Category: Caste System

Introduction

A fascinating and complex sociocultural phenomenon that has influenced nations profoundly for ages is the caste system.

With its origins in ancient India, the caste system is a sophisticated social stratification scheme that establishes a person’s position, rights, and responsibilities within their group. Its impact is seen far beyond the Indian subcontinent since comparable social hierarchies have existed in different ways worldwide.

We start by looking at the historical foundations of the caste system in India, following its development from prehistoric writings through the Vedic era when it was solidified. We’ll look at how this structure created discrete social groupings inside society, each with designated jobs and duties.

The caste system still poses challenging problems in the current period as communities develop and change. We will examine the recent initiatives to confront and abolish discrimination based on caste and the function that activism and law play in these efforts.

This article aims to present a thorough analysis of the caste system, highlighting its historical relevance, worldwide reach, and ongoing impact on social dynamics and structures.

We aim to contribute to a fuller understanding of the complexity of this deeply embedded social order by looking at its history and current expressions.

100 Words Essay on Caste System

The caste system is a historical division of society, comprising several classes based on birth and work, most commonly associated with India. It classifies people into four main “varnas”: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (merchants), and Shudras (laborers), and is based on ancient Hindu traditions. These main groups eventually split into countless “jatis,” or sub-castes.

Although initially intended to divide the work, the system eventually served as a solidifying force for social boundaries, resulting in ongoing discrimination and constrained social mobility. What is more, Caste-based prejudice still affects social interactions, marriages, and even politics, despite legislative measures to combat it and modernization.

250 Words Essay on Caste System

The caste system, an ancient social hierarchy, has been a fundamental component of India’s social structure for millennia. Its foundations are found in religious writings and cultural customs, influencing Indian civilization.

Although it was formally outlawed in contemporary India, its legacy still affects political dynamics, economic prospects, and social connections.

Four primary varnas, or types, comprised the caste system in the past: Brahmins, who were priests and intellectuals; Kshatriyas, who were warriors and kings; Vaishyas, who were merchants and farmers; and Shudras, who were workers and enslaved people.

The Dalits, sometimes called “Untouchables,” lived outside these four varnas and were the targets of extreme prejudice.

The continuation of social inequity is one of the caste system’s most significant effects. Caste is something that people are born into, and social mobility has historically been highly constrained.

Deeply ingrained bias and discrimination still exist despite attempts to rectify this inequity through affirmative action laws and constitutional amendments.

Discrimination based on caste is still pervasive in modern-day India, limiting social integration, work, and education possibilities. Caste ties impact election results, demonstrating the caste system’s political dominance.

Groups and individuals have challenged the existing quo in a continuing effort to end caste prejudice and advance social equality. But breaking apart a structure that has been a part of society for millennia is a challenging and continuous effort.

The caste system has a lasting effect on the Indian diaspora, impacting social dynamics and cultural traditions in nations with sizable Indian populations, even if its results are most noticeable in India.

400 Words Essay on Caste System

India’s history, culture, and society have all been significantly impacted by the caste system, a hierarchical hierarchy, for thousands of years.

Although there have been many essential modifications to this intricate system of social stratification over time, its influence may still be seen in modern-day India because it originated in ancient holy writings.

In the past, the caste system divided people into four main divisions or varnas: the Shudras (servants and laborers), the Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors), the Vaishyas (merchants and farmers), and the Brahmins (priests and academics).

Beyond these varnas were people seen as belonging beyond the caste system; they were called “Dalits” or “Untouchables.”

Every varna had its own set of duties, and people were born into a caste that determined their social standing and line of work.

The caste system’s ability to maintain social inequity is among its most prominent characteristics. Due to discrimination based on caste, there are now notable differences in the possibilities available for work, education, and economic growth.

The Dalits, in particular, have suffered the most from this prejudice, being shut out of several facets of society and subjected to cruel treatment.

The caste system has been formally abolished in contemporary India, and affirmative action laws have been implemented to make up for past wrongs. Still, its memory is engrained in the collective consciousness of the country. Political parties generally aim to organize caste-based vote blocs, and caste affinities frequently play a significant role in politics.

Discrimination based on caste is still a significant problem that affects daily life and social relationships. Many regions of the nation still oppose intercaste marriages, and it is still difficult for those from lower castes to climb the economic ladder.

Continuous attempts have been made to combat prejudice based on caste and advance social fairness.

Organizations and activists put in a lot of effort to fight ingrained biases and promote equal rights and opportunities for all residents. Even with these attempts, breaking apart a system that has existed for centuries is complicated and continuous.

It is essential to remember that the caste system impacts outside of India. Caste identities have been carried by Indian groups abroad, affecting social dynamics and cultural customs.

The caste system is an enduring social structure that has profoundly impacted India’s history and culture. India’s contemporary journey has been marked by the ongoing battle for social justice and equality as the country tries to balance its rich cultural legacy with democratic ideals and equal rights for its residents.

500 Words Essay on Caste System

The caste system, a long-standing social stratification structure in India, symbolizes the tenacity of antiquated customs and the difficulties of contemporary assimilation. The system, which is deeply ingrained in Indian culture, has shaped the sociopolitical landscape, impacting everything from marriage to politics. The caste system, a hierarchical structure based chiefly on birthright, has been crucial in establishing a person’s career, societal position, and spiritual responsibilities.

The Vedic period, which began around 1500 BCE, is said to have set the groundwork for the caste system, also called the “Varna” system. It separated society into four basic subgroups: priestly Brahmins, military Kshatriyas, commercial Vaishyas, and laboring Shudras. The hierarchy grew more complex with time as these Varnas gave rise to various “jatis” or sub-castes.

The caste system was once a flexible structure based on a person’s occupation and merit. Over the years, though, it became genetic, creating a strict plan in which upward mobility was virtually impossible. A person born in a specific caste must follow its set ceremonies, obligations, and jobs. A fifth group, the Dalits or “untouchables,” appeared with time. They were excluded, shunned, and assigned the most menial and humiliating chores since they were at the bottom of this social structure.

The caste system is quite complicated. It established duties and obligations, which for ages preserved societal stability. However, it also helped institutionalize prejudice, maintaining societal gaps still visible today.

However, the caste system’s hold on metropolitan environments seems to be slipping. Traditional traditions are challenged by rapid urbanization, a rise in intercaste marriages, and the spread of knowledge. Paradoxically, casteism still discreetly displays itself in politics and marital decisions, even in these metropolitan environments.

Caste boundaries in India were aggressively attacked throughout the post-independence era. Leaders like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a Dalit himself, fought for the rights of the oppressed, leading to the strict anti-discrimination rules in the Indian Constitution.

Reservation quotas were implemented in educational institutions and government positions to right historical wrongs. However, despite their good intentions, these initiatives have caused discussion. They are criticized for maintaining caste identities, while their proponents view them as necessary for leveling the playing field.

Concerning the caste question, contemporary India is at a turning point. The forces of modernization and globalization, which push for a shift toward a more equitable society, are on one side.

The weight of history and tradition on the opposite side reminds us of India’s origins. The harmony is precarious. While it’s vital to love history and comprehend its significance, ensuring this devotion doesn’t support inequity is just as essential.

Caste-based prejudice must be eliminated via varied efforts. The eradication of long-held misconceptions and prejudices depends heavily on education. It is possible to question and alter deeply established attitudes by fostering inter-caste relationships, advocating for inclusive narratives, and publicizing the success stories of people from underprivileged communities.

The caste system remains one of India’s most outstanding issues because of its many layers and wide-ranging effects. With persistent work, it is possible to abolish caste as a factor in destiny, rendering the outdated hierarchical structure of the past.

The book written by Dr. Ambedkar, “Annihilation of Caste” which is also known as the undelivered speech which was supposed to be delivered at a Conference being organized by Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal of Lahore and was cancelled because of controversial and objectionable content against the Hindu religion, but it was published by Dr. Ambedkar as a book in which he aimed at the Caste system of Indian society which is led by the Hindu religion. In this book, Dr. Ambedkar has criticized the Hindu religion, its caste system and its religious texts like the Vedas and the Shastras which are male dominant and spread hatred and suppress the females by discriminating them. For Dr. Ambedkar the Arya Samaji’s ‘chaturvarnya’ was repellent and due to this he rebelled against it. The book was controversial at that time and till today it is the same.

According to my opinion, ‘Annihilation of Caste’ is not just a speech or a book, it’s the life of Dr. Ambedkar which was full of struggles like discrimination and exploitation by upper caste Hindus just because he was from a lower caste, it has the questions he wanted to ask the upper caste Hindu’s about the caste system they follow and implement, it’s his observation and experience and moreover it’s the reality of the Indian society which can be seen in the instances and facts given by him, it’s the pain and effort Dr. Ambedkar has put in for the lower caste untouchables i.e. Dalits, not only men but also the females who were exploited, so that they get the rights and justice they deserve. Caste is not just a stamp on a individual describing his or her identity, caste can be seen as a Division of the society into the rich upper caste and poor lower caste. Therefore, we can say that the upper caste not only have all the rights to do things and make decisions for the lower caste, but they also have the Power to implement them as they want to.

In the beginning of the text, Dr. Ambedkar says that “I have questioned the authority of the Mahatma whom they revere. They hate me. To them I am snake in their Garden”, with this he wanted to say that just because I am questioning them about their caste system, they hate me and feel that I am there to attack their system and their religious views. As Dr. Ambedkar was selected as the President by the Jat-pat-Todak Mandal, He said that the Mandal will be asked to explain why it has disobeyed the Shastras in selecting the President of the Mandal, because according to the Shastras the Brahmin is appointed to be the Guru for the three Varnas and Dr. Ambedkar was from a lower varna, so how can he be a Guru.

