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| Sunday, 26 June 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Tyranny of
caste system deep rooted in India
by Arefa Tehsin "Jaati na poocho saadhu ki, pooch lijiye gyan, Mol karo talwar ki, padi rehne do miyan." (Ask not the caste of the great, only the knowledge he gained hard, evaluate the sharpness of the sword, never the scabbard.) This Doha (couplet) of Kabir, written in the 16th century A.D. (after over three thousand five hundred years of the origin of caste system) reflects how deep rooted the caste system in India was and still is. All men are born unequal - this is the basic principle of the Indian social order also termed as India's Hidden Apartheid. India has fought for centuries with one of her biggest vices - through Saints and Sufis like Kabir and Nanak - the tyranny of the caste system. As the socio-historic theory goes, caste system was brought in by the Aryans who invaded and conquered Dravidians (local inhabitants of India) and settled in the subcontinent. When the invasion took place is still a debatable issue - the time argued upon stretches from 1500 B.C. to 2500 B.C. The Hindu society was divided into four castes by the Brahmins to establish their dominance. In order of ranking were the Brahmins (priests who had placed themselves on the head of the caste system), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (merchants and farmers) and Shudras (labourers and servants). Far lower than the lowest, considered not even worthy to be included in the caste system, were the Achutes or untouchables. Entirely out of the social order, their task was to do the most unpleasant and menial jobs like disposing dead animals, cleaning filth, sewerage and scavenging. It is believed that the Dravidians or the natives of India present at the time of Aryan invasion were placed the lowest in the social order. This couplet of the holy Ramchritmanas (the story of Ram) written in the 16th century by Tulsidas - "Dhol, gawar, shrudra, pashu nari; Yeh sab taran ke adhikari" (Drums, the uncouth, the lower cast, animals and women, are worthy of beatings) is recited to date in the households of India. Discrimination on this basis of birth has been explicitly mentioned in various ancient scriptures like Manu Smriti and has been practised even more powerfully. The oldest social hierarchy, the caste system in India, is not a thing of the past; it still stares back ugly and hideous in our faces with even educated people robustly attesting to it. Words fail when it comes to describing the oppression, the so-called Untouchables have undergone over the eras and epochs. Even today, cases are reported such as lower caste women being sexually assaulted, stripped naked and made to walk in streets following any disobedience towards higher caste; lower caste bridegrooms being murdered if they would sit on horses at their own weddings (as only higher castes are supposed to sit on horses) and so on. Voices against it have raised and dimmed and died over the epochs, time and again but caste system is a survivor. However, an important thing, which cannot be missed, is that all successful movements with lasting effect against discrimination on the basis of birth have been started and propagated by those belonging to the upper castes. From Vishvamitra to Mahaveer and Buddha up to Gandhi, Narendra Dev, Jai Prakash, Lohia and so on, it was their voice that was heard more within the upper castes and even by the socially downtrodden, for they denounced the very social order that offered them a privileged place by birth. Siddhartha was a prince, a Kshatriya, who opposed not only what was supposed to be his dharma by birth i.e. to fight, but also denounced the caste system. India gave birth to four religions. First amongst them was Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism). The religion itself was quite scientific with no preacher in it. It was rather a way of life. Shiv, Ram, Krishna being the most important associations with Brahma, The Almighty. The second religion to originate was Jainism, which was older than Buddhism. Mahaveer was a contemporary of Buddha. He was the 23rd Tirthankar but Jainism was spread by him the most. The third was Buddhism, which was founded by Buddha and spread in the seventh century B.C. Last was Sikhism, which began with Guru Nanak and was established after his death in the 15th Century A.D., though his disciples were being called 'Sikh' meaning shishya (student, follower) in his lifetime. Among these religions, the most important, in terms of universal acceptance, was Buddhism. It appealed to people across the continents because of its preaching of Ahimsa, Truthfulness and Salvation i.e. upliftment of the downtrodden and no distinction in the name of caste, religion. Buddha preached that anyone could attain moksha contrary to Hinduism's caste system wherein one had to take a series of rebirths, being uplifted in each birth through the castes. What made people more receptive to Buddhism was that it took disciples from all castes and creeds and preached that deliverance from suffering could come to anyone who obeyed the severe rules of ascetic life. This resulted in a remarkable dominance of Buddhism over the Conservatives, often termed as followers of Manu. Manu were the Brahmins who were the authors of ancient scriptures like Manu Smriti in which they have laid down systematically and elaborately a system of conventional precepts for caste system. There they have prescribed ruthless and inhuman punishments for the lower caste offenders, offending any rules of the system of caste. Amongst all religions, saints and Sufis who tried to condemn these vices, it was only Buddhism that was able to successfully dominate the conservatives. Buddhism emerged, grew, flourished and then spread far and wide across the boundaries, across the subcontinent. (To be continued) |
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