During the past two centuries, religious, social, political and economic reforms sought to address the dalit problem so as to transform India from the caste-ridden system of discrimination into a modern and caste-neutral society. It is fair to say that these reforms have not sufficiently succeeded in improving either the social standing of dalits or their economic condition. It is no wonder, then, that the dalits are found, along with the tribals, in the bottom quintile on most parameters of human well-being. How does one explain the intractability of the dalit problem? A conference in the United States recently attempted to answer the question through its deliberations on six "great paradoxes". A report.