According to Dr. Ambedkar the major cause of the mandal was to bring Social Reform and this cause always made a appeal to him, and this was the major reason why he felt that he should not refuse an opportunity of helping the cause, especially when the Mandal thought that he was the one who could help it. He considered the path of social reform, like a path to Heaven in India which is full of hurdles and difficulties and also said that social reform in India has very few friends to support and many people to criticize and the critics fall into two different classes i.e. political reformers and the socialists.

The book talks about the caste system is not just a division of labour, whereas it is a division of laborers i.e. Dr. Ambedkar felt that it was a pity that caste system had its defenders who considered caste system as another name for division of labor and accordingly people have their occupations which is needed in a civilized society and therefore there nothing wrong in the caste system. But the true reality was that it wasn’t dividing the work, whereas it was dividing the workers on the basis of caste.

According to the book Caste is a state of mind, cultivated through the laws to be followed by a devout Hindu. Dr. Ambedkar maintained that the only way to get rid of the poison, is to cut off its source of supply i.e. the Hindu scriptures.

There are many instances given in the book by Dr. Ambedkar which explain the reality of the Caste System in India like the example of the Balais which is an untouchable community, and the Hindus had put many restrictions on them, they were not even allowed to drink water from the village wells, another example was of a incident in Kavitha in Gujarat where the Hindus ordered the untouchables not to insist upon sending their children to the common village school maintained by the Government, another example was of the village Zanu in Ahmadabad, where some untouchable women of well to do families started fetching water in metal pots, but the Hindus saw it as an affront to their dignity , and assaulted the untouchable women for their impudence. With this Dr. Ambedkar asked the Hindu community a question that whether they were really fit for political power even though they didn’t allow a large part of their own people like the untouchables to use public schools, public wells, public streets and even don’t allow them to eat what they like. According to him the Social Conference was a body which mainly concerned itself with the reform of the high class Hindu families and it consisted of the high caste Hindus who did not even feel the necessity for agitating for the abolition of caste, or didn’t have the courage to do it, just because they were the makers of the caste system and also they were the ones who benefitted from it. According to me ill treating and suppressing people of another class as a matter of system, as a matter of principles and allowing the oppression and exploitation to happen which creates a division is not justified. And as we say Justice delayed is Justice denied, which is a painful truth.

According to Dr. Ambedkar the social status of an individual in the society often becomes a source of power and authority which is made clear by the sway which the Mahatmas have held over the common man. According to me, with this he wanted to say like Gandhiji was made a Mahatma and treated as God by the people, so it is possible to oppose a man but how can someone question a God whom he believes and follows. But if talk about Dr. Ambedkar today, he is also given similar importance.

Dr. Ambedkar in the book also related caste with Scientific origin i.e. heredity and eugenics. According to him if caste is eugenic, due to which inter-caste marriages are not allowed. Also he feels that if caste is eugenic then the origin of the sub castes must also be eugenic. And at last he feels that if caste is eugenic in origin then why inter-dining between castes and sub-castes alike because inter-dining cannot infect blood and therefore cannot cause improvement or deterioration of the race or caste. Therefore, this shows that caste had no scientific origin. According to Dr. Ambedkar caste system is a social system which embodies the arrogance and selfishness of a perverse section of the Hindus who were superior enough in social status to set it in fashion, and who also have the authority to force it on their inferior i.e. the lower castes.

After analyzing Dr. Ambedkar’s ‘Annihilation of Caste’, I can say that Dr. Ambedkar has put in a lot of efforts to bring a Social Reform. The instances and views presented by him explains the reality i.e. the struggles of the untouchable caused by the so called upper caste Hindus. Dr. Ambedkar has challenged Caste system in way that no one could have done, and questions and facts given by him cannot be opposed, given reasons or answers.

According to me Ambedkar has rightly said that “so long as these names continue, Hindus will continue to think of the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra as hierarchical divisions of high and low based on birth, and to act accordingly”.

“Annihilation of Caste” is not just a book, it was a reform movement which was started by Dr. Ambedkar, and till today the goals have not been fulfilled and caste based discrimination is still present in our society. Therefore, we can say that, Yes we say that we are modern and educated people, but still we need to know that things need to be changed and serious actions need to be taken against problems which have been a part of the society from so many years and the reform movement started by Dr. Ambedkar should reach its goal, as he always wanted to bring a social reform and bringing a social change. Those who really want to know the history of evolution of caste system in India, it’s mechanism, genesis and developments should surely read this book. It is not only helpful in understanding our caste problems, but it also gives us solutions which can be used to free from caste prejudices, it has some very practical advices on the abolition of caste like inter-dining between castes and inter-caste marriages. Therefore, the book shows the true reality of Caste system in India from its inception and how this can be brought to an end.

Assignment ques: Discuss Ambedkar’s critique of the caste system making suitable references to the text you have studied.

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar also known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was one of the most prominent lawyers, economists, politicians and social reformers who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination towards the Untouchables. He played a significant role for the upliftment of the downtrodden. He was considered a messiah for the suppressed class as he belongs to the untouchable’s community. He is considered a great critique of the caste system. He had knowledge of 9 languages like Hindi, Pali, Sanskrit, English, French, German, Marathi, Persian, and Gujarati.

He was born in the Dalit Mahar family of western India, he was a boy humiliated by his high-caste schoolfellows. In 1947 Ambedkar became the law minister of the government of India. He took a leading part in the framing of the Indian constitution, outlawing discrimination against untouchables, and skillfully helped to steer it through the assembly. He resigned in 1951, disappointed at his lack of influence in the government. In October 1956, in despair because of the perpetuation of untouchables in Hindu doctrine, he renounced Hinduism and became a Buddhist, together with about 200000 fellow Dalits, at a ceremony in Nagpur.

His prominent works: Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development (1916), Mook Nayak (weekly) (1920), The Problem of the Rupee: its origin and its solution (1923), Bahishkrut Bharat (India Ostracized)(1927), Janta (weekly) (1930), The Annihilation of Caste(1936) and Federation Versus Freedom(1939).

Ambedkar’s “Annihilation of Caste” is a revolutionary speech prepared by him in the 1936 Annual Conference of Lahore. Due to certain misapprehension, it was not delivered in the conference. Ambedkar invited the socialists to fight against the caste system and he asserted that caste is not just based on the division of labour but it is the division of labourers.

Ambedkar’s views on the caste system:

1. Caste is a system in which the determination of position, rights and duties of an individual is done on the basis of the birth of such individual in a particular group. In other words, we can say that the status of an individual is determined by birth. As we have evidence of the Varna system in Hinduism which divides its society into 4 classes or castes the upper is Brahmins including priests and intellectuals. They themselves claim to have all good qualities like honesty, integrity, cleanliness, purity, austerity, knowledge, and wisdom. They are assigned to spiritual tasks like teaching and studying Vedas, performing sacrifices and religious ceremonies etc. Then after Brahmins, Kshatriyas were the warriors, police, and administrators basically protectors of society. They are expected to show considerable strength of body and character. Then Vaishyas, were farmers, merchants, and business people. Their duty is to protect animals and the land, to create wealth and prosperity and to give taxes to the Kshatriyas. The lowest class are the Shudras, consisting of artisans and workers. They have to render service to the other upper class above them.
2. Under the caste system an individual is not allowed to change its status for instance, in November 1935 some untouchable women of village Zanu in Ahmedabad started fetching water in metal pots which was considered as one of the luxury items, this enraged the upper caste Hindus and they assaulted the untouchable women for their shamelessness. This means that untouchables cannot have access to any luxury items even if he/she can afford to buy it as this was considered as an affront to their dignity.
3. We can say that it is the rigid form of stratification system, which restrict the mobility and distinctness of status. Due to the caste system, several evil prevails in the society and the untouchables were subjected to oppression for instance oppressed untouchables in Maratha under Peshwas. They were being made to attach brooms on their waists so that used paths by them could be clean by the broom in order to stop Hindus from being polluted. They had to carry an earthen pot hung in their neck so that they could spit in.
4. Caste system leads to untouchability. The caste system has condemned large groups of people to a life of degradation without any hope of redemption. It has created untouchables, an evil that has been sapping the very vitals of society. This untouchability is reduced to the state of natural slavery and hindered the growth of brotherhood; holding off the national unity as it disallowed any type of social intercourse. As BR Ambedkar rightly said, ‘untouchability of Hindus is a rare phenomenon, humanity in any other part of the earth has never experienced it. There is no such thing in any other society. It restricts the growth of brotherhood among people and also it holds off national unity and creates obstacles to social progress. According to Mahatma Gandhi, untouchability is the hate fullest expression of caste. There is an anti-social spirit in Hindus because of the caste system. This anti-social spirit is not confined to caste alone but can be seen in sub-castes as well. For instance, Brahmin’s foremost concern is to avoid interaction with other groups as those of non- Brahmins and non- Brahmins’ foremost interest is to avoid any interactions or social gatherings with Brahmins. This led to a lack of brotherhood among Hindus. Till the caste system prevails Sanghatan(unity) would be impossible among Hindus. For instance, a Hindu would never come to rescue a Hindu as they lack fellow-feeling and also the reason in difference due to caste. On the other hand, a Muslim and a Sikh would come to rescue their brothers respectively because they have fellow feelings in them.
5. The caste system denies equal rights of individuals, that’s why it is considered as undemocratic. As Ambedkar himself said, “If i find the constitution being misused, I shall be the first one to burn it”.Democracy is based on the principle of equality, fraternity, and liberty. On the other hand, the caste system is based on inequality of status and opportunities, which often creates conflict and tension in society. It acts as an obstacle in the normal and smooth functioning of democracy. No doubt India has got political freedom but it must be the concern of every individual that real freedom cannot be cherished without the attainment of social and economic democracy. It is unfortunate that the Indian society is sharply divided into various castes and sub-castes which acts as a barrier due to rigidity and division of society based on caste consideration.
6. Disintegrating Factor: The caste system has literally split up the society into hundreds of hereditary caste and subcastes and encouraged a spirit of exclusiveness and class pride, narrowed the outlook and created wide gaps between the various sections of the community. The caste system resulted in a lot of evils because of its rigid rules. It perpetuates the exploitation of the economically weaker and socially inferior caste. For instance, we evidenced in the text
7. Origin of caste system: It is difficult to establish when the caste system originated, but there is no doubt that the institution of caste for the convenience of the ruling class leading to their successful administration by them. There are different theories about the establishment of the caste system. These are Religious mystical, Biological, Socio- historical theories.

