Question

The “Harijan” was a term used by Gandhiji to address the Dalits and it meant _________.
A. Local child
B. Powerful child
C. Children of God
D. Native children

Answer 1

Hint: In 1931, Gandhi invented the term ‘Harijan’ to be used for the ‘untouchable’ community which was popularised during the All India Harijan Tour. According to him, the usage of the word Harijan would spare people from using any reproachable term for the lower caste communities.

Complete step by step answer:
Children of God: Harijan was a term used by Mohandas Gandhi to refer to the community of Dalits. Before that time, they were called ‘Untouchables. Gandhi said it was not right to call people "untouchable", and started to refer to them as Harijans, which essentially means Children of God. It is still in wide use especially in his home state of Gujarat. The term can also be attributed to Dalits of Pakistan called the haris, who are a group of pucca house builders. But his coinage of this term just remained a part of a politically driven campaign to mobilize masses against colonial powers. Ganapati, the female Bhakti writer used the term to refer to herself during the Bhakti movement, a period in India that gave greater voice and status to women while challenging the legitimacy of caste.
The terms ‘local child’, ‘Powerful child’, and ‘Native children’ does not mean or refer to Dalits.
So, the correct answer is Option C.

Note: Harijan was also a newspaper that started on 11 February 1933, brought out by Gandhi from Yerwada Jail during the British rule in India. Gandhi popularized the term Harijan across the states of India but he was not the first person to use it.