South Asia: India, Giant of the Subcontinent - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 225

mobilization, education, and geographical location.
Caste holds diverse peoples together via a hierarchical
structure permitting flexibility within the caste. Upward
mobility is potentially possible. Caste may be associated
with occupation— jati . While one' is jati is fixed at birth,
its position within the hierarchy is not. Moreover, mod-
ernization has confounded the association of birth assig-
nation with practical occupation.
Abolition of discrimination has applied only to un-
touchability , not to caste. Those in low-level or polluting
jatis —the Dalits--seek recognition as regular members
of Indian society . Whatever their origin, their subordi-
nation derives from perceived ritual impurity rooted in
antiquity . Some scholars argue that untouchability was
exacerbated by the British, who were overly concerned
with caste inequities and thereby drew undue attention
to them.
T Today, , Dalits demand their rights, and government
programs have facilitated their move into many upper
echelons, including politics. Education, in particular, has
invested them with expectations for equal treatment. In-
deed, “untouchables” now have many opportunities his-
torically denied them. Nevertheless, stepping outside the
bounds of untouchability is no easy task; deeply rooted
social taboos are difficult to expunge.
Affirmative action policies have created privileged
sections within underprivileged groups. An interesting
point is that pro-action policies are part of the official
Constitution, and they were written by a former un-
touchable. The situation that those classified as “back-
ward” go forward by virtue of their “backwardness” is
resented in many circles.
The progression of these formerly subordinated
classes has political impacts. Many politicians avidly
seek the loyalty of entire socially categorized popula-
tions. Appointments are made with an eye toward poten-
tial mobilization of caste followings. Just as significant is
the fact that 85 of 545 seats in India' s Parliament and
22.5 percent of government jobs are reserved for sched-
uled castes and tribes.
Caste then, in terms of establishing hierarchical rela-
tionships and interactions, is not disappearing, although
it is exhibiting greater flexibility . The poor and lower-
middle-class masses are seeking economic improvement,
while the privileged are trying to retain the status quo.
Brahmins find themselves taking orders from or eating
food prepared by Dalits. Increasing numbers of marriage
ads state “caste no bar.” Although quotas and special
privileges for untouchables have propelled many into
upper echelons, these have sometimes triggered violence.

Most untouchables continue to exist at the very bottom
of Indian society .

India's Nomads

Most people do not realize that there are some
80 million nomads in India. The best known are the
Gadulia Lohar , who once forged armor for Hindu
kings. Their name derives from Hindi: gaadi mean-
ing “cart” and lohar meaning “blacksmith.” Other
groups include camel herders, salt traders, fortune-
tellers, snake charmers, acrobatic and musical
groups, tattooists, basket-makers, and hunters and
gatherers. Anthropologists have identified around
500 nomadic groups in India.
Once part of India' s mainstream, they estab-
lished mutually beneficial relationships with the
villagers who lived along their migratory routes.
However, when the British disparaged them as va-
grants and criminals, the seeds of discrimination
were sown. In this information age, young people
have little interest in or use for snake charmers and
the like. Hunters and plant gatherers and herders
are being axed out of their traditional environments
as these disappear in the wake of urban and indus-
trial expansion. Also, politicians ignore this minor-
ity who are fragmented by caste, language, and
religion.
Many groups have clustered in slums where
they eke out an existence in an environment of
exclusion and misery . The few who do try to help
them make efforts to get them shelter and some
kind of address so that they can get government
assistance and enroll their children in school.
Unfortunately , this is met with resistance from
town-dwellers who regard them as social vermin.

Religious Conflicts

In December 1992, a rampaging mob demolished an un-
used mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, claiming that it
had been built on the birthplace of Lord Rama. This in-
flamed the sensibilities of India' s largest cultural minor-
ity: 130 million Muslims. Communal riots broke out
nationwide, and hundreds were killed and injured. This
incident was merely a spot on the tapestry of religious
conflict in India' s officially secular democracy .