living conditions are exclusive to one caste type. Another possibility is that this applies to a certain type of employment rather than a person's caste. While we're on the subject of India, it's important to remember that there are many instances where people are forced to live a life beyond their wildest dreams because they were born into a strange caste known as the "Untouchables." This is exemplified in Gopinath Mohanty's novel "Harijan," which depicts the daily struggles of this particular group of people, including the 'Mehentars' and their forced labour cleaning public restrooms with their bare hands, picking up human waste, and bearing the horrors perpetrated by the higher caste. There is a "caste system" in this civilization, and the story says so. 
The 'Varna' system, which is passed down through generations, forces a specific group to stay in the same profession. 'Mohanty' aims to illustrate the situation of a scavenger who lost the ability to respond to any sensitive, nuanced experience; the story helps us grasp the characters' psyche as they grow inhuman towards themselves due to their improper treatment. This research investigates the similarities between scavengers from diverse origins in a new environment to shed light on the predicament of two distinct kinds of scavengers. As a whole, we plan to study how other fictional works depict the same group of people - the "Mehentars" or "Scavengers" and the similarities and differences among them.