Grounds for the defence of caste system

Even today there are many supporters of the caste system, reasons for support vary.

1. On the basis of a profession: The caste system is being defended on the basis of labour but in reality, it is the division of labourers as Ambedkar asserted that ‘caste system is not merely division of labour. It is also a division of labourers’. It means that the labourers are graded as one above the other, but this stratification is not based on the innate capabilities of an individual but rather based on the social status or social background of his family and this stratification is based on the occupation has harmful effects. According to Ambedkar unemployment in our country which exists at a high rate is the result of the caste system. A Hindu is not free to change his occupation according to his changing circumstances. For instance, if a Hindu remains to starve because of his financial condition and he aspires of a better occupation which does not belong to his caste, then he has to abandon his desires. So, this division of labour is based on the division of choice and individual preferences and desires nothing matters as they are bound by the caste system. There is no efficiency in a system where neither men’s heart nor their minds are in their work. So caste proved to be pernicious for economic organization.
2. On a biological basis: Some defenders defence the caste system biologically in order to preserve their blood and race but even ethnologists have claimed that men of pure blood and race do not exist anywhere in the world. The caste system was said to preserve a mixture of races but in fact, the caste system came into effect long after the mingling of blood and culture of different races. Ambedkar claimed his argument by asking several questions for instance, what racial difference we find in the untouchables of Madras and untouchables of Punjab? What racial difference is between the Brahmin of Madras and Pariah of Madras? The untouchable of Punjab and madras are of the same race and Brahmin of Madras and Pariah of madras are of the same race Caste system is negative as it prohibits intermarrying of different castes just to preserve their purity but what’s the problem in interdining between different castes as it cannot impure the blood. So-called superior Hindus By claiming the caste system as based on eugenics is just an excuse in order to preserve their superiority and social status. Even scientists have claimed the caste system based on eugenics is a futile or worthless argument.

Effects of caste system on Hindus itself

The effect on Hindus is completely unacceptable they have become insensitive towards individuals other than their caste. For a Hindu everything is his caste and his responsibility, his loyalty are limited only to his caste. Caste has bound a Hindu to a great extent. A Hindu cannot show sympathy, or loyalty other than his caste. He cannot give charity to the needy or appreciate a deserving person other than his caste. They are bound to give charity only to his caste members. All these restrictions have made Hindus insensitive towards others. In fact, a Hindu will follow the leadership of any leader only if he is of the same caste of his.for example a Brahmin will follow a leader only if he is a Brahmin, and a Kayastha will follow only a leader if he belongs to the Kayastha.

A Hindu must be loyal to his caste, which means that he has to support his fellows only of his caste no matter whether they are right or wrong or good or bad. This means that virtue and vice don’t matter only caste matters for a Hindu.

Caste has completely demoralised and disorganized the Hindus. According to sociologists, there is a complete lack of “consciousness of kind” among Hindus..the only consciousness that exists is the consciousness of his caste. That is the reason they feel a lack of unity amongst themselves. They need to communicate or interact with other castes which can only make them as an integrated whole. For example, the festivals are the same for everyone under Hinduism but the way of celebrating the festivals is different, by adopting these ways they have become separated within the same religion. They should celebrate or make joy together as this will arouse feelings of emotions and sensitivity towards their fellow beings. This caste system prevents the Hindus to come together and celebrating festivals together as it would be considered as going against their religion and an affront to their dignity.

Why Hindus are bound to a caste system? Why they don’t show the courage to destroy it?

The real reason lies in Hindu scriptures and Shastras. The Vedas which are considered the most ancient text of Hinduism has evidence of the caste system and these scriptures justify the caste system. According to Ambedkar, Hindu practices are cast not because they are abnormal or insensitive rather they practice caste just because they are deeply religious people so this is not the fault of Hindus but their religion is at fault and Hindus are just obeying their religion. Hindus have not flaws but their religion, Hinduism have flaws.

These are the reasons a Hindu complains of isolation, lack of unity among Hindus, not intermingling with others, not inter dining and not accepting inter-caste marriage. The root cause lies in shastras. Ambedkar regrets for reformers of untouchability and claimed that even Mahatma Gandhi couldn’t realize the root cause of the caste system practised by people which lies in shastras, a Hindu is just abiding by his religion as their foundation for caste system emerged form their religion. So the shastras compel them to be loyal to the caste system and even if they try to go against the caste system they have to face punishment like ex-communication.

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar also known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was one of the most prominent lawyers, economists, politicians, and social reformers who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination against the Untouchables. He played a significant role for the upliftment of the downtrodden. He was considered a messiah for a suppressed class as he belongs to the untouchable’s community. He is considered as a great critique of the caste system. He had knowledge of 9 languages like Hindi, Pali, Sanskrit, English, French, German, Marathi, Persian, and Gujarati.

He was born in a Dalit Mahar family of western India, he was a boy humiliated by his high-caste schoolfellows. In 1947 Ambedkar became the law minister of the government of India. One of the greatest contributions of Dr.Ambedkar was in respect of fundamental rights and directive principles of state policy enshrined in the constitution of India. The fundamental rights provide for freedom, equality, and abolition of untouchability and remedies to ensure the evolution of rights. He took a leading part in the framing of the Indian constitution, outlawing discrimination against untouchables, and skillfully helped to steer it through the assembly. He resigned in 1951, disappointed at his lack of influence in the government. In October 1956, in despair because of the perpetuation of untouchables in Hindu doctrine, he renounced Hinduism and became a Buddhist, together with about 200000 fellow Dalits, at a ceremony in Nagpur.

His prominent works: Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development (1916), Mook Nayak (weekly) (1920), The Problem of the Rupee: its origin and its solution (1923), Bahishkrut Bharat (India Ostracized)(1927), Janta (weekly) (1930), The Annihilation of Caste(1936) and Federation Versus Freedom(1939).

Ambedkar’s “Annihilation of Caste” is a revolutionary speech prepared by him at the 1936 Annual Conference of Lahore. Due to certain misapprehension, it was not delivered in the conference. Ambedkar invited the socialists to fight against the caste system and he asserted that caste is not just based on the division of labour but it is the division of laborers.

Issues relating to the caste system:

