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The influence of the caste system in India
The caste system in india
The caste system in india
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India’s formal and reinforced social class structure attaches descriptions of and distinctions between members of their society based on the ascribed and achieved status and prescribed role one holds at any given moment and subsequently judges accordingly. It stands to reason that India’s caste system is an ancient and rigid arrangement of social stratification, and as such, exposes socio-economic inequities as well as human rights violations for the lower castes while benefiting the upper castes. This kind of stratification in social class is visibly evident and was demonstrated at Noida’s Mahagun Moderne class conflict riot between the residents and migrant and domestic workers. The events that transpired in which lead to the civil unrest was ignited over the allegations of the hostage of a domestic worker, Zohra Bibi. In the article, “Mahagun Moderne: A Concrete Island, Many Truths & Class Conflict,” Maanvi (2017) reported that on the early morning of July 12, 2017, a mixed crowd of migrant and domestic workers began to form outside the Mahagun Moderne housing society in Sector 78. The crowd, including a large number of family members of Bibi, claimed that Bibi was being held hostage and had been assaulted by her employers. However, the Sethis’ (the …show more content…
According to the article, “Noida: Domestic workers’ union writes to NCW over Mahagun Moderne issue,” Sehran (2017) reported that the investigation into the Mahagun Moderne’s incident by Noida’s police force have evidently been compromised. Allegedly, the police are not only shirking from their legal responsibility and hindering the investigation, but also have taken the residents’ side. For all that, the system of social stratification, in the end, only benefits the capitalists with no thought for the working-class
While it may be easier to persuade yourself that Boo’s published stories are works of fiction, her writings of the slums that surround the luxury hotels of Mumbai’s airport are very, very real. Katherine Boo’s book “Behind the Beautiful Forevers – Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity” does not attempt to solve problems or be an expert on social policy; instead, Boo provides the reader with an objective window into the battles between extremities of wealth and poverty. “Behind the Beautiful Forevers,” then, exposes the paucity and corruption prevalent within India.
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 concept of social status is vitally important in the documentary “The Real Slumdogs”. As defined in our text books, “ascribed statuses is involuntary. You do not ask for it, nor do you choose it (pg. 98).” All of the citizens of Dharavi are either ascribed their status or achieved their status in this mega-slum city. It is seen throughout the documentary that many rag-pickers are generational. This is most noted in Sheetal’s family- her grandmother is a rag-picker and so is her mother and this has become a form of a family business for many of those living in poverty in Dharavi. While some people living there generationally, some find themselves coming into Dharavi later in life, where they are taken in by other families until they can
The Indian government is corrupted and makes promises it is unable to keep. In The White Tiger, Balram describes that the government is “...the world’s greatest democracy. What a fucking joke.” (Adiga 145). When Balram lived in Laxmangarh his right to vote for the prime minister was taken from him, due to the fact that running candidates pay the current government to make sure they are elected. The government system also enables the rich to get richer. They do this by immensely taxing the poor and enforcing the caste system on the poor. The caste system is a labeling system you were born into and of what you are expected of in life. For example Balram had the caste of Halwai, which is derived from “sweet-maker”. This meant Balram was expected to work...
In Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo tells the stories and struggles of families living in a slum adjacent to the Sahar Airport in Mumbai, India. Boo details the ways in which the residents of this slum, Annawadi, attempt to escape their poverty, but fail to do so. Despite numerous initiatives sponsored by the Central Government of India to improve the lives of the many individuals living in Annawadi, these programs are ultimately unable to do so due to deep-rooted corruption in the city of Mumbai. Regardless of this, the residents of Annawadi seem to accept corruption as a fact of life, and do little to fight it. As illustrated over the course of Boo’s narrative, this results from the fact that many Annawadians recognize the ways in which the laws of their society allow for the unfair treatment of certain groups of people, especially the poor and religious minorities, and are also cognizant of the fact that they have no real power to change a system that
The hopes and dreams of Annawadi’s citizens breed corruption. In hopes of leaving Annawadi, Asha resorts to scams and cheating to make them come true. For her, it is the only effective method to make those dreams happen. However, in reality, the people living in Annawadi were doomed from the start. Either having a dream come true or even a jump in social class is a rarity that does not favor the people. Hope is what makes them delusional and blind from reality. This is what’s holding back most of the people of Annawadi. They sit around and hope that other people will make a change, that the Corporator will stop the raze, and that they won’t be forgotten. After Kalu died,no one realised that his death was already set in stone. Boo wrote “ To Annawadi boys, Kalu had been a star. To the authorities of the over city, he was a nuisance to be dispensed with” (168). Kalu’s mistake was giving police intel on criminals, and therefore died a brutal death. His punishment for being naive was paid by a quick case, false cause of death, and no autopsy. In addition, Sanjay was also treated like Kalu. Boo wrote, “So Sanjay’s mother learned only what another mother, who slept on the pavement, dared to whisper: ‘Your boy died with fear in his heart.’” (174). The people who live in Annawadi who had dreams are forced to face the truth. When Abdul was in jail, Mirchi had to sort garbage to earn money for the family. The boy who dreamed of working in a fancy hotel and declared to never sort garbage was forced to eat his words. Once Mirchi started working his mother would complain about how terrible he was. Mirchi had to take up any job he could, even multiple ones. After realizing his dreams were for a boy he told his sister that they were “down to earn-and-eat.” (238). Unlike Mirchi, people like Abdul doesn’t waste their time on false hope, instead, they
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.
