India loves to announce its advances, unity and equality. But in many parts of the country, old practices of discrimination endure. One of those practices is untouchability, which refers to treating people as “impure” and denying them direct contact. The mindset of many people has not changed, even after the government banned untouchability and created laws to protect dignity. In Himachal Pradesh, a girl’s recent putting down of money on the floor of the shop led to a shopkeeper picking it up without touching her and proves how these same actions quietly persist in daily life there.
Back in Himachal Pradesh a girl came into a little shop where she wanted to purchase something. Rather than offering the cash directly to the storekeeper, she set the note on the floor. Then the shopkeeper picked it up. When it was time to return the change, they also placed the coins on the floor, and the girl picked them up. This exchange may seem simple, but it carries weighty ramifications. It demonstrates that both the customer and the shopkeeper were sticking to a directive that “no direct touch.” It’s not for convenience, it’s for discrimination.
"What is this, Himachal Pradesh? 🚨
— Suraj Kumar Bauddh (@SurajKrBauddh) February 6, 2026
"This is untouchability & discrimination." 🤡
The govt alone cannot end untouchability. People still live in a primitive belief where they glorify and justify such inhuman practices. Society is totally doomed and uncivilized. pic.twitter.com/lNohPELQEU
These are not simply financial actions. Instead, they are about respect and dignity and equality. When people refuse to touch one another, it signals: “You are different, you are lower, you are untouchable.” This damages the person’s self‑worth and perpetuates the cycle of inequality.
- Normalization of prejudice: Every day these things happen and they become normalized. People stop questioning them.
- Invisible barriers: A simple act of placing money on the floor creates a physical wall between two people.
- Social division: It reminds us that caste discrimination is alive and well in little things.
The Indian government places a strict ban on untouchability. There is a clear abolition of untouchability in the constitution. It is punishable for them. Educational campaigns and awareness programs are also undertaken to inform people. But laws alone cannot alter the hearts. The real problem lies within our society. People still have old ideas that they like and treat as culture or “purity.”
This illustrates that reform on a social level isn’t just about rules, it’s about education, awareness and courage. Untouchability would keep taking subtle, hidden steps unless these practices were turned down by the people of India.
For the people who are treated as untouchables, the pain is profound. They might experience shame, exclusion or impotence. If children see such practices in front of them, they may come to believe it’s normal, and then the cycle continues. This is why it is dangerous, it silently teaches the next generation to discriminate.
To end untouchability, we need to do something together.
- Education: Schools and families are expected to teach children about equality and respect.
- Awareness: That discrimination and that it doesn’t, can only be fought openly, which is exactly what communities need to do.
- Be brave: People cannot be forced into the habit of things like that.
- Empathy: People must learn to see others as people, first of all not as class members in society.
It may seem insignificant in Himachal Pradesh, but the whole thing reflects a much broader problem. It’s not that untouchability hasn’t emerged, but that it’s slipping back into our quotidian actions. Laws can punish and not create justice, and only society can actually change it. Everyone can shatter these silent walls of discrimination. Equality ought to be something that is not just inscribed in the Constitution, but lived every day. Thus till this day, India’s dream of unity remains incomplete.
