Social Study Circle	Current upload: 15.1.2001
	Last upload: 20.10.2000
CASTE SYSTEM IN INDIA Life is a myth, world is a myth, Everything really always a struggle A vain struggle, never ending struggle We struggle, always for survival You for your life, life of comfort Wealth and power, Leisure and Pleasure, Thinking stupidly, these are Developments! You keep running, without stopping ever! While we struggle, work and plough Sow and Reap, Create and Produce Every thing just, for a slice of Bread To keep the soul and bodies together! Always a struggle, never ending struggle! You are struggling, for Butter to Butter The Bread you have stolen from us! A vain struggle! Never ending struggle! -so wrote a Dalit Poet in 1985 Friends, you might not, perhaps be familiar with Dalits, but sure you know about Caste, Caste structure, Caste Hierarchy, Caste like divisions, and their basic differences with class and class structures. Dalits are a significant, and in fact a major part of India, a product of the Caste System in India. Caste as you all know, is really unique to India. India Society is based on Caste, and is built around the concept of Caste Indians and Out Castes (Varnas and Avarnas) Hence, India has always been organized as caste hindus, out castes and non- hindus like the Jains, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsis etc. Of these, except for the first and the last non-hindu, the and the parsis, every other like the Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Sikhs are extensively infected and deeply affected by the Caste Systems. Therefore, in India and amongst Indians, there are caste Buddhists (caste holding Buddhists), Christians, Muslims and Sikhs etc., while a large number of out castes exist amidst them and under their control, as still neglected marginalized poor, who are an eyesore for their fellow caste holding non-hindus themselves, and is a great challenge or threat for the caste hindus, and caste hindus’ domination in the Country. Who are these Out Castes? They are the Dalits, the former Depressed Classes, officially called today as the Schedule Castes, and Schedule Tribes, (Castes and Tribes, Scheduled separately by the Govt. for the purposes of official dealings and in the Constitution of India). They are generally known to the world as the Untouchables or the ex-Untouchables of India. There is a mistaken notion that the Dalits are only the Scheduled Castes, or that they belong to and are a product of hindu religious system and practices, and are a part of Hinduism and the hindu society. There can be nothing farther from truth. Caste is a unique part of India, and the Indian philosophy. It is an integral part of the Indian Social System and psychic of an Indian. It cuts across every Regional and Religious denomination in India. It is the basic building block of the Indian Society that can be found in any institution or organization in any part of the world. It exists everywhere, and in every Religion of the Indians. Infect it is an ethnic, and to be specific a racial factor, that continues to undermine the Indian Society, even at the twilight hours of the twentieth century. Caste hindus are the Brahmins ( priestly castes ) Kshatriyas ( warrior/fighting castes ), Vaishyas (business/trading caste). These three are the real caste hindus. But they have kept with them as the fourth caste in their Chatur Varna Dharma (four caste system) the Shudras (working classes the artisans, agriculturists, food gatherers, hunters, fisher folk etc) as their captive slaves, with in the hindu caste system. They have carefully kept out of the hindu fold, their caste system, Chaturvernas ( four castes ) – the fiercely independent, proud, geographically isolate Tribals; and the rebellious non-conforming ‘anaryans’(uncivilized) unacceptables, who have been meticulously and carefully isolated socially, physically, psychologically, and literally kept outside the hindu society, even though living only in close proximity in the nearby and or next hamlet, as part of the same village, or area of the town and the city. Thus always, the out castes have been a different people, living separately. There are distinctly different and a separate society, nation and are clearly away from the caste hindus and caste-non-hindus of other Religions which in India, only for public consumption and on ideological and theological grounds claim to be unitary Religions in nature, and are non-believers of the caste-system or any other divisive factor. The Out Castes who are today more than 250 million in India, are the third largest population in the world, next only to the Chinese and the whole Indian nation. Such a large chunk of humanity, native of India, and living in the Indian society has always been outside of the rest of the Indian Society. They have been kept thus over the ages, through the millenniums of Indian History. It has been so kept outside very