1. Caste is a system in which the determination of position, rights, and duties of an individual is done on the basis of the birth of such individual in a particular group. In other words, we can say that the status of an individual is determined by birth. As we have evidence of the Varna system in Hinduism which divides its society into 4 classes or castes the upper is Brahmins including priests and intellectuals. They themselves claim to have all good qualities like honesty, integrity, cleanliness, purity, austerity, knowledge, and wisdom. They are assigned to spiritual tasks like teaching and studying Vedas, perform sacrifices and religious ceremonies, etc. Then after Brahmins, Kshatriyas were the warriors, police, and administrators basically protectors of society. They are expected to show considerable strength of body and character. Then Vaishyas, were farmers, merchants, and business people. Their duty is to protect animals and the land, to create wealth and prosperity, and to give taxes to the Kshatriyas. The lowest class are the Shudras, consisting of artisans and workers. They have to render service to the other upper class above them.
2. Under the caste system an individual is not allowed to change its status for instance, in November 1935 some untouchable women of village Zanu in Ahmedabad started fetching water in metal pots which was considered as one of the luxury items, this enraged the upper caste Hindus and they assaulted the untouchable women for their shamelessness. This means that untouchables cannot have access to any luxury items even if he/she can afford to buy it as this was considered as an affront to their dignity.
3. We can say that it is the rigid form of stratification system, which restrict the mobility and distinctness of status. Due to the caste system, several evil prevails in the society and the untouchables were subjected to oppression for instance oppressed untouchables in Maratha under Peshwas. They were being made to attach brooms on their waists so that used paths by them could be clean by the broom in order to stop Hindus from being polluted. They had to carry an earthen pot hung in their neck so that they could spit in.
4. Caste system leads to untouchability. The caste system has condemned large groups of people to a life of degradation without any hope of redemption. It has created untouchables, an evil that has been sapping the very vitals of society. This untouchability is reduced to the state of natural slavery and hindered the growth of brotherhood; holding off the national unity as it disallowed any type of social intercourse. As BR Ambedkar rightly said, ‘untouchability of Hindus is a rare phenomenon, humanity in any other part of the earth has never experienced it. There is no such thing in any other society. It restricts the growth of brotherhood among people and also it holds off national unity and creates obstacles to social progress. According to Mahatma Gandhi, untouchability is the hate fullest expression of caste. There is an anti-social spirit in Hindus because of the caste system. This anti-social spirit is not confined to caste alone but can be seen in sub-castes as well. For instance, Brahmin’s foremost concern is to avoid interaction with other groups as those of non- Brahmins and non- Brahmins’ foremost interest is to avoid any interactions or social gatherings with Brahmins. This led to a lack of brotherhood among Hindus. Till the caste system prevails Sanghatan(unity) would be impossible among Hindus. For instance, a Hindu would never come to rescue a Hindu as they lack fellow feeling and also the reason in difference due to caste. On the other hand, a Muslim and a Sikh would come to rescue their brothers respectively because they have fellow feelings in them.
5. Caste system denies equal rights of the individual, that’s why it is considered as undemocratic. As Ambedkar himself said, “If i find the constitution being misused, i shall be the first one to burn it”.Democracy is based on principles of equality, fraternity, and liberty.On the other hand, the caste system is based on inequality of status and opportunities, which often creates conflict and tension in society. It acts as an obstacle in the normal and smooth functioning of democracy. No doubt India has got political freedom but it must be the concern of every individual that real freedom cannot be cherished without the attainment of social and economic democracy. It is unfortunate that the Indian society is sharply divided into various castes and sub-castes which acts as a barrier due to rigidity and division of society based on caste consideration.
6. Disintegrating Factor: The caste system has literally split up the society into hundreds of hereditary caste and subcastes and encouraged a spirit of exclusiveness and class pride, narrowed the outlook, and created wide gaps between the various sections of the community. The caste system resulted in a lot of evils because of its rigid rules. It perpetuates the exploitation of the economically weaker and socially inferior caste. For instance, we have evidenced in the text the oppression by Hindus to the Balais, the untouchable community. Hindus asked the Balais that if they wanted to live with them they have to obey certain rules. These rules were discriminatory to a large extent, like they couldn’t wear dhotis with colored or fancy borders, couldn’t wear gold-lace bordered purees, in Hindu marriages, balais must play music, they must render services without demanding their income, etc. And if they disobey any rules they were kicked out of the villages. Also, Balais had no access to the land and wells which were surrounded by Hindus even they didn’t have access to their lands. After continued oppression and being persecuted by their upper castes they submitted petitions to darbar but didn’t get any relief and were finally compelled to leave their homes. The caste system protects the privileged caste and thus, builds up economic discontent and social prejudices. A person born in one caste was doomed to remain in it forever, and keep a check on economic and intellectual advancement and a great stumbling block in a way of social reforms because it keeps economic and intellectual opportunities confined to a certain section of the population only and denies them to other. For example, Shudras and untouchables had to perform all the menial tasks. They could not do anything for their own development even if they afford to do so. The worst thing is that they could not have access to education as they cannot be permitted to devote themselves to any educational or scientific profession, even when they have natural aptitudes and physical and intellectual equipment for it. A worthy and capable person are prevented by caste rigors from getting their proper and rightful places, even there next generation has to follow the same rigidness of the caste system, and they too remain closed slaves and bonded laborers. The caste system however is guilty of just the opposite demerit. It does not make proper provision for low-born talents or high-born incompetence.
7. Barred to religious practices: As far as Hinduism is concerned the lower caste people were not even allowed to touch the holy scriptures and they were devoid to enter temples. They were even not allowed to recite or hear the Vedas. They couldn’t make sacrifices as Brahmans could do. Everyone was compelled to abide by these rules when the penal system came into effect as there was a requirement of the penal system to maintain Chaturvarnya (a division of society into four classes). For example, we evidenced in the text that Manu-smriti prescribes such heavy sentences as cutting off the tongue or pouring of molten lead in the ears of the Shudra, who recites or hears the Veda.
8. Origin of caste system: It is difficult to establish when the caste system originated, but there is no doubt that the institution of caste for the convenience of the ruling class leading to their successful administration by them. There are different theories about the establishment of the caste system. These are Religious mystical, Biological, Socio- historical theories.

Grounds for the defense of caste system

Even today there are many supporters of the caste system, reasons for support vary.

1. On the basis of the profession: The caste system is being defended on the basis of labor but in reality, it is the division of laborers as Ambedkar asserted that the ‘caste system is not merely division of labor. It is also a division of laborers. It means that the laborers are graded as one above the other, but this stratification is not based on the innate capabilities of an individual but rather based on the social status or social background of his family and this stratification based on the occupation has harmful effects. According to Ambedkar unemployment in our country which exists at a high rate is the result of the caste system. A Hindu is not free to change his occupation according to his changing circumstances. For instance, if a Hindu remains to starve because of his financial condition and he aspires of a better occupation that does not belong to his caste, then he has to abandon his desires. So, this division of labor is based on the division of choice and individual preferences and desires nothing matters as they are bound by the caste system. There is no efficiency in a system where neither men’s heart nor their minds are in their work. So caste proved to be pernicious for economic organization.
2. On a biological basis: Some defenders defend the caste system biologically in order to preserve their blood and race but even ethnologists have claimed that men of pure blood and race does not exist anywhere in the world. The caste system was said to preserve the mixture of races but in fact, the caste system came into effect long after the mingling of blood and culture of different races. Ambedkar claimed his argument by asking several questions for instance, what racial difference we find in the untouchables of Madras and untouchables of Punjab? What racial difference is between the Brahmin of Madras and Pariah of Madras? The untouchable of Punjab and madras are of the same race and Brahmin of Madras and Pariah of madras are of the same race Caste system is negative as it prohibits intermarrying of different castes just to preserve their purity but what’s the problem in interdining between different castes as it cannot impure the blood. So-called superior Hindus By claiming the caste system as based on eugenics is just an excuse in order to preserve their superiority and social status. Even scientists have claimed the caste system based on eugenics a futile or worthless argument.

Effects of caste system on Hindus itself

The effect on Hindus are completely unacceptable they have become insensitive towards individuals other than their caste. For a Hindu everything is his caste his responsibility, his loyalty are limited only to his caste. Caste has bound a Hindu to a great extent. A Hindu cannot show sympathy, or loyalty other than his caste. He cannot give charity to the needy or appreciate a deserving person other than his caste. They are bound to give charity only to his caste members. All these restrictions have made Hindus insensitive towards others. In fact, a Hindu will follow the leadership of any leader only if he is of the same caste of his.for example a Brahmin will follow a leader only if he is a Brahmin, and a Kayastha will follow only a leader if he belongs to the Kayastha.

A Hindu must be loyal to his caste, which means that he has to support his fellows only of his caste no matter whether they are right or wrong or good or bad. This means that virtue and vice doesn’t matter only caste matters for a Hindu.

Caste has completely demoralized and disorganized the Hindus. According to sociologists, there is a complete lack of “consciousness of kind” among Hindus..the only consciousness that exists is the consciousness of his caste. That is the reason they feel a lack of unity amongst themselves. They need to communicate or interact with other castes which can only make them an integrated whole. For example, the festivals are the same for everyone under Hinduism but the way of celebrating the festivals is different, by adopting these ways they have become separated within the same religion. They should celebrate or make joy together as this will arouse feelings of emotions and sensitivity towards their fellow beings. This caste system prevents the Hindus to come together and celebrating festivals together as it would be considered as going against their religion and an affront to their dignity.

Why Hindus are bound to the caste system? Why they don’t show the courage to destroy it?

The real reason lies in Hindu scriptures and Shastras. The system of classification, the Varna system that existed in the Vedic society that divided the society into four classes namely Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras, there we find evidence of a caste system. According to Ambedkar Hindus practices caste not because they are abnormal or insensitive rather they practice caste just because they are deeply religious people so this is not the fault of Hindus but their religion is at fault and Hindus are just obeying their religion. Hindus have not flaws but their religion, Hinduism have flaws.

These are the reasons a Hindu complains of isolation, lack of unity among Hindus, not intermingling with others, not interdining, and not accepting inter-caste marriage. The root cause lies in Shastras. Ambedkar regrets for reformers of untouchability and claimed that even Mahatma Gandhi couldn’t realize the root cause of the caste system practiced by people which lies in Shastras, a Hindu is just abiding by his religion as their foundation for caste system emerged form their religion. So the Shastras compel them to be loyal to the caste system and even if they try to go against the caste system they have to face punishment like ex-communication.

The solution to eradicate caste system:

According to Ambedkar the real remedy in the complete abolition of the caste system is inter- marriage, nothing else will serve as the solvent of the caste system. By inter- marriage, helps in the fusion of blood and this will create a feeling of oneness and then only the feeling of separatist and alienation or isolation will vanish.

A Hindu has to discard the religious authority of the Shastras and destroy the religion of the Shastras. A Hindu must be free from the notions of Shastras, he must think rationally, unfortunately, to think with reason and logic prohibits in Shastras and Vedas. A Hindu needs to show the courage to reject these notions.

To conclude, the caste system was a very much stringent and rigid institution of early society that was responsible for the pathetic condition of different groups of the community and they were treated as suppressed and untouchable. Various successful steps were taken by different social reformers to eradicate this evil from the mind of the people because every individual’s mind were responsible to generate this evil into one mind. This speech annihilation of caste as the name suggests emphasized to completely annihilating the caste system. Ambedkar has objections towards the attitude of untouchables by the upper caste Hindus. Through this speech, he made the people conscious of the political, economic, and social problems of the untouchables and asserted the need of paying special attention to the condition of untouchables. He attacked the orthodox notion of Hinduism and provoke people to reject these notions of the caste system. Ambedkar criticized Brahmans who was responsible for social exploitation and the backwardness of untouchables, as Ambedkar says “You will succeed in saving Hinduism if you kill Brahmanism”.

