Caste system in India.
The Caste problem is a vast one, both theoretically and practically. Practically, it is an institutions that portends tremendous consequences, it is a local problem but one is capable of wider mischief for as long as caste in India does exist. Hindus will hardly intermarry or have any social intercourse with outsiders, and if Hindus migrate to other regions on earth ,Indian cast would become a world problem. Theoretically, it has defied many great scholars who have taken upon themselves as a labor of love to dig into its origin .Such being the case I cannot treat the problem in its entirety .However, in order to define the caste system we cannot define caste as an isolated unit by itself and not as a group within and with definite relations to the system of caste as a whole. Mr .Sinart, ethnologist who investigated the caste system, draws attention to the idea of pollution as a characteristic of the caste. With regard to this point, it may be safely said it s by no means of peculiarity of caste as such. It usually originates in priestly ceremonialism and as a particular case of the general belief of in purity. Consequently, it’s necessary connection with caste may be completely denied without damaging the working of caste. The idea of pollution has been attached to the institution of caste only because the cast that enjoyed the highest rank is the priestly caste. Well we know that priest and purity are old associates. I may therefore conclude that the idea of pollution is a characteristic of caste only in so far that caste has a religious flavor. Prohibition or rather the absence of intermarriage (endogamy)is the only one that can be called the essence of caste if rightly understood. This will result in lim...
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...erest of caste formation ,it is absolutely necessary to circumscribe a circle outside which people should not contract marriages. Nevertheless this encircling to prevent marriages from without creates problems from within , which are not very easy of solution . In the caste system the maintenance of equality between the sexes becomes the ultimate goal ,for without it endogamy can no longer subsists . In other words, for endogamy to be preserved, conjugal rights from within have to be provided for, otherwise members of the group will be driven out of the circle to take care of themselves in any way they can , but in order to the rights to be provided , it is absolutely necessary to maintain a numerical equality between the marriageable units of the two sexes within the group desirous of making itself into a cast .ofcourse a very large disparity is sure to break it.
Daily life was influenced in both Ancient India as well as in Ancient China by religion and philosophies. Their caste system, their beliefs, and their well being affected the religion and philosophies.
There are four main castes and one in which they consider to be the outcastes. The four main castes are the Brahmin, the next is the Kshatriya, the third is the Vaishya, and the fourth is the Shudra. The outcastes are in the group called Dalits. Each caste has a purpose in life, the Brahmin are considered to be the priestly caste in which they are teach the Veda, and are to “sacrifice for others and receive alms” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Kshatriya is considered the warriors or the ruler caste, they have constant practice in battles, and they are to protect the world from harm. The Vaishya are to be the merchants and the farmers, they tend to the cattle, they, “engage in farming, keeps cows, trades, lends money at interest, and grows seeds” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Shudra are the manual laborers who according to the Institutes of Vishnu under the Four Castes, are to serve the twice born men who are to sacrifice and to study the Veda, the Shudra also engage in all the different duties of craftsmanship (5-10, pg.44). In case of a crisis, each caste is allowed to follow the occupation of the caste that is below them in rank. The duties in which all four of these castes, whatever gender or stage of life, are to follow and hav...
Indian society was patriarchal, centered on villages and extended families dominated by males (Connections, Pg. 4). The villages, in which most people lived, were admini...
There are many important factors which influence voting behaviour, some more so than others, for example one of the most important is social class. Social class is determined by the registered generals classification, which is based on males of working age, people are classed on occupation, for example, the higher the social class, the better the job as social class 1, known as professionals, are people like doctors or accountants and social class 6, known as unskilled workers like cleaners. It has been tested and proven that most of the time, the higher the social class i.e. 1 and 2 vote Conservative and the lower social classes vote Labour, for example, in the 1997 general election, 42% of social classes 1 and 2 voted Conservative compared with only 21% of social classes 5 and 6. For Labour, 61% of social classes 5 and 6 voted for them compared with only 31% of social classes 1 and 2. However, social class mobility has led to many people moving up the social class ladder, but some have retained their working class background, one of which is to vote Labour.
Manu’s Code of Law is a post-Vedic authoritative text that describes the customs and appropriate conduct for the people within the Hindu caste system, and is essentially viewed as the laws that will help create ideal individuals. In the text, Manu rigidly defines the caste system into four distinct groups: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishyas, and Shudras. The manner of the narration makes it clear that the main actors being addressed in each caste are male, and although the Laws of Manu discuss the duties of each caste, the narration is predominately focused on the Brahmin caste, which is the top of the hierarchy of these ideal models of male action. A masculine ideal of orthodox Brahmin males is created through Manu’s laws—the perfect Brahmin male becomes characterized as someone who yearns spiritual knowledge, holds their power humbly, masters renunciation, and is well-disciplined. This characterization leads to the normalization of asceticism and following traditional customs as being the definition of “manliness” for Manu, which contrasts more contemporary definitions of manliness that ...
