Challenging the Caste System PDF

# 10. Challenging the Caste System ## Sources of History - "So long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you." - Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. - What do you think Babasaheb means by social liberty? - Do you think India became socially free j...

# 10. Challenging the Caste System ## Sources of History - "So long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you." - Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. - What do you think Babasaheb means by social liberty? - Do you think India became socially free just by getting political freedom from British rule in 1947? Have a discussion in class. A caste in the Early Vedic Period was a division of society based on occupation. There were four varnas, or castes - brahmana (priests), kshatriya (warriors), vaishya (traders and farmers), and shudra (laborers). Then there was a further group, who were thought to be outside the caste system and treated as untouchables. Initially, it is believed that people could move from one caste to the other depending on the job they chose. By the Later Vedic Period, the caste system became more rigid. Caste became something permanent, a person was born into. Various sub-castes came up within the four main castes. ## The Practice of Untouchability The worst aspect of the caste system was the practice of untouchability. The 'untouchables' did the work that was seen as polluting, such as cleaning toilets, washing clothes, burying or cremating the dead, sweeping the streets and skinning dead animals. They were forbidden entry into temples, hospitals, and other public places. They were not allowed to draw water from the village well, and often had to walk for kilometers to an alternate source of water. At village events, they were not allowed to eat with the rest of the people, nor use the same utensils. Millions of people across India, therefore, led the most wretched lives just because of an accident of birth. ## How was the caste system enforced? The rulers were empowered to punish those who violated the caste system. The priests quoted from law books written by sages like Manu to assert their authority. They used superstition to scare the ignorant masses into submission. ## Adverse effects of the caste system - Social injustices like untouchability and discrimination often received the sanction of religion. The 'privileged' castes ill-treated the 'oppressed' castes as the latter did not have any rights. Generations of oppression created economic and social inequalities across the country. - With several sub-castes arising in time, Indian society became fragmented. People identified first with their caste, and only then with the nation. Thus, they had no sense of nationalism, and rarely united against a threat to the nation from outside forces. - Caste divisions were a hindrance to individual progress; they did not recognize individual talent. Thus, birth stood in the way of a person from a 'an oppressed' caste taking up an occupation that was the privilege of the 'privileged' castes. In the long run this encouraged incompetence and affected the quality of Indian society. ## History of Reform As early as the 6th century BCE, thinkers like Mahavira and Buddha raised their voices against the injustices of the caste system. From the 8th century CE, the Bhakti saints taught that all humans were equal, and that there was no religious sanction for the caste system. In the 19th century, many social reformers like Keshab Chandra Sen and Mahatma Jotirao spoke against the caste system, calling it 'the greatest evil of our social customs'. ### Mahatma Jotirao Phule (1827-1890) Jotirao Phule was one of the most committed social reformers of the 19th century. He worked tirelessly for the uplift of the lower castes, and disapproved of the supremacy of the priestly class. His work earned him the title of 'Mahatma'. Jotiba (as Jotirao Phule was also called) founded the Satya Shodhak Samaj in 1873 in Maharashtra as a forum for this cause. He told the underprivileged classes, Dalits and women that there was no scientific basis for the religious beliefs and superstitions that had been developed by people of the 'privileged castes' to oppress them. He taught that in the eyes of god all humans are equal. ### Sree Narayana Guru (1856-1928) In Kerala, Sree Narayana Guru was one of the first to fight against the evils of the caste system. He helped found the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) in 1903 to reform society. He established the Aruvipuram temple where people of all castes were allowed entry. Narayana Guru was convinced that the Dalits could only progress through education. He established a number of educational institutions, primarily for the education of the oppressed classes. ### Kandukuri Veeresalingam (1848-1919) Kandukuri Veeresalingam took up the work of the Brahmo Samaj in Andhra Pradesh. Even when in school he opposed caste distinctions and meaningless customs. When he became a teacher, he fought for the rights of women, and raised his voice against untouchability and superstitious religious beliefs. To enlighten the common people, he started a monthly magazine in Telugu, Vivekavardhini, and a weekly, Satyavadini, which was published in both English and Telugu. He also started the Hitakarini Samajam in 1906 to take up reforms in society. He started a school for girls in Dowlaiswaram, and conducted widow remarriages. ### Periyar Ramasami (1879–1973) EV Ramasami, fondly called Periyar by his followers, was a crusader for the cause of the downtrodden in Tamil Nadu. He vehemently opposed the atrocities committed against the Dalits. He believed that all women and men should be given equal opportunities to develop. He was against the superiority of the priestly class, and other privileged classes. He started the Self-respect Movement and was a prominent leader of the Justice Party, which he transformed to the Dravidar Kazhagam. Periyar believed that equality for all would become a reality only when the caste system was eradicated. Because of his agitations, the government amended the Constitution to protect the rights of the oppressed, and reservation was introduced for the oppressed classes. ## Sources of History - Men should not touch each other, see each other; and they cannot enter temples, or fetch water from the village pond. How long do you desire a vast section of the oppressed, the depressed classes to remain patient? -Periyar ## Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Though Gandhi is mainly remembered for his role in the freedom struggle of India, his contribution to the social uplift of the people is equally noteworthy. Gandhi knew that there could be no true freedom for India as long as millions of Indians suffered from the scourge of untouchability. Gandhi fought for their entry into temples. He also started-the Anti-Untouchability League. - Gandhi led by example. Thus, in his ashram, people of all castes ate together. Gandhi personally washed the toilets in the ashram to show people that such tasks did not make anyone dirty or untouchable. He ate food and drank water from the homes of people belonging to the oppressed groups. ## Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (1891-1956) Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar is the father of the Indian Constitution. He was recognized as a great scholar, and was on several commissions. Yet he was declined admission into a temple because he was a Dalit. He had to undergo several such humiliations from his childhood. - Ambedkar spent his life fighting to give the Dalits their rights, and to ensure that they could lead a life of dignity. He fought for their right to enter temples, and to draw water from public wells. He urged the Dalits to cast aside the religious taboos and superstitions that had bound them to servitude. Towards the end of his life, he adopted the Buddhist faith, which he believes worked towards creating a classless society. ## The Impact of the Reform Movements The reformers of the 19th and early 20th centuries were responsible for the awakening of the people of India. It was due to the untiring efforts of many of these reformers that the British government passed laws to abolish practices like sati and child marriage. Many Indians began to see the injustice of the caste system, and began treating all as equals. This feeling of oneness led to the growth of nationalism. After India became free, the Constitution assured all its people equality, and freedom from any form of discrimination. Untouchability became punishable by law. Affirmative action, i.e., a set of actions taken to remove existing discrimination and to remedy the effects of past discrimination, was taken by the government. - The Indian government scheduled the Dalits and tribal people for affirmative action by including them in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. This grouped them into two categories-scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The other oppressed groups were classified as other backward classes (OBCs). The Constitution reserved quotas for them in central, state and local governing bodies, in government offices, and in institutions of higher education. This was done to ensure that people from the oppressed classes also had a chance to compete equally with others. Though slow, there has been an improvement in the lives of the Dalits and OBCs. ## Sources of History - Several people from the Dalit communities have gone on to hold important positions in independent India. For example, Babu Jagjivan Ram and KR Narayanan rose to become presidents of India, while Kumari Mayawati served as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh four times.