Religion, Caste, and Social Inequality: The Case of Deras in Contemporary Punjab

• SEWA LAL

  Sant Prem Singh Karamsar Khalsa College, Begowal

This article examines the rise of Deras in Punjab as a response to persistent social inequality, particularly caste-based exclusion experienced by Dalit communities. The study aims to explore how Deras function as alternative socio-religious institutions that address gaps left by conventional religious and social structures. Employing a qualitative-analytical approach based on secondary sources, the article investigates the socio-economic, cultural, and political roles of Deras in contemporary Punjab. The central argument is that Deras are not merely sites of socio-cultural or political assertion; they represent a strategic and organized response to entrenched social inequality, grounded in historical and philosophical traditions that emphasize anti-caste values and social dignity. The findings illustrate that the persistence of castebased discrimination within mainstream socio-religious institutions has significantly contributed to the growing influence of Deras. These institutions provide marginalized communities with alternative spaces for inclusion, identity reconstruction, and informal social security. This paper seeks to reframe Deras as institutional responses to social exclusion rather than as peripheral religious movements, thereby extending debates on caste, religion, and subaltern assertion in Punjab. The study concludes that the proliferation of Deras reflects the limitations of formal egalitarianism and underscores the need to critically re-examine dominant socio-religious structures in addressing social inequality.

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