Harijan definition
A Dalit.
noun
In India, an untouchable or, later, a member of the Scheduled Castes.
noun
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Origin of harijan
- Sanskrit harijanaḥ person of Hari, child of God (coined as a euphemism for Untouchable by Mohandas K. Gandhi in 1931) Hariḥ Hari, a name for Vishnu Hare Krishna janaḥ person, child genə- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition