The murder of a Dalit youth in Gujarat reminds us of a horrific incident of 1936 – when the crowd went out of control after seeing a Dalit Patwari sitting on a chair! Read that hair-raising incident
At a gathering in Kasarwadi on 6 March 1938, Kalidas Shivram Parmar shared his story, highlighting the horrors of untouchability and caste violence at that time.
Published on: 25 May 2025
Gujarat – The brutal murder of 20-year-old Dalit youth Nilesh Rathod in Jarakhia village of Amreli district of Gujarat on 22 May 2025 has once again exposed the deep roots of caste violence. Nilesh was brutally beaten up for allegedly addressing a teenager from another caste as “son”. This incident reminded of a similar horrific incident that took place in Gujarat 89 years ago, i.e. in 1936 in Borsad taluka, Kheda district, which Dr. B.R. Ambedkar has mentioned in his work Writings and Speeches, Chapter 5: Unfit for Association.
The story is of Kalidas Shivram Parmar, a Dalit youth who is subjected to humiliation, boycott and murderous attacks after being appointed as a talati (village patwari). His presence of mind saves his life, but the incident highlights the brutality of untouchability and caste violence of the time.
On 6 March 1938, a meeting of the Bhangi community was held at Kasarwadi (behind Woolen Mills), Dadar-Bombay under the chairmanship of Indulal Yadnik, in which Kalidas Shivram narrated his ordeal. Kalidas had passed the Vernacular Final Examination in 1933 and studied in English up to the fourth grade. His application for a teaching job in the School Committee of the Bombay Municipality was unsuccessful, but he succeeded when he applied for a job as a talati with the Backward Classes Officer in Ahmedabad. On 19 February 1936, he was appointed a talati in the Mamlatdar Office of Borsad Taluka.
Kalidas’s family was originally from Gujarat, but this was his first visit to Gujarat. He expected his colleagues to be aware of his Harijan (Dalit) identity, as he had mentioned it in his application. But on reaching the Mamlatdar office, the clerk asked him disdainfully, “Who are you?” Kalidas replied, “I am a Harijan,” and the clerk angrily said, “Go away, stand a little farther. How come you are standing so close? If this was not an office, I would have kicked you six times!” The clerk asked him to throw his appointment letter and certificate on the ground and then pick them up.
Filled my stomach by eating Bhajiya in the morning and evening, slept in the verandah of the office
At the Mamlatdar office, Kalidas was given a rusty tin pot to drink water from, which no one else touched. The waterman avoided giving them water and often disappeared when they arrived, leaving Kalidas thirsty many times. No upper caste Hindu in Borsad was willing to rent them a house, and the local untouchable community also did not help out of fear of the upper castes. For food, Kalidas would buy bhajiyas in the morning and evening and eat them at some secluded place outside the village. At night he would sleep on the pavement of the verandah of the Mamlatdar office. This life became unbearable for him for four days.
After this, Kalidas moved to his native village, Gentral, which was six miles from Borsad. Every day he had to walk eleven miles. This continued for a month and a half. Then the mamlatdar sent him for training to another talati, who was in charge of Gentral, Khapur and Saijpur villages. Despite staying in Gentral for two months, Kalidas was not taught anything, and he was not allowed to enter the village office. The head of Gentral threatened him, “Your family sweeps, and you want to sit on par with us? Leave the job, otherwise the consequences will be bad.”The librarian angrily asked the ravani (village servant), “Who allowed this scavenger’s dirty dog to sit on the chair?” The ravani took Kalidas off the chair and moved it away. Kalidas sat down on the ground. After this, the crowd entered the office and surrounded him.
Chair Seating Price in Saijpur
The incident reached its climax when Kalidas was sent to prepare a population table in Saijpur village. On reaching there, he found the Mukhiya and Talaati working in the office. Kalidas stood at the door and said “Good morning”, but both of them ignored him. Tired and tired of the insults, Kalidas dared to sit on a chair lying outside. Seeing this, the Mukhiya and Talaati quietly left. In no time, a crowd led by the educated librarian of the village library gathered around Kalidas. It was later revealed that the chair belonged to the librarian.
The librarian angrily asked the ravani (village servant), “Who allowed this scavenger’s dirty dog to sit on the chair?” The ravani pulled Kalidas off the chair and moved it away. Kalidas sat on the ground. Then the mob barged into the office and surrounded him. It was a violent mob, hurling abuses and threatening to cut him with the dharia (a sword-like weapon). Kalidas begged for mercy, but the mob had no effect.
Life was saved due to understanding, had to leave job
To save his life, Kalidasa took a smart step. He asked Ravaniya for paper and wrote a letter to Mamlatdar with his fountain pen, writing in bold letters:
“Humble greetings from Parmar Kalidas Shivram to Mamlatdar Sahib, Borsad Taluka. This is to inform you that the shadow of death is hovering over me today. If I had listened to my parents, this situation would not have arisen. Please inform my parents about my death.”
The librarian read the letter and immediately asked Kalidas to tear it up, which he did. The mob insulted him, saying, “You want to become our talati? You are a scavenger, and you want to sit in the office?” Kalidas begged for mercy and promised that he would not do it again and would quit the job. The mob kept him there till seven o’clock in the evening, and then they left. During this time neither the talati nor the chief returned.
This humiliating and life-threatening experience broke Kalidas. He took a 15-day leave and returned to Mumbai to his parents. At the Kasarwadi gathering on 6 March 1938, he shared his story, highlighting the horrors of untouchability and caste violence of the time. Kalidas’s presence of mind, especially his move of writing a letter to the Mamlatdar, proved decisive in saving his life. This letter made the mob realise that their actions were being recorded, which led them to stop the violence.
Kalidas’ story bears a tragic resemblance to the murder of Nilesh Rathod in 2025. Nilesh and his three companions were attacked simply because they addressed a shopkeeper’s son as “beta”. The shopkeeper attacked them with an axe and called in 10-15 goons to chase and beat up the four Dalit youths, resulting in Nilesh’s death. Both incidents show that caste discrimination and violence are still deeply rooted in today’s society. Kalidas saved his life with his intelligence, but Nilesh was not so lucky.
