The Historical or Modern Caste System of India - Essay Sample

Introduction

Culture and religion can be traced back to millions of years ago, it was, and it is still part of human life to date. Perception varies from one region to another as embraced by diverse groups of people. An in-depth discussion of the history and modern culture of the Hindu people will be critical in establishing the account of the caste system in India and some parts of Asia. According to the old time's research in the Rigveda text, the Indian society divisions can be traced back to the Brahma's divine categorization. According to Brahma's manifestations, the priest and teachers were cast from his mouth, the rulers and warriors were from his arms, traders, and dealers from his thighs and workers and peasants from his feet. Caste was coined from the Portuguese term "casta" in the 16th century when the Portuguese first arrived in India. According to them, casta meant to race, and they used the time to describe what they saw in among the Indian people. Today the term caste is used to describe stratified societies in India all over the world. Some scholars have described India's caste system as a way through which living things inherit certain qualities for instance wisdom, others pride and other inherit certain unfortunate situations such as poverty. Those who advocate for such school of thought believe that one's lifestyle determines the caste in which they will fall. The paper will, therefore, explore the historical and modern Caste system of India.

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The Origin of the Caste System

According to an ancient theory about South Asia's caste system, the Aryans one of the ethnic communities from central Asia waged war against the south and introduced the caste system with the intention of controlling and ruling the local people. They divided them into groups, and each was assigned tasks. All the people were to remain in their specific groups until their death. They were not allowed to cross interact with people from other caregivers, and as a result, they worked, dined and even married from the same group. Social mobility was not allowed. Although the Aryan theory has been suggested as the source of the caste system several criticisms have come up indicating that the Aryans never existed and if they were then they originated from South Asia and then spread to the rest of the parts. The criticisms have therefore made the Aryan theory of the development of the caste system unstable.

Classes in the Caste System

The caste system was divided into five distinct categories which include; Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras Adivasi and Dalits. The Brahmins were considered the highest group in the caste system, and it was made up of teachers and priests. It was made of a small population in India, and during the British colonial times, they were given clerical jobs and later they became the population which is made up of government leaders, scientists business among other elites. The second in rank is the Kshatriyas who were traditionally referred to as the gentle people. They were majorly the soldiers and the military persons. The Kshatriyas were landowners in the caste system however they have now decreased in power. The third caste class was the Vaishyas, and they were traditionally viewed as the agriculturalists, traders, cattle herders, in the current times they are associated with the middle class and those that are socially advanced. They made approximately a fifth of the Indian population. They were then followed by the Shudras who were considered as the lowest among all the castes; they were so small that they were not regarded as part of the Vedas studies in India. They were made up of the peasant farmers. They are now seen as a scheduled caste system by the government of India. They were the disadvantaged caste and formed a large population of 200 million Indians as indicated in the 2011 census. The Shudras were known as the untouchables; they were considered to be the outcasts who did all the dirty work. They were referred to as the untouchables because they did all the dirty job associated with diseases, pollution, funeral, animal skin among others. The Brahmins were regarded as the embodiment of purity while the Shudras were known as the embodiment of corruption.

Regarding modern India, the caste system is disappearing because of the various reforms that have been applied by the democratic government. The Indian government has outlawed the caste system calling for equality among all the citizens. Mahatma Gandhi is recognized as the dominant player in the abolishment of social discrimination and the introduction of social mobility. Gandhi changed the name of the untouchables to Harijans meaning the children of God. It was also documented in the 1949 constitution where the emancipation of the rights of the untouchables was considered. A call to equality among all the citizens was also encouraged. The first step towards reforms in the caste system entailed the separation of the state from religion. The leaders of independent India ruled that the nation would be a democratic, socialist and secular country. The practice of untouchability was regarded as going against the laws.

The Indians especially those in the cities have become flexible with the caste system and can freely mingle with people from any caste in the rural areas and the villages - their places where the caste system is still observed and has led to caste clashes where the higher ranks hit back on, the lower ones who try to uplift their status. Similarly, the lower caste hit back on, the higher levels for suppressing denying them to raise such issues have times led to tension both in the cities and the urban areas.

According to the central government statutes, some categories are entitled to positive discrimination, and the groups are together referred to as the Backward classes. The positive discrimination policy states that 15% of the government's jobs are reserved for the scheduled castes, the same percentage is also reserved for the students to be admitted at the universities. Besides the central government, the state also follows the positive discrimination policy, but the figures and percentages of the people under this policy differ from one country to another. Because of the variation, one community can be entitled to positive discrimination in one country but denied in another depending on the economic posterity of each. In modern India disputes have arisen concerning the positive discrimination policy because the population from the high caste feel sidelined while the lower rank is favored. From the few slots reserved for the upper caste, competition has ensued leading to tension and animosity.

On the contrary, the vacancies reserved for the backward classes become excess such that the candidates have to be accepted to fill the positions even when they have not qualified. Some reservations may go unoccupied leading to more tension among the two castes. The schedules tribes who are the Indian aboriginals are also given ownership rights in India's mainland. It is important to note that the caste system has become India's central point of political, social and economic arguments. Several people have envied the positive discrimination that a time it brings tension that will require a legal decision.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to note that the history of the caste system has come along way and it has had a significant effect on the social, political and economic system of India. The caste system has been in existence for centuries, and it has slowly transformed from the strict rules of the caste to a more flexible modern practice. However, it has never faded away as it is still practiced by some communities in the rural areas and a few in the urban centers. The role of Mahatma Gandhi is considered to be the landmark in the fight for equality among all the citizens. Gandhi fought for the lowest caste which was known as the untouchables. The name was changed to Harijans meaning the children of God. It is important to note that India has come a long way in the transformation of cultural discrimination among the wealthy and the poor people. Modern India is gradually achieving equality among the people.

References

Ahuja, Ram. Indian social system. Rawat Publications (1993), 2016.

Cohn, Bernard S. "Notes on the History of the Study of Indian Society and Culture." Structure and change in Indian society. Routledge, 2017. 3-28.

Galanter, Marc. "Competing equalities: law and the backward classes in India." 2018.

Mayer, Adrian C. Caste and Kinship in Central India: A Study of Fiji Indian Rural Society. Routledge, 2013.