Casteless , caste-ridden and caste-system based society
Even today there is no respite from casteism. The seeds of ‘divide and rule’ sown by British imperial rulers blossomed in full in independent India. Government jobs are still a bone of contention between different sections of society. It leads to a keen competition and creates permanent split in Indian society. Though urbanization and industrialization has helped to lessen the rigidities of caste system in recent past. But present-day politics encourages sectional forces, which are are vocal and aggressive in attitude about their rights, but ignore their duties. Political expediency and opportunism became order of the day. Casteism, corruption, criminalisation etc. are some of the direct consequences.
Despite these undesirable developments, not only in the past but at present also, caste system is quite popular amongst Indian masses. It still covers almost entire social fabric of India and gives Indian society a distinguished identity, a solid social structure with a system of thought, a way of life and sense of direction. It has given Indian society coherence, stability, continuity and led to its all round growth. It has prepared atmosphere for co-existence of different castes and communities generation after generation despite numerous foreign invasions, centuries of foreign rule, migrations and assimilation of various groups having diverse languages and practices into it. It has provided unity of culture, which binds together all people of Indian peninsula from one end to the other, thus making unity in diversity a reality.
Caste, which is nothing else but a large extended family bonded by same language, customs, thinking and way of living, still commands respect and attention of Indian masses as a natural, valid and useful institution. An individual is a natural member of a family, which is the unit of an extended family, extended family of Kula (clan), Kula of a tribe (Vish) and a tribe of a Jana or Jati (Caste). Caste is second only to the family and is a natural, dear and inevitable unit of other fundamental social institutions mentioned above. Not only Hindus, but other sects living in India, with all their egalitarian faith, whether foreign or indigenous, like Muslims and Christians, Sikhs or Buddhist, could not remain immune from its caste system for long. They have also been greatly influenced by it and have absorbed many of its practices and systems.
|