Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Caste System
Although the Indian constitution does not recognise the caste system, caste still wields con-
siderable influence, especially in rural India, where the caste you are born into largely de-
termines your social standing in the community. It can also influence your vocational and
marriage prospects. Castes are further divided into thousands of
jati,
groups of 'families' or
social communities, which are sometimes but not always linked to occupation. Conservat-
ive Hindus will only marry someone of the same
jati
.
According to tradition, caste is the basic social structure of Hindu society. Living a right-
eous life and fulfilling your dharma (moral duty) raises your chances of being reborn into a
higher caste and thus into better circumstances. Hindus are born into one of four varnas
(castes): Brahmin (priests and scholars), Kshatriya (soldiers and administrators), Vaishya
(merchants) and Shudra (labourers). The Brahmins were said to have emerged from the
mouth of Lord Brahma at the moment of creation, Kshatriyas were said to have come from
his arms, Vaishyas from his thighs and Shudras from his feet.
Beneath the four main castes are the Dalits (formerly known as Untouchables), who hold
menial jobs such as sweepers and latrine cleaners. The word 'pariah' is derived from the
name of a Tamil Dalit group, the Paraiyars. Some Dalit leaders, such as the renowned Dr
BR Ambedkar (1891-1956), sought to change their status by adopting another faith; in his
case it was Buddhism. At the bottom of the social heap are the Denotified Tribes. They
were known as the Criminal Tribes until 1952, when a reforming law officially recognised
198 tribes and castes. Many are nomadic or seminomadic tribes, forced by the wider com-
munity to eke out a living on society's fringes.
To improve the Dalits' position, the government reserves a number of public-sector jobs,
parliamentary seats and university places for them. Today these quotas account for almost
25% of government jobs and university (student) positions. The situation varies regionally,
as different political leaders chase caste vote-banks by promising to include them in reser-
vations. The reservation system, while generally regarded in a favourable light, has also
been criticised for unfairly blocking tertiary and employment opportunities for those who
would have otherwise got positions on merit.
If you want to learn more about India's caste system these two books are a good start:
Interrogating Caste
by
Dipankar Gupta and
Translating Caste
edited by Tapan Basu.
