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Essay on Caste System in India

List of essays on caste system in india, essay on caste system in india – for children (essay 1 – 250 words), essay on caste system in india – short essay on the caste system in india (essay 2 – 300 words), essay on caste system in india – for school students (class 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 standard) (essay 3 – 400 words), essay on caste system in india – introduction, types, effects and conclusion (essay 4 – 550 words), essay on caste system in india – origin, implications and solution (essay 5 – 600 words), essay on caste system in india – for college and university students (essay 6 – 800 words).

• Essay on the Caste System in India – Long Essay for Competitive Exams like IAS, IPS and UPSC (Essay 7 – 1000 Words)

The caste system in India is defined as the identification of a person as to from which family he belongs to. Since centuries, the caste system in India has been the basis of division among the Hindus. But, how has it affected society as a whole? Or how has it evolved over time is something which the students should definitely know about.

There are positives and negatives of everything including the caste system in India which should be known to the students. Therefore, we have come up with long essays for students along with some short essays so as to give them an insight on this ancient system of division of the society, prevalent even today.

Audience: The below given essays are exclusively written for school students (Class 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Standard) and college students. Furthermore, those students preparing for competitive exams like IAS, IPS and UPSC can also increase their knowledge by studying these essays.

The caste system in India is one of the world’s oldest form of social stratification that is still surviving. Originally, the caste depended on a person’s work but it soon changed to hereditary. The caste system in India has been modified and evolved over the centuries by the rulers and those in power. There was a significant change in the caste system in India during the Mughal Raj and the British Rule. Although four primary castes were defined by Vedas – Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Shudra, there are thousands of sub-castes and communities within the Indian society.

Independent India has banned any discrimination based on caste and in an attempt to correct the previous injustices against traditionally disadvantaged, the government has announced quotas in government jobs and educational institutions. It was meant to support scheduled castes and tribes but now it has transformed into a whole different issue. Many communities are fighting and protesting violently to be recognized as OBCs. And even though most of such communities are prospering, they still want the caste quota by claiming that they are poor and suffering.

This problem is exacerbated by politicians and media. During the times of election, politicians woo a particular caste block by offering them certain benefits and such. Even though, the support to unprivileged was necessary, it has now become a vote-grabbing exercise for politicians and a short-cut to gain quotas for some communities. Caste system in India has simply become a system to gain reservation and benefits when people are acquiring education or applying for jobs.

Caste System in India came into existence in the period of ancient times and it still holds a sturdy base in the Indian society. On the other hand, the Caste system in India might not be incorrect to tell that the mentality of people is also changing with the passing time.

People who are living in the urban areas that comprise of an educated section are overcoming the firm caste system in India that was established eras back. The modifications in our laws have also transformed our old Indian society into a modern one.

Law against Caste System in India:

The caste system in India was always criticized by everybody and numerous people volunteer to battle against it, however, such effort could not shake the base of this evil system. After India got freedom from the British, the constitution of India declared to place a prohibition on discrimination over the basis of the caste system in India. It was a clear and loud message to all such people who mistreated the lower caste people.

Introduction of the Reservation System:

The formation of law against the caste system in India was a smart step but one more decision i.e., introduction of the quota or the reservation system has shown to be damaging for our modern Indian society. In such a system, there are reserved seats for the lower caste people in the government jobs and in the education sector. Such type of system was introduced to raise the backward class’ standard of living.

But, it has turned into a reason of great worry in modern India. Owing to this quota system, numerous times the worthy contenders from the general group do not have an employment opportunity whereas the applicants from the scheduled tribe or scheduled caste acquire the same without being enough capable or skilled.

Conclusion:

The system of the caste system in India has already spoiled the image of the nation on various international levels. The caste system in India must be totally abolished in modern India for the country to prosperous growth and development.

Introduction:

One of the ugliest words of human races is Caste. Caste system in India is one of the unjustifiable acts of our ancestors. Caste system in India appeared in the Vedic ages itself and distinguished people based on their tribe, region, class, and religion. It is very similar to the concept of racism in Western Countries. Caste System is a huge hindrance to the development of a country and it stops a country from becoming an absolute empowered entity.

Meaning & Origin:

Jati or Varna are the two terms alternatively used in the place of Caste , which merely enhances the cruelty of the word usage. The four major hereditary castes prevalent in India are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra . The scholars and the priests form the top most in this structure and are termed Brahmins. Kshatriyas are soldiers and political leaders while the Vaisya and Sudra’s are the merchants and servants respectively. They even had a sect of people not categorized in any of these called untouchables who were mostly janitors.

Negative Effects of Caste System in India:

Some of the negative impacts of the caste system earlier were that not all people can access the temple, take water from wells, and eat with lower caste people. Modern India still has the impacts but in a different way whereby occupation of a certain family is carried down and mobilizes the other sect of people to pick up jobs in that Job family. Inter-caste marriages and honor killings have become common. National development has gone downhill since Caste System still exists in India.

Government Reforms:

The upper castes usually treated the lower castes people as their slaves and mostly occupied the higher positions in all the institutions.To rectify the past unfairness effects of the Caste System in India, Government has introduced quotas and reservation systems thereby giving access to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to help them ramp up to positions that matter. Discrimination based on Caste System is a crime.

It is a common say that Caste System in India would’ve long gone if the politicians didn’t fan it up for their conveniences. Despite many reforms and government regulations it is unfortunate that caste system in India still exists. We as citizens must take cautious steps and uphold discrimination as a serious offense. Equality of human race regardless of their gender, tribe, race, colour and the Job they do is a must. Whilst we look out to human kind for the paradigm shift, it is necessary stricter rules apply when inequality shows up.

Caste system in India is a huge hindrance to the development of our country. During British rule, millions of lives were lost in the struggle for freedom, only to establish a society of equality. But their efforts seem fruitless due to the divide caused by caste system in India. Caste system in India is derived from the ancient Varna system. Varna means colours and denotes various races of people. As India is a country of many races having their own language, customs, traditions and dressing, caste system in India was introduced to celebrate the differences between castes and eliminate discrimination. However, the caste system in India only established a complete divide between each caste.

Different Types of Castes in India:

Initially caste system in India was based on the work a person did. Priests in the temples were called Brahmins and regarded highly in the society as they were close to God in work. Secondly, those who were involved in ruling the country, chiefs of army and warriors were called Kshatriyas and regarded next to Brahmins.

Caste system in India defined a third class of people called Vaishyas who were tradesmen, artists and farmers and made up the business class of the society. Below them came the Shudras, people who did manual work and were called labourers. There was a class even below Shudras, the Dalits which referred to people who did cleaning works.

Due to caste system in India, Dalits were regarded as untouchables by the other four castes. Since the kind of work done by a person determined his status in the society, as time went by, a priest’s son became a priest, a king’s son became the next ruler and so on and even before anybody realized, caste system in India was firmly established.

People retained the work line of their older generations to retain their identity in the society. Finally, caste system in India divided people into different classes of status and nobody could move up a class or down a class. It became hereditary and a child was labelled with the caste of his parents’ right at birth.

Effects of Caste System in India:

Caste system in India totally eliminated the freedom of choice of occupation and every person was forced to take up the occupation of his family. Its workings are against that of a democracy which preaches equal rights and opportunities to all while caste system in India inflicts discrimination based on status. Inter-caste marriages were considered immoral and unholy and even punished by death.

Marrying with sub-castes was also not allowed. This resulted in poor health of descendants as marrying within the family or with close relatives led to children being born with immunity disorders. Untouchability came into practise due to caste system in India.

Caste system in India is still prevalent; however, today the impact of caste has diminished subsequently due to education and modernization of the society. People of different castes live side-by-side and inter-caste marriages are encouraged and have become a norm. Still it is necessary that caste system in India is fully abolished in papers and in the minds of people to truly realize and experience democracy in the country. This is possible only when the educated members of the society join hands in denouncing orthodox beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation and take measures against the caste system in India.

The origin of caste system in India can be traced back to the ancient times, more importantly the Mughal Empire. It is hard to pinpoint a specific era wherein the caste system in India became prevalent but it has been mostly seen that just when the Mughal era began to collapse, there was a strata of the society who rose to power and they started this segregation of people into several caste. The British rule farther strengthened the principle of caste system in India and thereby led to this vice getting a strong grip in the Indian society.

Let us check out more details pertaining to the caste system in India.

What is the caste system in India?

The caste system in India essentially refers to segregation of people on the basis of their race, lineage and breed. Therefore, this is the form of segregation wherein people are positioned not on the basis of talent or merit rather by their birth and descent.

The Origin of the Caste System in India:

There are different theories with regards to the origin of caste system in India. Some people believe that the caste system can be traced back to the divine origin. It is also perceived as an extension of the varna system because there are 4 varnas which are:

Brahmins – the top class

The Kshatriyas – the warrior section

The Vaishyas – the traders

The Shudras – the lowest caste

As it is believed that Shudras were made from Lord Brahma’s feet, they were designated to serve others and so they were not allowed to be at par with people of other caste.

Further, the segregation was also done on the basis of occupation. People who were employed doing dirty and filthy jobs were hailed to be untouchables and they were segregated from the upper caste and labelled to be the ones belonging to lower caste.

The Implications of Caste System in India:

There were several implications of the caste system in India. As per the dogma of the caste system, people hailing from the lower caste could only marry within their caste. They were not allowed access to temples and other religious buildings. At the same time, there was also restriction on their use of food and drinks. They were not allowed to touch the same vessels as the ones used by the members of the upper caste. It was believed that if a person from the lower caste would touch a vessel, the food would become polluted.

The treatment met out to members of the lower caste was so harsh that it led to scholars fighting for the need of reforms.

The Solution:

There were a lot of scholars who put forth their voice against the caste system in India. They fought for the need of reforms. Raja Ram Mohan Roy and even Mahatma Gandhi were phenomenal in their work. It is believed that it was with the right awareness that things started taking a turn for the good.

However, we are far away from reaching the state of equality. Even today, the fighting for the need of reforms still needs to go on.

Caste system in India still has its root firmly set. The lower segment of the society does not have easy access to all the facilities and they cannot walk with their head held high. It is important to create education and awareness campaign because such vices can cripple not just the society but the nation as a whole.

The youth needs to understand the futility of the concept behind the caste system in India and come forth with the right ideas to eradicate the problem once and for all.

The caste system in India has been prevalent in Hindus since ancient times. In fact, it has remained the main basis of division of the society and now is the main basis for reservation in education and jobs as well. But who laid down the principles of the caste system in India and what is it that this system has been followed as it is for centuries?

History of Caste System in India:

Early available evidence about the caste system in India shows up in the Vedas, Sanskrit-dialect writings from as back as 1500 BC, which is the base on which the Hindu scriptures rest. The Rigveda, from 1700-1100 BC, also makes reference to caste system in India and shows that social division was acceptable. The Bhagavad Gita, dated as back as 200 BC, also mentions the significance of caste. Likewise, the Laws of Manu or Manusmriti from a similar period characterizes the rights and obligations of the four unique castes or varnas. Therefore, it appears that the Hindu castes system in India started to set at some point somewhere in the range of 1000 and 200 BC.

The caste system in India was not an absolute reality during some part of Indian history. For instance, the prestigious Gupta Dynasty, which ruled from 320 to 550 BC, were from the Vaishya rank as opposed to the Kshatriya. Numerous later rulers likewise were from various caste system in India, for example, the Madurai Nayaks (1559-1739) who were Balijas, commonly known as dealers.

Divisions under the Caste system in India:

There are four major divisions of the caste system in India namely, the Brahmins which are considered as the priests, the Kshatriyas who take on the role of warriors and rulers, the Vaishyas who are the farmers, artisans and traders and lastly the Shudras who are servants and tenants.

The Significance of the Caste System in India:

Practices related with the caste system in India changed through time and crosswise over India, however, all have some regular features which are integral to the caste system in India. The three key everyday issues ruled by caste system in India are marriage, religious worship and meals.

Marriage crosswise over different castes was entirely prohibited in earlier times, a great many people even wedded inside their own sub-position or jati, although a lot has been changed now. Similarly, at feast times, anybody could acknowledge meals from the hands of a Brahmin, however, a Brahmin was not allowed to accept a meal from a lower caste. The lower castes, were in fact not allowed to even drain out water from particular wells which were meant for the upper castes. As far as religion, as the Brahmins managed religious ceremonies and other services related to the festivals as well as funerals. The Kshatriya and Vaisya ranks had all the rights to worship, yet in a few spots, Shudras were not permitted to offer their goods in the temples.