carefully and systematically. It is a cleaver means of keeping out the racially different Out Castes, socially and biologically. It is so even today, even though for political purposes in a Democracy, claims contrary to this basic truth and social reality, are being made by many leader, officials and scholars in their speeches in public. They are only for public consumption. For, Caste has clearly and cleanly divided the Indian Society for too long a time. Caste is oppressive and divisive. It always divides the people. Hence, it keeps the society divided. The Division is mainly vertical, even though horizontal divisions are also there in the same caste or amongst equivalent castes. These divisions are mostly watertight, preventing, not allowing, and prohibiting mobility, and often-times co-habitation, or any social interaction also. Caste and their divisions are basically hierarchic. It prevents growth of brotherly feelings and fraternity amongst the people. It denies respect for others, human dignity, particularly to those who are below or lower in the hierarchy. Thus, it prevents development of love, liking and respect for work, particularly towards those works being done by other lower in the hierarchy. Caste is internal looking, and hence lacks a social outlook or any world vision. It therefore comes in the way growth of Nationalism and building up of Nation and State. Caste is highly infectious. It therefore is not only unique to India, but also has today affected those people, Societies and Nation influenced by India, Indian thinking, Indian travelers, Indian epics, Indian philosophies, and Indian rulers in and around the sub-continent, and also in the far reaches of the globe where these have traveled. Caste System has done immense damage to India, Indian Society, Indian people and the Indian States that emerged in India throughout the history, right from the days or after the Pre-Historic Days of the Indus-Valley Civilizations of India. Being that ancient and that problematic, its origins, roots, beginnings etc have been lost in the misty past of ancient India, even though its adverse effects and evil influences still remain for all who bother to see. Caste has been instrumental in ending and putting a stop to the Indus-Valley Civilization, and also to that ancient civilized culture, and the growth, evolution and further development of the technology and intellectualism of the Indus-valley Civilization, or the knowledge of those times. Thus, all the collective wisdom of those days, right from the script of the Indus-Valley have come to an abrupt end, till the much later period of historic times beginning with the eary Vedic period of Rig Vedas. This disincentive to the growth of knowledge, and wisdom on the technological, creative and developmental side, has continued through the historic periods of middle ages, and further into the modern ages, accounting for the general backwardness of the Indian Society. Infect, the Caste System even now is oppressively acting to keep the Indian Society backward, and lagging far behind the world in almost every sphere of original development, at a time when the whole world is eagerly looking forward and moving ahead to step into the next millennium. Caste is an evil, a danger, a hurdle, a drag is a big trap. It is a debilitating drug, far dangerous than opium or any of the products being pushed by the Drug Mafias. Caste System had frozen the Indian Society, its Social Out look, and fossilized the People, their mind and the Nation with nothing but caste and the evil influences of the caste in every sphere. Touch anything in India, you will find the impact and imprint of Caste and Caste System, if only you can recognize them. The great impact is that it had with held the development and formation of an United India, and Integrate Indian Society however small it may be in any part of this big Nation of sub-continental size. It had with held progress, development and any social evolution. It could be seen that India’s progress, had come to a stop suddenly and almost abruptly. Right from the Indus-Valley Civilization, its final destruction and fall, the scientific innovations, technological break through, engineering development, cultural evolutions, progress of the Collective Wisdom of the People and economic growth of the Nation all appear to have stopped, and with held, as if frozen on their tracks. Thus, the Native Wisdom of the Tribals in their isolated difficult distant areas, the Rural Wisdom of the other Depressed Classes, remain only with them, uncured for, neglected, and with out any out let to test them, try them, adopt them and develop them for the benefit of not only the Indian nation, but the whole Humanity. The Dominant people who call themselves to be the intellectuals, developed, civilized arrogate themselves as the spokesmen and women of the whole Nation. They live on the work, sweat, blood, lives, efforts