Demystifying Caste: True or False

Demystifying Caste

• In this class, students will learn about the various misconceptions about caste.
• Students will also reflect on the current understanding of caste.

Seven Misconceptions of Caste: True or False

• The caste into which one is born determines one's occupation
• Caste designations are changeless
• Castes relate to each other in mutually accepted hierarchical patterns
• Everyone called by the same caste name is related to everyone else called by that same caste name
• Castes are uniquely Hindu
• Hinduism legitimizes preferential treatment according to caste
• Castes have been abolished

Note

• If a slide has a cross next to it, that means the statement is completely false.
• If the slide does NOT have a cross next to it, this means the statement is partially false and partially true.

The Caste Into Which One is Born Determines One's Occupation

• This statement is false
• The varna system of ancient law books prescribes the occupations that each varna has to follow.
• People in the same caste can engage in different occupations
• It is untrue that caste names always correlate with the profession of the individual.

Ancient Texts and Caste

• The Dharmashastras divide society into four varnas.
• Everyone must follow the dharma of their varna but, in times of emergency or distress, people can follow the duties of other varnas.

Caste Mobility in Times of Adversity

• A Brahmana may receive Vedic instruction from a non-Brahmana, walk behind him, and obey him
• Once the study is completed, the Brahmana becomes the more honorable of the two
• One may teach, officiate at the sacrifices, and receive gifts from people of all classes
• Each preceding occupation is more honourable
• When these occupations are unavailable, one may live by the occupations of a Kshatriya, but if even these are unavailable, by the occupations of a Vaishya.

Caste Designations Are Changeless

• This statement is false
• There are many instances of castes changing their caste names and behavior in order to receive advantageous treatment.
• Instances of caste groups moving to a different area and being given a new caste name exist
• Example: Chettiar (merchant) and Pahari (mountain people).

Chettiars: An Example of Change in Profession

• The Chettiars originated from an area known as Chettinad in Tamil Nadu.
• Chettiars are more formally referred to as the Nattukottai Chettiars or Nagarathars.
  • Nattukottai means "people with palatial houses in the countryside"
  • Nagarathars refer to "city dwellers, traders and temple-based people" in Tamil.
• The Chettiars were traditionally merchants and traders in precious stones but later became involved in banking and moneylending activities.
• As the British expanded their presence in the region, the Chettiars emigrated from India to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Burma (now Myanmar) and Malaya (now Malaysia and Singapore).
• The Chettiars were the pioneer financiers of Singapore.

Name Changes in Caste

• Example: In 1999, a 15-year-old Dalit named Siddhant Paswan became Siddhant Kumar and picked a neutral surname before his secondary school board exams.
• Hiding one's identity was a way of avoiding caste discrimination when joining the job queue.

Castes Relate to Each Other in Mutually Accepted Hierarchical Patterns

• This statement is frequently false
• In any given locality, castes might differ in their opinion about the “correct” local hierarchical patterns.
• Disputes regarding the hierarchy frequently occur and caste rankings can change over time.

Everyone Called by the Same Caste Name is Related to Everyone Else Called by That Same Caste Name

• This statement is false
• Some castes whose members make (or did make) pots are called "potters" by those around them
• These people are not related to all other castes called “potters."
• Every "Ambani" is not related to every other "Ambani."

Castes Are Uniquely Hindu

• This statement is false
• Castes exist among other faiths, such as Jains and Sikhs.
• Caste is seen as regulations around marriage and interaction with other groups in society.
• If the meaning of caste is seen as these regulations, then caste exists outside Hinduism.
• Marrying within one's caste and avoiding interaction with other castes are as strict among Jains and Christians as they are among Hindus.
• Example: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/watch-caste-discrimination-in-christianity/article67731571.ece

Hinduism Legitimizes Preferential Treatment According to Caste

• This statement is occasionally false.
• The Bhakti movement is against preferential treatment based on caste.
• Alternative religious and non-religious movements have criticized preferential treatment based on caste.
  • Buddhism and people like E. V. Ramamswamy Naicker provide examples.

Controversy Around Buddha's Views on Caste

• The Buddha maintains that all four castes are equal and describes the brahmanas' claim to superiority as an empty boast.
• He describes the goals in life of the three upper castes but makes no mention of the goals of the sudras.
• The Buddha ignored the Sudras.