The Darker Side – The Untouchables of the Caste System in India:

Although widely it is considered that the Shudra were considered as the untouchables among the caste system in India, the reality, however, is that it was not the case in earlier times. The people who did not follow the social rules or did something which was not acceptable by the society were punished and termed as untouchables. They were considered as impure and were kept out of villages and had to do their chores themselves. They were not even allowed to eat with others and in fact, it is believed that they were not even cremated as per the rituals. However, with time, the untouchables went on to be referred to as the Shudras which created a divide and imbalance in the Hindu culture leading to frequent revolts by the Shudra for the claim to equality with others.

The caste system in India was originally built in order to divide the society as per the role in the development of the society. However, with time the upper castes started thinking of themselves as the superior ones and look down upon the lower castes with disgrace. But, with changing times, awareness among the people and initiatives by the Government things have started to change. Now, we see a lot many inter-caste and even faith marriages happening which was a prohibited act in earlier times.

Moreover, the Shudras are also allowed to enter the temples and there have been efforts to treat all as equal irrespective of their castes. This is in fact has been guaranteed to us in the Constitution of India as well. However, there are still places where the caste system in India in is practiced blindly and it is only through education that we can spread awareness among the people so as to treat all around them as equal and not to have a bias against person belonging to any particular caste system in India.

Essay on the Caste System in India – Long Essay for Competitive Exams like IAS, IPS and UPSC   (Essay 7 – 1000 Words)

Caste System in India: An Overview:

The caste system in India has been dominant since ancient ages. The caste system in India is supposed to be introduced to the Indian society by the Aryans. Even today, both rural and urban areas remain under the spell of the caste system in India. However, the obsession is much more intense in the rural areas.

The caste system in India divides the whole society into many sections. In other words, the caste system in India results in the social stratification of the people. Our ancient Vedas refer to the Chaturvarna system. Here, Chatur means ‘four’ and Varna means ‘color’. So, basically, the caste system in India relies on four main pillars (castes) in the typical Hindu culture.

People were categorized into these four castes depending upon their skin color. From higher to lower status in the society, the four major divisions of the caste system in India are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. As stated, Brahmins hold the superior most position in Hindu society whereas Shudras were considered to be the lowest, only above the Dalits.

According to the orthodox rules related to the caste system in India, people belonging to one of the four castes could only opt for a particular set of occupations. For instance, Brahmins were basically involved in the academic and priestly tasks. Kshatriyas were known to become Kings and soldiers.

Trading, farming, and merchant tasks were available to Vaishyas. And lastly, the manual labor was assigned to the Shudras. Dalits were considered so low that they were not even included in the caste system in India and were left with the heinous jobs of manual scavenging.

Factors Flourishing the Caste System in India:

If we look at the factors that have contributed to the caste system in India since the ancient time, the first one happens to be patriarchal mindset and superiority complex of a particular section. This type of caste system in India aided the Kings and priests (religious authorities) to exploit the lower sections and manipulate them to their benefits.

Strict adherence to old customs, traditions, and superstitious beliefs, such as the concept of reincarnation and deeds of past life etc., have played a vital role in nourishing the caste system in India. Even in modern times, such conventional practices exist on a large level in society.

Thanks to our politicians banking on the gullible nature of the Indian public, their political careers and election results thrive on the caste system in India. Indian politics has a significant part in the existence and flourishing of the caste system in India.

Lack of education indirectly strengthens the caste system in India. When people are not well educated, their mindset remains rigid and orthodox. They are never able to develop an inner power to question the unfair practices such as the caste system in India which has been going on for thousands of years.

Perilous Effects of Caste System:

The 18 caste system in India has paralyzed the country in countless ways. First of all, it’s a huge blot on the progressive, democratic, and developing image of India. The caste system in India is also a severe violation of the basic human rights of the citizens of India.

The caste system in India prevents a wholesome and uniform growth of the country. Due to the evil practice of casteism, some sections enjoy a lot of social and economic luxuries whereas other sections struggle for their survival.

Untouchability is one of the many outputs of the caste system in India. It is the most degraded form of human behavior that is practiced in our country. But that is just the tip of the Iceberg. For several years, unreported and unpunished atrocities and killings of the lower castes have been going on.

The unshakable caste system in India is the foundation of honor killings in our society. People are so adamantly attached to their castes that when a couple opts for an inter-caste marriage, their ultimate punishment is death. What a shame!

Even in the job sectors, the caste system in India contributes to so many disparities and partialities when it comes to providing equal opportunities to all the citizens of India. Those occupying high ranks in the offices, do not want people from other castes entering into the system. As a result of the caste system in India, the jobs are given on the basis of caste, not talent.

In the rural areas, the situation is worse. People belonging to lower castes are often stripped of their basic income. Their lands are snatched away from them. Due to the caste system in India, rapes, murders, lynching, and ostracized of particular sections are too common to file a report for.

Counteracting the Caste System in India:

After several amendments in the constitutional rights and resulting influence of human rights, the scenario of the caste system in India is finally changing. Huge credit goes to social reformers like Dr. B R Ambedkar and Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Mahatma Gandhi was also against the practice of untouchability and tried his best to end the caste system in India.

Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes have been given special protection in the legal system of India. Many laws have been created to stop any kind of discrimination on the basis of the caste system in India. The constitution has also abolished the shameful practice of untouchability.

Although it has been a controversial topic, the reservation system has been created for the backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes in the education and job sectors to help them progress.

There are acts that make it formidable to employ a person for the job of manual scavenging. To weaken the caste system in India, the constitution states reckless tortures and atrocities against the lower castes as criminal offenses.

To sum up, we can say that, our country is taking honest steps to end the caste system in India. Hopefully, in the coming years, the nation would be able to make a significant amount of progress in this context.

Caste System , Social Issues

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Essay on Caste System for Students and Children

500+ words essay on caste system.

Today the caste system is one of the major issues that people are facing. It is basically a system that separate peoples on the basis of their caste. However, it is a very common issue in India. It is present for a very long time in our country. Many people believe in it and many people don’t. It depends on the thinking and mindset of an individual. Some people are against this system and on the other hand, some are in support of this. It is basically a kind of division between the people.

Problems Due to Caste System

The higher caste children are facing a lot of difficulties in finding jobs. Earlier it was not this difficult to find job. The Scheduled Caste (SCs), Schedule Tribes (STs), and the other backward classes (OBCs) needless grades than a general candidate. This is because they get a reservation and the qualifying marks or grades for them are less as compared to the required marks of a general candidate.

This happens because of the caste system. People say that the Lower caste people deserve and need the reservation. They need it because people treat them unequally because of the discrimination occurring through the caste system. The generals see them as lower category people, not all but many. Many people are still there who don’t believe in the caste system.

Many talented students don’t get admissions in good universities and colleges. This happens because of the reservation given to the lower caste people. They get reserved seats in schools and colleges and they need to study less for the entrance exams as they need fewer marks or less performance as compared to a general student.

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Present Scenario of the Caste System

The interpersonal relations among the members of the various castes are changing for better. Inter caste marriage is still a problem in society. For many people inter-caste marriage is wrong. On the other hand, many people believe that it is not a bad concern. The higher castes are processing either money or education or even both.

Often take lead in the new commercial, administrative and industrial institutions that are now present in the planning era. Thus, those located high in the order of castes. These are still at the top of the bar and the old degrees of the prestige of caste have been replaced by an equivalent degree of economic and social power.

Attempts by the Harijans for exercising the rights provided to them by the constitution have led to attacks on them by the castes that are dominant. They are beaten and also their huts are burning in the fire that is occurring by the dominant class. Moreover, they are coming under the social boycott.

A significant development in the period before the independence of the nation is the emergence of the caste as a political force. In the life of the urban areas, new institutions are rising. In many states, the politics is turning out in caste-politics. When it comes to choosing a candidate the first thing that is considered is the caste.

FAQs on Caste System

Ques.1.Discuss any one problem due to caste system:

Ans. The most faced problem due to the caste system in society is reservation. It is a topic for which many are in favor and many are against as well. It is a major issue today and is also very sensitive.

Ques.2.What impact does the caste system create in society?

Ans. It depends on the thoughts and mindset of every particular person differently. However, it creates thinking in the mind of people because of which they judge people on the basis of the upper and lower class.

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Caste System in India – Origin, Features, and Problems

Last updated on September 21, 2023 by ClearIAS Team

Table of Contents

Jana → Jati → Caste

The word caste derives from the Spanish and Portuguese “casta”, means “race, lineage, or breed”. Portuguese employed casta in the modern sense when they applied it to hereditary Indian social groups called as ‘jati’ in India.  ‘Jati’ originates from the root word ‘Jana’ which implies taking birth. Thus, caste is concerned with birth.

According to Anderson and Parker, “Caste is that extreme form of social class organization in which the position of individuals in the status hierarchy is determined by descent and birth .”

How did Caste System originate in India: Various Theories

There are many theories like traditional, racial, political, occupational, evolutionary etc which try to explain the caste system in India.

1.Traditional Theory

According to this theory, the caste system is of divine origin. It says the caste system is an extension of the varna system, where the 4 varnas originated from the body of Bramha.

At the top of the hierarchy were the Brahmins who were mainly teachers and intellectuals and came from Brahma’s head. Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, came from his arms. Vaishyas, or the traders, were created from his thighs. At the bottom were the Shudras, who came from Brahma’s feet. The mouth signifies its use for preaching, learning etc, the arms – protections, thighs – to cultivate or business, feet – helps the whole body, so the duty of the Shudras is to serve all the others. The sub-castes emerged later due to intermarriages between the 4 varnas.

The proponents of this theory cite Purushasukta of Rigveda, Manusmriti etc to support their stand.

2. Racial Theory

The Sanskrit word for caste is varna which means colour. The caste stratification of the Indian society had its origin in the chaturvarna system – Brahmins, Kashtriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Indian sociologist D.N. Majumdar writes in his book, “ Races and Culture in India ”, the caste system took its birth after the arrival of Aryans in India.

Rig Vedic literature stresses very significantly the differences between the Arya and non-Aryans (Dasa), not only in their complexion but also in their speech, religious practices, and physical features.

The Varna system prevalent during the Vedic period was mainly based on division of labour and occupation. The three classes, Brahma, Kshatra and Vis are frequently mentioned in the Rig Veda. Brahma and Kshatra represented the poet-priest and the warrior-chief. Vis comprised all the common people. The name of the fourth class, the ‘Sudra’, occurs only once in the Rig Veda. The Sudra class represented domestic servants.

3. Political Theory

According to this theory, the caste system is a clever device invented by the Brahmins in order to place themselves on the highest ladder of social hierarchy.

Dr. Ghurye states, “Caste is a Brahminic child of Indo-Aryan culture cradled in the land of the Ganges and then transferred to other parts of India.”

The Brahmins even added the concept of spiritual merit of the king, through the priest or purohit in order to get the support of the ruler of the land.

4. Occupational Theory

Caste hierarchy is according to the occupation. Those professions which were regarded as better and respectable made the persons who performed them superior to those who were engaged in dirty professions.

According to Newfield, “Function and function alone is responsible for the origin of caste structure in India.” With functional differentiation there came in occupational differentiation and numerous sub-castes such as Lohar(blacksmith), Chamar(tanner), Teli(oil-pressers).

5. Evolution Theory

According to this theory, the caste system did not come into existence all of a sudden or at a particular date. It is the result of a long process of social evolution.

• Hereditary occupations;
• The desire of the Brahmins to keep themselves pure;
• The lack of rigid unitary control of the state;
• The unwillingness of rulers to enforce a uniform standard of law and custom
• The ‘Karma’ and ‘Dharma’ doctrines also explain the origin of caste system. Whereas the Karma doctrine holds the view that a man is born in a particular caste because of the result of his action in the previous incarnation, the doctrine of Dharma explains that a man who accepts the caste system and the principles of the caste to which he belongs, is living according to Dharma. Confirmation to one’s own dharma also remits on one’s birth in the rich high caste and violation gives a birth in a lower and poor caste.
• Ideas of exclusive family, ancestor worship, and the sacramental meal;
• Clash of antagonistic cultures particularly of the patriarchal and the matriarchal systems;
• Clash of races, colour prejudices and conquest;
• Deliberate economic and administrative policies followed by various conquerors
• Geographical isolation of the Indian peninsula;
• Foreign invasions;
• Rural social structure.

Note: It is from the post-Vedic period, the old distinction of Arya and Sudra appears as Dvija and Sudra, The first three classes are called Dvija (twice-born) because they have to go through the initiation ceremony which is symbolic of rebirth. “The Sudra was called “ekajati” (once born).

Note: Caste system developed on rigid lines post Mauryan period , especially after the establishment of Sunga dynasty by Pushyamitra Sunga (184 BC). This dynasty was an ardent patron of ‘Brahminism’. Through Manusmriti, Brahmins once again succeeded in organizing the supremacy and imposed severe restrictions on the Sudras. Manusmriti mentioned that, ‘the Sudra, who insults a twice-born man, shall have his tongue cut out’.

