This article is from a series of Questions answered by Shekhar Bodhakar
1. HOW DOES THE HINDU CASTE SYSTEM REALLY WORK?
The Hindu caste system is more accurately called “THE JATI and/or VARNA SYSTEM”.
Jati System in India
In today’s climate, no organisation, social, political or religious really control what is known as the jati system, though they may attempt to do so. What is the Indian caste system?
CASTE is an inaccurate translation of what is known as JATI to the Indians.
(Literal meaning of the JATI SYSTEM is the SPECIES SYSTEM -not caste system)
The so-called ‘higher castes’ generally control where in the hierarchical scale a particular caste falls. They can do that because they have the political strength and economical might do so.
Regardless of the origins of caste, close knit communities of varying magnitudes that adapt to and adopt certain caste laws, by and for their communities (according to their collective desires), makes it a very much alive and evolving system of unwritten laws.
The ONLY UNCHANGING common caste law is:
You cannot change your caste. You were born in a particular caste and you will die in that caste NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.
The other COMMON caste law is, you must marry within your caste, though this law is at times given a blind eye especially if the offender is a “high caste” male. Breaking the accepted caste laws is very much looked down at and can even lead to death (murder) of the ‘offender’.
Having caste identities and adhering to the caste system is without doubt, the greatest stumbling block that hinders India’s progress in all sectors. However, because it operates through strict unwritten laws (general and specific to particular castes) in thousands of caste units across the sub-continent, it makes it that much more problematic to annihilate.
The jati system is a control systen, in favour of dominant and oppressor castes, in which humans are divided into groups and each GROUP assigned a NAME, it’s jaat/jati/caste.
People falling in these jatis are expected to perform duties and live in accordance with what is expected from their jati. Their jati controls almost every aspect of their lives. It is a system designed to control the masses for the benefit of the few who fall in the highest jatis.
The lowest jatis were meant to serve the higher jatis. It is a system in which there is not only division of labour, but division of labourers. It is a system of graded degradation which must be annihilated if India is to survive as a progressing nation.
It is often claimed by adherents of the caste system that your caste is based on your profession. IT IS NOT. If that is so, than why not simply call it a profession?
Instead, it is your profession, like thousands of other things, that is based on the jati in which you were born. If you are, for example, from the jati teacher/ cleaner/ farmer/ entrepreneur, then you are expected to train and take up occupation ONLY as a teacher/ cleaner/ farmer/ entrepreneur. It so happens that you are expected to stay in the profession of your ancestors for life.Thus, if your ancestors were slaves, your next generations will also be expected to do the same menial jobs as your ancestors and remain slaves. You’d be laughing if you were the masters. You’d surely then want to maintain the system if you belonged to the highest caste and most likely would want to make the jatisystem as rigid as possible.
Once you understand the above, you realise that the caste system is NOT based on your profession BUT YOUR EXPECTED PROFESSION IS BASED ON THE CASTE THAT WAS ASSIGNED TO YOUR ANCESTORS. They were MADE TO BELIEVE that they belong to a particular jati and will always remain in that jati and system for good.
Castes are man-made to control man. In reality, they don’t ACTUALLY exist.
The purpose of strict marriage laws (to marry within the same jati) was to strengthen the jati system and ensure it’s continuation. Denial of education to the lower jatis also served the same purpose. All to keep the jati system intact. As is evident today, they certainly did an excellent job ensuring that the desired result is obtained.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem annihilation of caste is likely to happen anytime soon. It can take a few generations for it to die out. How many generations? Your guess is as good as mine. I say this because currently I do not know of a single prominent organisation whose sole aim is “annihilation of jati/caste (AoJ)”
Only COMPLETE Annihilation of caste will end casteism. If there are no castes, there cannot be caste discrimination.
The caste system is the most vile system of social control in history, a mammoth task to end. By ‘complete’ annihilation I mean completely eradicating it ALSO from the psyche of those who (mainly from low jatis), yet understand and want to reject the caste system but, subconsciously continue to behave as if belonging to a particular caste. Brainwashed to the core, they develop caste behavior.
‘Annihilation of jaat/caste’ means to sever ALL emotional ties with the jati that your ancestors were MADE TO BELIEVE they belonged to.
Caste victims need to ask themselves the question, “In modern society, is there ANY benefit of having a caste identity?” and continually keep asking that question until caste is annihilated from within themselves.
2. WHAT CAN BE THE SOLUTION FOR ERADICATING CASTEISM IN INDIA?
In a nutshell:
THE ONLY SOLUTION TO ERADICATE CASTEISM/JATISM, IS TO FIRST SHED YOUR OWN CASTE/JATI IDENTITY AND THEN PROPAGATE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.
(Jati is commonly but incorrectly translated as caste. The exact English translation of JATI is SPECIES, not caste)
“What can be the solution for eradicating casteism in India?” is a great question. It tells me that you are already interested in ending Jatism and so, do not really need convincing as to “WHY” Jatism should be annihilated. You just need to know the “HOW TO” bit.
In case you need convincing on WHY casteism should be eradicated, follow the Quora Spaces dedicated to annihilating jati and raising awareness about the horrors of the jati system.
Please ask questions and contribute to these spaces and check out related questions in the links at the end of the answer.
THERE IS NO OTHER PERMANENT SOLUTION.
Four further questions arise (from the answer “in a nutshell”).
1). WHY is ‘shedding your caste identity’ the ONLY solution?
ANSWER : Because the whole purpose of belonging to a jati is to plug into a system that propagates discrimination, i.e. casteism/jatism. If there are no caste identities, there cannot be casteism. Jatism only exist because jatis exist and jatis only exist because people associate themselves with jati identity.
Had there been no castes, there wouldn’t have been casteism.
2). Why MUST You shed your jati/caste identity?
ANSWER : Because a caste mentality is a psychological condition. In reality there really are no human jatis but just jati-fied mentalities.
Contrary to what people have been brainwashed into believing, Jati was never (and it still IS NOT today) based on occupation (or on thousands of other things one is expected to do) but instead, the occupation that one is/was expected to enter is/was based on the caste that was imposed/forced on one’s ancestors. Your ancestors were MADE TO BELIEVE that they belong to a particular jati.
3).How can you shed your caste identity, i.e. how can you annihilate caste FROM WITHIN YOURSELF?
ANSWER : The foremost condition necessary to annihilate jati from within is to simply UNDERSTAND what jati is (at least in today’s context). A mere recognition of the fact that casteism existing will not annihilate caste/jati.
UNDERSTAND that casteism exists because the man-made “concept” of belonging to jatis exist.
Today no one has the right to categorise you as belonging to any particular caste UNLESS you yourself believe in the caste system.
Now, to the most important question.
4). In order to annihilate caste and therefore casteism, are YOU willing and ready to shed your caste identity AND propagate the same?
Only you can answer that.
IF NO, I’m sorry to say casteismcannot be annihilated.
IF YES, encourage others to keep asking themselves the question, “In the twenty first century, is there ANY benefit of having a caste identity?”
IF THEY ANSWER “NO”, they must shed their caste identities and become casteless.
IF THEY ANSWER “YES”, they may not reveal how they will personally gain due to fear of being exposed as “selfish-casteist”.
