Caste Based Poitics in India

The caste system has been extremely stable in India for over two thousand years. It is only since the more modern, independent state of India was formed that the system has come under any scrutiny at all. It is presently outlawed, but many of the practices, attitudes and traditions remain ingrained in Hindu society (University of Wyoming, 1997).

Firstly, the caste system reflects the inequality of Indian society. Although religion in India is characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices, majority of Indian population follow Hinduism. Therefore, the dominance of Hinduism beliefs is common in India. There is a belief in caste system, as Brood said, “a system of hierarchical social organization”1. Hindu society is divided into four main classes; the priestly class, the warrior and administrator class, the producer class who is farmers and merchants and the servant class. The remaining group of people who is “outcastes” is called “untouchables” or dalit. Brodd recognizes “dalits continue to suffer terrible oppression, especially in rural communities in India”. I still could not imagine how terrible this bottom class suffers until reading Max Bearak article. All sufferings of Rohith Vemula, from the hardships of growing up poor, interactions with society in caste to scholarship revoke and suicide, happened tragically because he was born in a dalit family. This is the

Looking upon Indian society for comparison, it is seen that the primary factor of the caste system is built

"In addition to these unofficial social classes, Hindus in Bhopal and throughout India adhere to a rigid caste system that further separates people into classes" (15). It is very hard to change caste to a higher standard of living and converse with a higher class. But if some individuals have the desire to change caste, they can through immense effort, talent, and luck; "…one may change caste by gaining prominence in a certain occupation" (17). The caste system offers little flexibility in village life, politics, and in marriage. Religion also plays a part in this caste; only Hindus can have caste.

India’s caste system originated when the Aryans arrived. The Aryans had a social system where the warriors and priests where the ones with power. When these people encountered the farming society of India, the Aryans assumed power over the darker skinned Indians. The Indian people were then oppressed and forced to do the lower, less desirable jobs. This created the basis of the caste system. The idea of different jobs based on economic functions created an upper and lower caste. Throughout history, the caste system has stayed in place and impacted citizens of India today despite the eradication of law that enabled the caste system. Hinduism has played a large factor in the strengthening of the caste and is one of the reasons of the

What are the four major castes? What implications does the caste system have for everyday life? How does the caste system relate to Hindu ideas of spiritual life? “The four major castes of Hindu society are; seers ( brahmins ), administrators ( kshatriyas ), artisans or farmers ( vaishyas ), and followers or servants ( shudras)”( Smith 56). Smith writes, religious leaders, teachers, artists, and philosophers are members of the first caste, brahmins, khatriyas, the second caste, first known as warriors are now managers. The tillers of the land, the makers of bricks, and the builders are part of the third caste, vaishyas. The fourth caste is made up of servants, those who will take care of the other castes’ needs (56)”. While I was working in India, summer of 2001 and there at the invitation of the richest family in India and staying at one of their compounds, some of my co-workers and I were playing snooker. A young boy walked into the room where we were playing. He stopped and talked to us for a few minutes before continuing to bed. Accompanied by a man of about twenty years old, the boy’s shudra, who had been the boy’s personal servant for ten or more years. The shudra’s purpose was to protect and serve his charge’s every need. Although there is inequality between castes, Smith denotes.“ within each caste, there is equality, opportunity, and social insurance ( 57)”. Although the text

Since the caste system is thousands of years old, it seems it was possibly developed out of necessity in the past. Everyone, no matter their caste, has a role to fulfill in order for everyone in their village to survive, and function. This may explain why caste is more relevant in villages than when it is compared to

            The internal divisions and complexes hierarchy of the Indian society served an important social function.  The system provided each individual with a clear identity and role and offered the benefits of group solidarity and support.  Certain interactions and behaviors were appropriate only between those of equal status. The system assured that the religious, political, and financial powers were all separated into four different social classes (Bulliet, et. 2011).

The next video ‘our journey-How we know caste’ taught me that the caste still exists usually in the poor countries but none of us pays attention because we believe that this has already ceased to exist. Dalit are people that identity denotes a social struggle against caste. The abuse for not belonging to a social class that makes their world acceptable may destroy the weakest. Their dreams for a better future are covered in fear of being physically and verbally abused. There are segregation because the village is divided in caste lines, Dalits

India has pioneered many different civilizations and empires each presenting new social, religious, and cultural dynamics. Through the development of India in the past 100+ years, they were colonized by Great Britain and societies began to form caste systems. However, different hierarchal statuses were instituted long before the establishment of caste systems officially. Sociologists agree that the British didn’t create the caste system, however the British used their dominance to further endorse a stricter system that could easily define and categorize the people of India. The Portuguese used the term caste system first to, “denote the social classification of India, as they thought the system was meant to be o preserve the purity of

Caste system is a social evil that is present in the Indian society since the ancient times. It has been criticized immensely by the people over the years however it still has a strong hold on the society.

He makes comparisons between Dalit and Muslim leaders who have in the last six decades acquired substantial roles in the political milieu of India. Why hasn’t there been representation from the Adivasis? Guha believes that Adivasis do not have majority in any single peninsular state of India, therefore during elections, tribal votes do not make an impact as compared to Dalit votes. Guha also observes that the Dalits have had influential leaders (such as B.R Ambedkar) who have streamlined their marginalization, unlike Adivasis, who have never had a leader who could inspire admiration. Another important point highlighted is the role of contemporary media in projecting mainly Dalit and Muslim issues and not those concerning Adivasis. Therefore due to the negligence of the government, Maoists tend to influence the tribals into believing their socio-economic advancement agenda, according to Guha does not exist as the Maoists main agenda is to capture power through armed

Castesism (a word that I will be using frequently in my writing) is not new to any of us. Since childhood we have always been asked to maintain a distance with chamars and bhangis

A few disadvantages of India’s social system are that Religion, caste, and language are major determinants of social organizations. According to the US Department of State-Background Notes website, even though the government has declared the caste system as illegal, it still has a presence in occupational and societal hierarchies (The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, 2010).

World’s largest democracy, an emerging economy and on the race to become a regional/global superpower: India has come a long way in the past few decades. Despite the evident threats of bankruptcy, caste politics and Hindu Nationalism, India is a great example of unity in diversity and ‘a beacon of high-tech modernity’. (Corbridge et al, 2013). However, it can be said that India is stuck between a prodigious need for cultural renaissance and the banes of class politics. (Pradhan et al, 2105: 12). The caste system in India is intricately correlated to class stratification and this is of immense political value in India as class and caste differences shape the politics in India till a great extent. In this essay, I will begin by talking about the association between class and caste, as this is an important aspect in order to understand how these issues shape the politics of India. Further on, I will talk about the gradual emergence of classes over the period of time and their influence on politics, beginning with colonial period and concluding with the modern India. I will then attempt to display the crucial role played by the classes during the 2014 elections. The essay will then discuss how the Indian middle-class contributes to shaping the politics of India. I will then go on to write about the other classes and their influence over politics. To conclude, I will talk about how class is just one of the innumerable other factors contributing to the politics in India.