Note: Chinese scholar Hieun Tsang, who visited India in 630 AD , writes that, “Brahminism dominated the country, caste ruled the social structure and the persons following unclean occupations like butchers, scavengers had to live outside the city”.

Principal features of caste system in India

• Segmental Division of Society: The society is divided into various small social groups called castes. Each of these castes is a well developed social group, the membership of which is determined by the consideration of birth.
• Hierarchy: According to Louis Dumont, castes teach us a fundamental social principle of hierarchy. At the top of this hierarchy is the Brahmin caste and at the bottom is the untouchable caste. In between are the intermediate castes, the relative positions of which are not always clear.
• Endogamy: Endogamy is the chief characteristic of caste, i.e. the members of a caste or sub-caste should marry within their own caste or sub-caste. The violation of the rule of endogamy would mean ostracism and loss of caste. However, hypergamy (the practice of women marrying someone who is wealthier or of higher caste or social status.) and hypogamy (marriage with a person of lower social status) were also prevalent. Gotra exogamy is also maintained in each caste. Every caste is subdivided into different small units on the basis of gotra. The members of one gotra are believed to be successors of a common ancestor-hence prohibition of marriage within the same gotra.
• Hereditary status and occupation: Megasthenes, the Greek traveller to India in 300 B. C., mentions hereditary occupation as one of the two features of caste system, the other being endogamy.
• Restriction on Food and Drink: Usually a caste would not accept cooked food from any other caste that stands lower than itself in the social scale, due to the notion of getting polluted. There were also variously associated taboos related to food. The cooking taboo, which defines the persons who may cook the food. The eating taboo which may lay down the ritual to be followed at meals. The commensal taboo which is concerned with the person with whom one may take food. Finally, the taboo which has to do with the nature of the vessel (whether made of earth, copper or brass) that one may use for drinking or cooking. For eg: In North India Brahmin would accept pakka food (cooked in ghee) only from some castes lower than his own. However, no individual would accept kachcha(cooked in water) food prepared by an inferior caste. Food prepared by Brahmin is acceptable to all, the reason for which domination of Brahmins in the hotel industry for a long time. The beef was not allowed by any castes, except harijans.
• A Particular Name: Every caste has a particular name though which we can identify it. Sometimes, an occupation is also associated with a particular caste.
•   The Concept of Purity and Pollution: The higher castes claimed to have ritual, spiritual and racial purity which they maintained by keeping the lower castes away through the notion of pollution. The idea of pollution means a touch of lower caste man would pollute or defile a man of higher caste. Even his shadow is considered enough to pollute a higher caste man.
• Jati Panchayat: The status of each caste is carefully protected, not only by caste laws but also by the conventions. These are openly enforced by the community through a governing body or board called Jati Panchayat. These Panchayats in different regions and castes are named in a particular fashion such as Kuldriya in Madhya Pradesh and Jokhila in South Rajasthan.

Varna vs Caste – The difference

Varna and caste are 2 different concepts, though some people wrongly consider it the same.

Functions of the caste system

• It continued the traditional social organization of India.
• It has accommodated multiple communities by ensuring each of them a monopoly of a specific means of livelihood.
• Provided social security and social recognition to individuals. It is the individual’s caste that canalizes his choice in marriage, plays the roles of the state-club, the orphanage and the benefits society. Besides, it also provides him with health insurance benefits. It even provides for his funeral.
• It has handed over the knowledge and skills of the hereditary occupation of a caste from one generation to another, which has helped the preservation of culture and ensured productivity.
• Caste plays a crucial role in the process of socialization by teaching individuals the culture and traditions, values and norms of their society.
• It has also led to interdependent interaction between different castes, through jajmani relationships. Caste acted as a trade union and protected its members from the exploitation.
• Promoted political stability, as Kshatriyas were generally protected from political competition, conflict and violence by the caste system.
• Maintained racial purity through endogamy.
• Specialization led to quality production of goods and thus promoted economic development. For eg: Many handicraft items of India gained international recognition due to this.

Dysfunctions of the caste system

• The caste system is a check on economic and intellectual advancement and a great stumbling block in the way of social reforms because it keeps economic and intellectual opportunities confined to a certain section of the population only.
• It undermines the efficiency of labour and prevents perfect mobility of labour, capital and productive effort
• It perpetuates the exploitation of the economically weaker and socially inferior castes, especially the untouchables.
• It has inflicted untold hardships on women through its insistence on practices like child-marriage, prohibition of widow-remarriage, seclusion of women etc.
• It opposes real democracy by giving a political monopoly to Kshatriyas in the past and acting as a vote bank in the present political scenario. There are political parties which solely represent a caste. eg: BSP was formed by Kanshi Ram mainly to represent SC, ST and OBC.
• It has stood in the way of national and collective consciousness and proved to be a disintegrating rather than an integrating factor. Caste conflicts are widely prevalent in politics, reservation in jobs and education , inter-caste marriages etc. eg: Demand for Jat reservation, agitation by Patidar community.
• It has given scope for religious conversion. The lower caste people are getting converted into Islam and Christianity due to the tyranny of the upper castes.
• The caste system by compelling an individual to act strictly in accordance with caste norms stands in the way of modernization, by opposing change.

Is the caste system unique to India?

The caste system is found in other countries like Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Caste-like systems are also found in countries like Indonesia, China, Korea, Yemen and certain countries in Africa, Europe as well.

But what distinguishes Indian caste system from the rest is the core theme of purity and pollution, which is either peripheral or negligible in other similar systems of the world. In Yemen, there exists a hereditary caste, Al-Akhdam who are kept as perennial manual workers. Burakumin in Japan, originally members of outcast communities in the Japanese feudal era, includes those with occupations considered impure or tainted by death.

However, India is unique in some aspects.

• India has had a cultural continuity that no other civilization has had. The ancient systems, religions, cultures of other civilizations have been mostly gone. In India, history is present and even the external empires mostly co-opted the system rather than changing them.
• The caste has been merged into a modern religion, making it hard to remove.
• India has integrated multiple systems more easily. What is known as “caste” in Portuguese/English is actually made of 3 distinct components –  jati, jana, varna.  Jati is an occupational identification. Jana is an ethnic identification. Varna is a philosophical identification. These have been more tightly merged over the centuries.
• In the world’s most transformative period – of the past 3 centuries, India spent most of it under European colonialism. Thus, India lost a lot of time changing. Most of the changes to the system came only in 1950 when India became a republic .

To summarize theoretically, caste as a cultural phenomenon (i.e., as a matter of ideology or value system) is found only in India while when it is viewed as a structural phenomenon, it is found in other societies too.

There are four sociological approaches to caste by distin­guishing between the two levels of theoretical formulation, i.e., cultural and structural, and universalistic and particularistic. These four ap­proaches are cultural-universalistic, cultural-particularistic, structural- universalistic and structural-particularistic.

• Structural-particularistic view of caste has maintained that the caste system is restricted to the Indian society
• Structural-universalistic category holds that caste in India is a general phenomenon of a closed form of social stratification found across the world.
• The third position of sociologists like Ghurye who treat caste as a cultural universalistic phenome­non maintains that caste-like cultural bases of stratifica­tion are found in most traditional societies. Caste in India is a special form of status-based social stratification. This viewpoint was early formulated by Max Weber.
• The cultural-particularistic view is held by Louis Dumont who holds that caste is found only in India.

Is the caste system unique to Hinduism?

Caste-based differences are practised in other religions like Nepalese Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. But the main difference is – caste system in Hinduism is mentioned in its scriptures while other religions adopted casteism as a part of socialization or religious conversions. In other words, the caste system in Hinduism is a religious institution while it is social in others.

As a general rule, higher castes converts became higher castes in other religions while lower caste converts acquired lower caste positions.

• Islam – Some upper caste Hindus converted to Islam and became part of the governing group of Sultanates and Mughal Empire, who along with Arabs, Persians and Afghans came to be known as Ashrafs . Below them are the middle caste Muslims called Ajlafs , and the lowest status is those of the
• Christianity – In Goa, Hindu converts became Christian Bamonns while Kshatriya and Vaishya became Christian noblemen called Chardos. Those Vaishya who could not get admitted into the Chardo caste became Gauddos, and Shudras became Sudirs. Dalits who converted to Christianity became Mahars and Chamars
• Buddhism – various forms of the caste system are practised in several Buddhist countries, mainly in Sri Lanka, Tibet, and Japan where butchers, leather and metal workers and janitors are sometimes regarded as being impure.
• Jainism – There are Jain castes wherein all the members of a particular caste are Jains. At the same time, there have been Jain divisions of several Hindu castes.
• Sikhism – Sikh literature mention Varna  as  Varan , and  Jati  as Zat. Eleanor Nesbitt, a professor of Religion, states that the  Varan  is described as a class system, while  Zat  has some caste system features in Sikh literature.  All Gurus of Sikhs married within their  Zat , and they did not condemn or break with the convention of endogamous marriages.

Caste Divisions – The future?

The caste system in India is undergoing changes due to progress in education, technology, modernization and changes in general social outlook. In spite of the general improvement in conditions of the lower castes, India has still a long way to go, to root out the evils of the caste system from the society.

References:

• https://www.sociologyguide.com
• Sociology for Nurses by Shama Lohumi
• Indian Social system by Ram Ahuja

Article contributed by: Rehna R. Rehna is a UPSC Civil Services Exam 2016 Rank Holder.

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Reader Interactions

August 18, 2017 at 3:14 pm

wow…..exclnt…

August 18, 2017 at 7:59 pm

August 18, 2017 at 10:29 pm

i would like to receive the new posts updates to my email. i didnt find the option to join or subscribe….

August 19, 2017 at 8:53 am

Hi, Open clearias.com from a new browser (or clear your cache) and you will see the option for free email subscription.

August 29, 2017 at 4:37 pm

Wonderful explanation in all dimensions.

February 11, 2018 at 11:58 am

April 28, 2018 at 11:03 am

very nice.. matter is exactly what i was searching to teach my students..

August 18, 2018 at 9:14 am

You guys must see this video strong message.

https://youtu.be/AKTdd6GgnQw

November 9, 2021 at 7:45 pm

Good balanced writeup. Would have liked some speculation on the future of Caste in India, the appearance of the ‘fifth’ caste of Untouchables etc. But thanks.

December 24, 2021 at 10:02 pm

“All Gurus of Sikhs married within their Zat, and they did not condemn or break with the convention of endogamous marriages.” I would like to recommend a correction in this sentence given in the article. All of the Sikh Gurus condemned the caste system and the concept of endogamous marriages. The tenth Sikh Guru bestowed the last names of Kaur and Singh so that the concept of caste could be removed. Another reason for this was stop the practice of forcing females to take up the surname of their husband after marriage.

March 19, 2022 at 6:47 pm

A pure propaganda without covering any view from the natives and covers only the colonial views and you wonder why the IAS officers hate this country and dont have speck of nationalism. Next some serious question, if caste existed for thousands of years why it has its origin in spanish or porteguse race system? basically it shows europeans shoved their race system in the existing indian social system. So how does it make it a old system it is just a new system created by colonialist but blamed on indians for it. Next Both Varna and Jati are different from colonial caste. It seems govt needs to change syllabus otherwise our country will never develop.

February 4, 2023 at 10:01 pm

Exactly said. Wonder how aspiring IAS candidates are brainwashed with this false information undermining the original societal demarcation, and creating false propaganda. British have created the caste system to create infighting in India. The syllabus needs to change asap to reflect the truth.

January 7, 2023 at 9:13 pm

informative love it, thankyou <3

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History of India's Caste System

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Theology Behind the Castes

Daily significance of caste, thousands of castes, the untouchables, caste among non-hindus, origins of the caste system, the caste system during classical indian history, the british raj and caste, caste relations in independent india, additional references.

• Ph.D., History, Boston University
• J.D., University of Washington School of Law
• B.A., History, Western Washington University

The origins of the caste system in India and Nepal are not fully known, but castes seem to have originated more than 2,000 years ago. Under this system, which is associated with Hinduism, people were categorized by their occupations.

Although originally caste depended upon a person's work, it soon became hereditary. Each person was born into an unalterable social status. The four primary castes are Brahmin , the priests; Kshatriya , warriors and nobility; Vaisya , farmers, traders, and artisans; and Shudra , tenant farmers and servants. Some people were born outside of (and below) the caste system; they were called "untouchables" or Dalits —"the crushed ones."

Reincarnation is the process by which a soul is reborn into a new material form after each life; it is one of the central features of the Hindu cosmology. Souls can move not only among different levels of human society but also into other animals. This belief is thought to be one of the primary reasons for the vegetarianism of many Hindus.

