હરિજન

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Gujarati

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Etymology

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હરિ (hari) +‎ જન (jan), literally Children of God. Coined by Narsinh Mehta, a Gujarati Bhakti poet in the 15th century and popularized by Mahatma Gandhi as an alternative to the term Dalit.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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હરિજન (harijanm

  1. (derogatory, now proscribed) Harijan
  2. (literally) devotee of Vishnu

Usage notes

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Now considered offensive to Dalits, as the term is considered patronising, ignorant, and seeking to assimilate them into Hindu nationalism.

References

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  1. ^ Ramabadran, Sudharshan, Paswan, Guru (2021) Makers of Modern Dalit History, Penguin Random House India, →ISBN, page xv