The Portuguese word casta means race, or breed, and Hindus have traditionally interpreted this as different levels of society, known as the caste system used in India (“India caste system”). The caste placements are commonly associated with a specific occupation, for example, a priest is a member of the Brahmin caste, and a merchant is a member of the Vaishya caste (“BBC - The caste system”). A Hindu is born into the caste that their parents are ‘members’ of, and as a member of that caste, they must marry in the caste, perform the expected occupation of that caste and eventually die as a member of said caste. The lowest caste of the system are the Dalit, or ‘untouchables’ as they are more commonly known. Members of this caste are also born into it, but because of their extreme conditions of living in poverty, they were too despicable to be considered a part of the caste system. These ‘untouchables’ were usually found begging on the streets and did not have a job that fell into the categories of the caste system, therefore were severely looked down upon by all othe...
As with so much in India, caste is a olden institution that prevails in everyday life, the mechanics of which remain
Using the term “caste” to characterize social groups, particularly among the Hindu culture, was first used in the 16th century. The term was used to divide individuals into socially ranked occupational categories in effort to preserve social distance. These groups then carried out mutual exclusion among themselves in matters involving marriage and even to the degree of restricting what food they can consume (Madan 2010). An individual’s placement in the caste system is thought to be a direct reflection of karma from past lives.
Indian Caste system divides the society and nation. Indian Caste system should be banned at any cost by the Law of the State or by Act of Parliament. Otherwise it will spoil and kill the democratic institutions and secularism of any great civilization or any state and society. Indian Caste system will also slaughter the unity, peace and economic and scientific development and progress of any state and society or any civilized society. To overcome this we should take severe steps and educate the society to make coming generations out of this and taught them a lesson of unity and
The definition and structure of families varies throughout the world. While there may be similar trends between countries, beliefs and values may differ enough to warrant a family structure completely different from what we are used to.
In India caste system have been examined through Indological, Socio-anthropological and sociological perspectives. While the Indological examined caste from the scriptural point of view, social anthropological from the cultural point of view and sociologists from the stratificational point of view. Many scholars and reformers like Vivekananda, Jyotirao Phule, Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Periyar worked to remove the evils of the caste system. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and E.V.R. Periyar, both of them worked in the field of abolition of caste system and the evils pertaining to it. But the approach path and their ideals were different entirely. While Periyar directly attacked religion as the main cause of the evil, Ambedkar had attacked the system of caste and its workings. Ambedkar’s Caste and Class in “The Essential Writings of B.R. Ambedkar” and Periyar, E. V. R."Genesis of the Self-Respect Movement” reflects the differences and their ideals regarding it.
Caste system is visible in many religions and many parts around the world. Caste is translates to “Jati” in Hindi, the national language of India. “Jati”, literally means born with, something that cannot be changed and is inevitable. Caste system has been part of our lives for centuries. Caste system affects the poor the most and without a surprise they belong to lowest of the caste system. They are given status of untouchable and believed to poses low values, physical disabilities and diseases. Such view makes it hard for them to find work, get education and equal rights in the society. Hence, they spend most of their lives working for the upper rich caste. The castes were divided into four castes as Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Shudra. The separation was made on the base of work they do.
Caste is a social term, which is used to specify a group of people having a specific social rank and dates ...
Under a federal republic government and abiding by a “constitution that forbids the practice of 'untouchability,' and legislation has been used to reserve quotas for former untouchables (and also for tribal peoples) in the legislatures, in education, and in the public services, the caste system continues to be influential”(India Peace & Culture).
Reservation in India is the process of allocating some percentage of seats (vacancies) in government institutions like educational institutions, jobs for members of backward and under-represented communities (defined primarily by caste and tribe). India has its own interesting history related to the concept of reservation in promotion. Reservation has been prevalent in India for quite some time now. Over the last 65 years of Independence, India’s Constitution has set aside some seats in parliament for people from historically discriminated groups, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Whether to have a reservation/quota system or not is still a debatable question in India and has got mixed responses from different parts of society. When the reservation policy was first framed the constitution of India wanted the political (reservation reservations in Lok sabha and state legislatures) for the following 10 years. There was no time limit on reservation policy related to education and job. Many doesn’t know this and debate on this saying “Why reservation still even after 60 years?”