Within a single lifetime, people in India historically had little social mobility. They had to strive for virtue during their present lives in order to attain a higher station their next time around. In this system, a particular soul's new form depends upon the virtuousness of its previous behavior. Thus, a truly virtuous person from the Shudra caste could be rewarded with rebirth as a Brahmin in his or her next life.

Practices associated with caste varied through time and across India, but all shared some common features. The three key areas of life historically dominated by caste were marriage, meals, and religious worship.

Marriage across caste lines was strictly forbidden. Most people even married within their own sub-caste or jati .

At mealtimes, anyone could accept food from the hands of a Brahmin , but a Brahmin would be polluted if he or she took certain types of food from a lower caste person. At the other extreme, if an untouchable dared to draw water from a public well, he or she polluted the water, and nobody else could use it.

In religious worship, Brahmins, as the priestly class, presided over rituals and services including preparation for festivals and holidays, as well as marriages and funerals. The Kshatriya and Vaisya castes had full rights to worship, but in some places, Shudras (the servant caste) were not allowed to offer sacrifices to the gods.

Untouchables were barred entirely from temples, and sometimes they were not even allowed to set foot on temple grounds. If the shadow of an untouchable touched a Brahmin, the Brahmin would be polluted, so untouchables had to lay face-down at a distance when a Brahmin passed.

Although the early Vedic sources name four primary castes, there were, in fact, thousands of castes, sub-castes, and communities within Indian society.   These jati were the basis of both social status and occupation.

Castes or sub-castes besides the four mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita include such groups as the Bhumihar or landowners, Kayastha or scribes, and the Rajput, a northern sector of the Kshatriya or warrior caste. Some castes arose from very specific occupations, such as the Garudi—snake charmers—or the Sonjhari, who collected gold from river beds.

People who violated social norms could be punished by being made "untouchables." This was not the lowest caste because it wasn't a caste at all. People deemed untouchable, in addition to their descendants, were condemned and completely outside of the caste system.

Untouchables were considered so impure that any contact with them by a caste member would contaminate that member. The polluted person would have to bathe and wash his or her clothing immediately. The untouchables historically did work that no one else would do, like scavenging animal carcasses, leather-work, or killing rats and other pests. Untouchables could not eat in the same room as caste members and could not be cremated when they died.

Curiously, non-Hindu populations in India sometimes organized themselves into castes as well. After the introduction of Islam in the subcontinent, for example, Muslims were divided into classes such as the Sayed, Sheikh, Mughal, Pathan, and Qureshi. These castes are drawn from several sources: The Mughal and Pathan are ethnic groups, roughly speaking, while the Qureshi name comes from the Prophet Muhammad's clan in Mecca.

Small numbers of Indians were Christian from around 50 CE onward. Christianity expanded in India after the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. Many Christian Indians continued to observe caste distinctions, however.

Early written evidence about the caste system appears in the Vedas, Sanskrit-language texts that date from as early as 1500 BCE. The Vedas form the basis of Hindu scripture. The "Rigveda," however, which dates from around 1700–1100 BCE, rarely mentions caste distinctions and is taken as evidence that social mobility was common in its time.

The "Bhagavad Gita," which dates from around 200 BCE–200 CE, emphasizes the importance of caste. In addition, the Laws of Manu or Manusmriti, from the same era, defines the rights and duties of the four different castes or varnas . Thus, it seems that the Hindu caste system began to solidify sometime between 1000 and 200 BCE.

The caste system was not absolute during much of Indian history. For example, the renowned Gupta Dynasty , which ruled from 320 to 550, was from the Vaishya caste rather than the Kshatriya. Many later rulers also were from different castes, such as the Madurai Nayaks, Balijas (traders) that ruled from 1559 to 1739.

From the 12th century to the 18th century, much of India was ruled by Muslims. These rulers reduced the power of the Hindu priestly caste, the Brahmins. The traditional Hindu rulers and warriors, or Kshatriyas, nearly ceased to exist in northern and central India. The Vaishya and Shudra castes also virtually melded together.

Although the Muslim rulers' faith had a strong impact on the Hindu upper castes in the centers of power, anti-Muslim feeling in rural areas actually strengthened the caste system. Hindu villagers reconfirmed their identity through caste affiliation.

Nonetheless, during the six centuries of Islamic domination (roughly 1150–1750), the caste system evolved considerably. For example, Brahmins began to rely on farming for their income, since the Muslim kings did not give rich gifts to Hindu temples. This farming practice was considered justified so long as Shudras did the actual physical labor.

When the British Raj began to take power in India in 1757, they exploited the caste system as a means of social control. The British allied themselves with the Brahmin caste, restoring some of its privileges that had been repealed by the Muslim rulers.

However, many Indian customs concerning the lower castes seemed discriminatory to the British, so these were outlawed. During the 1930s and 1940s, the British government made laws to protect the "Scheduled castes," untouchables and low-caste people.

A movement toward the abolition of untouchability took place within Indian society in the 19th and early 20th centuries as well. In 1928, the first temple welcomed untouchables (Dalits) to worship with its upper-caste members. Mohandas Gandhi advocated emancipation for the Dalits, too, coining the term harijan or "Children of God" to describe them.

The Republic of India became independent on August 15, 1947. India's new government instituted laws to protect the "Scheduled castes" and tribes, which included both the untouchables and groups living traditional lifestyles. These laws include quota systems that help to ensure access to education and government posts. Because of these shifts, a person's caste has become somewhat more of a political category than a social or religious one in modern India.

• Ali, Syed. "Collective and Elective Ethnicity: Caste among Urban Muslims in India," Sociological Forum , vol. 17, no. 4, December 2002, pp. 593-620.
• Chandra, Ramesh. Identity and Genesis of Caste System in India. Gyan Books, 2005.
• Ghurye, G.S. Caste and Race in India. Popular Prakashan, 1996.
• Perez, Rosa Maria. Kings and Untouchables: A Study of the Caste System in Western India. Orient Blackswan, 2004.
• Reddy, Deepa S. "The Ethnicity of Caste," Anthropological Quarterly , vol. 78, no. 3, Summer 2005, pp. 543-584.

Munshi, Kaivan. " Caste and the Indian Economy ." Journal of Economic Literature , vol. 57, no. 4, Dec. 2019, pp. 781-834., doi:10.1257/jel.20171307

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Caste System Essay

Caste system is a social evil that is present in the Indian society since the ancient times. It has been criticized immensely by the people over the years. However, it still has a strong hold on the social and political system of the country. A number of social evils have been prevalent in the Indian society since centuries and caste system is one of them. The concept has undergone certain changes over the centuries and is not as stringent as it was in the earlier times. However, it still impacts the religious, social and political lives of the people in the country.

Long and Short Essay on Caste System in India in English

We have provided below short and long essay on caste system in India for your knowledge and information.

After going through these essays you will know where from the caste system originated and its impact on the society and nation’s growth.

You will also know what steps should be taken to eliminate caste discrimination.

You can choose a Caste System in India Essay from the following and present it during your school/college events where you need to write an essay, take part in a debate, give speech etc.

Caste System in India Essay 1 (100 words)

Caste system in India has been prevalent since the ancient times. However, the concept has been moulded and evolved over the centuries by those in power. It underwent a major change particularly during the Mughal Rule and the British Raj. Nevertheless, people were and are still treated differently based on their caste. The social system basically has two varied concepts – Varna and Jati.

While Varna refers to the four broad social divisions namely Brahmins (teacher/priests), Kshatriyas (kings/warriors), Vaishyas (traders) and Shudras (labourers/servants), it got degenerated into Jatis, determined by birth. Jati is generally derived from the trade or occupation of the community, and is known to be hereditary.

Caste System in India Essay 2 (150 words)

India has been under the spell of the evil caste system since centuries. This system finds its roots in the ancient times and has undergone change over the time. The rulers of medieval, early modern and modern India moulded it to suit their convenience. Those belonging to the higher castes were treated with high regard and those from the lower caste were looked down upon all along.

In today’s times, caste system in India has become the basis of reservation when it comes to acquiring education and securing jobs.

The social system in India basically comprises two different concepts, Varna and Jati. Varna is said to be the class of the person. Under this there are four categories – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Jati on the other hand is said to be a person’s caste and finds reference to a person’s birth. There are thousands of Jatis and these are generally determined by the traditional occupation of a community.

Caste System in India Essay 3 (200 words)

The origin of caste system in India dates back to the ancient times. There are two different perspectives for its origin in the country. These are either based on socio-economic factors or ideological factors.

The first school of thought is based on the ideological factors and as per this, caste system finds its base in four Varnas. The perspective formed centuries ago was especially common among the scholars from the British colonial era. This school of thought categorises people based on their class. There are basically four classes – Brahmins (teachers/priests) , Kshatriyas (kings/warriors), Vaishyas (traders) and Shudras (labourers/servants).

The second school of thought is based on the socio-economic factors and as per this the system is rooted in the political, economic and material history of India. This perspective was common among the post-colonial era scholars. This school of thought categorises people based on their caste, which is determined by the traditional occupation of their community.

Caste system has had a strong hold in India and continues to do so. Today, this system has become the basis of reservation in education and jobs. Due to political reasons where castes constitute vote banks for parties; the reservation system is still intact in the country.

Caste System in India Essay 4 (250 words)

Caste System in India divides people into four different categories – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. It is believed that these groups came into being from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation. Priests, intellectuals and teachers come under the category of Brahmins. They stand at the top of the hierarchy and it is believed that they came from Brahma’s head. Next in line are the Kshatriyas who are the rulers and warriors. These apparently came from God’s arms. Merchants, traders and farmers come under the Vaishya category and are said to have come from His thighs and the labour class forms a part of the fourth category that is the Shudras – these are said to have come from Brahma’s feet.

Then there is yet another category which was added later on and is now known as the dalits or the untouchables. These comprise of the street sweepers or cleaners. This category was considered to be outcastes.

These main categories are further divided into as many as 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, based on their occupation.

As per Manusmriti, the most significant book on the Hindu laws, Varna system came into being to establish order and regularity in the society. The concept is said to be 3,000 years old and distinguishes people based on their dharma (duty) and karma (work).

The religious as well as social life of the people in the country has been influenced largely by the caste system since centuries and the trend continues today, with political parties misusing it for their own ends.

Caste System in India Essay 5 (300 words)

Caste system has been prevalent in our country since time immemorial and continues to have a strong hold on the society and political system. People have been divided in four different categories of class – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Historically it is believed that this social system came into being in the country in around 1500 BC with the arrival of the Aryans. It is said that Aryans introduced this system in order to control the local population at that time. In order to make things systematic, they defined main roles and assigned them to groups of people. However, in the 20 th century, this theory was dismissed as it was stated that Aryans never invaded the country.

As per Hindu theologians, it is said that this system came into being with the Hindu God Brahma who is known as the creator of the universe. As per this theory, the people who hold the highest stature in the society that is the priests and teachers came from Brahma’s head, the ones from the second category were the warriors who came from God’s arm, those belonging to the third category, that is, the traders and merchants came from God’s thighs and the peasants and workers, that is, those belonging to the lowest category came from Brahma’s feet.

The actual origin of the caste system is thus not known yet. Manusmriti, the most ancient text on Hinduism, however has cited this system in 1,000 BC. In the ancient times, the communities followed the class system stringently. While the people from the upper classes enjoyed several privileges, those from the lower class were deprived of many things and thus suffered immensely. Though not as stringent as in the earlier times, even today a lot of discrimination is done based on a person’s caste.

Caste System in India Essay 6 (400 words)

India has been under the clutches of the evil caste system since the ancient period though the exact origin of this system isn’t known as there are different theories that state different stories about its initiation. As per Varna system, people were broadly divided into four different categories. Here is a look at the people who fall under each of these categories:

• Brahmins – Priests, Teachers and Scholars
• Kshatriyas – Rulers and Warriors
• Vaishyas – Farmers, Merchants and Traders
• Shudras – Labourers

The Varna system later got degenerated into caste system. The society was divided into 3,000 castes and as many as 25,000 sub-castes based on the occupation of the community that a person was born into.

As per one theory, the Varna system initiated in the country as the Aryans arrived here in around 1500 BC. It is said that Aryans introduced this system to have control over people and make things work more systematically. They assigned different roles to different groups of people. As per the Hindu theologians, on the other hand, the system initiated with Brahma, the Hindu God who is known as the creator of the universe.

As Varna system degenerated into caste system, a lot of discrimination was done on the basis of caste. People belonging to the higher castes were treated with great respect and enjoyed several privileges while those from the lower classes were scorned at and were deprived of several things. Inter-caste marriages were strictly forbidden.

