India’s mission 2047: Eradicating the Indian caste system for Viksit Bharat

I have just returned from a week-long visit to New Zealand and was pleasantly delighted to learn that 48.2% of the population does not identify with any religion (irreligion) or any sub-divisions that arise to divide the population into classes of hierarchy. Australia, the second nation I just visited, is characterized by a primarily Christian populace, though 38.9% of the population does not affiliate with any one religion. While China reports that 25.2% of its people do not adhere to any religious beliefs, Russia asserts that 24% of its extensive population does not affiliate with any particular religion.

India, however, presents a colorful picture of its affiliations. 99.79% of the population identifies with the world’s largest religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, and others. India is a diverse country with over 4,635 ethnic groupings, where Hinduism is the major religion followed by nearly 80% of the people. Nevertheless, Hinduism is not a homogeneous entity; it is fragmented into intricate hierarchies of subgroups and subcategories based on caste.

The intricate caste (Varna) system in India has its roots in the Hindu scriptures, which categorized Hinduism into four main castes: Brahmins (priests), Vaishyas (merchants), Kshatriyas (warriors), and Shudras (laborers), with the occasional inclusion of the fifth caste, Dalits. The Chandogya Upanishad, dating back to the 8th to 6th century BCE, asserts that those who have performed virtuous actions in their previous life would be rewarded with a favorable birth in the present world. They are born into the social classes of brāhmin, ksatriya, or vaiśya. However, those who performed poorly in their previous life are reborn negatively, such as being born as a dog, a pig, or someone without a caste. This prediction suggests that being casteless was considered a social infraction or offense.

This split fostered a sense of inequality within the Indian community, leading to a social rift where the Shudras endured subjugation for generations while the Brahmins asserted their hierarchical dominance. The Brahmins adopted the role of divine messengers and oversaw temple affairs, while the Shudras were assigned the degrading task of physical scavenging and were frequently given menial and unpleasant tasks. Similarly, the Muslims of India and South Asia are stratified into several categories, with the upper caste Sharif/Ashraf at the highest level, followed by the Atraf (low-born), and the Arzal or Ajlaf at the lowest level.

The Mughals maintained their support for the traditional Hindu caste system, but British colonization brought about significant changes, resulting in the establishment of the caste system, which is now practiced. The British were the pioneers in translating old Indian texts into English, therefore providing these beliefs with a more prominent international platform. Regardless of their views, the English enforced the caste system meticulously in every aspect of life without making any attempt to abolish the institution. They even included caste as a defining factor in the censuses conducted since 1871.

Following India’s Independence, the constitution, namely in articles 15 and 16, stated that the government must not discriminate against its citizens based solely on factors such as religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth, or any combination of these. Every individual, regardless of their religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residency, or any combination of these factors, will have equal eligibility and shall not face discrimination in any work or government position. India categorizes its castes as Other Backward Class (OBC), Scheduled Caste, and Scheduled Tribes. The Constituent Assembly led by Baba Saheb Ambedkar maintained the existing definition of Scheduled Castes and Tribes, which granted the president of India and the governors of the states the responsibility to create a comprehensive list of castes and tribes (as per articles 341 and 342), with the authority to make necessary revisions in the future. During the Nehru administration, the First Backward Classes Commission was formed by a presidential decree on 29 January 1953 led by Kaka Kalelkar and presented its findings on 30 March 1955 presenting a comprehensive list of 2,399 socially disadvantaged castes or groups was compiled, with 837 them identified as the ‘most disadvantaged.’ The Supreme Court provides a protective shield for advancing the livelihood of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes.

Although the government and courts may restrict the use of the word ‘caste,’ there is still a significant societal gap when it comes to inter-caste weddings. In many cases, these marriages are disapproved of, and in rural regions, there are frequent reports of ‘honor killings’ targeting couples who have eloped and married outside their caste or religion. Traditional marriage brokers and modern websites provide a wide range of castes and sub-castes for the bride and groom. Frequently, the progressive perspectives of the younger generation are dismissed by the older generation about inter-caste marriage.

Despite India’s status as a 3 trillion economy with a steady GDP growth of 6.5% in the 21st century, the caste system continues to be deeply ingrained in Indian culture. Experts often contend that urbanization would eradicate the pernicious influence of castes and resolve the complex issue of castes. Nevertheless, education alone is insufficient to eliminate the caste system since many educated individuals remain firmly attached to casteist beliefs and often assert their higher social status or align themselves with their caste members based on circumstances.

Steps that can be explored to eradicate caste:

1. Reforms in Elections—Political parties must be prohibited from nominating the dominant caste of the community in a constituency but propose a candidate from a community that is not amongst the constituency’s demographics.

2. Cease media coverage of caste – The media often covers caste-related matters, particularly during elections, which the imposition of sanctions and fines should prevent.

3. Marriage portals must offer mixed marriages. Though the portals offer freedom to select and marry the caste of their choice, marriage portals compartmentalize and propagate caste as a dominant feature. A unique feature must offer mixed caste marriages as an incentive.

4.Encourage inter-caste marriages- Though governments are wary, they must encourage financial incentives to promote inter-caste marriages to eradicate the evil of caste.

5. Eradication of surnames—Surnames in India often determine one’s caste, leading to judgmental actions and opinions of fellow citizens, which in turn lead to massive generalizations. An audacious but crucial measure would include abandoning the use of surnames for identification purposes.

None of the political parties has the determination or purpose to disrupt their support base; nevertheless, to promote society’s welfare and achieve a progressive India by 2047, the younger generations must detach themselves from the harmful influence of the caste system.

This article is originally published on https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/everything-under-the-sun/indias-mission-2047-eradicating-the-indian-caste-system-for-viksit-bharat/