But interestingly Ambedkar proposes the Annihilation of caste but not that of religion. Why? The answer is slightly complicated. He argues that the caste and its religious bases must be destroyed, for they stand against liberty, equal treatment, and fraternity that every human being needs to survive. Caste stands against the consciousness of kind and against national integration. Caste stands against the direct action of common people. So it must be destroyed. But we cannot destroy caste unless we destroy its sacredness sanctified by Hindu scriptures. The annihilation of caste also means destroying the Hindu religion’s rules of governance. Religion as rule or rules of precedence prescribed by Hindu scriptures must be destroyed.

The Caste System of India

India’s social structure is dominated by Hinduism, and the religion determines your position in the organization and stratification of their society. In looking at how the caste system operates, the caste system origins, and the ways it coexists in the modern world, I aim to understand the point and purpose of the caste system within the context of Indian society today.

Caste as a Social System

The caste system in India is a complex, socio-religious system, under which the fundamentals of Indian society are organized. In order to be a part of this society, you must take part in the system. Therefore an important question to ask is, how does this form of societal organization work? Under this social system, people are stratified into 4 hierarchical varnas or castes which are set from birth and determine the role they will fill in society. Once you are born into a caste your caste designation can never be changed, as the crux of Hindu society relies on the fact that “Hindus believe that inequalities are based on immutable principles”,[footnoteRef:1] which determine the level of access a person has to money, influence, and respect. They believe the differences that occur in different types of people to be definite and enforceable, so your caste designation can never be changed. Due to this lack of social movement, who a person is born to is crucial in determining the type of life you will live within the context of your own caste as well as in relation to the other castes. Each individual caste is responsible for certain duties and rights in both a religious and social context. These rights include restrictions on food, detailing which caste is allowed to eat which forms of food depending on the degree of cleanliness of the animal or plant. It is important to note that the duties of a caste are specifically for that caste, and anyone outside of it is not allowed to perform another caste duty. This works both ways, so a Sudra cannot exercise the duties of a Kshatriya, and a Brahmin cannot exercise the duties of a Vaishya. The caste below the Brahmin is the Kshatriya. The Kshatriya is The caste below the Kshatriya, are the Vaishya. These three castes are separated from the fourth caste of the Sudra and the outcastes in terms of how they are viewed both within society and within the context of the religion. They are considered to be “twice-born”.[footnoteRef:2] The first time they are born is their physical birth, but the second time they are born is a Being a twice-born allows the person to have certain social and economic rights that groups like the Sudras do not have access to. The fourth and final caste is the Sudra. This is the lowest caste that a person can be a part of. The hierarchy of castes ends here, and the next groups are not a part of the caste system but are still a part of the society as a whole. The group that lies at the bottom of the caste food chain are Dalits, the people considered to be untouchable. The role of this group is to perform the tasks and occupations that no one else wants, and are viewed by others as unclean. Some of the tasks include cleaning up feces and skinning the dead animals that lie on the street. Despite Dalits having to do what some would call inhumane tasks, they are crucial to the function of Indian society. Each group is responsible for different roles and tasks within the society. Within each of these castes, there is room for subcultures called jat. These subcastes are important because it is easy to notice the difference between groups like the Brahmin and the Sudras due to their nature. Within each group, there was a need to subdivide themselves in order to create a sense of individuality. If they didn’t have the jats the only defining factor in anyone’s life would be their duty to their caste which would create a lot of monotony, eventually leading to a lack of individuality. A person’s caste identity and their identity within their caste are crucial in India, and also tie in directly with their religious beliefs. Comment by Joe Duffy: Even further than that, you can’t do that outside of your jat within each caste [1: ] [2: Ibid, Page 47]

Caste as a Religious System

The entirety of India’s social structure is intertwined with the religious practices and beliefs of Hinduism. Hinduism determines a person’s caste, which determines most aspects of a person’s life. It affects who they can interact with, as well as influences what it is people are allowed to do within the context of caste. A person’s caste does not control the motivations behind their actions, however. Every single action a person takes is to further themselves along the path toward moksha. In order to understand the concept of moksha, a prerequisite understanding of the Hindu view of time must be accompanied. In Indian religions, time is viewed differently than it is for Semitic religions, like Christianity. While we view time as linear, with a beginning and an end, Indians view time as cyclical with no end and no beginning. For Hindu Indians, According to Hinduism, we are stuck in a constant cycle of being born, suffering, and eventually dying. Moksha is” which is the end goal of every action that is undertaken. In order to gauge how close a person is to this end goal, their karma must be measured. Karma is the reflection of the current state of your soul, and in order to escape the cycle entirely, you must have good karma. Cultivation of good karma can also be attained by adhering to caste duties.

History and Origins of the Caste System

India’s social organization wasn’t always this way, so another important question to ask is how did things come to be the way they are? There are many different theories on how the caste system came to be, with multi-faceted approaches to the reasoning behind the system. One of the approaches is social in nature, and the other is religious. The religious theories regarding the origins of the caste system lie deep inside the history of India. One theory argues in the Hindu religious text, the Rig Veda, it is said that the castes find their origins in the ancient man, Purush. , and as a result, created the caste system. The religious arguments of Hinduism assert that the caste and jat you are born into is determined by supernatural factors. Manu, the first lawgiver, wrote the Manusmriti. This text cites the origins of the caste system within a religious context. Brahmin is the god that is known to be the creator of the universe. The Brahmin was said to be born from the head of Brahma because it was determined that this class of people is to be the priestly or scholarly caste. The Kshatriya formed out of the hands of Brahma and the resulting caste that formed was the ruling class. The Vaishya were born from the thighs of Brahmin and were to be the commercial class. These 3 castes are classified as. In order for a person to be twice-born, they must first be born physically, then reborn spiritually in order to study the Vedas and gain access to the spiritual knowledge of the Hindus. Sudra were born from the feet of Brahma and are the laboring class in this society. At the bottom of the ladder is an “outcaste” group known as the Dalits.[footnoteRef:3] The “outcastes” or Dalits, which are currently made up of more than 200 million people, are the people who are not born into a caste.[footnoteRef:4] This group can include people that practice different religions and are not limited to just Hinduism. [3: ] [4: ]

In addition to the religious theories behind how the caste system began, there are socio-political theories. These theories argue the caste system and the stratification of Indian society was formed on the social hierarchies of certain ethnic groups at the beginning stages of Indian society. [footnoteRef:5] Once they had firmly established themselves in India, they stopped killing other groups en masse due to the impracticalities it presented. . As a result of this change, the Aryans had to find a way to keep themselves systematically separated from other groups in order to They went about stratifying Indian society. They organized themselves into three groups. These two groups vied for power to rule, and the Brahmin eventually ended up winning that right. While they gave themselves a diverse grouping, they elected to make literally everyone else in India join into one group. The point of them amalgamating entirely different cultural groups into one group was so that the Aryans could have the best jobs and roles for themselves. They reinforced these role divisions with both religious and social norms and taboos for the people they viewed as inferior. . Once they organized themselves, the Aryans then designated roles for the peasant workers of the society, who were known as the Sudras. The means by which the Aryans organized others into their societal rank was based on their usefulness in regard to their function. Despite Sudras being members of the caste system, they were treated quite poorly. The Aryans viewed the Sudras as fundamentally different and worse than themselves. This went on for generations until eventually, the families became large enough to where just one extended family had been forced into a monopoly on one specific task. What came to exist out of this cycle was the specific subcultures of what is now known as jats. Following the beginning of the jats, the lines dividing the Aryans and the Indians became even more rigid eventually leading to the invention of the untouchables or Dalits. If a certain communities job was to clean the sewers or the streets they were viewed as unclean and there was nothing that could be done about changing their job. The Brahmin were concerned with cleanliness and therefore did not want the Dalits touching or even being near them. The effects and trajectory of Indian society due to this stratification between rich and poor, and the weak and powerful would permeate the development of Hindu society as it progressed. The caste system is “the defining feature of classical Hindu religion, society and history”[footnoteRef:6], and is a result of the system set in place by the Aryan invasion. It serves as the point of origin for the fundamentals of Indian society even today. However, things haven’t stayed exactly the same since 1500 BCE. Comment by Joe Duffy: figure out which of these sentences needs to footnote [5: ] [6: ]

Changes in the Caste System

Around the 6th century BCE, there was a growing sense within the lower castes that they were being taken advantage of. They still were practicing, faithful Hindus, but the quality of their lives outside the religion was not very good. As a result of these growing tensions, Buddhism emerged as a response to the growing stratification of Indian society due to Hinduism and the caste system. After leaving the safety of his estate, he saw the world for what it truly was, de-insulating his life from pain and suffering. After this moment, he set out on a journey to discover both truths in one’s self and external universal truth. This goal was realized when he attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree in the town of Bodh Gaya. The contents of this newfound knowledge were that a person should live in the middle path, and avoid extremes. The premise of salvation in a Buddhist context revolves around the individual, instead of circulating around an entire society, like in Hinduism. This connection to Brahma is considered unimportant in the eyes of Buddha for one simple reason; there is no self. When there is no self, there is. This newfound interest in one’s self, or lack of it, caused people to question the connection between their social structure and their religion. This newfound sense of doubt was further reinforced by the fact that Buddhism accepted members of society at all levels, including the Dalits. Now the socially oppressed members of Indian society had an opportunity for social mobility, and a chance to escape the cyclical nature of the caste system. The emergence of Buddhism planted a metaphorical seed of change in the caste system. It laid the groundwork for future generations to leave or change the caste system. This newfound fanaticism with Buddhism faded out eventually around the 13th century, and the majority of the country reverted back to Hinduism. The effects of Buddhism can still be seen today throughout Asia, as there are many practicing Buddhists, just not that many in India. Comment by Joe Duffy: reverse engineer a cite from this Comment by Joe Duffy: reverse engineer a cite for this

