Essays

The word 'caste' is not an Indian one but originates from the Portuguese word 'casta' (breed or race). The Sanskrit word used for groupings is Varna, which was often interpreted to signify colour In a verse from the first millennium epic, the Mahabharata, Bhrigu, the sage explains: "The Brahmins are fair, the Kshatriyas are reddish, the Vaishyas yellow and the Sudras are black"—in simplified terms what the caste system is all about—a stratified and hierarchical socio-economic organization of society (with its own social order, moral and ritual codes), that evolved with India's ancient civilizations, and absorbed the nomadic, Sanskrit speaking Aryan populations who crossed the mountain passes from the steppes of Central Asia and settled in Northern India. The ancient Hindus, literally meaning the people of the valley of the Indus river, soon took on functions and specializations that had little to do with tilling the soil. The four castes developed out of necessity, for with the evolution of society it was no longer possible for the tiller of the soil to assume the functions of priest, warrior, merchant, and artisan—all roiled in one.

A new way of life brought with it a need for governance and order, defence and conquest, learning and trade, labourers and artisans- Roles began to be defined and people were classified according to their work, occupation and economic place in the society. Brahmins were the spiritual and temporal guides, teachers and exponents of law; Kshatriyas were the warriors, prince's and kings—in short, the nobility; Vdishyas took on the tasks of agriculture and trade; and Shudras included individuals who formed service communities — manual and agricultural labourers, artisans, masons, etc. No king was complete without his Brahmin eminence and over the centuries the Brahmins attained immense power, upholding the law as well as dispensing it. But power, they say, corrupts and today, although all Hindu priests are Brahmins, they no longer hold the people in thrall as they once did.

The fourth group, Shudras, denotes the service communities — manual and agricultural labourers, artisans, masons, etc- They Jived on the fringes of society but the condition of the fifth group m the hierarchy was worst as the tasks of scavenging, cleaning up after funerals, killing or hunting animals for food, working in leather and other unclean materials, all fell to them. They were called "outcastes" or "untouchables". However, Mahatma Gandhi in the 1940.S, renamed them Harijan, which when literally translated means "the people of God". There was a sixth group too, the Malecha, (outsiders, or foreigners) who, like the Greeks, Kushans, Scythians and other invaders settled in India and were gradually absorbed in the Varnas (caste system) according to their profession. There are also references to the four castes in the ancient epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, A detailed description of the caste system is found in the Manusmriti (Ordinances of Manu), named after its author. The Manusmriti, which dates from AD 700, is the most authoritative work on Hindu law.

To quote the Mahabharata again, "If different colours indicate different castes, then all castes are mixed castes." The Hindus also believed that a man's Varna is determined by his profession and deeds and not by his birth. Besides, the ancients were not racists. The truth of the matter probably lies in the fact that Varna, like a lot of Sanskrit words, changes its meaning according to the context it is used in and can denote form. quality, class, category, race, merit or virtue.

Eventually, however Varna came to signify an endogamous group, its members linked by heredity, marriage, custom and profession, Professions led to diversified with the evolution of many and whole groups of people took on a new identity that was associated with the economic activity of their Gotra (clan) and became subdivisions of the Varnas. The rigidity of caste-system made inter-caste marriages a taboo, as upper-castes emphasized on purity of blood and breed.

The status of the low castes continued to be degraded by the Brahmins. Even revolts against the high castes by religious leaders such as Mahavira (540-468 BC), the founder of Jainism, and Gautama (563-483 BC). the founder of Buddhism, failed to reduce the rigidity of the caste system because caste distinctions persisted in both religious sects. Caste distinctions persisted even during the period of Muslim rule in India i.e. AD 1206-1862. The attempts of other religions, including Christianity and Judaism, to eradicate the caste system did not succeed because class distinctions persisted even in their folds.

It was the Industrial Revolution that finally made a dent in the caste system and brought a new awareness to Indians that social mobility might be possible. Industrialization encouraged urbanization, as village dwellers of both high and low castes moved to the cities for better jobs. There, they were introduced to new technologies. In the urban areas, the rigid, age-old, caste-centred thinking gave way to a more liberal outlook and encouraged the mixing of castes without distinction. Trade unions and other associations saw members from all castes working together.

The British government of India had a considerable transforming impact on the country's social structure. The British brought changes by passing many important laws, marginalised the lower castes — laws such as the Hindu Act, the Caste Disabilities Act, and the Widow Remarriage Act etc. But the British could not find a lasting solution to the problem of castes, particularly since they themselves were a privileged ruling class.

The strongest, most systematic attack on the caste system has come in the twentieth century through the Constitution of India, adopted on November 26, 1949. India's Constitution guarantees the rights of all its citizens to justice, liberty, equality, and dignity. Dr. BR Ambedkar, an eminent scholar and historian, who by birth was born into an untouchable Mahar caste, was the? Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution. This highlights the long and arduous journey from ancient caste distinctions based on Hindu philosophy and religious traditions to the constitutional pledge of a democratic government with equality, dignity, and justice for all human beings.

Indians who belong to the lower castes that were once considered "untouchable" now choose to call themselves by the name Dalit, meaning "oppressed," and signalling that they are actively resisting injustice. To uplift the backward classes, the Government of India has officially documented castes and sub-castes, primarily to determine those deserving reservation for positive discrimination in education and jobs through the census. The Government's list consist of Scheduled Castes.  Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Scheduled castes generally consist of Dalits and according to National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), their present population is 19.59% of the total population of India. Scheduled tribes generally consists of tribal groups and comprise 8.63% of the total population of India. Under Other Backward Classes (OBC) more than 3000 castes are covered, and forms around 40,94% of the Indian population.

In central government funded higher education institutions, 15% of available seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (Dalits), 7.5% for Scheduled Tribes (Adivasi) students and additional 27% is reserved for OBCs.

At present, Indian society is characterized by an obsession with the kinds of development that has led to a free-market economy- The growing economic success of some in India has created a chasm, separating the rich from the poor, who make up about 56 percent of the population. In the current scenario, India's caste system, can no longer fully contain the socio-economic changes that the country is undergoing. Different occupations and levels of education are no longer correlated with caste. A high-caste person cannot be born a chief executive, for example, but must work to become one. A person of low caste may now get a good education and become an executive, a college professor, or even a government leader.

However, the vote-politics rampant in Indian democracy tries to allure the voters on the basis of their castes and religion which is also a great setback to the real and concrete development of the country. The only weapon that seems available to fight the rigid caste-system is education. We need to learn to look at an individual first as a human being, rather than labels such as Brahmin, or Shudra or something else.