Before taking up the caste-based census, it will be worthwhile if we may study the effects of different castes on our society, which have reached an irritating level with the issue of fatwa’s from religious leaders that create bad taste among different communities. A hierarchical caste system among Hindus in India dates back to primitive times when people believed in getting the benefit of rebirth in a higher social status by following particular rituals. Our society has been divided into several sects who do not observe solidarity with each other.
We are a biggest democracy in the world but there is little activism of equality among different groups of people. In actual life people are very well aware of the grading in castes, and their importance is shaped by their performance. We can immediately discern whether a person belongs to a menial caste or an upper caste which is considered in order of their ranking. All the human beings have got the same blood but the opportunities available to them are different, which is not acceptable. Had this prehistoric system been abolished all of us could live in peace without facing multiple problems which we are facing now.
A day is not far off when the people who indulge in supporting the caste system for their personal benefit will be pinpointed and segregated from the society restoring back the period of excellence. But this is not so easy and is only possible if the king makers (Janta Janardan) speak in one voice against the caste system. There is another type of distinction in hierarchy; men outrank women and think them superior. Muslims have imposed many restrictions on women and they do not let them come out of their shell to compete with men. They restrict their emancipation and there liberation is possible if they get education, which is being denied to them by hard core Islamic fundamentalists.
People with political power, wealth and superior birth assume higher rank in the caste hierarchy. The system is being followed from the prehistoric times and is becoming rigid day by day. It has thwarted diversification because people want to remain in their own social group. A businessman’s son would choose his father’s business, an actor’s son would become an actor, and the siblings of politicians will get themselves involved in politics by towing their line. They would choose similar career to have a greater chance to follow a successful career in contrast to the families of a common man.
Inter-caste marriages have been totally prohibited and people usually prefer to marry in their own social groups. But a via-media has been created to accommodate love birds provided they convert to the other religion to have the same culture of their partners, particularly in Christianity and Muslims. Most of the Hindu girls have married Muslim boys and vice versa, and are having successful married life. They have created their own religion with no conversions, and this is through “Special Marriage Act.” They will not succumb to the age old rituals in spite of their religious heads being assertive in caste discrimination.
The female population has gone down because of the restrictions imposed on intermixing of castes and brides are not available to bridegrooms in certain communities. If these restrictions and rulings by religions head continued, there will be an extinction of brides and this malpractice will affect large percentage of population. This malady of caste system has spread to other communities, and people have been segregated into different groups as a basic part of their religious beliefs and traditions. One important reason is forcible conversions. The Hindus are more assertive in caste discrimination than the other communities.An exodus has started from low caste and poor population and separate religious groups have made the caste system more complex. The society has been divided into different groups and group affiliation is being encouraged instead of showing solidarity as one nation. The people have become orthodox and started practicing rigidity in socializing, education, career formation and various other activities. They got themselves divided into upper and lower caste categories. In the distant past, there were religious and political leaders like Nanak, Buddha, Nehru, and Ambedkar who spoke against the caste system which is deep rooted and even today.
Interested people play different games to let this system prevail to gain political mileage. Muslim religious leaders announce fatwa’s for inter-caste marriages, put restriction on women to work outside their homes and non-compliance is threatened with dire consequences. The politicians try to snatch caste votes of minority communities without thinking the consequences of igniting a spark of hatred, which can destroy the very fabric of society. In rural areas where there is only one school to cater to a larger conglomeration of villages, most of the families being orthodox don’t send their daughters for high school education, thinking them to mix with the low caste children of their village.
The times are fast changing and due to innovation in technology there is a drastic change in the mindset of the people. In spite of this reasonable thinking some politicians have raised their voice in Parliament to get the media hype and are still insisting for caste-based census. They plan to get reservation of quota for minority communities and thus to keep their flock together to snatch power somehow or other. These are divisive tactics of the politicians who are indulging in caste based politics, and are more worried for power rather than the unity of the country. This system demarcates a social division in the same caste which is likely to create rift among the society.
The youth of 21st century would like to shun the caste discrimination for the benefit of the society but interested persons are again racking up the issue and will succeed in their mission by providing issue based help to the Government, which is already on crutches provided by minority parties.