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
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).
The Caste system has aroused much controversy than any other feature of India’s society. Every day, Dalits are butchered, assaulted, abused, raped, lynched, shot or openly mutilated without considering any consequences of the offenders. The deaths of pregnant women who are not able to pay the bribes at government hospitals, some boys with eyes raised completely out for falling in love with a girl of a superior caste, and horrid stories of employees boiled to death because of spewing out arguments with the boss are continuously reported in mainstream newspapers. After years of democracy, the social structure stands to practice the caste system disregarding abolishment laws. Every international or national effort to abolish caste differentiation and segregation has been proven ineffective. The caste system of India is a deeply inculcated social problem requiring immense commitment domestically and internationally in understanding what has stopped the measures to get rid of this ancient system and what measures are needed to complete elimination of the system.
All those people of distinct castes and sub-castes among the depressed classes who were traditionally subjected to invidious discriminations on grounds of untouchability, and categorized as the downtrodden, untouchables, depressed classes, exterior classes or Scheduled Castes were called Dalits.
Historically, India was under British rule until 1950. Many people in India felt that during British rule they were powerless (Beteille, 2010). All of the problems in the country were blamed on this helplessness (Beteille, 2010). When India became independent and developed its own constitution, a large amount of emphasis was placed on the role of government in solving social problems (Beteille, 2010). During British rule, many customs and practices in India were based on the Hindu religion (Beteille, 2010). The British left those in place, neither making them unlawful nor supporting them (Beteille, 2010). When the new government was established, the caste system that had so sharply defined India was declared unlawful (Beteille, 2010). While this was a step in the
Caste-system oppression has been a staple in human culture for centuries. It hasn’t always been centered around race, but was initially centralized around a 3-teired caste system. The ideals surrounding oppression, slavery, segregation, and social injustice were created by the wealthy class centuries ago and have served a lasting influence on our culture still today. Many problems faced today aren’t a result of a war of the races, but instead a war of the classes. This idea of a fair America and the whole essence behind “the American dream” is long gone, and many blame it on our country’s adherence to capitalism and greed. Others might believe that these cards are stacked an ever-struggling third class American citizen and there is reason to
Untouchability as claimed by the Indian government is said to be abandoned 60 years ago, however still 40% of Dalits are illiterate (Around 70 million). This tells us that the caste system unfortunately still exists. The caste system is a system of class and hierarchy, it divides people in terms of classes called castes which usually determines their status in the community and therefor their livelihoods. The caste system still exists and if not constitutionally definitely socially. The caste system presence keeps different communities separated, lowers national GDP (Economic activity/development), discriminates against those of the lower caste, slows the development procedure and creates unlimited social consequences.
Children must all have education no matter what even if they are just simply poor and are not having the best quality of life, “The 77-page report, “‘They Say We’re Dirty’: Denying an Education to India’s Marginalized” (India 1). A difference in humankind is a common act of becoming an outsider, which is not ok, because everyone on earth that are human’s are humans, which brings up the fact that disrespecting another of one’s kind is simply cruelty. A difference in how one was born does not give an excuse to the people who are acting upon it because it is disrespect towards all human kinds and being excluded and isolated because of this one fact does not prove one’s quality. There are many people in the world who do not receive equal rights because of how they look and because “of their living conditions” (India 2). When a newborn is born, they are innocent and do not qualify to be part of anything that had earlier happened to their parents, which brings up the fact that their living conditions do not describe in words who they are and why they are living there. People living in bad-conditioned areas can be possibly living there because of their poor wealth or because they have many of their friends and families their, which has been proven and confirmed that excuses of these kinds will not be tolerated for marginalizing
Although every caste in the World State is meticulously conditioned to accept the hand they are given, there are still many citizens who are dissatisfied with the quality of life available to them in society. Knowingly or unknowingly, these outliers reject their conditioning and strive for something more, whether it be adversity, danger, or passion.
People in United State believe in the American Dream, but it's not possible. Some people have a hard time getting a job because of their class and background. Just like the Caste System people in America have a difficult chance of moving toward a higher class. The social structure in United States is similar to the Caste System, because of the similarities about not being able to move up class.
In India, there is a huge campus of religion situated in the society. There are four major caste divisions in India, Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The lowest caste people came under the Shudra’s. They are regarded as Dalits. These people are suppressed, humiliated, exploited, discriminated and marginalized in every sphere of life. These people are also regarded as untouchables. If the woman belongs to Dalit community, they suffer two types of discrimination: first, of being a woman and second, belonging to the lowest
Within the Brahmanic Hindu culture, wealth and poverty is seen in a tremendously broad view, with many aspects that play a role in whether it is seen with a negative connotation or not. This is mainly due to social roles that have been active within the civilization for thousands of years. These views affect everyday life in the Brahmanic Hindu culture and determines social interactions within this Hindu society. To first understand where and why their ideologies and caste system stems from, one must first take a look into 4 vital aspects- The Hindu culture, mainly the caste system, as well as a Brahmans purpose within their culture, the Hindu religion, and Hindu Gods. These 4 parallel components will allow for a more advance comprehension
In India, Dalits are what used to be called the "untouchables." The term Dalit means the "broken people." Symbolic-interaction theory would focus on the way language shapes the identity of all Indians, to give rise to an underclass like the Dalit. Systems of oppression stem from the embedding of symbols into the individual and collective psyche. Therefore, symbolic-interaction theory explains why the oppression of the Dalit continues even though the caste system has been officially and legally abolished. A symbolic-interactionist would also point out that the organization of the Dalit into a formal organization with a name has a powerful impact due to the interaction between symbols (language) and social institutions. Symbolic-interactionism would also explain why the leaders of the Dalit civil rights movement understand the importance of raising awareness via education. It is important to shift the discourse when discussing matters of political oppression. The discourse will impact reality. Moreover, religion also provides the core symbols that shape worldview. If Hinduism has a highly structured, hierarchical cosmology, a Hindu culture will organize its manifest institutions around this symbolic reality.
What is it like to be discriminated against? What would it be like to have almost all equal rights and liberties taken away just because one is born among a certain race, or there is a different way of living within a specific group of people? This feeling of discrimination is one that no individual wants to feel. For the Hindu people, formerly known as “The Untouchables,” this was what they had to live with. The Untouchables, now called the Dalits, are the most oppressed community in India and have been denied civic and human rights throughout the decades.
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).