Clay Cup
“Does a clay pot argue with its maker?” – Isaiah 45:9 (NLT)
A clay cup put to the lips
of a Dalit, Harijan, slumdog
is not rinsed, washed or reused.
The drinker is to break it
crush it, ground it into dirt
a reminder
he is below, worthless
untouchable. Would I
be willing to be such a pot?
© 2012 by Violet Nesdoly
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The story of the Clay Cup
From the Dalit Freedom Network
“In 70% of India’s villages, non-Dalits will not eat or drink with Dalits. It is this societal distinction, and the discrimination that accompanies it, that has led us to adopt the Clay Cup™ as our symbol.
Traditionally, when Dalits enter a tea shop and request a cup of tea, they are served in a clay cup rather than a glass or metal cup that others receive. After drinking their tea, they are expected to crush the cup on the ground so that no other person risks being polluted by their cup.”
Violet Nesdoly 
This is a striking reminder of how inhuman we humans can treat each other.
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Thanks, Maureen. You’re so right… incredible that we still do this to each other, isn’t it?
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