ABSTRACT
While all the Dalits comprised the lowest rung of the Hindu social order, not all of them were equally poor. While the majority were landless, some had land and some had their caste vocation and made good in business. Inexplicable though, one could find a stray landlord or a successful business family among the most populous Dalit castes in every part of the country. As explained earlier, entrepreneurship came to them as the compulsion for survival. Since the village system could not accommodate their population in a specific caste vocation, these castes have displayed considerable mobility and entrepreneurship. Much of the fillip to them was received during the colonial times.
