Caste consciousness

Caste system is a phenomenon related to Hinduism in particular. On the basis of caste, it is fixed at the time of a person’s birth that whether she/he would have higher or lower status in social hierarchy. Castes were first classified according to their occupation. But due to access to wealth, power, and privilege, Brahmins and Kshatriyas started to use religious sanctions to monopolize their position. 

Caste system in India is so rigidly deep-rooted in its socio-cultural and religious life. But in reality it is no God-send virtue to be followed by the people. It has had several exploitative and discriminatory effects on our social order throughout the ages. As a by-product, caste system has given several other social ills to the society such as untouchability.

A Brahmin’s caste pride comes with humiliation for other castes is both the base and superstructure of Indian society. Blindness to caste does not take away the social, political and economical privileges one gets because of one’s accident of birth in a particular upper caste. Anyone belonging to a hierarchically privileged caste is bound to get the advantages of his caste location, willingly or unwillingly, consciously or unconsciously.

To be born in a privileged caste is not anyone’s fault but to refuse to even acknowledge unearned benefits’ accruing due to one’s caste and thereby claiming that the very mechanism that enforces them is absent in one’s life is not right. For the people belonging to the marginalized lower strata of this system, caste is about humiliation, deprivation, oppression and imposed identity.

To be oblivious to caste and indifferent to the caste associations of friends, employees and associates, is no longer enough in today’s caste-conscious India. Caste blindness is an affectation available only to the privileged; the lower castes cannot afford to be indifferent to caste.

Caste discrimination affects millions people and involves massive violations of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. Caste systems divide people into unequal and hierarchical social groups. Those at the bottom are considered ‘lesser human beings’, ‘impure’ and ‘polluting’ to other caste groups and subjected to untouchability practices. Untouchables, known as Dalits are often forcibly assigned the most dirty, menial and hazardous jobs, and many are subjected to forced and bonded labor. Due to exclusion, they have limited access to resources, services and development, keeping most of them in severe poverty.

Caste consciousness is not so rigid in Indian diaspora as in India. They have caste feeling but not use it in day to day practices but use it flexibly without causing any harm or ill treatment. Caste identity has been central to the ways in which Indians overseas organised their society. They still look to marry within caste and endorse caste system. People change their names and surnames to get away from low-caste identity. Caste is something that is embedded in the psyche of a person. So, as long as a person's cultural roots are present in a society with caste system embedded in it, this practice is bound to continue. Thus, a second generation emigrant is to have lesser belief in the caste system and so on. Thus caste consciousness is very much present in much of the Indian diaspora.

Although India has a more rigid mechanism of caste system, the struggle of BR Ambedkar was able to grant the lower castes with the incentive of reservation, which is mostly absent in other countries. In Oct 2018, Kerala government has appointed 54 non-Brahmin priests including 7 dalits to the Cochin Devaswom Board. Earlier, 36 non-Brahmins, including six Dalits, were appointed to the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The Constitution mandates that no citizen shall, on grounds only of caste or race, be subjected to any disability and restriction. Nehru had hoped caste would disappear from India’s consciousness. Law can only provide protection from exploitation but it cannot bring attitudinal change in so-called upper castes. The young and modern generation is perhaps the only hope in bringing about the real meaning of social justice in our country.

Wherever a Hindu goes he takes his caste along with him .. Dr Ambedkar 

Dynasty in Politics

The Preamble of  The  Constitution of India states ...

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this 26th day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.

• Equality of status and of opportunity means all men are equal and can aspire for any political positions irrespective of caste, creed, color, or any thing which includes the so much talked about 'dynasty'. There is no way 'dynasts' can be relegated as 'untouchables' in independent India.
• It is no body's job to install or pave way for the ascending of aspiring common man occupy such positions. If the process has become so much cumbersome and expensive it is not the fault of 'dynasts'. It is our own political and social problem.
• Can we debar effective communicators like Modi, KCR etc paving way for so called aspiring common man? If 'dynasts' have some inherent advantages of their fore fathers and money that is their good luck. Everybody looks forward standing on the shoulders of their parents & grandparents. Nothing wrong in that.
• These days, money is playing decisive role in politics and it is due to failure of government, institutions and people themselves. Not the failure of constitution. Education, awareness and independent media are the keys.
• Social justice is not a goal or a dead end. In a good society there would be many above the thin line of 'Social Justice' and few below. The other way round like in India is worrisome. It is the responsibility of underprivileged to work hard and alleviate themselves and also the duty of Society and Government to extend helping hand to accelerate the same.
• Representative & Constitution based Democracy is neither perfect nor foolproof but is the least worst forms of Democracy. There is no such thing called ideal democracy.
• Extreme democracy, as practiced in 'small & rich' Switzerland too has many aberrations.
• The beauty of Indian democracy is that very often erring famous people encounter defeat and were sent into oblivion indicates its inherent strength and resilience. But that should not be a limiting factor in eradicating most of the ills the of society, if not all.
• As long as our economic policies aids corruption & capitalism in the name of 'rewarding the talent' and in reality rewards the rich, educated and perverted who will continue to become richer while poor will remain poorer resulting in Gini coefficient increasing beyond limits and eventually could result in social unrest and destruction of the nation.
• In a democracy 'Elected Executive' stands tallest of all. If institutions proactively doesn't control erring executive, at every step, democracy dies and authoritarianism erupts. The real power is with that person who control Money, Police & Military i.e. The Executive. Institutions have no jurisdiction over them. Where ever 'Elected Super Boss' subverts constitution and institutions, dictatorships have ruled those nations. It is imperative for people to elect good person to positions of power. People can't elect rogues to rule them and expect institutions to control him with checks and balances. Life doesn't work that way. 
• Every undebated and nontransparent decision of Executive & Legislature must be subjected to judicial scrutiny prior to its implementation.

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” ― James Madison

Why do people vote for 'dynasts'? That is because familiarity of that family with the people and people enjoyed some benefits of their generosity in the past. Why do parties rally behind dynasts with in the party? That is because of their belief in their charisma to hold the party together. Without Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi at the helm of Congress party, it would disintegrate. As long as so called 'dynasts' have popular mandate, it is perfectly in order. What is wrong in standing on the shoulders of forefathers and looking forward? Which everybody does. Some years ago an ageing cricket batsman was asked when he would retire paving way for young aspirants. He said that he wouldn't do any such thing and it is for the young new cricketer to work hard and prove better than him and displace him. That answers the concept of merit, the underpin of democracy.