The caste system in urban India today has declined immensely. Though, people from the lower classes are still not respected in the society as the government offers several benefits to them. Caste has become the basis of reservation in the country. People belonging to lower classes have a reserved quota in the education sector and also when it comes to securing government jobs.

After the departure of the British, the Constitution of India banned the discrimination based on the caste system. It is then that the quota system was introduced for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. BR Ambedkar who authored the Constitution of India was himself a Dalit and the concept of social justice for protecting the interests of these communities on the lower rung of society was considered to be a great move in the Indian history, though now it is being misused for narrow political reasons by different parties in the country.

Related Information:

Essay on Casteism in India

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Caste Discrimination Essay

People are categorised according to their place of birth, community, and place of employment under the caste system. The practise of caste discrimination in India has its roots in history but has undergone numerous significant alterations since then and now the practice has been banned and declared illegal by the government. Here are a few sample essays on the topic ‘Caste Discrimination’.

100 Words Essay On Caste Discrimination

200 words essay on caste discrimination, 500 words essay on caste discrimination.

Indian society has long been heavily dominated by the caste system and became corrupt because of the nation's obsession with it. Originally, the caste system was intended to create distinct groups within our community in order to create social stratification and a separation of occupations. However, over time, this division took the form of a pyramidal structure, with the highest caste being linked to receiving the most respect. The rigid adherence to traditions, customs, and certain beliefs like superstitions or reincarnation and the deeds of previous lives was what made this patriarchal system toxic. All of this led to the treatment of Dalits and other members of the untouchable caste with cruelty and oppression.

In Indian society, the caste system has existed for a very long time and has a strong foundation. The Hindu community was divided into four main castes: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Shudras. Apart from this, there exists tens of thousands of sub-castes and communities. Instead of fostering a sense of respect for all professions, the caste system ultimately became a tool for discrimination. In the Indian caste system, people began constructing a ladder or pyramid structure to represent the degree of respect that should be accorded to each caste. The group of persons connected to the caste "shudras," subsequently known as the "untouchables," was the most persecuted and disadvantaged caste.

They were later given the name "Harijans" by Mahatma Gandhi. The scenario of the caste system in India has altered due to social reformers such as Dr. Ambedkar and Raja Rammohan Roy, as no caste discrimination is now permitted. They actively fought for the rights of OBCs, STs, and other caste groups. But despite their struggles and development of society, the caste system continues to have a negative impact on people's attitudes. It is essential to raise awareness, particularly in rural areas, to encourage people to get over their fixation on the caste system and to end all forms of caste-based discrimination by speaking out against them.

Indian society has a caste system that has existed for thousands of years. Ancient scriptures also make a categorical mention of castes. Eventually, this sort of segregation gave way to greed, which led to the higher castes oppressing the lower caste. Over time, the caste system changed and produced worse social ills.

However, as of now caste-based unfairness and prejudice are illegal in Independent India according to the law. Additionally, the government established a reservation system or "quota" for those from ST, SC, and OBC families in order to make up for the injustice done to lower castes or scheduled tribes in the past.

Even though the goal of the quota system was to give jobs and education to those who needed them and belonged to the socially backward classes, people soon began to abuse it for unfair means, such as obtaining reservations or opportunities for employment or education when they didn't need them and came from wealthy families.

Our worth should never be determined by our birth. We ought to be judged on how well we behave and how much we contribute to society through our employment.

Ancient Caste System

The ancient caste system divided the Indian society into four main castes and provided an account of their duties and ranks as mentioned below-

Brahmins | The highest position in society was granted to Brahmins. They portrayed well-known characters like the priest and the instructor. They were revered and worshipped by everyone else. Brahmins were regarded as the protectors of the society who set the rules for religion. As outlined in the sacred texts, they had a duty to uphold that order.

Kshatriyas | After the Brahmins, came the Kshatriyas. In ancient times, both of them had a friendly relationship. Kshatriyas played the parts of landlords and warriors. They served in the kings' and princely states' armies of India and were renowned for their bravery and valour.

Vaishyas | The Vaishyas were those who worked in commerce and other occupations. They were small traders, goldsmiths, and merchants. They served as society's primary producers of goods and communities. Following the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas, Vaishyas held a strategically significant position in society.

Shudras | Shudras were people who worked as labourers, artisans, and other menial jobs. They were not allowed to participate in the ‘upnayan sanskar’ or the Vedic studies initiation ceremonies held at that time in order to become full members of the religious society.

While the first four classes were described in ancient literature, a fifth one known as ‘Dalits’ or ‘untouchables’ evolved from the Shudra caste. Other castes regarded Shudras who worked as sweepers, washers, shoemakers, and foragers as untouchables and thought their labour to be unclean. The untouchables experienced severe social, economic and educational discrimination. They were barred from attending religious events and even from sitting in front of ‘upper’ caste individuals.

The purpose of the caste system was to maintain order in the society but unfortunately, it eventually turned into a justification for harassing a certain community, depriving it of its basic rights and honour. As the rightful citizens of the largest democracy in the world, it is our obligation to ensure that all citizens, regardless of caste or other distinctions, enjoy equal freedom and position.

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Religion in India: Tolerance and Segregation

• 4. Attitudes about caste

Table of Contents

• The dimensions of Hindu nationalism in India
• India’s Muslims express pride in being Indian while identifying communal tensions, desiring segregation
• Muslims, Hindus diverge over legacy of Partition
• Religious conversion in India
• Religion very important across India’s religious groups
• Near-universal belief in God, but wide variation in how God is perceived
• Across India’s religious groups, widespread sharing of beliefs, practices, values
• Religious identity in India: Hindus divided on whether belief in God is required to be a Hindu, but most say eating beef is disqualifying
• Sikhs are proud to be Punjabi and Indian
• 1. Religious freedom, discrimination and communal relations
• 2. Diversity and pluralism
• 3. Religious segregation
• 5. Religious identity
• 6. Nationalism and politics
• 7. Religious practices
• 8. Religion, family and children
• 9. Religious clothing and personal appearance
• 10. Religion and food
• 11. Religious beliefs
• 12. Beliefs about God
• Acknowledgments
• Appendix A: Methodology
• Appendix B: Index of religious segregation

The caste system has existed in some form in India for at least 3,000 years . It is a social hierarchy passed down through families, and it can dictate the professions a person can work in as well as aspects of their social lives, including whom they can marry. While the caste system originally was for Hindus, nearly all Indians today identify with a caste, regardless of their religion.

The survey finds that three-in-ten Indians (30%) identify themselves as members of General Category castes, a broad grouping at the top of India’s caste system that includes numerous hierarchies and sub-hierarchies. The highest caste within the General Category is Brahmin, historically the priests and other religious leaders who also served as educators. Just 4% of Indians today identify as Brahmin.

Most Indians say they are outside this General Category group, describing themselves as members of Scheduled Castes (often known as Dalits, or historically by the pejorative term “untouchables”), Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Classes (including a small percentage who say they are part of Most Backward Classes).

Hindus mirror the general public in their caste composition. Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of Buddhists say they are Dalits, while about three-quarters of Jains identify as members of General Category castes. Muslims and Sikhs – like Jains – are more likely than Hindus to belong to General Category castes. And about a quarter of Christians belong to Scheduled Tribes, a far larger share than among any other religious community.

Caste segregation remains prevalent in India. For example, a substantial share of Brahmins say they would not be willing to accept a person who belongs to a Scheduled Caste as a neighbor. But most Indians do not feel there is a lot of caste discrimination in the country, and two-thirds of those who identify with Scheduled Castes or Tribes say there is  not widespread discrimination against their respective groups. This feeling may reflect personal experience: 82% of Indians say they have not personally faced discrimination based on their caste in the year prior to taking the survey.

Still, Indians conduct their social lives largely within caste hierarchies. A majority of Indians say that their close friends are mostly members of their own caste, including roughly one-quarter (24%) who say all their close friends are from their caste. And most people say it is very important to stop both men and women in their community from marrying into other castes, although this view varies widely by region. For example, roughly eight-in-ten Indians in the Central region (82%) say it is very important to stop inter-caste marriages for men, compared with just 35% in the South who feel strongly about stopping such marriages.

India’s religious groups vary in their caste composition

Most Indians (68%) identify themselves as members of lower castes, including 34% who are members of either Scheduled Castes (SCs) or Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 35% who are members of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) or Most Backward Classes. Three-in-ten Indians identify themselves as belonging to General Category castes, including 4% who say they are Brahmin, traditionally the priestly caste. 12

Hindu caste distribution roughly mirrors that of the population overall, but other religions differ considerably. For example, a majority of Jains (76%) are members of General Category castes, while nearly nine-in-ten Buddhists (89%) are Dalits. Muslims disproportionately identify with non-Brahmin General Castes (46%) or Other/Most Backward Classes (43%).

Caste classification is in part based on economic hierarchy, which continues today to some extent. Highly educated Indians are more likely than those with less education to be in the General Category, while those with no education are most likely to identify as OBC.

But financial hardship isn’t strongly correlated with caste identification. Respondents who say they were unable to afford food, housing or medical care at some point in the last year are only slightly more likely than others to say they are Scheduled Caste/Tribe (37% vs. 31%), and slightly less likely to say they are from General Category castes (27% vs. 33%).

The Central region of India stands out from other regions for having significantly more Indians who are members of Other Backward Classes or Most Backward Classes (51%) and the fewest from the General Category (17%). Within the Central region, a majority of the population in the state of Uttar Pradesh (57%) identifies as belonging to Other or Most Backward Classes.

Indians in lower castes largely do not perceive widespread discrimination against their groups

When asked if there is or is not “a lot of discrimination” against Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in India, most people say there isn’t a lot of caste discrimination. Fewer than one-quarter of Indians say they see evidence of widespread discrimination against Scheduled Castes (20%), Scheduled Tribes (19%) or Other Backward Classes (16%).

Generally, people belonging to lower castes share the perception that there isn’t widespread caste discrimination in India. For instance, just 13% of those who identify with OBCs say there is a lot of discrimination against Backward Classes. Members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes are slightly more likely than members of other castes to say there is a lot of caste discrimination against their groups – but, still, only about a quarter take this position.

Christians are more likely than other religious groups to say there is a lot of discrimination against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India: About three-in-ten Christians say each group faces widespread discrimination, compared with about one-in-five or fewer among Hindus and other groups.

At least three-in-ten Indians in the Northeast and the South say there is a lot of discrimination against Scheduled Castes, although similar shares in the Northeast decline to answer these questions. Just 13% in the Central region say Scheduled Castes face widespread discrimination, and 7% say the same about OBCs.

Highly religious Indians – that is, those who say religion is very important in their lives – tend to see less evidence of discrimination against Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Meanwhile, those who have experienced recent financial hardship are more inclined to see widespread caste discrimination.

Most Indians do not have recent experience with caste discrimination

Not only do most Indians say that lower castes do not experience a lot of discrimination, but a strong majority (82%) say they have not personally felt caste discrimination in the past 12 months. While members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes are slightly more likely than members of other castes to say they have personally faced caste-based discrimination, fewer than one-in-five (17%) say they have experienced this in the last 12 months.

But caste-based discrimination is more commonly reported in some parts of the country. In the Northeast, for example, 38% of respondents who belong to Scheduled Castes say they have experienced discrimination because of their caste in the last 12 months, compared with 14% among members of Scheduled Castes in Eastern India.

Jains, the vast majority of whom are members of General Category castes, are less likely than other religious groups to say they have personally faced caste discrimination (3%). Meanwhile, Indians who indicate they have faced recent financial hardship are more likely than those who have not faced such hardship to report caste discrimination in the last year (20% vs. 10%).

Most Indians OK with Scheduled Caste neighbors

The vast majority of Indian adults say they would be willing to accept members of Scheduled Castes as neighbors. (This question was asked only of people who did not identify as members of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes.)

Among those who received the question, large majorities of Christians (83%) and Sikhs (77%) say they would accept Dalit neighbors. But a substantial portion of Jains, most of whom identify as belonging to General Category castes, feel differently; about four-in-ten Jains (41%) say that they would not be willing to accept Dalits as neighbors. (Because more than nine-in-ten Buddhists say they are members of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, not enough Buddhists were asked this question to allow for separate analysis of their answers.)

About three-in-ten Brahmins (29%) say they would not be willing to accept members of Scheduled Castes as neighbors.

In most regions, at least two-thirds of people express willingness to accept Scheduled Caste neighbors. The Northeast, however, stands out, with roughly equal shares saying they would (41%) or would not (39%) be willing to accept Dalits as neighbors, although this region also has the highest share of respondents – 20% – who gave an unclear answer or declined to answer the question.

Indians who live in urban areas (78%) are more likely than rural Indians (69%) to say they would be willing to accept Scheduled Caste neighbors. And Indians with more education also are more likely to accept Dalit neighbors. Fully 77% of those with a college degree say they would be fine with neighbors from Scheduled Castes, while 68% of Indians with no formal education say the same.