and creations of the Working Classes, most of whom are the Tribal and Depressed Classes. These intellectuals, know nothing. They don’t know the aspirations of the people, their problems, problems at the work places, the problem of work, the problems of production, the hurdles in productivity and the limitations of growth and progress. It is such ignorant people, but dominant influential people, opinion makers, spokes men and women, who grab the Govt. levers of the state, Offices of the nation, reins of power, to reign over the destiny of the people. They always condemn the people as being ignorant, under developed, backward, unsuitable, unintelligent, incapable and not suitable for any job. They claims themselves, their children, other progenies and descendents alone to be intelligent, capable, suitable and meritorious people with superior intellect, who alone have divine sanctions, historic grooming, legal right and Constitutional Sanction to rule the Country and boss over the people for ever. Incensed by such unreasonable, stupid, racial, dogmatic attitude the back ward classes of people in the Country starting from the Depressed Classes have been rebelling, though silently, most of the times unnoticed. They were the people who left the shores of the Country to find fortunes as soldiers, traders and even as slaves and plantation workers. They were the ones who readily embraced Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism. They were the ones who in large numbers took to new professions of leather processing and sweeping as well as soldiery with the colonial rulers. They were the ones who eagerly joined the forces of new Rulers- be they the Muslims, Moghuls, or the Europeans. They were in short, leaving lock stock barrel, the oppressive Indian society dominated by and in the cancerous iron grip of the caste hindus. They were in search of freedom, liberty and a new life. This was nothing but a long continuum of silent revolution, and a big rebellion, often times unnoticed before it was to late, and them also not recognized publicly. The Out Castes were so much fed up and resented the oppression, exploitation and dominance of the caste-hindus or the caste-Indians that a Dalit poet wrote. Oh caste hindoos, you are satans! You are nothing but the devils! You are embodiment of all evils! What else can we say? Why not? You abhor, flout, loathe and revile us You disregard, neglect, look down at us You always want to undermine us You denigrate, despise, deride, detest, hate, slight and spurn us You only have contempt, disdain and scorn for us You are antagonistic, prejudiced and biased against us You always discriminate, exploit, marginalize and suppress us You are hundred percent unfair, unjust and dishonest while dealing with us You are phoney You are always deceptive, dubious, subversive and treacherous You are a fake, fraud, hoax and a thief You are a trickster You are a hypocrite and oppressor In short, you can not be trusted You are only an aggressor You are a cruel criminal exploiter You are cold-blooded vengeful venomous vindictive savage fanatic None can ever trust you No one can believe or have faith in you One way or the other, you will appropriate everything for yourselves, defraud us and leave us bleeding badly We can never trust you, your Governments, your Police, your Administrations, your Lawyers, your judges, your Press and your media We can never there fore believe you or accept your promises We cannot ever trust your teachers and have faith in their teachings We are different! We have a separate identity! We are a separate people, separate race and a separate Nation We have always been a separate society Hence we want our shares and dues separately always and everywhere. The moment we fail in our resolve, and believe you, trust you, or leave things to happen on their own, we are doomed, sunk, and will be dead and gone. Therefore the Reservation! Reservation in every sphere! And every walk of life! Why so strong words, and why this emphatic option for Reservation? For, the Dalits, forced out as Out Castes have been fed up, and reached the end of their patience. On the one side, the Caste Indians, that is the caste-hindus and caste-non-hindus, whose forefathers have made use of, evolved and perfected this soul sapping evil of castes, to lead life of leisure and comfort with pleasure, all the best things of life without ever having to work for their earnings even now take all types of fair, unfair subversive and treacherous measures, to sustain the castes and caste system, in spite of its long history of damaging the Country, National Economy, Indian Society and the People. They do so, only because it serves them well, protects their personal and private interests, and still help them to sustain an easy way of life, escaping even minimum or token punishments for the various crimes and anti-social anti National and anti-people activities