uneven development of India, when comparing rural and urban areas, seems to be further pronounced by the prevalence of caste system that permeates all spheres of Indian life. Not only has India has to struggle with disparities of development in key areas such as agriculture, healthcare and education, it also has to deal with the rampant discrimination against the significant minority of its population. What makes the Indian case special is its high fragmentation and heterogeneity of population, which is divided both alongside religious lines but also alongside ethnic ones with several thousand of castes that vertically stratify the society. This paper, analyzing the historical context of the caste system and the concept of Untouchability, current issues and possible future development was partially inspired by the seminal work of Indian poet and writer Om Prakash Valmiki; Joothan: An Untouchable's Life. This publication describes Valmiki´s experience of growing up as an child from the untouchable caste in newly established India during 1950s, sometimes in rather explicit detail:
Untouchability was so rampant that while it was considered all right to touch dogs and cats or cows and buffaloes, if one (a higher-caste person) happened to touch a Chuchra, one got contaminated and polluted. The Chuchras were not seen as human. They were simply things for use. Their utility lasted until the work was done. Use them and then throw them away. (Valmiki and Mukherjee 2003, 2)
The standing of Dalits in Indian society appeal to scholars and researchers for several reasons – from the eye-striking clash of the law (the legal prohibition of discrimination in 1950 constitution) and the reality vis-à-vis the daily life of the caste system through se...
... middle of paper ...
...perties of the caste system. Finally, the third period that begins with independent India is more scientific and anthropological and attempts to describe the matters of the caste system in more detail. (Smith 1994 58-79) There has been centuries of writings and research regarding the untouchables which has produced competing theories addressing their origin. The dominant theory links the origins of the caste system and untouchability to the arrival of Aryans from north west to India in approximately 1500 BC. This theory argues that the untouchability is connected to the Aryan´s view that the indigenous Harappan population is inferior and ritually unclean. (Michael 1999, 3) Another theory, of J.H. Hutton, postulated in his 1963 book Castes In India, states that: “The origin of the position of the exterior castes is partly racial, partly religious, partly a matter of
4
In an article entitled, Exciting Tales of Exotic Dark India: Aravind Adiga 's The White Tiger, author Ana Cristina Mendes describes the many attributes of the poor proletariat class of India. Mendes shows how “dark India,”
Thousands of years ago, Indian society developed into a complex system based on different classes. This system is known as the Caste System. It separated Indians into different castes based on what class they were born into. As thousands of years went by, this system grew larger and became further complex (Wadley 189). This system caused frustration for the Indian citizens because they were receiving inequality.
Usually, the Patels employe Dalits for the odd seasonal works. They worked and earned under-wages from Patels’ farm lands. But the wages were too stopped after Teeha’s fight with Patels in this village. Moti and Heera Khana’s were considering as a social respectable persons of Dalits. They brought a few persons from the village and ex-communicated Moti and Heera. It is what the social discrimination. Dalits claimed the rights, but excommunicated. Is this justice? Is caste a flaw?
The caste system in India has been dated back to approximately 1000 BC and still affects the lives of millions of people not only in India but also through South Asia. The determination of this system of social layer for 3000 years of changing economic and social environments is a confusing idea. The Hindu conception of social order is that people are different, and different people will fit into different aspects of society. Social order or class according to the Varna is that the framework of moral duties according to personal characteristics of individuals and not necessarily birth (Pruthi, 2004). Varna is the term used for the four groups into which the traditional Hindu society is divided. This essay will outline the main social and economical features of the caste system in India and how it fits within the ontological framework of Hinduism (Philosophy 312).
“Despite so many reforms, the idea of untouchability is still very much a part of Indian life." (doc A) There are hundreds of millions of people trapped under the poverty line in India, who can’t escape. They are kept in a cycle of poverty with no end. However, instead of getting the help that they need, they are being pushed further down into poverty, leading to generations of families trapped. The cycle of poverty in India is being pushed along by discrimination of the poor. The poor are discriminated against by being denied health care, pushed out of school, and targeted by officials, which leads to more poverty.
If you ask any Hindu how the caste system started they would lead you to the Brahma who was the four-headed, four-handed deity and worshipped as the creator of the universe. But The origin of the Indian caste system has many theories behind it. Some of them are religious, while others are biological. The religious theories explain that according to the Rig Veda, which is the ancient Hindu book, the primal man, Purush, destroyed himself to create a human society.
This contribution also heavily influences the order in a society, this is what the people see as right and wrong, laws to obey, elders to look up to, etc. Government is far from just the people in authority and laws to follow; it’s about socialization, trade, exchange, interactions with other countries, contradiction of what was thought to be right, justice, positions, jobs, skills, and so much more. In the 21st India there was a caste system in which created a “stable social order” (Document D). This system “dictated status and occupation” (Document D) and was not equal to all people but to only some of which are part of a higher class and social rank. There are many disadvantage for the ones who are on the lower end of the rank like less nutrition accessibility, lower education, and fewer relations or contacts to essential “social institutions” (Document D). This system of India is part of their government. It shows what they are like and how they want things to be and go according to. Their government is influencing their order by making things go a certain way. This government is making it where there are advantages for the high classes and not very many for the lower class. Making it almost impossible for someone to get themselves out of the lower class and move up into the higher class. There was also a system in Aryan society like this one but very different. This system also had
The Indian concept of social stratification is peculiar. It is based on what is called Vanna (Varna). Before and during the Buddha?s time, the people were classified according to Vanna. In the Vedic period, the stratification was based on the religious faith. The Rg-veda, the earliest source of the Br?hmnical theory, described the origin of human beings: ?the Br?hman was his (purusha?s) mouth; the R?jahya was made arms; the being (called) Vaisya, he was his thighs; the Sudra sprang from his feet?.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Purusa Sukta, Rgveda, X, p. 618.]
