ABSTRACT
To sum up, this chapter stitches the ideas discussed in the previous chapters together. To begin with, it highlights the distinct role played by Dalit agency and caste consciousness, alongside the historical developments specific to this region, in the growth of Christianity in coastal Andhra. Dalit Christians negotiate with multiple identities as deemed fit contextually. It argues that the growth of Christianity and the consolidation of caste consciousness among the lower castes of Andhra went hand in glove; therefore, they complement each other but do not contradict. As a result, one can see the fusion between Christianity and caste (Dalit) consciousness as an essential feature of their ‘lived religion’, which is viewed as an outcome of their politics. It also observed the role of Lutheran pastors, along with caste elders, who were instrumental in blurring the boundaries between church and caste; hence, unsurprisingly, the Lutheran church finds itself at the centre of Dalit and minority politics in this region. It is demonstrated in Chapters 3–5 that Dalit Christians are not only the leaders of Christianity but also the torchbearers for the mainstream Dalit movement in Andhra. Hence, Christian practices are not devoid of Dalit politics, and indeed, in some cases, they became the dominant voice of Dalit politics itself. This book demonstrates how the Dalit response to the Indian caste system must not be viewed exclusively from the perspective of the Ambedkarite movement, though it tends to dominate our thinking about this subject matter; the case of the Dalit Christians of Dravidapuram reveal that their struggle is more localized, with a mix of historical and contemporary developments.
