there ar200 milln dalitsn ina, and ty regulay experien discrimation. and now many dalits have had enough. they regularly campaign for greater respect and equal rights. in terms of daily life, however, there's still a long way to go. reporter: pintu and ashok are in luck today. they've found a few hours of work. first they numb themselves with cheap liquor, otherwise they wouldn't be able to bear it. ashok submerges himself waist-deep in a stinking brew of human excrement. he uses a small shovel to unblock the sewer pipe. he earns the equivalent of five euros a day. ashok: there's no other work for me. what else can i do? i have to feed my family. and this is the best i can get. reporter: this kind of work is banned under indian law, but pintu and ashok are dalits -- untouchables as they were once called -- and the authorities tend to look the other way. pintu: a lot of people say it's a rotten job, but i don't agree. we also clean toilets with our bare hands. how else can you do it when they're blocked? this work is our bread and butter. reporter: and