India's caste system is one of the world's oldest social stratification systems. This page explains how complicated it is.
Over 3,000 years ago, Hindus were divided into rigid hierarchical groups based on their karma (effort) and dharma (the Hindi term for religion, but here it signifies responsibility).
Where Did Caste Originate?
Manusmriti, usually regarded as the most significant and authoritative treatise on Hindu law, dates back at least 1,000 years before Christ's birth and "acknowledges and upholds the caste system as the basis of order and uniformity of society."
The caste system divides Hindus into four groups: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. Many individuals think that the various clans are descended from Brahma, the Hindu God of Creation.
At the top of the society were the Brahmins, who were generally teachers and thinkers and were supposed to have descended from Brahma's head. Following that, the Kshatriyas, or warriors and kings, arose, seemingly from his arms. Third place went to the Vaishyas, or traders, who were born from his thighs. At the bottom of the stack were the Shudras, who dropped from Brahma's foot and did all of the menial jobs.
The basic castes were subdivided further into roughly 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, all centred on a certain occupation.
India’s Queer Movement
Dalits, Adivasis, poor Hijras, and other minority queers have been marginalized in India's queer movement, which has been dominated by elite queers.
When discussing caste and queers, one of the participants of the movement said, "Talking about caste-based prejudice implies not talking about it."
Dalit queers have a reputation for being unclean, stinking, and unwashed. Upper caste queers are more likely to assert that being queer is a uniquely Western concept that lower caste queers have never encountered. One participant of the movement claims, "Many of us (Dalit queers) are simply a residue of India's queer movements." Hence, the only thing that remains visible is the brutalization, violence, and prejudice directed at marginalized queers.
The fact that anti-caste flags were smashed during the march is a clear indication that queers support caste-based discrimination, which appears to be problematic. It's unfortunate that over 7,000 queers (mostly from the upper caste) turned out for one of the pride parades, compared to barely 30 for a procession led by one of the community's persecuted groups. As a result, we can assert that gender identification intersects with other identities such as caste, race, religion, and class, further complicating the LGBT movement in India, and it is, therefore, necessary to examine these distinguishing elements within the community.
Similarly, it has been discovered that upper-caste Hindu gay males dominate online and offline venues. The upper caste identity has become a vehicle for exhibiting a desired and alluring identity. On dating apps like Grinder, the use of upper-caste titles like Gowda, Gujjar, and Rajput is on the rise. The caste system has been racialized in this way, and higher caste queers have significantly greater mainstream exposure than repressed queers like Dalits.
Is the Problem Still Existing
In the last seven decades, not much has changed. The caste system, which is aggravated by social class, remains a toxic and malignant presence in society, tainting every area of existence. We read about Dalit atrocities, shake our heads despondently over something that occurs regularly, and condemn such horrible deeds on Twitter when the topic is trendy, while secretly believing that nothing will change because caste is too firmly embedded in our country.
Conclusion
By removing the caste identity that we cling to, we might just be able to achieve equal rights for all. Subsequent generations will have little awareness of their forefathers' or mothers' caste. And if we can provide high-quality education to all of our children, even those who cannot afford it, then perhaps everyone will have a fair share of the pie in the future.
A further benefit is that politicians will no longer be able to influence vote banks based on caste. Some think that the caste system would have faded out by now if politicians hadn't kept fuelling the embers. Many caste groups still vote as a bloc in elections, and politicians pursue them for political gain. As a result, what was intended to be a one-time affirmative action move to assist underserved populations has become a vote-getting exercise for many politicians.
Written by - Jay Kumar Gupta
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