Society is highly stratified when considering social classes i.e. - upper class, middle class, lower class, and working class citizens. That being said, not everyone has the same access to the superstructure; thus creating tension. The largest problem when considering structure and agency is the constant struggle and negotiation of power inequality. Among the asymmetry of power are two major disparities; class and gender. Thinking as a critical theorist, one must consider the individual’s participation in the public sphere; “The word means a false view of the world that is in the interests of the powerful citizens in order to keep the subordinate classes oppressed” (Habermas, 10). Though the public sphere is virtually a democratic sphere where ideas can circulate and opinions are formed there are certain restrictions when referring to lower classes and women and thus how their agencies as individuals are limited.
“Social exclusion is the process in which individuals or entire communities of people are systematically blocked from (or denied full access to) various rights, opportunities and resources that are normally available to members of a different group, and which are fundamental to social integration within that particular group (e.g., housing, employment, healthcare, civic engagement, democratic participation, and due process).” Social exclusion debars the people from exercising their rights on the basis of caste, gender, colour etc. “For instance people living in dilapidated housing estate, with poor schools and few employment opportunities in the area, may effectively be denied the opportunities for self-betterment that most people in the society have.” A person is socially excluded or left behind because he or she cannot measure up to the standards set by the society. People living in slums or backward areas generally suffer from social exclusion as they are not able to improve their lifestyle which ultimately leads to the vicious circle of poverty with their future generations also suffering the similar fate. This term is widely applied to the groups who were left of the development process. At the time of independence, India was rooted with social customs which were defined by caste system, gender inequality and religion. People were considered outcasts just because of the type of work which was done by them. The trend has not
Owing to India’s diversity, these identities are determined by caste, ancestry, socioeconomic class, religion, sexual orientation and geographic location, and play an important role in determining the social position of an individual (Anne, Callahan & Kang, 2011). Within this diversity, certain identities are privileged over others, due to social hierarchies and inequalities, whose roots are more than a thousand years old. These inequalities have marginalized groups and communities which is evident from their meagre participation in politics, access to health and education services and
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 ...
Caste system has been the scourge of Indian civilization and culture. The battle against this oppressive and inhuman is older than even some of the great religions of the world. The first warrior to wage against this system was probably Gautam Buddha who waged the war against this inhuman system in 6th century B.C. No doubt, Buddha was able to put some dents in the system, but after the Nirvana of Buddha, the system once again rose like a phoenix and gained strength to crush humanity. In fact, the system has proved to be the most agile and resilient against the liberal human traditions. According to Porter:
The history of tribal oppression in India is an old one. “The Sanyasi Revolt”, “The Wahabi Movement”, and “The Naxalbari Rebellion”, are evidence of the tribal outcry that appropriately foregrounds their requirement for fundamental rights as citizens of the country. Even after sixty six years of independence, India’s rural poor and tribals are lamenting under the curbing effects of destitution, unemployment, undernourishment, illiteracy and human trafficking. For these people, the notions of liberty, equality and democracy have no meaning at all. Though the country is free from the bondage of foreign rule, their repression and prejudices still continue leaving them dependent on their new masters.
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 current manifestations of the caste system are now far more generalized across the Indian subcontinent than was the case in former times. Caste as we now recognize has been endangered, shaped and perpetuated by comparatively recent political and social developments. This is evident even i...