I chose to write on Caste in India for my Asian Studies essay because it really fascinates me just how culture and religion intertwine with morals, economics and societal structures.
Hinduism is one of the most universally renowned religions in the world, and was first known to exist in Northern India in approximately 1500BC. Describing Hinduism is rather difficult as there are so many aspects to the religion, and the ideas are not fixed which is problematic in describing the exact beliefs. However, generally most Hindus believe in reincarnation, karma and the aspiration of achieving “Nirvana” – where people eventually reach the status of immortality. Hinduism plays a huge role in India as its main religion, and through the caste system which is directly linked to the belief. Caste is a word used to describe the socio-economic hierarchy of people in India, and while it is not exactly a class system, the caste system is intrinsically linked to the Hindu beliefs through its social and economical features. For this reason, it is virtually impossible to get rid of caste without outlawing Hinduism as well. To understand how caste is linked to Hinduism though, the core beliefs of Hinduism must first be looked at and the resulting effects of the social and economic features of caste on India itself.
Hinduism is considered to be one of the oldest religions in the world, in which caste is one part of the principle beliefs (Das V 1997). Once people are born into a caste, they cannot escape it. According to Hinduism, there are actually no real rights given to Hindus, as they are all hereditary by birth (Misra, B. B 1961). Caste in India first occurred around 2000-3000 years ago, and was made up by Aryan priests who invaded/migrated into the North of India. Today caste does not occur so much in the city as such, but it was once completely part of the law before it was abolished in 1948. However, due to it being a major part of Hinduism, the caste system is very hard to get rid of and in a lot of rural areas in India today the caste system is still rigidly upheld.
Caste was a word that was actually first used by the Portuguese in the 16th century to describe the system. The caste system is based on the traditional Varna system which divided the people up into four classes, with the Brahmans at the top – who were the earthly priests and gods. The next three classes were the Kshatriyas - who were the warriors/landowners, the Vaishyas – the traders and merchants, and finally Shudras – who were the labourers and peasants. The first three classes are known as twice born, and these different ranks can be divided into separate sub-castes, called jatis. Caste is usually associated with occupation, with the worst jobs saved for the lowest rank. There is a group of people lower than the Shudras though, and they are often called the “untouchables”, dalits or Harijans, which was a word first used by Ghandi in the mid 20th century (Untouchables, Harijans 2007). The “Untouchables” are not considered part of the original Varna system, and are reduced to doing the most unwanted tasks of the country, whereas the Brahmans hold the power and popularity. The Hindu’s ultimate goal in life – to reach immortality through moksha(the escape from the cycle of life and death) is actually linked to caste – where people follow a life gaining “good” karma, and keep reincarnating into better forms until eventually reaching Nirvana. The appearance of caste in India today though, often in rural India may also show the exploitation of the system by higher classed individuals, and as a result have a dramatic effect on India’s economy and society.
Even though the caste system was abolished in the 1940’s, it still occurs mostly at the expense of the dalits in the less urban areas of India. While Hindus believe that the Untouchables deserve to be in their position in relation to karma and reincarnation, others see it as a discriminatory and exploitative use of Hinduism as an excuse to further the aristocratic powers of the Brahmans. The main economical features of the caste system are dependent on one’s caste and jati (sub castes). A person born into a particular jati usually chooses what job is associated with that rank. There is usually more than one job for each rank, but nowadays the rules are more relaxed and people may stray outside their jati to take a particular job that is not associated with any Varna, such as piloting or computer science. For the lower castes, especially the dalits, jobs are still often dirty and subservient – mainly the jobs no one else wants to do (Kuksal S, 2006).
“Sifting through filth and sewage, Gayatri makes her living by disposing the human waste she collects from open toilets. She makes $10 a month doing work that no one else here will.” (Vaswani, K 2006)
This is an example of the position the lower castes are often in, and how they live in a life predetermined of poverty, struggle and discrimination. The economical features of caste is linked to the Hindu belief of karma and reincarnation – if you attain enough good karma, you will reincarnate into a better, more powerful being. If you attain lots of bad karma though, in your next life you will reincarnate into a lesser insignificant being. The jobs associated with caste reflect this Hindu belief – which is why all the unwanted jobs are reserved for the dalits, and why basically all Brahmans are wealthy and hold more power. During the era of British rule in India though, education of more lower and middle class people showed a significant economic impact on India (Misra, B. B 1961). The British are blamed by some for encouraging the caste system though by inciting a “slave mentality”, with Ghandi blaming the British for the dalits’ meek compliance with caste (Olcott, M 1994 pp. 655). Others claim it is up to the Indian government to enforce it’s own laws about caste – with some arguing they are not doing enough to enforce the freedom of the untouchables (Kamble, J.R. 1979). The example of the effect of a western education, a capitalist economy and political systems that did not judge based on caste during the British rule though shows with better education systems the economic features of caste can change quite significantly thus affecting society as a whole – which can be seen in urban cities today, where caste is of less significance. Hinduism obviously still affects job placements in India today though, especially in areas where caste is more significant and deeply embedded in society, and where education is less focused on.
Socially, caste in India has changed much from the time of British rule, to modern times. While caste is not as significant in the city anymore due to British education in the mid 20th century, elsewhere in rural India caste is much more recognized and lived by. Caste contains social features that create stratifications in society which cannot often be bridged – affecting things like marriage, jobs and contact between different castes. Contact between untouchables and other castes are strictly forbidden, and the untouchables are virtually pushed to the outside of Indian society in general, where they are barred from temples and celebrations, education and using public services (Fuchs, S 1981 pp. 3-4). Marriage outside one’s caste is rare - when it does happen, there is usually lots of social pressure from family, friends and society. Hinduism includes the belief that dalits are dirty – which is the reason why they are called “untouchables”, and why contact between them is forbidden. This is also the reason why they are given usually dirty jobs and seen as unclean. The division in society is especially clear with the untouchables, where in some parts of India they can be stripped of many basic rights such as access to clean water and education. The dalits are also often victims of violence and degradation of people in higher classes (Parikh, J 1992). The violence and disregard for the untouchables today means a huge social divide, and unrest within the dalit community (Artis, E, Doobay, D, Lyons, K 2003). The more recent changes and relaxation of rules of caste, particularly jobs associated with jatis, is also now causing more instability within India as castes now conflict with each other for higher supremacy, and better jobs. Distrust between castes is a key factor in the social features of caste, as today it is more of a social battle for more power and wealth - showing India not as a community but as a group of people with selfless aspirations. This belief is linked to Hinduism, and is the reason why it is often not condemned, especially in the higher classes. While Hinduism endorses caste and karma related to the belief, it also creates strict divisions in society that can usually never be crossed without major consequences. Socially, caste affects society in a huge way and has been embedded in life for so long now it is increasingly hard to get rid of.
Overall it is clear the social and economic features of caste in India are hugely linked with the belief in Hinduism. Caste is a very significant part of Hinduism and while a lot of people today in India and other countries believe caste should be completely removed from its society, it is extremely hard to get rid of completely especially in rural areas because it is a major part of the religion. Caste has a huge impact on Indians relating to their job, marriage, background and life overall – and this is something that has been accepted by lots of Hindus, whether living in the lower or higher castes. The social and economical features of caste further emphasize the ingrained values of caste in relation to Hinduism in India. With improved education and law courts though, the living conditions for the lower castes has improved since the independence of India, even though there has been a lot of bloodshed and violence relating to caste conflicts. Lots of untouchables still live in very poor conditions though, and whether one would believe whether they deserve that position in society or not, caste is something that will probably be embedded in Indian society for years to come due to it being linked with the religion Hinduism.
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