The 'Caste System' :Introduction, Myth & Reality

I was recently asked whether the children we are working with come from a lower 'caste'. When one thinks of Indian culture or society, the 'caste system' automatically crops up but its existance in contemporary India is certainly a topic of debate.

Firstly it is important to know what the caste system is.The word was actually coined by the Europeans who settled in India meaning to say chaste (from English) or casta (from Portuguese) and referred to one's lineage. In India reference to caste was first cited in the holy text 'Gita', where it was called varna and used to describe the profession of a man. Because in India there was a system of inheriting the parent's profession it got associated with jati meaning ones heritage.

The caste layers most often quoted are (notice how these are based on profession):
Brahmins- those engaged in priestly functions
Kshtriyas- rulers and warriors
Vaishya- merchants, farmers and tradesmen
Shudras- labourers, craftsmen and service
There is also another caste that Indian society condemned as caste-less- the so called Dalits-- who were denied entry to temples, water and civil amenities. Gandhi had famously fought for the betterment of this section of society in particular and called them harijans or children of god.

In reality the caste system is much more complicated then the above classifications. There are many sub-castes and communities. The Europeans who came to India also brought their own class system of aristocrats, beaurocrats and commoners, leading to all sorts of fusions, prejudices and unfair practices.

The myth that one caste is better than the other is not entirely true - the brahims for instance are thought to have exploited the lower castes for economic gain. In reality the brahims while considered priests who led humble lives, power and wealth was with the kshatriyas and trade was conducted by the vaishyas. Almost all the Hindu kings in India belonged to the warrior community.

Post independant India- discrimination based on the 'caste' system is also on a decline- particularly in relation to marraige, job opportunities and religious sacrements. This is because the constitution has made it illegal firstly. Backward classes are reidentified as dis-advantaged and lower castes infact have more representation and power in society being majority. Urban India is less strict about caste system and you can see different castes mingling with each other in cities. Having said this in parts of rural India, there have been evidences of clashes between different castes but again since the past two decades this is also on a decline.

Going back to the question of whether the children we work with are from a 'lower caste' - it can be said that they are part of the disadvantaged section of society towards whom there is infact positive discrimination these days.

The 'Caste System' :Introduction, Myth & Reality