they are accustomed to commit over the ages. On the other has been the historic agreement, an agreement between the Depressed Classes and caste hindus, signed Yerawada jail, Poona in 1932. Sensing that all decent out lets and normal ways are being cunningly blocked systematically, the Depressed Classes and other Backward Classes had, utilizing the Liberal Education, Social Freedom, Political Opportunities, and the reasonably Fair and open legal system of the British Colonial Rule, launched a silent but big movement in the country, much bigger and much more important then the freedom movement of India. The freedom movement was proceeded by unbelievably consistent movements by groups of Depressed Classes and Backward Classes of People in India, who were till then considered to be insignificant and of no-consequence or little importance. These movements made the People realize that the caste- hindus, particularly the priestly caste of Brahmins were only a miniscule part of the Society anywhere in the country, but were cleverly utilizing the State Exchequer to feed them freely. Hence the Depressed Classes, non-Brahmin castes and later the Other Backward Classes have decided to stand up against the state and the Brahmins. They first wanted to end the practice and easy way of life of the Brahmins, eating and living in comfort at State and Public Expenses, and at the cost of the poor, hungry working classes. The Brahmins who always were past masters of siding and living with the ruling classes, as long as they had access to the rulers and the rulers were pliable, had by then started making noises and speak on behalf of the country and the whole people. The concessions, Openings, Opportunities etc they could force to get colonial British Govt. as reservations of the Indian people in the Administration and Govt. were fully monopolized and appropriated by them, without giving even a small token share to others. This was infact natural and understandable, given the nature of their life and sense of society, and the way they were speaking and always acting on behalf of the People, as if they were the sole agents and only People in the Country. Resenting these by and by Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Depressed Classes and other backward classes began to fight, asking for their own share, separate reservations and due proportionate benefits. The imperial British govt. gave into this reasonable demands of non-caste hindus, and announced the communal award of separate share to each segment of the society. Incensed by this dispensation of justice to all particularly to the Depressed Classes, the caste-hindus were angry. They also realized that with each significant groups waking up to grab social freedom and political independence, their days of domination and easy ways of life and comforts without work would be gone. They also realized that the only way to survive in future is to capture the Out Caste Depressed Classes, as an extension of their Chatur Varna (four caste) System. Hence they started wooing the Depressed Classes and tried to co-opt them as the fifth castes, the Panchamas (fifth castes). This term Panchama, like most of the names given to the Depressed Classes by the caste hindus has every denigrating, humiliating and insulting meaning. For Panchama not only means fifth castes, but also means fifth columnists -untrustworthy people and traitors. Reflecting this caste-hindu intolerance, Gandhi went on a fast to death to block that part of the Communal Award of the British Govt. to the Depressed Classes, and specifically deny them the exclusive benefits that would flow from this award. It is this Award, the anger of the caste hindus, the opposition of the congress leading the freedom movement in India, the fast unto death by Gandhi, the series of meetings between the Depressed Classes and caste-hindu leaders at Yerawada Jail, Poona, resulted in signing of an Agreement between Dr. Ambedkar, the Depressed Class Leader, and the, caste-hindu leaders lead by Madan Mohan Malviya. This Yerawada Agreement, or Poona Pact, formed the basis of certain truncated concession in the form of caste-hindu controlled Reservations for the Depressed Classes. This found its place in the Govt. of India Act 1935 by the British Govt., and later in the Constitution of India, after Indian Independence that came into force on 26^th Jan. 1950. Thus, what the Depressed Classes had been suffering in the country as a result of the caste system and the criminal mind set of the caste hindus, and their struggle to get out of the shackles of the caste hindus and caste-hindu dominated Society, ended with the relief they got from the Govt. being snatched from their hands, and in return getting some Reservation as a palliative measure from the caste-hindus, who desired and were determined to continue with their control and domination over the Depressed Classes, as dependent Out