What is House M.D.'s chair?

What are good ways to convince a dalit person (SC/ST) to sit on a chair instead of sitting on bare floor when he visits my house (in a rural Indian village) provided that he is very reluctant to do so even when he is asked politely for several times?

• I belong to the so called 'Upper Castes' and I am 22 years in age. I am a highly educated person. My hometown is a village in east Uttar Pradesh state of India. There is no caste discrimination in my village but when the dalit people come to my house, they always sit on the floor. They are reluctant to sit on chair. This bothers me a lot.This might be due to some fear from past or some dogma I suppose. How can one change their mindset without being rude/harsh to them?

• Answer:

  By sitting on level with them, show them that they are equals,do stuff that according to them shouldn't be done by someone who belongs to the "Upper Caste".