To live amongst a group of people who are being discriminated, suppressed, exploited, beaten and raped on a daily basis? You would sleep on the floor, there would be no sewage or running water, let alone a proper toilet or hot shower. Ask yourself again, would you voluntarily choose to live in these circumstances? Frans Baartmans left his home in The Netherlands in 1979 to work as a missionary in
India. He didn’t go there to preach and spread the word of God, instead he chose to come to India with a very personal mission. Frans lives amongst the Dalits in the slums of Nagwa, Varanasi. The Dalits belong to most discriminated group of people in the world and are also known as “untouchables”. Being born a Dalit means you are born without a voice and excluded from society and all basic human rights. Together with this community, Frans is fighting the powers that be on a daily basis, aiming for equality, acknowledgement and dignity. The right to exist. A fight against this cultural phenomenon which, in the present day, may be supported by the law and politics, but has not yet transformed within society. Even though this cultural transformation is still a work in progress, Frans managed to support the Dalit community in Nagwa for years and contributed towards making the first steps to better their position within society and to improve their quality of life. He devoted a great deal of his life to these slums and deeply cares for its residents. Simply because he cannot stand injustice. But what else lies underneath this man’s nobel work?