Castes, or social and economic appendages with out any real freedom or liberty. This Reservation and the larger yearning of the Depressed Classes for freedom, liberty, equality, self-respect, justice and fraternity built into the Constitution starting from the Preamble of the Constitution, abolition of the Evil Practices of Untouchability to which the Depressed Classes were being subjected to in the recent past, Constitutional guarantees to Equality, Prohibition of Discriminations, Equality of Opportunity in Employment, protection of Rights to Freedom, protection from Convictions, protection of Life and Personal Liberty, Protection against arrest and detention, Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labor, Prohibition of Employment of Children in Factories etc. Freedom of conscience and the free profession, practice and propagation of Religion, Freedom to manage Religious Affairs, Freedom from payment of Taxes for promotion of any Religion Remedies for enforcement of right, Promotion of welfare of the people, Principles and policies to be followed by the state, Equal justice, Right to work and education, provision of just and humane conditions of Work, Living Wages free and compulsory Education of Children, promotion of induction and Economic Interests, Raising the level of nutrition and standard of living and public health, to claims to appointments, services and posts etc. But all these promises, from 1950 onwards, and the earlier agreement from 1932, have all remained unfulfilled as vain-dreams and gone into thin air. They remain till today only on papers. Thus a public signed agreement for the last seven decades, the Constitutional Guarantees, Assurances, Imperatives and Protections all have remained as dead letters. Such is the quality, honesty, sense of justice, fairness of the caste-hindus and caste-non-hindus. Why this? What has gone wrong? Where has the Government gone? How does the Legal System Sleep? These and other questions one may ask one after the other. The answer, and the only answer is the tall surviving and Omni-present Caste and the caste system. Dr. Ambedkar, who wrote the Indian Constitution, while moving the motion to adopt the Constitution of India, in the Constitution Assembly on 25^th Nov. 1949, said, ‘On the social plane, we have in India, a society based on the Principle of graded Inequality, which means elevation for some and degradation for others. On the Economic Plane, we have a society in which there are some who have immense wealth as against many who live in object poverty. This is what Dr. Ambedkar, the leader, messiah of Depressed Classes, the framer of the Indian Constitution, the father of Indian Republic, the first Law Minister said. This is on record that is a public document. Nobody had disputed this ever. He also said, "On 26^th of January 1950, We are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality, and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one man one vote, and one vote and one value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life?" Those who could never dispute or argue against the indomitable Dr. Ambedkar, are now silently answering Dr. Ambedkar. They are caste hindus and other caste Indians. They are systematically working to undermine Justice, Equality, Liberty, Democracy, Govt. the State, the People, the Administration, the Judiciary and the Constitution, from within the Govt. the State the Administration, the Judiciary, Law and other Mechanisms. They want to wreck havoc and demean the Dalits as a People. They want to suppress them, and keep them oppressed forever. That is how India would enter the next millenniums. Free India of 21^stCentury would be bad and worse-off as far as human rights and dignity of the Dalits are cornered. Caste-non-hindus like George Fernandes will be on the side of the caste-hindus against the Out Castes, and would also go openly and actively or passively and discretely against their own non-hindu religious leaders like the priests, for helping and rehabilitating the out castes in general, or even the non-hindu out castes or Out Caste Christians or Dalit Christians. For the caste system, caste bonds are very strong though they are invisible and the Church in India still does not publicly accept caste in the Church. Friends, India is a great country, an ancient country, a spiritual country, a religion like Buddhism founded on peace and compassion, justice and non-violence was born here. But it is the land of caste and is the repository of every Evils the Caste system can do, or what harm an human being can do to a fellow human being, particularly to the poor, helpless, unarmed, dependant, trusting, believing, unsuspecting individuals. During the fifty years the caste hindus who kept the masses as backward and outcastes, who kept them suppressed as uneducated, who kept them oppressed as unequal, who refused to treat them equally, and