E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar)

• "There is no god, there is no god, there is no god at all. He who invented god is a fool. He who propagates god is a scoundrel. He who worships god is a barbarian."
• He was born into a Hindu trading family.
• In 1904, on a pilgrimage to Varanasi, he observed certain rituals that made him say that Hinduism was Brahmanical exploitation.
• He was one of the leaders who took part in the Vaikom Satyagraha around Sree Mahadeva Temple in Kerala in 1924-1925.

Castes Have Been Abolished

• This statement is false.
• India's constitution declares that "untouchability" is abolished and anyone discriminating against "untouchables" can be prosecuted.
• India's constitution says nothing about abolishing castes.
• In the United States, discrimination on the grounds of race or gender has been declared illegal
• However, the United States has no laws abolishing race or gender.

Anti-Arrack Agitation in Andhra Pradesh

• Arrack is generally consumed by poor people, especially agricultural labourers.
• Drinking arrack is a social taboo among the forward and some backward castes.
• Arrack consumption is socially acceptable by certain scheduled castes.

Beginnings of the Anti-Arrack Movement

• The movement began in Dubugamta village of Nellore District in Andhra Pradesh.
• Protesters protested against arrack auctions and demanded the ban of arrack.
• Attempts were made to suppress the protesters by the police.
• Arrack was sold under police protection and under police stations.

Prohibition as National Policy

• The Directive Principles of State Policy directs the state to "endeavor to bring about prohibition of consumption, except for medicinal purpose, of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health.”

Complete Reversal in the Late 1960s

• Prohibition was lifted in almost all states except Gujarat in the late 1960s.
• The UP government abolished prohibition in 11 districts where there was prohibition in 1964.
• Madhya Pradesh followed suit.

Increasing Excise Duty

• States which did not go for prohibition adopted the policy of reducing liquor consumption by increasing excise duty.
• This ended up raising revenue instead of reducing liquor consumption
• Increased revenue from excise duty benefits the political class.

Statistics From AP

• By 1990-91, Andhra Pradesh occupied the first rank in arrack consumption
• The consumption of all kinds of liquor increased steeply.
• 70-80% of the growing excise was due to arrack.

Transition From Arrack Shops to Sachets

• The number of arrack shops declined to 16,436 in 1990-91.
• The decline did not mean reduction in arrack demand, but instead revealed the new ways of selling liquor.
• Arrack was packed in 90 ml and 45 ml polythene sachets.

Contractor Profits

• Difference between the sale price and the issue price is the contractors share of profit.
• Official records say that contractors do not make much profit.
• Official records fail to include other expenses such as ‘goonda gangs’, bribes to excise department, or the contribution to political parties etc.

Illicit Sale and Consumption of Arrack

• Official data does not include illicit distilling and packaging.
• The consumption will be higher than official estimates show.

Non -Economic Impact of Arrack

• Economic impact can be felt in terms of gender relations and political impact.

Gender Specific Implications

• Men spend most of the household income on arrack
• Women then struggle to provide food and children's upbringing is affected.
• Women are subsequently victims of domestic violence and abuse at the hands of their husband.

Political Implications

• Liquor contractors, their criminal activities and political nexus lead to loss of respect for political process.
• The CPI (ML) groups demanded a ban on arrack in north Telangana districts.

Akshar Jyoti Programme

• Akshara Jyoti was a literacy program for women in Nellore.
• The movement helped raise awareness about the nexus between politicians, police and the arrack contractors.
• Women demanded complete prohibition.

Tactics Used By Women Activists

• Village committees led by women pressurised men to take oath in the village temples to stop drinking arrack.
• If the oath is violated, men would be forced to pay a heavy fine to the temple and their families would be banished from the villages.
• Tactics also included the refusal to serve food to those coming home drunk.

Methods of Protest Used By Women

• Use of broom, chilli powder, and fire were used for protesting
• Women attacked the contractor's den and set fire to the barrels and sachets.
• Women collectively sat in front of liquor shops to prevent sales.

Caste and Village Society

• The idea of dominant caste was first expressed by M.N. Srinivas in 1955.
• M.N. Srinivas defined dominant caste as being greater in number, and having great economic and political power.
• A large and powerful caste group can more easily be dominant if its position in the local caste hierarchy is not too low.
• However, the existence of other class differences were observed
• In some villages, power might be shared between different castes and not confined to a dominant caste.