On the fifth of May, in the year 1838, the first set of ships traveling from Calcutta, India with a cargo of indentured laborers, arrived in Guyana, South America. Over a period of 80 years, 239 000 indentured, Indian laborers would be brought to Guyana and most would give up their rights to return to their home country in exchange for the promise of land. The Indian immigrants brought new religions and traditions with them overseas. About 84% of the Indian immigrants brought to Guyana were Hindus representing various castes (Reporter, 2014). In the 1960s, descendants of Indian laborers began migrating to North America, forming a population of Guyanese Hindus in some larger Canadian and American cities (Jayawardena, 1968). The diaspora of Indians in the nineteenth century resulted in an evolved version of the caste system overseas that would positively affect Hindu traditions and rituals in Guyana but, would later create separation among Guyanese Hindus and Indian Hindus in North America.

To examine the evolution of the caste system in Guyana, it is important to first understand the caste system that existed in nineteenth-century India, and the effects this system had on some Hindu traditions and rituals at the time. First of all, there are four main castes, which are believed to have originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation. From Brahma’s head come the Brahmins, who are primarily priests, teachers, and intellectuals. Next are the Kshatriyas from Brahma’s arms, and they are the warriors and rulers. Thirdly, are the Vaishyas, who are farmers, traders, and merchants created from Brahma’s thighs. From Brahma’s feet come the Shudras who are primarily laborers. There is also a fifth group, referred to as outcastes, tasked with what was considered the worst of the available jobs (BBC, 2019).

It is suggested that the caste system was such an integral part of nineteenth-century India because the British colonial rulers were intent on setting hard boundaries that could easily be governed, thus they encouraged the social order. The British encouragement led to further privilege of the upper castes and repression of the lower castes, something that was not necessarily as prominent prior to this century, as the caste system was more flexible (BBC, 2019). Caste dictated where one could live, whom one could accept food from, religious rights, whom could marry whom, life cycle rites, and more. The focus on the caste system in India during the nineteenth century meant that each caste would typically live segregated from one other. Further, anyone could accept food from a Brahmin, but a Brahmin should not accept certain kinds of food from any lower castes. In some places, only the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas were allowed to make offerings to the gods. The outcastes were not allowed to enter temples and if their shadow touched a Brahmin, that Brahmin would be considered polluted. Marriages between people of different castes were also strongly discouraged, so arranged marriages were common to ensure this did not happen. In terms of certain life cycle rites, different castes had different rites. For example, young boys born into a higher caste were able to participate in the ritual that would make them twice-born (Olcott, 1944).

The examples mentioned previously depict how caste caused a separation in nineteenth-century India that lacked equality yet, the system was meant to provide religious guidance. In the Bhagavad Gita, caste is mentioned, and it relays the message that fulfilling one’s duties according to their caste is a part of one’s dharma, and thus must be adhered to. Traditionally the caste system provided devotees with a way of life to follow in order to get closer to liberation, thus Hindus were likely to get on board with the more rigid system the British colonial rulers implemented without focusing on the negative effects. The negativity surrounding the nineteenth-century caste system is further depicted through the suggestion that when completing immigration documentation to become a laborer, some Indians would allege that they were of a higher caste, possibly as a way to avoid the negative outcomes that came with being born into a lower caste at the time (Moore, 1977).

When the first set of indentured laborers departed from India, the caste system already started to evolve and separate from the system in India. For some of the higher castes, it was said that crossing the Black Waters, or Kali Pani in Hindi, would pollute those individuals, yet there was still a percentage of Hindus who identified as one of the higher castes on those ships (O’Callaghan, 1998). Further, getting laborers onto the ships sometimes required force, thus ships were filled with Indians of all castes who shared a common experience making the caste system they were accustomed to more or less irrelevant right from the beginning of their journeys. When the indentured Indian laborers arrived in Guyana, even if they were not of the caste of farmers, they were required to work on sugar plantations based on their abilities and performance, further straying away from the typical caste system of nineteenth-century India. Laborers of all castes used the same facilities and lived amongst each other; thus, the caste system once again was less relevant. There was no option to live in communities separated based on caste, so this practice was left in India. Due to the small number of female laborers in comparison to males, marrying someone of the same caste was less likely, thus inter-caste marriages became more frequent and less taboo (Moore, 1977). The healthy interaction of individuals in the community regardless of caste was a positive part of the evolution of the caste system in Guyana.

It is suggested that the reason caste distinctions were not considered as much in the Hindu community in Guyana, was because of an urge to come together as one community due to the large presence of other religions, such as Christianity, in the country. Even so, it is important to note that although the caste system became less relevant because of the conditions in which indentured laborers lived, the jobs and tasks that they were required to complete, and the threat of other religions; the system still existed. Indentured Brahmin laborers brought copies of the Ramayana, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Mahabharata on board the ships that brought them to their job sites. For this reason, Brahmins were able to play an important role in teaching their peers and providing them with the knowledge that deterred the efforts of Christian missionaries in Guyana who were trying to convert the new residents of the country. Brahmins also began to accept and eat food from members of lower castes, they were gurus to lower castes who provided them with religious guidance in their own homes, further deterring the efforts of missionaries (Shiwcharan, 1990). The previous is a positive example of how the caste system that was brought to Guyana helped the Indian immigrants create an identity and community for themselves in a new country, as opposed to conforming and losing their roots completely. This sense of community that did not require completely giving up one’s religion would have been important to a group of people in a new and unfamiliar country, facing the turmoil that came with working and living in harsh conditions. The Ramayana would resonate with Hindus working on plantations is Guyana, as they could relate to facing hardships in order to commit to their duty, to their dharma. The connection that Ramayana would lead Guyanese Hindus to stray away from dharma in terms of the duties outlined by caste and towards dharma in terms of one’s duties to their families, their bosses, and themselves (Shiwcharan, 1990).

There is evidence that says many indentured laborers chose not to go back to their homeland after completing their work term because they had broken many of the rules outlined by the caste system (Jayawardena, 1968). Thus, Hindu temples were erected in Guyana, but the only restriction relating to caste was that a twice-born Brahmin should be the leader of these temples. The indentured system resulted in a redefinition of Hinduism outside of India that brought the community together as one thus influencing the traditions and rituals in the new country. There was once again room for flexibility in the evolved caste system that brought Guyanese Hindus together as opposed to segregating them from one another. The Hindu community celebrated festivals such as Diwali and Holi together as one and continues to do so in Guyana to this day (Reporter, 2014).

Descendants of the indentured laborers in Guyana would eventually begin to immigrate to North America in the 1960s in search of a better life (Ally, 1990). This journey to a new country was now under their own individual terms, and this meant that the Hindus would continue to bring their religion with them. The caste system that existed in Guyana has trickled down to North American cities and there is still a focus on being one community as opposed to being separated based on caste. Rules about eating, drinking, and general interactions are not often followed, as this practice had already been made common by the Hindus of Guyana. Brahmins will still take on the roles of teachers and gurus at local North American temples, but everyone is welcome, with no question as to whether or not a person has the right to be there. When it comes to weddings, marrying within one’s caste is not the ultimate goal. Caste still plays a role in a marriage ceremony in that the colour a bride and groom wear will sometimes reflect the caste in which they were born into. Young boys of higher castes still participate in the ceremony that will make them twice-born.

In North America, Hindus of Guyanese descent tend to band together in the cities in which they have settled; however, this statement is not true of North American Hindus as a whole. Hindus who migrated to Canada straight from India hold very different viewpoints from the Hindus that migrated from Guyana. Although the ancestors of the two groups would have originated from the same country, there is separation because of the way the caste system developed in Guyana in comparison to its development in India. For example, discrimination based on caste was only banded in India in 1948 whereas in Guyana the caste system would have evolved into something less discriminatory almost one hundred years earlier (Cohn & Singer, 1970). In India, caste is still a very important part of Hindu tradition, and thus the practices of Guyanese Hindus are sometimes seen as less than for not abiding by the caste system to the same extent, further creating a divide. It seems that the restructuring of the caste system had a positive impact on the indentured laborers of Guyana; however, when Indians and Guyanese Indians both settled in North America, the different viewpoints made uniting the communities of Hindus very difficult. There are many articles from Guyanese North Americans who share their stories of the struggle to fit in with Indians who do not believe that the descendants of indentured laborers are real Indians at all (Berger, 2004) (Jaikaran, 2017). The negative is the major disconnect that many Guyanese Hindus in North America feel from their roots as a result of such different developments of an integral part of the Hindu religion.

Although the development of the caste system in nineteenth-century Guyana helped the indentured Hindu laborers face the turmoil that came with settling in a new country, this difference in development would create a separation between the Hindus of Guyana and the Hindus of India during later immigration to North America. The development of the caste system as a result of the diaspora of Indians to Guyana would have both a positive and negative impact on Hindu communities overseas. Traditions and rituals would go through minor changes, but otherwise remain somewhat the same throughout the immigration from India to Guyana and then to Canada but, there would still be a separation that seems to largely stem from the development of this ancient system in Hinduism.

