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About The Book : “Dalits of North India” is a collection of scientificresearch papers, recording the ideas of a social anthropologist, and historian who have lived with Dalits as a co-villager in multi-caste village of undivided Bihar and Himachal Pradesh. The interactions of the author with Dalits of the village he was born into, has been, and then coming of age with them made it possible to know them very closely. Thus, facts collected in the book are not based on the verbal report of the professional informants by the paid investigator rather collected by self for the use of self, hence, the facts are genuine and collected under livesituation.It show how the horizons of Dalits have been extending their life style ever changing over the passage of time. In pre-independent India, they were badly exploited by all. After the interdependence there was a remarkable change in their sociopolitical life and the pace of their development has been more than expectation in the recent past. The traditional Dalit who used to curse his lot for his own and birth has taken to arms now, and have organised themselves to take avenge from the members of upper caste. So many senas of Dalits have come up.The activities of the Naxalites and M.C.C. led by Dalits have posed a big challenge for the administration and police-force. Thus, the book contains different aspects of the problems and prospects of Dalits of North India. About The Author : Professor Keshav Mishra is in the Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P. The author had his M.A. from CHS, School of Social Sciences, JNU, New Delhi. Prof. Mishra has teaching experience of twenty years and has published extensively in History and International Relations.Professor Narayan Mishra is a retired University Professor and former Head of Anthropology Department and Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences, Ranchi University, Ranchi. He has been engaged in teaching and research in Social Anthropology in various capacities for more than three decades. His work “ Cultural Persistence and Change”earned for him admiration at home and abroad. His another major work was “Harijan To-Day” jointly with late Professor L.P. Vidyarthi. This book was a pioneering research work among the Dalits of Bihar, His other important works include “Schedule Castes Education”, “ Tribal Culture in India” and “Exploitation and Atrocities on the Dalits in India”.Professor Mishra has published a few dozen research papers on the problems of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes besides the books mentioned above and has been a life member of several scientific, academic and social institutions in India and abroad. CONTENTS Preface .............................................................................................7Introduction ......................................................................................91. Studies of the Scheduled Castes in Bihar ......................................212. Some aspects of the Dusadh of Darbhanga ..................................433. Traditional Political Organisation of theDhobis of Darbhanga .....................................................................674. Raja Salhesh the Supreme God of Dusadh ..................................815. Family and Marriage among the Pasis of Darbhanga ....................876. The Musahars and their Deena Bhadri .........................................987. Economic Problems of the Scheduled Castes of Bihar ................1068. Problems and prospects of Scheduled Castes of Bihar ...............1269. Problems of Harijan Child labourers and their welfareneeds in Bihar ............................................................................. 13010. Socio-Economic disabilities of the Harijan of Mithila ................13911. Atrocities and Exploitation of the Harijans of Bihar ...................14612. Agrarian Unrest in Rural Bihar with specialreference to Dalits .........................................................................15513. Life cycle, Rituals, Fair and Festivals among theDalits of Himachal Pradesh ............................................................16314. The Historiography of Dalit Movement ....................................181Index ............................................................................................195