Social Inequality In INDIA

India’s Caste System

Caste=Rigid social system.

Facts about Caste System India’s caste system is perhaps the

world’s longest surviving social hierarchy.

Caste encompasses a complex ordering of social groups on the basis of religious purity & determined by birth!

Origin of the Caste System1. The cattle rearing Aryans invaded India in 1500 B.C.

The Aryans (fair-skinned, blue eyed foreigners) dominated the Dravidians (darker skinned, original residents), making them subservient.

Origin of the Caste System2. Aryan priests divided society into four parts, putting their class at the top as earthly gods.

“When the gods divided the Man, into how many parts did they divide him?

What was his mouth, what were his arms, what were his thighs and his feet called?

“The Brahmin was his mouth, of his arm was made the warrior, his thighs became the Vaisya, of his feet the Sudra was born.” ~Vedic Poem.

Remember there are over 30,000 caste & sub castes!

Caste SystemThe Caste System is supported by Hinduism. 82 % of Indian’s are Hindus. Obeying caste rules = Reincarnation into a higher

caste.

Born into your caste:-

You cannot change your caste. Hindus believe that your caste level is

a result of your karma in a previous life.

Believes

Untouchables / Dalit's

Cannot:

possess any wealth get an education enter a Hindu temple drink from public wells/water

systems Marry outside their caste Touch anyone from a higher

caste!! Argue or disobey upper caste

demands.

Jobs done by Untouchables

Hunting Rodents Bihar is the poorest state in India.

The villagers of Musahar a district in Bihar are called as rat-eaters or Hunting Rodents.

Discarded chicken scraps bought from a restaurant barely make a meal for Musahar women, many of whom work as field hands, have begun to agitate for better living conditions

Devadasi

At age nine Kariamma was dedicated by her family to become a devadasi, or "servant of God." At puberty, like most devadasis in India, she was offered sexually to upper caste patrons. Now, at age 30, Kariamma has given birth to five children, uncertain of whom the fathers are. An activist exclaimed, "These women are Untouchable by day, but touchable by night. "

The Caste System TodayCaste discrimination is illegal.With education and industrialization the caste system

is slowly disappearing.Unfortunately, religious discrimination still exist.

Religious discrimination

The religious system identity plays a major role in Indian society. Blue is traditionally a color of the Hindus.To identify themselves as different community they live together and paint their houses blue.

Social Distinctions Still Exist A Brahmin physician wraps a Sudra’s wrist with a cloth

before taking his pulse, so he will not to be "defiled" by touching the Sudra's skin.

Low-caste people are forbidden to use the wells in villages that high-caste Brahmins use for fear they will pollute the water.

A low-caste family is refused the right to bury a family member near their village, where both high and low castes live, because of the belief that the person's ghost will haunt the high-castes.

A woman prepares dinner on the street

A woman prepares dinner on the street for her whole family who tries to earn livelihood whole day.

So Close and So UnreachableA luxury high-rise in Mumbai stands aloof from a decaying housing complex occupied by Untouchables. Almost the only way an Untouchable can rise in Indian society is to land a government job or university scholarship, available to a few under a federal quota system.

Steps Taken By Themselves

Private Army

Outraged by the wage and land-reform demands of Untouchables, the Ranvir Sena, a militia led by landowners, has been implicated in the massacres of more than 500 Untouchables. The attackers have gone largely unpunished. Activists fear that the recent surge in violent incidents across India will only intensify as more Untouchables try to break the chains of caste.

Enlightenment

Untouchable women meeting in southern India focus on such issues as literacy, malnourishment, and employment. An organization called Janodaya, run by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, educates women on how to press for better government services in areas such as health and education, and how to start small businesses.

Reforms In Past

Many Groups unsuccessfully tried to reduce the rigidity of the caste System

Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.), founder of Buddhism. Muslim rule (1206-1862). Gandhi (1869-1948) Christianity and Judaism.

Reform Movements

According To Gandhi…Gandhi: The caste system is "inherent in human nature, and Hinduism

has simply made a science of it."

Facts that tell us Gandhi was also not able to control social inequality: Creed: passive resistance against

injustice. Frequently jailed for his protests. Assassinated by a Hindu Fundamentalist.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Overcoming numerous social and financial

obstacles, Ambedkar became one of the first untouchable to obtain a college education.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar spent his whole life fighting against social discrimination of the caste system.

He converted to Buddhism and is also credited with providing a spark for the conversion of hundreds of thousands of untouchables to Theravada Buddhism.

Steps By Government

Kasturba Balika School

Kasturba Balika School in New Delhi provides education to some 700 underprivileged girls, most of them Untouchables. It is named for the wife of Mahatma Gandhi, the man who fought and failed to end the practice of Untouchability.

Reservation SystemThe Reservation System entitles a percentage of

government jobs, elected offices and positions in college to go to the lower caste people.

This reverse discrimination is same as U.S. system of AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.

The quota system has caused tension. The competition for jobs and education is intense in India. Middle class Indians say the quota system has given low-caste Indian opportunities at their expense.

Higher-class Indians even pretend to be “backward” castes in order to land government jobs and college acceptance.

References

www.google.comwww.wikipedia.comwww.nationalgeographic.com

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