Well this
system has been around for so long that it has come to pass. Even today,
roughly 150 million people face immense oppression as they are put into the
lowest caste bracket called the dalits. Women and girls from this segment particularly
suffer a lot of violence especially in the rural areas. In the urban scenario
too, the most highly educated are conscious of their caste and claim all sorts
of implied superiority on account of it. While the origins of the system are in
the Hindu religion, people who have converted to other faiths like Christianity
and Islam have also retained the caste system.
In the
ancient times when it originated, it might have been convenient to stratify the
society along different skills or trades, something along the lines of a
carpenter’s son is a carpenter and a cobbler’s son a cobbler. Such familial
passing of trade was not uncommon the world over in old rural times but somehow
the labor divisions became too rigid in the Indian society since it got mixed
with religion which claims that different caste segments came from different
body parts of God. The status in society came from the caste cluster. At the
very top were the knowledge bearers or the Brahmins, then the merchant class
and then several other caste segments. The most unfortunate were the poorest of
these who had to do menial jobs like manual cleaning of toilets etc. They
somehow became the untouchables and have suffered oppression through the
centuries. This millennia old regressive system continues till date. Today,
there is no need for this sort of a division. As societies industrialize and
urbanize, education and diverse job avenues offer people mobility across
segments and there is no need for familial passing of trade. While there is no
violence against lower caste segments in urban India, it is disheartening to
note that the most so called educated and materially accomplished people too
are highly aware and conscious of their caste and boast about some sort of
genetic superiority which is actually belied by their very argument. This is
especially common in Southern and Western parts of the country.
Marriages
are “fixed” based on family status and caste. Thousands of honor killings take
place should some young couple dare to cross the caste lines especially in
smaller towns. The false pride associated with caste cluster is inexcusable
especially among the educated classes. Much should be expected of this lot as
they should be the harbingers of change but instead they uphold the status quo
to justify their doing better. India’s educated elites are a disappointment
altogether in terms of contribution towards social progress.
Now further
still, elections are also fought along caste lines with each politician
cornering some caste segment and offering reservations in jobs and professional
institutes as bribes to get votes. This reservation bribe is indiscriminate and
offered not just to the lowest strata but right across even to the highest
caste segments. All this is only deepening the caste divides in the society.
How will
change begin? I think there is a need to get out of the reservation mindset and
it is high time the pseudo educated classes openly denounced this system and
learn to take pride in “equality and modernity” rather than their pretense of
superiority and inability to face up to regressive ideas. Reforms must begin at
the top and they must strive to become better role models for the rest rather
than uphold such a negative and inhuman model. They must strive to end their moral vacuum in
this regard.
It would be
good to see India challenge this outdated, regressive and unfair system which
is a sort of open wound on the national psyche. It is really inhuman to call
someone lower caste and abuse them emotionally or physically. Till this
continues, India would remain a medieval country because equality is the first
cornerstone of modernity. All human beings are born equal and should have equal
rights to pursue a good life. Respect ought to be earned from their values and
achievements rather than family status or what caste segment they are born
into. Anybody even referring to their caste should be looked down upon and
anyone claiming superiority on the basis of caste should be a laughing stock of
the society. Over time, we should not
even be aware of which caste we belong to. That is when we can call ourselves modern
or decent human beings.
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