Oliver Mendelsohn's Perspective on Dominant Caste

• He stated that the idea of the dominant caste is an important observation made by M.N. Srinivas in the 1950s.
• Mendelsohn argues though, that by this time, the idea of dominant caste was vanishing.

Dominance Through Judicial Authority

• Dominance can be identified by the capability to exercise juridical authority, do justice or settle dispute.
• The caste panchayat, the panchayat of the dominant caste or official courts are who gives justice.

Three Scenarios of Dispute Settlement

According to M.N.Srinivas, the dominant caste settles disputes in three cases:

• Where both parties are from non-dominant castes.
• Where both parties are from one (non dominant) caste.
• Caste panchayats have existing authority to settle disputes internal to its own caste and might be surprising that something else settles it.

Devisar: A Village in Jaipur District

• Anand Chakraverti did fieldwork in Devisar in 1964/65.
• His study shows that the Rajput phase was in the past, and that the abolition of Jagirdari in 1954 deprived Rajputs of much of their land.
• Land was redistributed to Jats, Kumavats and Ahirs.

Why Did Rajputs Lose Power in Devisar?

• Chakraverti does not seem to regard the loss of land by the Rajputs as the main reason for the destruction of their dominant status.
• He emphasises the ideological and general political environment outside the village
• leadership factors internal to the village also played a role.

Other Factors That Led to Loss of Rajput Power

• Land redistribution
• The impact of the changing political landscape as congress gained influence over the local population
• Other caste groups such as jats gained political and social power
• Emergence of new leaders in villages who stood to gain from change

Rajput Status Prior to Loss of Power: Case 1

• This case took place in 1928
• There was a dispute regarding a relationship between a Brahmin widow and a Mahajan man.
• Both were removed from their caste
• The assistance of Rajput landholders was sought to bring this resolution.
• The two paid a fine of 11 rupees and were readmitted to their caste.
• In the past, the problem would have been handled by the Brahmin and Mahajan caste panchayats sitting separately.

Rajput Status Prior to Loss of Power: Case 2

• In 1924, an alercation arose because a calf strayed into a field where it did not belong.
• The alercation led to an Ahir hitting a Rajput.
• All of the Rajputs met afterwards and suggested a fine of 101 rupees.

Rajput Status Prior to Loss of Power: Case 3

• In 1954, a dispute rose about illicit milking of goats that belonged to a Raegar.
• During the altercation, the Rajput lost his temper and struck one of the Raegars with a rake on which the Raegar hit him back.
• All the Raegars were asked to bow won in symbolic submission and apologize before the father of the Rajput who was hit.

Challenge to Rajput Authority

• The Ahirs and Raegars were punished because they returned blows or refused to do a polluting job that they traditionally had to.
• They were challenging the authority of the Rajputs.

Behror: Oliver Mendelsohn's Analysis

• He studied the village from the 1970s to the early 2000s.
• He notes that the dominant landholding caste in Behror is the Ahirs.
• This pattern is centuries old, but complicated.

The Dominant Caste Today?

• The Ahirs did not possess power in terms of settling disputes for other castes.
• They lacked the economic power to make the rest of village dependent on them
• The Jajmani system is mostly absent.

Factors That Changed the Village Structure

• Villagers in Behror are now engaged in economic activity outside the village.
• Many other castes, such as Bhangis, are not dependent on Ahirs for employment.
• The green revolution led to agricultural expansion and the condition of Bhangis improved.
• Bhangis have migrated to other cities for work and left the traditional occupation of sweeping.

Migration in Other Communities

• Brahmins for a long time have moved to other respectable occupations like medicine and army.
• The Ahirs wanted their sons and especially their daughters to study outside the village.
• Ahirs operate trucking and bus lines but primarily focus on stone quarries.

Ahirs and Lack of Unity Within the Community

• Individualism and family centeredness have replaced caste solidarity.
• The Ahirs never meet as a community such as the panchayat.
• Theu might gather for weddings and funerals but they do not hold any meeting of their community.

No Caste Panchayat Means No Caste Solidarity

• Disappearance of caster panchayat has become observed.
• The panchayat is still important, especially for some low caste communities.
• A Bhangi tailor predicts that increased money will soon erode the solidarity of the community.
• MLA from some other community might intervene in disputes now.