Utopias tend to be organized around a universal ideal; an ideal which all members of the community accept, agree with, and are motivated to strive for. In many cases, a set structure of living is implemented so that the members of the community can work together for the benefit of all. In the following essay, I plan to explain the utopian society currently in practice in modern day India. I will discuss the basics of the Hindu Caste system and demonstrate how nicely it fits into the definition of a utopia. In addition, I also plan to explore the parallels between the current caste system in India, and the social and structural ideas proposed by Sir Thomas More in his classic book Utopia.
We are lucky, today, that the majority of the world’s nations are democracies. This has only been the case in very recent times. For the greater part of human history, society has subscribed to the belief that birth is the most important determinant of one’s future. In Elizabethan England, this was especially true. Those born into the nobility enjoyed a lifetime of privilege, while those born outside of their ranks mainly existed to serve them. A century later, the British encountered an even stricter form of this belief when they conquered India. The Hindu caste system, which dictated one’s future based on birth just as British society did, was deemed even by the English to be excessively restrictive. After gaining control of the Subcontinent, the conquerors attempted to supplant the caste system with the semblance of a meritocracy. The new subjects of the Empire, instead of embracing this imposition of a foreign culture’s values, responded with general unrest and discontent, showing that no society, no matter how unfair or prejudiced, tolerates interference well. Shakespeare’s King Lear demonstrates the same concept: that any violation of society’s conception of the natural order brings chaos, and that the only way to restore harmony is to conform to the expectations of that society.
The Portuguese word casta means race, or breed, and Hindus have traditionally interpreted this as different levels of society, known as the caste system used in India (“India caste system”). The caste placements are commonly associated with a specific occupation, for example, a priest is a member of the Brahmin caste, and a merchant is a member of the Vaishya caste (“BBC - The caste system”). A Hindu is born into the caste that their parents are ‘members’ of, and as a member of that caste, they must marry in the caste, perform the expected occupation of that caste and eventually die as a member of said caste. The lowest caste of the system are the Dalit, or ‘untouchables’ as they are more commonly known. Members of this caste are also born into it, but because of their extreme conditions of living in poverty, they were too despicable to be considered a part of the caste system. These ‘untouchables’ were usually found begging on the streets and did not have a job that fell into the categories of the caste system, therefore were severely looked down upon by all othe...
Aravind Adiga’s debut novel The White Tiger published in 2008, and a winner of Booker Prize examines the issues of religion, caste, loyalty, corruption, urbanization and poverty in India. The novel besides receiving critical acclaim was also lambasted by some in India for giving in to western prejudices and playing up to their image of a poverty stricken, slum governed country. Some even went to the extent of calling it a western conspiracy to deny the country’s economic progress. It seems ...
Divided into four major social categories, the caste system categorizes Hindus, who act accordingly to their caste, into Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Sudra. Another class, the “untouchables,” is considered outside of the system. These five different classes of society define each person greatly. Castes are unchangeable and rarely intermarry. This social division is yet another example of how religion disbands organizations of people.
Human right is a dynamic concept and endeavours to adapt itself to the needs of the day. The Dalit human rights have to be taken to the center stage of any political and social movement in the country. Dalits have to spearhead this human right movement and all progressive forces should join their hands with them. In this 21st century it is absolutely necessary that common people need to be sensitized about the prevailing atrocities against Dalits. Education and enlightenment can go a long way to break the social, economic and cultural shackles that have bound Dalits. Capacity building, awareness generation and developing leadership skills among women can help them gain confidence to raise a voice against violence and assert their rights. Dalit organizations, NGOs and Human Rights bodies could play a vital role in the above identified areas. Dalit is a social force, a cultural symbol and has a historical background. Dalit women are estimated to contribute eighty per cent of total labour to strengthen the national economy. Ambedkar rightly said “Rights are protected not by laws but by the social and moral conscience of society”. Dalits are not voiceless, and capable to raise their voice. To conclude, there is a growing need to capture violence of Human Rights of Dalits so that talent and potential of Dalits can be used for development of the nation. Dalits need to be empowered with their basic rights. So, voice of the voiceless is voiced here and that should be heard by society and the mainstream as
The survey is aimed to measure caste-based discrimination in Savitribai Phule Pune University college campus, Pune (India). Caste is one of the most salient identities in Indian society and discrimination based on caste identity is evident across institutions and public domain. Lower caste students (Scheduled caste and Scheduled Tribes) in higher education experiences caste-based discrimination, but generally it is unnoticed and overlooked in higher education policy framework. Hanna and Linden (2007) noted that caste discrimination persists throughout the education system in India. It is well documented that lower caste students experience discrimination (Weisskopf, 2006) by the higher caste peers, faculties and school administration. The survey