Works Cited

1. Ally, Bruce. (1990). Indo-Caribbean Life in Guyana and Toronto: A Comparative Survey. Retrieved from https://archives.studentscommission.ca/magic/mt25.html
2. BBC (2019). What is India’s caste system? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35650616.
3. Berger, J. (2004). Indian, Twice Removed. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/17/nyregion/indian-twice-removed.html.
4. Cohn, B. S., & Singer, M. B. (1970). Structure and change in Indian society. Chicago: Aldine.
5. Jaikaran, Elizabeth (2017). The Indo-Caribbean Experience: Now and Then. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-indocaribbean-experie_b_8799132.
6. Jayawardena, C. (1968). Migration and Social Change: A Survey of Indian Communities Overseas. Geographical Review, 58(3), 426-449. doi:10.2307/212565.
7. Moore, B. (1977). The Retention of Caste Notions among the Indian Immigrants in British Guiana during the Nineteenth Century. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 19(1), 96-107. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/177986.
8. O’Callaghan, Marion (1998). ‘Hinduism in the Indian Diaspora in Trinidad,’ Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies: Vol. 11, Article 5. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.7825/2164-6279.1178.
9. Olcott, Mason. (1944). The Caste System of India. American Sociological Review, 9(6), 648-657. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/2085128.
10. Reporter, S. (2014). The Long Journey: From India to Guyana. Retrieved from http://guyanachronicle.com/2014/05/05/the-long-journey-from-india-to-guyana.
11. Shiwcharan, Clement. (1990). Indians in British Guiana, 1919-1929: A Study in Effort and Achievement. Retrieved from http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/2700/1/WRAP_THESIS_Shiwcharan_1990.pdf

To what extent does the government and society of India perpetuate poverty among citizens?

Government and society can perpetuate poverty through sociocultural traditions and economic institutions. This is evident in a country like India where the government is taking action to eliminate poverty, but the socio-cultural tradition of the caste system is a deciding factor, which hinders the elimination of poverty. To perpetuate poverty means to keep it in existence and in India, this is shown through the caste system, which has an impact on the poverty and inequality rates. The caste system is a part of the Hindu religion that divides people into four different social classes, and the outside and lowest of these classes are known as Dalits or the untouchables. With almost over 200 million Indians being Dalits it makes it very difficult to completely eradicate poverty. With India being a developing country they have adopted the Millennium Development Goals, which is one of the aspirational goals being eliminating poverty. India has successfully achieved “having 60% of its people living on less than $1.25 a day to 42%” in 2005. Also, it is important to acknowledge that the caste system was annulled when India gained independence in 1947 but it is still strongly a part of the sociocultural traditions of India due to no enforcement. Although the government has created reparations for Dalits this does not eliminate society’s strong view on the caste system, which does not help the process of eliminating poverty. This is an important factor when accessing India’s development since development is about creating a sustained standard of living in a society but instead, it has created a lack of equity in society.

The caste system has kept the lower caste of India in generational poverty as you are born into the same caste your family is in, and those born into the Dalits are stuck there. Dalits specifically suffer because they have to perform tasks degrading to the higher castes such as cleaning human feces and this job will be then passed down to their children. This widely accepted prejudice determines these Dalit’s quality of life and what job opportunities they are allocated. If Dalits are receiving a poor education this creates a lack of opportunity for them in the future creating a repetitive cycle for the rest of their family. Poor education also makes it very difficult for Dalits to find better jobs once again impacting their standard of living. With the social sustainability of this caste being threatened, it is almost impossible for them to overcome the line of poverty.

However, many Dalits convert to other religions such as Islam or Buddhism in hopes for better opportunities. The caste system is a part of the Hindu religion due to this job managers would reject people unless they converted to Hinduism, even though people needed a job they rather be unemployed than stripped of their religion. This aspect does not only limits their development but also violates their human rights, According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, humans have a goal of self-actualization but this is impossible to achieve without the basic needs of food and shelter to feel safe which these people stand a chance of losing without a job. If people are not able to attain a job due to their caste or religion how are they expected to get out of poverty? This creates a problem in society even though the government is making moves to better the lives of those in poverty.

Poverty is shaped by a combination of power resources and institutions[footnoteRef:8]; the Indian government controls both of these elements and thus they are able to have a significant impact on the lower castes and Dalits. As mentioned before the government has created reparations for Dalits to integrate them into society to improve their standard of living. With these special privileges, they are able to attend higher education as a limited amount of spots are secured for them. This causes a dispute among higher castes as it makes it more difficult for them to get into University showing their lack of consideration for the lower caste and Dalits. Thus showing the positionality of these higher castes and the government, the government is making these changes to increase Dalit’s opportunities but society is so embedded with the discrimination against them that they do not agree. Another view is that since this discrimination against Dalits starts from a young age, children from higher castes grow up with them out of sight. Since this does not impact their lives, they never stop to question their treatment or trying to help them. Therefore discrimination becomes almost second nature and the cycle continues. With this in place, it becomes very complicated to completely alleviate all poverty in India.

Even though the government has created some positive impacts for the poor they have also negatively impacted them. In the early 2000s, India underwent an economic boom that caused many new cities to be built which meant taking over farmland. Many farmers lost their livelihood to these new cities and factories being built. Losing land means that these farmers lose a source of income and food. False hope is also created as they are rejected to work in these new factories that had been built thus leaving farmers with no form of income. This can be seen as a form of structural violence as taking away farmland and not providing them with new jobs takes away from their human needs. From this example, it seems the government is valuing economic growth for the country more important then poverty for development improvement.

Another impact the government has on small-scale farmers is there lack of consideration and protection. Small-scale farmers are in huge competition with large-scale farmers and are unable to compete as resources to maintain the small farms are priced highly, around “41.9 percent of agricultural labor households are categorized as poor”. Farmers choose to sell their land to bring in income for their families but in turn, many commit suicide since they are still unable to provide for their families. This then negatively impacts India’s Human Development Index (HDI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). So, although India’s economy is growing it does not mean poverty is being reduced. It only indicates that the economy is constructed solely around the priorities of the government.

Additionally, the government contributes to the negative impact upon the lower castes through insufficient healthcare. India’s government only spends 5% of their GDP on health care, which results in poor services. The higher-quality health services are simply unaffordable for these low-income families. Health contributes to the economic progress of a country as the healthier your population the better your modes of production. However this is not the case in India, instead, these conditions facilitate the long-suffering of the lower caste and increase the inequality gap. Additionally, people in rural India do not have access to a pension due to the lack of paperwork for example no birth certificate to qualify and are declined.[footnoteRef:16] This can be viewed as a form of structural violence as there is no other action in place to help their situation. A pension is beneficial as it could help acquire better health services.

On a universal level, the United Nations have created development goals such as the MDGs that then evolved into the Sustainable development goals (SDGs) that India has adapted for the development for there own country, India has only met 4 out of the 12 targets set out in the MDGs and now there are 17 goals to be met with the SDGs. Even though both MDG and SDG are aspirational goals with no direct instructions on implementation in a specific country, a difference is that SDGs are now inter-governmental meaning it will take more policy execution, enforcement and supervision to be accomplished by 2030. This will be a difficult task when brought into India’s cultural context due to the caste system. The caste system was created to “promote the harmonious workings of society’ but through corruption, it has become the discriminating system it is today, which has complicated the development of many Indians.

Globalization has also impacted poverty in India as it has led to an unequal distribution of benefits among urban and rural areas. This is due to the free markets that have been created and thus creating these large-scale farms that impose on the small-scale farmers. Globalization has also led to the awareness of how socially constructed poverty is in India when following the caste system. This progress that India is taking to becoming a developed county is not sustainable according to Cato’s model of the three pillars of sustainability since social and economic sustainability is being threatened. From a global standpoint, there is no justification as to regarding the social discrimination against the lower castes is a major issue as the caste system has become so internalized even though it’s known to be historically wrong. For change to occur and poverty to be completely alleviated it will take many generations due to the deeply rooted discrimination against the lower caste.

In conclusion, it is evident that a major reason to why generational poverty occurs in India is due to the caste system being so dominant in society. This negatively impacts those of a lower caste, as they cannot attain any opportunities to alleviate themselves due to the discrimination, corruption of their farmland, poor health care, and globalization. Although the government has made progress in creating policies that prevent this there is still a lack of enforcement. Thus giving reason to why poverty among the lower caste is perpetuated and why it is extremely difficult to alleviate. Unless the change comes from a societal perspective those apart of the lower caste and Dalits will continue to suffer.