Politically, those who have a favorable opinion of the BJP are somewhat less likely than those who have an unfavorable opinion of India’s ruling party to say they would accept Dalits as neighbors, although there is widespread acceptance across both groups (71% vs. 77%).

Indians generally do not have many close friends in different castes

Indians may be comfortable living in the same neighborhoods as people of different castes, but they tend to make close friends within their own caste. About one-quarter (24%) of Indians say all their close friends belong to their caste, and 46% say most of their friends are from their caste.

About three-quarters of Muslims and Sikhs say that all or most of their friends share their caste (76% and 74%, respectively). Christians and Buddhists – who disproportionately belong to lower castes – tend to have somewhat more mixed friend circles. Nearly four-in-ten Buddhists (39%) and a third of Christians (34%) say “some,” “hardly any” or “none” of their close friends share their caste background.

Members of OBCs are also somewhat more likely than other castes to have a mixed friend circle. About one-third of OBCs (32%) say no more than “some” of their friends are members of their caste, compared with roughly one-quarter of all other castes who say this.

Women, Indian adults without a college education and those who say religion is very important in their lives are more likely to say that all their close friends are of the same caste as them. And, regionally, 45% of Indians in the Northeast say all their friends are part of their caste, while in the South, fewer than one-in-five (17%) say the same.

Large shares of Indians say men, women should be stopped from marrying outside of their caste

As another measure of caste segregation, the survey asked respondents whether it is very important, somewhat important, not too important or not at all important to stop men and women in their community from marrying into another caste. Generally, Indians feel it is equally important to stop both men and women from marrying outside of their caste. Strong majorities of Indians say it is at least “somewhat” important to stop men (79%) and women (80%) from marrying into another caste, including at least six-in-ten who say it is “very” important to stop this from happening regardless of gender (62% for men and 64% for women).

Majorities of all the major caste groups say it is very important to prevent inter-caste marriages. Differences by religion are starker. While majorities of Hindus (64%) and Muslims (74%) say it is very important to prevent women from marrying across caste lines, fewer than half of Christians and Buddhists take that position.

Among Indians overall, those who say religion is very important in their lives are significantly more likely to feel it is necessary to stop members of their community from marrying into different castes. Two-thirds of Indian adults who say religion is very important to them (68%) also say it is very important to stop women from marrying into another caste; by contrast, among those who say religion is less important in their lives, 39% express the same view.

Regionally, in the Central part of the country, at least eight-in-ten adults say it is very important to stop both men and women from marrying members of different castes. By contrast, fewer people in the South (just over one-third) say stopping inter-caste marriage is a high priority. And those who live in rural areas of India are significantly more likely than urban dwellers to say it is very important to stop these marriages.

Older Indians and those without a college degree are more likely to oppose inter-caste marriage. And respondents with a favorable view of the BJP also are much more likely than others to oppose such marriages. For example, among Hindus, 69% of those who have a favorable view of BJP say it is very important to stop women in their community from marrying across caste lines, compared with 54% among those who have an unfavorable view of the party.

CORRECTION (August 2021): A previous version of this chapter contained an incorrect figure. The share of Indians who identify themselves as members of lower castes is 68%, not 69%.

• All survey respondents, regardless of religion, were asked, “Are you from a General Category, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or Other Backward Class?” By contrast, in the 2011 census of India, only Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists could be enumerated as members of Scheduled Castes, while Scheduled Tribes could include followers of all religions. General Category and Other Backward Classes were not measured in the census. A detailed analysis of differences between 2011 census data on caste and survey data can be found here . ↩

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"The Shroud" and Other Short Stories

By munshi premchand, "the shroud" and other short stories the caste system in india.

India's caste system is often seen as the most prominent global example of caste and one of the world's oldest systems of social hierarchy. It refers to a complex system for dividing people into hierarchical social groups on the basis of kinship, occupation, and religious purity.

Scholars say that the caste system is more than 2,000 years old and has its origins in ancient Hinduism, the religion of the majority of people in India. In this context some ancient texts referred to the division of Hindus into four large caste categories, or varnas : the Brahmins, who were traditionally priests and teachers; the Ksyatriyas, who were rulers, warriors, and administrators; the Vaisyas, who worked as merchants, traders and farmers; and the Shudras, who were laborers and artisans. These large castes were divided into thousands of smaller sub-castes. Finally, the Dalits, known as the "untouchables," were placed outside of the varna system, since they performed tasks that were considered to be ritually impure. In early-modern India, the castes were governed by strict rules limiting social interaction and marriage between different groups.

However, while the basis for the caste system may exist in some ancient Hindu texts, many historians say that this system of social hierarchy was far less important, and social identities were far more flexible, prior to interventions of the Mughal Empire and the British Raj. In particular, recent scholarship shows British colonial rulers made caste into the defining feature of Indian social life. According to Sanjoy Chakravorty, the author of The Truth About Us: The Politics of Information from Manu to Modi , the "social categories of religion and caste as they are perceived in modern-day India were developed during the British colonial rule, at a time when information was scarce and the coloniser's power over information was absolute."

In 1950, India's caste system was constitutionally abolished. The government also created a system of affirmative action to try to create more opportunities for people from lower castes who suffered discrimination. However, according to Human Rights Watch, Dalits continue to face significant social and economic discrimination in many parts of India.

“The Shroud” and Other Short Stories Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for “The Shroud” and Other Short Stories is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Describe the poverty of Ghisu and Madhav.

"The Shroud" depicts a poor family of a low caste in India in the 1930s. On the one hand, the author depicts the protagonists, Ghisu and Madhav, as awful, lazy, and to blame for their predicament. There is no shortage of work in the village, yet...

What did Ghisu buy from the liquor shop

He basically bought alcohol and food. "Ghisu bought one bottle of liquor, and some sesame sweets."

What did ghisu and madhav do instead of buying the shroud?

Eventually, they spend all of the donated money on alcohol and food rather than on a shroud for Budhiya.

Study Guide for “The Shroud” and Other Short Stories

"The Shroud" and Other Short Stories study guide contains a biography of Munshi Premchand, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About "The Shroud" and Other Short Stories
• "The Shroud" and Other Short Stories Summary
• Character List

Lesson Plan for “The Shroud” and Other Short Stories

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to "The Shroud" and Other Short Stories
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• "The Shroud" and Other Short Stories Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for “The Shroud” and Other Short Stories

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Essay on Caste Discrimination in India

Students are often asked to write an essay on Caste Discrimination in India in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Caste Discrimination in India

Introduction.

Caste discrimination in India is a long-standing issue. It is a form of bias where people are divided into different social groups, known as castes. This system often leads to inequality and unfair treatment.

Origins of Caste System

The caste system began thousands of years ago in India. It was initially based on occupation, but over time, it became hereditary, causing deep-rooted divisions in society.

Effects of Caste Discrimination

Caste discrimination has negative effects, such as social exclusion, limited opportunities, and violence against lower castes. It hinders social development and unity.

It’s crucial to eradicate caste discrimination for a fair and inclusive society. Education, awareness, and strict laws can play a significant role in this process.

250 Words Essay on Caste Discrimination in India

Caste discrimination in India is a deeply entrenched social issue, a relic of the country’s ancient caste system. This system, originally intended to divide labor, has morphed into a rigid social hierarchy that promotes inequality and prejudice.

Manifestations of Caste Discrimination

Caste discrimination manifests in various forms, from social ostracism and economic deprivation to physical violence and educational disparities. The lower castes, often referred to as the Scheduled Castes or Dalits, face the brunt of this discrimination. They are denied access to public services, educational institutions, and job opportunities.

Legislative Measures and Their Effectiveness

India has enacted numerous laws to eradicate caste discrimination, such as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. However, the efficacy of these laws is questionable. Despite the legislation, the caste system remains deeply ingrained in Indian society, perpetuated by cultural norms, political manipulation, and economic disparity.

Caste discrimination in India is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted solution. Legal measures alone are insufficient; they must be supplemented by social reforms and educational initiatives. Moreover, a shift in societal attitudes is needed to truly eradicate caste-based discrimination. The fight against caste discrimination is not just a legal battle but a moral one, a fight for the very soul of India.

500 Words Essay on Caste Discrimination in India

Caste discrimination in India is a deeply rooted social issue that has been prevalent for centuries. This hierarchical system, initially intended for division of labor, has morphed into a tool of oppression, perpetuating inequality and social injustice.

The Caste System: A Historical Perspective

The caste system in India, dating back to around 1500 BCE, was initially based on individuals’ professions. Over time, it evolved into a hereditary system, with four primary castes or ‘Varnas’: Brahmins (priests and teachers), Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), Vaishyas (farmers, traders, and merchants), and Shudras (laborers). Outside of this structure were the ‘Dalits’ or ‘Untouchables’, subjected to the most severe forms of discrimination.

Caste discrimination manifests in various forms, from social ostracism to economic deprivation. Dalits and lower caste individuals often face restricted access to resources, limited opportunities, and are subjected to social stigmas. They are denied basic rights, such as quality education and respectable employment, leading to a cycle of poverty and marginalization.

Caste Discrimination and Human Rights

Caste-based discrimination is a gross violation of human rights. It contradicts the principles of equality and non-discrimination, fundamental to human dignity. International bodies like the United Nations have recognized caste-based discrimination as a form of human rights abuse and called for its elimination.

Legal Framework and Government Initiatives

The Indian Constitution prohibits caste discrimination and promotes social justice through affirmative action policies, like reservation quotas for lower castes in education and government jobs. However, the implementation of these laws and policies has been challenging due to deep-seated societal biases.

Challenges in Eradicating Caste Discrimination

Eradicating caste discrimination is a complex task due to its deep entrenchment in social, cultural, and religious practices. Resistance to change, lack of awareness, and inadequate enforcement of laws are significant obstacles. Furthermore, caste-based politics often exploit these divisions for electoral gains, perpetuating the cycle of discrimination.

Caste discrimination in India is a pressing issue that requires collective societal effort for its eradication. While legal measures are crucial, they must be complemented by social reforms. Education and awareness can play a pivotal role in challenging caste-based prejudices. The fight against caste discrimination is not just about legal and policy changes; it is about fostering a culture of respect, equality, and social justice. It is about transforming mindsets and challenging the status quo, to create an inclusive society where every individual is valued for their abilities, not their caste.

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Essay on Caste Census : Equality or Casteism | Essay Writing for upsc & All Competitive Exams

Essay on caste census : equality or casteism.

The concept of conducting a caste census in India has become a subject of debate. Caste census involves categorizing India's population according to their castes. This practice was last done officially in 1931. Recently, the Bihar government released data from a survey focusing on caste, bringing attention back to the idea of conducting a caste census in the country. This topic also sparks debates about equality and casteism. Arguments both for and against caste census exist, taking into account the potential benefits of addressing social disparities and the concerns regarding reinforcing caste divisions.

Arguments in favour of caste census Those in favor of the caste census argue that it could help the government design more effective policies to uplift disadvantaged groups. By understanding the distribution of different castes across regions, resources can be allocated more equitably to address the specific needs of each community. Moreover, Caste shapes Indian society, impacting social relationships, jobs, and politics. A caste census can show diversity and help understand social dynamics better. Caste census data can be used in sub-categorization of existing reservation quotas.

Arguments against Caste census/concerns about caste census However, opponents argue that including caste in the Census perpetuates caste-based divisions and discrimination. They fear it might reinforce caste system and go against the principle of equality enshrined in the constitution. It may also lead to the further politicization of caste identities, potentially exacerbating social tensions. Politicians might exploit the data for their gain. Caste census data may spark conflicts between castes over reservation quotas. It could also lead to demands for inclusion in reserved categories. Moreover, defining castes in India is hard due to many castes. Critics fear a caste census could cause confusion and more divisions.

Way Forward/Conclusion In conclusion, the discussion about caste census in India focuses on addressing social disparities and upholding principles of equality. While it may reveal socio-economic inequalities, precautions are needed to prevent caste from becoming a political tool or deepening divisions in society.

Essay on Caste System for Children and Students

Table of Contents

Caste system is a social evil that is present in the Indian society since the ancient times. It has been criticized immensely by the people over the years. However, it still has a strong hold on the social and political system of the country. A number of social evils have been prevalent in the Indian society since centuries and caste system is one of them. The concept has undergone certain changes over the centuries and is not as stringent as it was in the earlier times. However, it still impacts the religious, social and political lives of the people in the country.

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Long and Short Essay on Caste System in India in English

We have provided below short and long essay on caste system in India for your knowledge and information.

After going through these essays you will know where from the caste system originated and its impact on the society and nation’s growth.

You will also know what steps should be taken to eliminate caste discrimination.

