Essay on The Caste System in India
The Caste System in India Essay: The caste system in India refers to the paradigmatic ethnographic epitome of the classification of castes. There are four types of castes namely, the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishya, Shudras and the Dalits or the untouchables. In Bhagavad Gita, it is clearly stated that castes shall be based on qualities and skills. However in reality the castes are assigned according to birth. The Indian Constitution banned the practice of untouchability and established special quotas as the reserved category in the schools, colleges, employment sectors and the parliament. In the present day, caste discrimination is no longer a prioritised in getting access to education and other privileged opportunities. Despite India being independent for 75 years, the caste system is still prevalent in some remote regions of the country.
Discussion
India is a secular, socialist and democratic country. Prior to the framing of the constitution, the caste system was deeply rooted in the Indi and is regarded as a social evil. The Brahmins were the priest who enjoy the upper position, Then came the Kshatriyas who were administrators, and soldiers and were placed below with brahmins. Next comes the vaishyas who were positioned below Kshatriyas were farmers and traders. Finally came the Shudras who were the labourers and servants who were looked down upon.
Under the caste system, a person belonging to a particular caste has to follow the profession of his father and grandfathers. There was no equality among the people and it was the people from the higher castes who enjoyed the maximum benefits. Contrary to this, if the people from the lower castes tended to follow the habits of the upper castes they were punished. Mainly the Shudras had to go through many difficulties as they were not allowed to study and were forced to do all sorts of menial jobs.
In his novel, ‘Untouchable’ Mulk Raj Anand reflected untouchability as the theme and drew the attention of the raiders toward the miseries faced by the Dalits or the untouchables. The degradation, injustice and humiliation faced by the lower castes inflicted upon the upper castes are highly criticised by the author in his novel. In Karnataka’s Chikmagalur district, an owner of a coffee estate and his son have been engaged in torturing 14 Dalit workers, which highly epitomises that Dalits are still tortured in India to some extent and that the caste system has not totally been wiped off.
Conclusion
To conclude, it can be said that the caste system in India is regarded as a social evil that led to the downfall of the society. It led to the prevalence of inequality whereby the upper class were subjected to pleasures and opportunities and the lower classes were subjected to resentment and humility. Gandhi, the father of our nation, regarded the lower castes or untouchables as Harijans or the man of God. However, with the inception of reservation or the quota system by B.R Ambedkar, the lower classes enjoy privileges as done by the upper castes.
FAQs
Q1. Who regarded the untouchables as Harijans?
Ans: Gandhi regarded the untouchables as Harijans or the man of god.
Q2. Who introduced the Quota or the reservation system in India?
Ans: B.R. Ambedkar introduced the Quota or the reservation system in India.
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