Word count: 1657

Bibliography

Articles

1. Brady, David, Agnes Blome, and Hanna Kleider. “How Politics and Institutions Shape Poverty and Inequality.” Oxford Handbooks Online, May 2017. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199914050.013.7.
2. Connors, Joseph. “Economic Institutions and Global Poverty,” 2013. http://myweb.fsu.edu/jsc07e/Documents/Papers/Connors – Economic Institutions and Global Poverty.pdf.
3. Nath, Anita. “India’s Progress Toward Achieving the Millennium Development Goals.” Indian journal of community medicine: official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine. Medknow Publications, April 2011. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3180952/.
4. Prinja, Shankar, Pankaj Bahuguna, Andrew D. Pinto, Atul Sharma, Gursimer Bharaj, Vishal Kumar, Jaya Prasad Tripathy, Manmeet Kaur, and Rajesh Kumar. “The Cost of Universal Health Care in India: A Model-Based Estimate.” PLoS ONE7, no. 1 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0030362.
5. Rao, Jasmine. “The Caste System: Effects on Poverty in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.” Global Majority E-Journal 1, no. 2 (December 2010): 97–106. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5afa/79201ba3d1d6b9e45d5e440dee9b43a32099.pdf?_ga=2.103015872.1105753399.1573937572-613686059.1573937572.
6. Roy, Indrajit. “Gupta, Akhil. Red Tape: Bureaucracy, Structural Violence, and Poverty in India. Xiii, 368 Pp., Bibliogr. Durham, N.C.: Duke Univ. .” Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, n.d. Accessed October 24, 2019.
7. Srivastava, Alok. “Standardizing Evaluation Process: Necessary for Achieving SDGs – A Case Study of India.” Evaluation and Program Planning 69 (August 2018): 118–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2018.05.001.

Books

1. Murphy, Robert, and Charles Gleek. Global Politics: Supporting Every Learner across the IB Continuum. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2016.

Videos

1. The Biggest Hypocrisy of Our Times: Our Attitude to Poverty. Youtube. TEDx Talks, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1JeS7MtRpE.
2. The Indian Miracle? (Poverty Documentary) . Real Stories. Youtube, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGkKjtduZSc.

Websites

1. “The World Factbook: India.” Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, February 1, 2018. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html.
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3. Bloomberg, Archana Chaudhary |. “Analysis | India’s Caste System.” The Washington Post. WP Company, October 8, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/indias-caste-system/2019/10/07/b122fae2-e947-11e9-a329-7378fbfa1b63_story.html.

The two major problems that troubling the human communities are race and caste. Race is from the western context and caste is of India. India is a country where people were divided into four varnas. Untouchability was attained to the people based on their birth. The last section in the four varnas were once considered as Sudras now they are called as downtrodden sections of the society.

The vulnerable groups spread throughout the globe with different names such as First Nations in Canada, Maori of New Zealand, Natives of America and Aboriginals of Australia, Dalits of India etc. These communities were claimed as original inhabitants of the land. Once the original inhabitants of the land are now facing serious struggles to live a dignified life like others. A clear division is visible between upper communities and down trodden sections in India.

The lives of Scheduled Castes and Tribes, Backward Classes, Religious Minorities and women belonging to lower sections are few examples of it. They were included in the census reports but excluded in society in terms of getting benefited from governments. As a result, Centers for Social Exclusion and Inclusion were established in many academic institutions in India to study the exact conditions of these marginalized communities. The public policies for social inclusion were made to reach out the neglected communities for their upliftment from their vulnerable condition. Benefits of subsidy loans, skill development programs for the unemployed youth in the targeted communities, establishing educational institutions exclusively for the socially back ward communities. DWCRA, and the helping hand extended to Scheduled Castes by NSFDC under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India are few examples of it.

I wish there should be a policy in implementing the reservations for Scheduled Castes and Tribes for the benefit of their future generations. Although the government has introduced development policies for these communities, what has happened in the reservations has isolated these groups to only a few castes in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes who enjoy the benefits of reservation. That is why the sub-classification movement in Scheduled Castes and Tribes emerging in India, like MRPS in South region and Valmiki and Pasi movement in Northern Parts of India. The committee formed to look into the issue for Andhra Pradesh by name ‘Usha Mehra Commission’ (2008) have examined the facts and arrived at a conclusion that Sub-Quota in Scheduled Caste reservations is the need of the hour. Several commissions were formed thorough out India such as Justice Sadasivam commission in Karantaka and Hukum Singh Commission in Uttar Pradesh. The issue can be resolved in only at central level, state Govts struggling with these problems introduced their own financial strategies to help most marginalized communities in Scheduled Castes such as G.O.No.25 in AP and Dalit Maha Dalit Concept in Bihar.

G.O. No. 25 in Andhra Pradesh distributing the financial allocations for Scheduled Castes according to their respective individual communities’ population in each district, but it becomes a failure, as it was not implemented properly. Whatever the benefits the Scheduled Caste communities are getting throughout all these years since independence as a whole for the total population of Scheduled Castes.

Policy makers should think of introducing the sub-classification in Scheduled Castes and establishment of educational and coaching institutions for most backward castes listed in Scheduled Castes. This can be a new policy if it was introduced and the state can review the results according to the progress in due course of time. Introducing policies for social inclusion has become a common issue for administrators. Let us wish for the proper implementation of constitutional policies for the social inclusion of targeted communities.

Marriage is an institution which allows or admits women and men to family life, defines marriage, “as a socially sanctioned union of male and female or as a secondary institution devised by society to sanction the union of mating male and female, for purpose of establishing a household, entering into sex relation, procreating, and providing care for the off-spring”. Since immemorial time marriage has been the greatest and most important of all institutions in human society. It has always existed in one form or another in every culture. For Hindus, marriage is often considered as sacrosanct union. Marriages in Hindu are between two families, rather two individuals which can be referred as arranged marriage. In a society where a patriarchal is predominant there is stringent gender role, husband holding an active dominating role and women with passive role. Women in patriarchal family especially in Hindu society are more vulnerable to mental illness, anxiety disorder such as depression and suicide.

The elders of the family do the selection of the spouse in Hindu culture because Indian Hindu culture believes that marriage is union between two families rather than a relationship. Marriage is a social necessity, marrying children is the primary responsibility of parents in India. To ensure that marriage occurred between same caste and religion families select the spouses from the people whom they knew. The caste system is comprised of Varnas (classes) and Jatis (subclasses). Varnas are categorized into four groups: Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. The first three castes are to be served by the lowest caste, the Shudras. The Brahmans occupy the highest position in the society. The caste system in India has traditionally dominated societal structure. Most marriages occurred within the same caste level. If a person marries to someone without family’s approval, it is considered as deviant. The sacramental aspect of marriage under Hindu law has three characteristics: That marriage is not to gratify one’s physical needs; but is primarily meant for the performance of religious and spiritual duties; A marriage once entered cannot be dissolved on any ground whatsoever; and It is a union of soul, body and mind. It is a union not only for this life, but for all lives to сome. The Hindu culture compelled women to marry as soon as she becomes young in early twenties and a son marries as soon as he starts earning. Indian community has a strong expectation of women to marry because they believe that a woman is born to be a bride and their role in the society is to get marry. There is a cultural belief that parental success depends on a daughter‘s marriage, and subsequent shame that the family faces when this does not happen.

Historically, India is largely a patriarchal society. In patriarchal system women is considered inferior and husband with high masculinity. In India, marriage and family dominate the life of women, because of that majority of women were financially and socially dependent on man. In this marriage man holds the power of decision making, for women their primary duty is to be subservient, loyal to husband and his relatives and children. A female child in Hindu society is not value much compare to male child. The preference for males over females started with the birth of a child. Daughters were viewed as family burden because raising them, and getting them married, provided no social or financial benefit to their family. They were considered the property of their father until she gets married to a husband and if husband die before wife, the woman became the property of her sons. Women should also sacrifice herself on her husband‘s funeral pyre. Such a woman was considered to be a good wife. Widows who did not engage or sacrifice themselves were not allowed to remarry because it was believed that a woman would meet her deceased husband in her next life. The cultural obligation to their deceased husband and families discourage widows to remarry. For women in such society marriage plays a vital role in maintaining security, dignity and positive status.

The sociologist Susan Wadley examined women’s position in folklores, myths and legends rooted in history and found out that women are constantly made to adopt contradictory roles. This has often led to enormous stress placing the women’s mental health under constant threat. For men marriage is kind of a blessing but for women in Hindu society it appears to be associated with depression. In Hindu society there is a rigid code of conduct for women, which restrict or prevent communication, expression of emotions, and even their fundamental rights as human because of that there is higher prevalence of internalizing disorder such depression and anxiety in women compared to men. One of the major causes of mental illness in women is the social and family pressure on women to stay in relation even in abusive relationships. Another problem regarding Hindu marriage is commercial aspect of the marriage which is defined as Dowry system. The parents of the girl commit suicide just because they cannot manage the dowry demanded by the parents of the boy. Sometimes the girl herself commits suicides. The parents at some point have to compel their daughter to marry who is almost fit to her father. Even after marriage if the dowry expectations are not met, young brides can be harassed to the point where they are driven to suicide. In a study of women treated in hospital emergency rooms after a suicide attempt, over 40% were young rural women 1534 years of age; an unhappy marriage (over 60%), financial problems (over 40%), and having been beaten by a spouse (almost 40%) were the most frequently cited stressful events they had experienced.

Marriage has been an important social institution. It is the basis for the family. Throughout the past century and across various cultures, the concept of marriage were mostly prevalent. The concept of marriage differs from different region, culture and religion. For Hindu, marriage is sacrament and not a civil contract. Marriage has historically been an important part and distinct phase of Hindu culture. In Hindu society marriage is compulsory, it is a sacrament, indestructible and secret union but for women it is an abhorred. For women unmarried status is stigmatized that is why women get extraordinary pressure from their families and community. Furthermore, it was expected that spouses would be chosen along caste and religion line and women must serve them throughout her life with all respect. For women living in such society with distinct idea about marriage is all about leading a stressful life. The marriage remained a hope in many of women‘s lives. However, they face an extreme amount of pressure to get married because of the belief that women were ― born to be brides. The women‘s lives were still heavily influenced by the collectivist culture in which they were raised.