You can choose a Caste System in India Essay from the following and present it during your school/college events where you need to write an essay, take part in a debate, give speech etc.

Caste System in India Essay 1 (100 words)

Caste system in India has been prevalent since the ancient times. However, the concept has been moulded and evolved over the centuries by those in power. It underwent a major change particularly during the Mughal Rule and the British Raj. Nevertheless, people were and are still treated differently based on their caste. The social system basically has two varied concepts – Varna and Jati.

While Varna refers to the four broad social divisions namely Brahmins (teacher/priests), Kshatriyas (kings/warriors), Vaishyas (traders) and Shudras (labourers/servants), it got degenerated into Jatis, determined by birth. Jati is generally derived from the trade or occupation of the community, and is known to be hereditary.

Caste System in India Essay 2 (150 words)

India has been under the spell of the evil caste system since centuries. This system finds its roots in the ancient times and has undergone change over the time. The rulers of medieval, early modern and modern India moulded it to suit their convenience. Those belonging to the higher castes treated with high regard and those from the lower caste looked down upon all along.

In today’s times, caste system in India has become the basis of reservation when it comes to acquiring education and securing jobs.

The social system in India basically comprises two different concepts, Varna and Jati. Varna is said to be the class of the person. Under this there are four categories – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Jati on the other hand said to be a person’s caste and finds reference to a person’s birth. There are thousands of Jatis and these generally determined by the traditional occupation of a community.

Caste System in India Essay 3 (200 words)

The origin of caste system in India dates back to the ancient times. There are two different perspectives for its origin in the country. These are either based on socio-economic factors or ideological factors.

The first school of thought is based on the ideological factors and as per this, caste system finds its base in four Varnas. The perspective formed centuries ago was especially common among the scholars from the British colonial era. This school of thought categorises people based on their class. There are basically four classes – Brahmins (teachers/priests) , Kshatriyas (kings/warriors), Vaishyas (traders) and Shudras (labourers/servants).

The second school of thought based on the socio-economic factors and as per this the system rooted in the political, economic and material history of India. This perspective was common among the post-colonial era scholars. This school of thought categorises people based on their caste, which determined by the traditional occupation of their community.

Caste system has had a strong hold in India and continues to do so. Today, this system has become the basis of reservation in education and jobs. Due to political reasons where castes constitute vote banks for parties; the reservation system is still intact in the country.

Caste System in India Essay 4 (250 words)

Caste System in India divides people into four different categories – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. It believed that these groups came into being from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation. Priests, intellectuals and teachers come under the category of Brahmins. They stand at the top of the hierarchy and it believed that they came from Brahma’s head. Next in line are the Kshatriyas who are the rulers and warriors. These apparently came from God’s arms. Merchants, traders and farmers come under the Vaishya category and said to have come from His thighs and the labour class forms a part of the fourth category that Shudras – these said to have come from Brahma’s feet.

These main categories further divided into as many as 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, based on their occupation.

As per Manusmriti, the most significant book on the Hindu laws, Varna system came into being to establish order and regularity in the society. The concept said to be 3,000 years old and distinguishes people based on their dharma (duty) and karma (work).

The religious as well as social life of the people in the country has influenced largely by the caste system since centuries and the trend continues today, with political parties misusing it for their own ends.

Caste System in India Essay 5 (300 words)

Caste system has been prevalent in our country since time immemorial and continues to have a strong hold on the society and political system. People have divided in four different categories of class – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Historically it believed that this social system came into being in the country in around 1500 BC with the arrival of the Aryans. It said that Aryans introduced this system in order to control the local population at that time. In order to make things systematic, they defined main roles and assigned them to groups of people. However, in the 20 th century, this theory dismissed as it stated that Aryans never invaded the country.

As per Hindu theologians, it said that this system came into being with the Hindu God Brahma who known as the creator of the universe. As per this theory, the people who hold the highest stature in the society that is the priests and teachers came from Brahma’s head, the ones from the second category were the warriors who came from God’s arm, those belonging to the third category, that is, the traders and merchants came from God’s thighs and the peasants and workers, that is, those belonging to the lowest category came from Brahma’s feet.

The actual origin of the caste system thus not known yet. Manusmriti, the most ancient text on Hinduism, however has cited this system in 1,000 BC. In the ancient times, the communities followed the class system stringently. While the people from the upper classes enjoyed several privileges, those from the lower class deprived of many things and thus suffered immensely. Though not as stringent as in the earlier times, even today a lot of discrimination done based on a person’s caste.

Caste System in India Essay 6 (400 words)

India has been under the clutches of the evil caste system since the ancient period though the exact origin of this system isn’t known as there are different theories that state different stories about its initiation. As per Varna system, people broadly divided into four different categories. Here is a look at the people who fall under each of these categories:

• Brahmins – Priests, Teachers and Scholars
• Kshatriyas – Rulers and Warriors
• Vaishyas – Farmers, Merchants and Traders
• Shudras – Labourers

The Varna system later got degenerated into caste system. The society divided into 3,000 castes and as many as 25,000 sub-castes based on the occupation of the community that a person was born into.

As per one theory, the Varna system initiated in the country as the Aryans arrived here in around 1500 BC. It said that Aryans introduced this system to have control over people and make things work more systematically. They assigned different roles to different groups of people. As per the Hindu theologians, on the other hand, the system initiated with Brahma, the Hindu God who known as the creator of the universe.

As Varna system degenerated into caste system, a lot of discrimination done on the basis of caste. People belonging to the higher castes treated with great respect and enjoyed several privileges while those from the lower classes scorned at and deprived of several things. Inter-caste marriages strictly forbidden.

The caste system in urban India today has declined immensely. Though, people from the lower classes still not respected in the society as the government offers several benefits to them. Caste has become the basis of reservation in the country. People belonging to lower classes have a reserved quota in the education sector and also when it comes to securing government jobs.

After the departure of the British, the Constitution of India banned the discrimination based on the caste system. It is then that the quota system introduced for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. BR Ambedkar who authored the Constitution of India was himself a Dalit and the concept of social justice for protecting the interests of these communities on the lower rung of society considered to be a great move in the Indian history, though now it misused for narrow political reasons by different parties in the country.

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Caste-away: India's caste system may be impossible to dismantle, but Yashica Dutt wants to try

Living a lie and “passing” as an “upper” caste hindu opened doors, yashica dutt discovered while growing up in her native india. but when a dalit student died by suicide the journalist felt compelled to publicly reveal that she also belonged to the community long-maligned as “untouchable.”.

Yashica Dutt, author of “Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir of Surviving India’s Caste System,” reads an excerpt to an audience at Northwestern University in Evanston on May 1. Dutt also spoke at the University of Chicago, Oakton Community College and Pilsen Community Books during her recent book tour.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Yashica Dutt had just finished a glass of falooda when the sweetness of the milky drink, layered with vermicelli, rose water and basil seeds, dissipated on her tongue.

There was nothing wrong with her order. The bitter aftertaste only settled in when the small talk crescendoed into the familiar guessing game Dutt would rather not play.

“You must be Brahmin,” the man at the Devon Avenue restaurant deduced. “No,” Dutt, 38, said. The Brooklyn-based journalist continued to tell the stranger she was of a “lower caste,” but she didn’t volunteer much more.

“I felt that shame again,” Dutt said to me, recalling the late April incident that took place right after she gave a talk on her book, “Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir of Surviving India’s Caste System.”

“I immediately regressed into someone who was hiding.”

Living a lie and “passing” as an “upper” caste Hindu opened doors, Dutt discovered as she attended India’s most prestigious schools and eventually landed a job writing about fashion.

But when a Dalit Ph.D. student died by suicide in 2016 and left a note that read “my birth is my fatal accident,” a triggered Dutt, by now in New York, felt compelled to shed her armor and publicly reveal in a social media post that she, too, belonged to the community long-maligned as “untouchable.”

The ancient caste system, although outlawed in India, is “the gear that turns the wheel of Indian society,” Dutt said. While the affirmative action policies instituted by Dalit icon Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar remain, the social hierarchy cemented by caste and religion is preserved by an overwhelming amount of people who benefit from it.

Casteism is so influential in India that non-Hindu Indians, including Christians, Sikhs and Muslims, have adopted similar pecking orders within their own smaller populations.

In the United States, it is race that “embeds into our bones an unconscious ranking of human characteristics and sets forth the rules, expectations, and stereotypes that have been used to justify brutalities against entire groups within our species,” Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Isabel Wilkerson argues in her 2020 bestseller “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.”

Dalits, Indian Muslims face similar discrimination

Dalits, like Black Americans, have historically persevered through ingenuity and civil disobedience, Dutt points out in her acclaimed book, first published in India in 2019.

Dutt’s great-grandfather, who was denied an education, learned to write by scrawling in the dirt with a stick. Another one of Dutt’s heroes, Ambedkar, banded fellow Dalits together to a public water tank where they sipped water, sparking a violent backlash in 1927.

I was embarrassed that I didn’t know much about Ambedkar, the chief architect of India’s constitution who butted heads with Mahatma Gandhi over how to address caste inequities in the newly independent India electoral system. Decades later, in the early 1970s, the Dalit Panther movement, inspired by the Black Panthers, emerged to tackle caste prejudice.

People gather in front of a 125 feet statue of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, which was inaugurated on his birth anniversary in Hyderabad, India, Friday, April 14, 2023. Ambedkar, a prominent Dalit freedom fighter, was the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, which outlawed discrimination based on caste.

Mahesh Kumar A./AP

Reading Dutt’s book, I was also reminded of the parallels between the struggles of Dalits and India’s Muslims, who have been facing unprecedented intolerance and abuse. Muslims and Dalits deal with the worst residential segregation in Indian cities, a 2022 study revealed .

A 2007 field experiment , Dutt cited, also found that when fake resumes of similarly qualified candidates were sent to Indian companies, Dalit “applicants” were called 33% less often and Muslims 66% less often, than Hindu candidates from privileged castes.

I can attest that being Brown and Muslim in America isn’t a walk in the park either.

This shared suffering has resonated with many people of color who came up to Dutt during her recent book tour and told her, “My experience is different than yours, but I know exactly what you mean.”

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• India’s Modi is a right-wing despot — not a rock star like Springsteen

The expanded edition of “Coming Out as Dalit,” which was published in the U.S. earlier this year, includes two additional chapters on casteism in America and the efforts to silence concerns over caste bias in the workplace.

In 2022, a caste bias presentation by leading Dalit rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan was canceled at Google after some Indian employees there raised objections, calling Soundararajan “Hinduphobic” and “anti-Hindu.”

Two cities, Seattle and Fresno, banned caste-based discrimination last year, but when a bill outlawing caste discrimination landed on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk last October, he vetoed it, saying it was unnecessary because that type of bigotry is already prohibited under existing civil rights protections.

Here in Illinois, anti-casteism language proposed to be included as part of an updated description of the state’s Indian American Advisory Council ended up on the cutting room floor.

“You cannot deny the existence of caste (in South Asian spaces) any longer,” said Dutt, frustrated that some fellow Indians obsessed with perpetuating the myth of a “post-caste” world keep a tight grip on the narrative.

Dutt wants equity for all, and to steer clear of probing questions about caste and bullies like the person who sent her an email, threatening to “bash” her head in for daring to tell her story.

That is not too much to ask.

Rummana Hussain is a columnist and member of the Sun-Times Editorial Board.

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Officials change course amid outrage over bail terms for Indian teen accused in fatal drunk driving accident

By Arshad R. Zargar

May 22, 2024 / 1:37 PM EDT / CBS News

New Delhi — Indian justice officials have changed course amid outrage over the bail terms set for a teenager accused of killing two people while driving a Porsche at high speed while drunk and without a license. The 17-year-old son of a wealthy businessman had been ordered to write a 300-word essay and work with the local traffic police for 15 days to be granted bail — a decision that was made within 15 hours of his arrest.

He is accused of killing two young people while speeding in his luxury car on Sunday in the western Indian city of Pune.

The lenient bail conditions initially imposed by the local Juvenile Justice Board shocked many people, including officials, across India. The local police approached the board with an appeal to cancel his bail and seeking permission to treat the boy, who is just four months shy of his 18th birthday, as an adult, arguing that his alleged crime was heinous in nature.

In 2015, India changed its laws to allow minors between 16 and 18 years of age to be tried as adults if they're accused of crimes deemed heinous. The change was prompted by the notorious 2012  Delhi rape case , in which one of the convicts was a minor. Many activists argued that if he was old enough to commit a brutal rape, he should not be treated as a minor.

On Wednesday night, after three days of outrage over the initial decision, the Juvenile Justice Board canceled the teen's bail and sent him to a juvenile detention center until June 5. It said a decision on whether he could be tried as an adult, which would see him face a more serious potential sentence, would be taken after further investigation.