refused justice, liberty, equality and discriminated them on grounds of their Caste, denied equal opportunity because of their birth, and refused them all public employment of importance are now using the Constitution and Constitutional provisions to remedy the institution against the masses themselves, as if these were incorporated in the Constitution for their benefit and protection from the masses, and for use against the masses. Now, saying that everyone is equal, the caste-hindus are denying education, particularly quality education, higher education, specialised education and all important spheres to the Dalits and Other Backward Classes, to reserve in future also everything good for their own benefit and the good of their children and descendants. They are appropriating everything. They are arrogating themselves to be meritorious ones who can govern and administer. Their sole aim is to deprive the people, the masses and keep social, Economic, Administrative, Judicial and ultimately the Political Power in their own hands and in the hands of their caste Indian Leaders, particularly the caste hindus Leaders whom they can build up and trust. Friends, in the end, I would like to say in conclusion, that Castes would continue and the Caste System would wreck havoc in India for ages to come, right through the 21^st Century, and may, be I fear, beyond. For, it benefits the Caste Indians, the votaries of the Caste System, and it helps to exploits and suppress the masses so as to benefit the Caste Indians who had taken to a life of parasites living on the Labor, sweat, blood, miseries and penury of the faceless and nameless and option less mass of Dalits and Other Backward Classes, both within and outside the hindu folds and those who had taken refuge without still finding any freedom liberty or foot hold in Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism etc. For, the Caste Structure, Caste Hierarchy, Caste Exploitation, Caste Oppression and the whole Caste System have never allowed dissent, differences of options and new ideas. Thus, it has killed all thoughts, any development and every progress. It stops any fresh breeze and blocks all new winds. It caps all ideas. It has buried alive millions of bright youngsters and many great minds. It has killed in cold blood millions of youngsters as Rebels, Revolutionaries, Communists, Naxalites and Terrorists. It is anti-progress and anti-people. It has denied justice for millions of poor. It has murdered all sense of fairness and compassion that once spawned here and there particularly during the colonial rule of the British, and during Dr. Ambedkar lead Dalit Movement immediately before and after Independence of India. Caste has again blocked the development of all social good, brother hood, fellow feelings emergence of a Civil Society, and building up of a free air and proud Nation of all People. It has distorted the Administration, prevented good governance, destroyed Judiciary, blocked all fair administration of the laws, hopes of the people, aspirations of the poor, and most importantly the sense of fairness in the minds of the officials and people in power and responsibility. It had failed to uphold any principles of Democracy, Proportionate Representation, sharing of Power, Constitutional provisions, Human Values and Respect for the Citizens. It refuses to recognize the dignity of the individuals. It has subverted the State and destroyed the law and order mechanism. It has destroyed the Police and brutalized them, turning many into uniform killers. It has sapped the strength and inner resolve of the people. This has resulted in a low level rebellion and sporadic acts of violence in the country. It has infected the Academic world, and every form of the Political Movement, starting with Right Wing Religious Fundamentalists, Centralist Parties, the left and even the extreme naxalite groups who claims themselves to be the ultimate revolutionaries. It has spared none and left nothing. The sum of it all is that, it has denied not only justice but also livelihood, food and dignity to millions and millions of masses. Hundreds and thousands of educated people are on streets without jobs and home, hungry and emancipated. The Society, the State the Govt. the Administration, the Mafia, the Police and the Judiciary laugh at them. They laugh at them for educating themselves. They laugh at them because they come from the Dalit and Other Backward Classes. The Caste has frozen the minds and Fossilized the Nation. Hence all the window dressings that goes on in the Country to cover the truth, to hide the Caste, the damages of the Caste System, the injustices of the caste Hindus, and present a very sober, deeply religious, spiritual, peace loving, non-violent face for the Public and World Consumption. *****************************************************************************************************************************