Sunday, May 22 2005 09:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: About 2,500 years ago, a fasting lord Buddha partook of a bowl of 'kheer' (sweet rice meal) offered by a lower caste woman, but in caste-ridden Bihar tiny tots were forced to go without food just because it was cooked by Dalit women.

Two Dalit women-- Shruti and Kamla were rebuked for cooking 'kheer' for a centre-sponsored mid-day meal scheme for primary school children at Patheri under Atri block in Gaya district.

It happened on May five. The two Dalit women prepared the inaugural meal taking extra care about cleanliness but when the time came to serve the 'kheer,' a few upper caste villagers entered the school, used filthy and abusive language against them for their audacity to cook the meal for children of upper castes.

"A day has come when our children will have to eat 'kheer' prepared by Dalits," the villagers fumed and ordered the Dalit women to leave the premises.

Nobody will eat it," they decreed and nobody, not even Kuldeep, the child of a poor cobbler, himself a Dalit, could dare defy the diktat.

The irate villagers later dug up the earth inside the school and buried the 'kheer' as hungry children watched helplessly.

The matter came to light when the terrified headmaster of the school Rudra Narayan and a few others complained to their superiors.

Governor Buta Singh took serious exception to the incident and instructed the Chief Secretary K A H Subramaniam to order an inquiry by Gaya district magistrate Chaitnya Prasad.

When contacted Prasad confirmed the incident and said the administration had taken effective steps to ensure that mid-day meal was distributed among the school children in Gaya district without any problem.

He said one person was taken into custody for this blatantly "casteist action" while raids continued to arrest another accused involved in the case.

Superintendent of Police Sanjay Singh said he would ensure presence of security men during distribution of mid-day meal in "sensitive areas".

Buddha, it seems, has been long forgotten in the land where the wandering Prince Siddharth attained enlightenment.