Late Sunday night, police say the teen, after drinking with friends at two local bars in Pune, left in his Porsche Taycan, speeding through narrow roads and allegedly hitting a motorcycle, sending the two victims — a male and female, both 24-year-old software engineers — flying into the air and killing them.

The parents of both victims have urged authorities to ensure a strict punishment for the teen.

The suspect was first charged with causing death by negligence, but that was changed to a more serious charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. On Wednesday he was also charged with drunk driving offenses.

Police have arrested the suspect's father and accused him of allowing his son to drive despite being underage, according to Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. The legal age for driving in India is 18. Owners of the two bars where the minor was served alcohol have also been arrested and their premises seized.

"We have adopted the most stringent possible approach, and we shall do whatever is at our command to ensure that the two young lives that were lost get justice, and the accused gets duly punished," Kumar said.

Maharashtra state's Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had described the original decision of the Juvenile Justice Board as "lenient" and "shocking," and called the public outrage a reasonable reaction.

Road accidents claimed more than 168,000 lives in India in 2022. More than 1,500 of those people died in accidents caused by drunk driving, according to Indian government data.

Under Indian law, a person convicted of drunk driving can face a maximum punishment of six months in prison and a fine of about $120 for a first offense. If, however, the drunk driving leads to the death of another person, the offender can face two to seven years in prison.

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• Deadly Hit And Run
• Drunk Driving

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• The Weekend Essay

India’s last election?

Narendra Modi has spent a decade remaking the country into a one-party state.

By Shruti Kapila

On 22 January 2024, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, helmed the ceremony to inaugurate the newly erected temple to the Hindu god Ram at Ayodhya in northern India, the deity’s birthplace. As Indian Air Force choppers showered petals on the precincts of the temple, it was clear that the majesty of the Indian state was being used to consecrate the power of Hinduism. Commentators from India’s mainstream media, which only competes to flatter Modi, breathlessly announced the installation of the Ram temple as a “civilisational” moment with some even anointing it as the coming of the “Second Republic”. 

Erected on the site of a Mughal mosque that was torn down by Hindu nationalist mobs in 1992, the Ram temple is synonymous with the ascendancy and now hegemony of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a once marginal, even fringe, party devoted to Hindu nationalism. Highways across the country were strewn with billboards featuring images of the temple. City squares, too, were drenched in saffron flags, the sacred colour for Hindus and the colour of choice for the BJP.

Against this backdrop, Modi is now confident that he is about to make history. With voting in the general election underway since 19 April, he is projected to take office for a third consecutive term. Only India’s founding prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, has accomplished this feat in the world’s largest and arguably most competitive democracy. This election is India’s largest ever, with nearly a billion people eligible to vote. Scheduled over six long weeks that coincide with rising temperatures during peak summer, the victor will be declared on 4 June. 

No other Indian national election has grabbed as many global headlines and interest as this one has. In significant part, the international interest has much more to do with turbulent geopolitics than the domestic contest itself. As the West seems to have fallen out of love with China, India’s vaunted democracy has attracted new levels of attention. In terms of its economy and polity, India’s scale is truly continental. 

In 2022 India replaced Britain, its erstwhile imperial master, to emerge as the fifth largest economy in the world. In 2023, India overtook China with 1.4 billion people to become the most populous country on the planet. Its regional diversity makes Europe look monochromatic, as there are more than 20 official languages spoken. With 205 million Muslims – 15.5 per cent of the population – it has the second-largest Muslim population in the world. With the youngest and largest population in the world, India can be seen as carrying the future of humanity. 

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Yet for all the scale and diversity, this election is in effect a plebiscite on one man. At 73, Modi has held the top Indian office for a decade already. In fact, Modi has continuously held high public office since the opening years of this century. First as the chief minister of the commercially powerful western state of Gujarat from 2001, moving to the most powerful office in 2014. It was Modi in 2014 who scripted a mandate for his BJP that committed India’s government to Hindu nationalism. His subsequent and even bigger mandate in 2019 began to overtly legislate for a Hindu-first India.   

In the immediate run-up to the elections, Modi – who has not held a press conference in a decade – made himself available to select global and Indian media for carefully curated interviews. From the US magazine Newsweek to India’s largest news agency, Asia News International, in print and on screen, Modi has asserted his certitude of his victory in a serious and deliberate tone, claiming the remaking of India as his personal mission.  

Nothing less than the identity of India is at stake in this election. Modi’s vision is that of a new India – or a return to its older name of Bharat, which he seeks to popularise (or even institute as the country’s official name). Even as this proposal projects notions of civilisational grandeur or a long-gone golden age, it hints at a future in which global status games and an exclusionary national culture dominate. 

In fuelling such debates, Modi and his BJP are consciously signalling a new political, economic and global vision for India. Analysts and critics often describe India under Modi as an “illiberal democracy”, even an “electoral autocracy” that is in effect a “majoritarian” democracy in action. Neither quite captures the wholesale transformation of the country – rather than merely a style of rule – that is underway. In short, if modern China could give the world capitalism without democracy, could India be on the verge of giving the world a one-party state in a multi-party polity? 

In May 2023, Modi inaugurated a new state-of-the-art parliament building. Built amid the devastation wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, it symbolises Modi’s signature in stone and is the latest addition to Delhi’s monumental and imperial architecture. As Modi pirated the global left’s fixation on decolonisation at the time, he was unequivocal in declaring the new building’s inauguration as the real end of India’s long servitude, wrought first by Muslim empires and then briefly by the British. In a single stroke, Modi dismissed India’s now reviled English-educated elite as corrupt purveyors of foreign political values while directing ire at India’s besieged Muslim population. 

Cast as a coronation, the pageantry projected Modi as king, as he walked down the building’s long corridor with the ritual silver sceptre, the Sengol, from the erstwhile southern Indian Hindu kingdom of Tanjore. The ritually significant sceptre had originally been given to the staunchly republican Nehru, who had housed it in a government museum. By installing it in the new parliament building, Modi signalled the coming of new sovereign arrangements.  

Southern India has resolutely denied Modi any popularity, let alone the devotion that he has commanded over great swathes of northern and western India. Crucially, the new parliament building will seat close to 900 members. With its rise in population, India is set to go through a delimitation exercise by 2030 that will increase the number of constituencies. India’s demographics are regionally divided with much higher and denser population rates in the north. The new delimitation exercise is set to disempower economically superior southern India, while rewarding the economically backward north.  

If his back-story of humble origins once made Modi a relatable figure, a decade on there is little that distinguishes national pride from the strident chauvinism that he embodies. Modi has transformed himself into a messianic figure who is aiming for even a bigger mandate. 

It would be a categorical error to see this political contest as one between religion and secularism. Unlike in the West or even in its newly partitioned neighbour of Pakistan, neither linguistic nor religious identity was given primacy in India’s constitution of 1950 that made diversity the principle of unity. The constitution provided the blueprint for a bold future as it became the document of its democracy and the vehicle that guaranteed radical new rights to India’s citizens.   

Animated by a post-colonial piety, Nehru spearheaded a political revolution that laid down democratic institutions with a commitment to a multi-religious polity and a protected economy. His era created, and was ultimately dependent on, a small elite which was zealously self-enclosed and snobbish, and the greatest beneficiary of India’s freedom. Identified today as “Lutyens’ elite” – after the architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens who gave Delhi its stunning if forbidding aesthetics of imperial power – the scornful label conveys contempt more for Nehru than for the British colonial rulers.  

Modi was quick to tap in to the resentment against the liberal establishment and its elites that has fuelled what the public intellectual Pankaj Mishra has called our age of anger. Before Brexit Britain and even Trump’s Maga momentum, Modi attacked India’s so called ancien régime as corrupt and nepotistic, in order to foster a politically resurgent Hindu identity.  

New India has found many votaries. A new cultural and intellectual establishment has amplified Modi’s image and message in broadsheets and television studios. Through global summits and a new and sprawling network of think tanks, an incantation of keywords advertises the ambitions of this new identity. From “Made in India” through to “Digital India” via the “India Way”, Modi’s campaign straplines have evolved over the decade; the current catchphrase is “ Viksit Bharat ”, or “Developed India”. All have prioritised the spectacle and symbolism of branding over substance. As global indices have today deemed India to be a “backsliding democracy”, Delhi – highly attuned to status – has responded by announcing its very own new metrics housed by its leading establishment think tank Observer Research Foundation.  

This image-making sits alongside the criminalisation of dissent, the imprisoning of leading figures from India’s opposition and the erosion of liberty at home. But India is not in the grip of “populist authoritarianism”, as it is so often portrayed. For all the concentration and personalisation of power in Modi, a new political order akin to the party-state defines India’s latest political avatar. A party-state implies the absence of boundaries between state, society, government, party and, indeed, cadre. By contrast, modern states prize and thrive on the distinction between the different organs of government and their policing via checks and balances and, above all, seek to represent rather than overwhelm society.  

As a cadre-based party, and at twice the size of China’s Communist Party, the BJP is not only the world’s largest political party, with 180 million members, but it is also one of the world’s richest parties with nearly $6bn in its coffers. With a number of other affiliates – notably the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) paramilitary body, founded in 1925 and committed to the realisation of Hindutva or political Hindu-ness with over five million volunteers – Modi helms a massive and efficient political machinery.  

From vigilantes who violently police inter-faith romances to neighbourhood associations that enforce Hindu dietary practices, the boundary between culture and politics, party and state has blurred. Even though Hindu-Muslim riots have receded in the last decade, mob lynchings – especially those targeting India’s Muslims and Dalits (the caste known as “untouchables”) – have emerged as a new, violent trend. 

Bureaucracy, the so-called steel frame of India, has remained supplicant, and Modi has rarely chastised the faceless but all-too-powerful civil service. Marked by a near absence of whistle-blowers, Modi’s decade of rule has witnessed a complete alignment between the ruling politicos and administrators. India’s widely regarded supreme court judges are now routinely given to making sanctimonious speeches espousing liberal values such as support of same-sex marriage, that are in stark contrast to their consequential judgements that have been largely status quo-ist. 

Modi has been astute in creating a direct connection between himself and the vast populace, which is dependent on the state for its everyday existence. Enabled by technology, direct cash transfers are given for everything from food rations to vaccinations. Dubbed as “Modi’s guarantees” – which are in part bankrolled by a new centralised but indirect sales-tax regime and a universal identification programme and online banking – India’s emerging digital state is the new leviathan. The mobile phone has emerged as the key instrument which now determines the relationship between the citizen and the state. For all the dangers of a Silicon Valley-led Big Tech that is fast absorbing the state in the West, India’s digital life is invisible, intrusive and altogether statist. Yet, crucially, this new welfarism has only helped Modi’s popularity soar.  

To counter the Modi personality and the emergent party-state, Nehru’s great grandson Rahul Gandhi, an MP for the opposition Indian National Congress party, has emulated Mahatma Gandhi (who is no relation) by walking the length and breadth of the country twice. Effectively the face of India’s opposition, Rahul Gandhi has – first through the Bharat Jodo Yatra (the Unity March) in the winter of 2022 and 2023 and the recently concluded Nyaya Yatra (Walk for Justice) – created a distinct campaign in Modi’s India; his supporters say the act of walking has symbolically countered violence with non-violence. Reduced to a factionalised rump, Gandhi’s Congress party wrested Karnataka, one of the richest states and the tech-hub of India, from the BJP in a consequential federal election in 2023, making it a powerful launch pad for a national campaign against Modi. 

Twenty-six small and big parties, including Congress, have forged an unprecedented, united bloc against Modi. Responding to the seductive power of symbols, it has named itself after the nation: I. N.D.I. A. (Indian, National, Inclusive Development Alliance). It has a long way to go in occupying the national government, but it has nevertheless set the terms of the contest pushing economic justice as the key electoral issue. With record levels of unemployment and inequality, and surging prices of everyday goods, most media encounters with the voting public have focused on the strained economy. Aspiration, which had buzzed through the political landscape for a decade, has been replaced by a prosaic realism. This is to say, while Modi has focused on New India, the opposition has succeeded in shifting focus to the lives of Indians.  

Despite support for Modi across the mainstream media, social and online media has been dominated by the opposition. In symbolically holding up the Indian constitution repeatedly in rallies, Gandhi has effectively placed rights and the future of Indians as another key choice for voters, offering an alternative to the potential advent of the party-state. After six long weeks of campaigning and as voting concludes on 1 June, the overall effect is a distinct lack of euphoria let alone an electoral wave for Modi. For all the passion and pride that Modi may incite, it’s clear that exhaustion has set in with the relentless cultural and political remaking of the country.

Narendra Modi may still be confident that he will make history, but the future of India no longer appears fated.  

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