The impact of Caste-Mindset On Indian Attitudes.
As
a keen observer of the Indian Caste System in practice,I could not help but
observe its undue impact on the mindset
and attitudes of every Indian, irrespective of his religious affiliation.In fact
every single move of an average Indian is directed by all the all powerful and pervasive
Caste System or Caste Spirit(CS).
I have herein attempted a critical and well-researched study on the
impact of Caste System on the Indian mindset and attitudes.For such a study to
be realistic ,first of all,one needs to step out of the system and observe
through the eyes of a foreigner.I am sure that you would agree on my
observations once you read the analysis in full. I would urge you to consider
this study more as an introspective exercise ,than as a charge sheet against CS
.For if this study is considered as a charge-sheet, it may unnecessarily prompt
the reader to prepare a defence. After all,we need to know ,that all said and done CS undoubtedly
remains as a curse on India, that needs to be mercilessly killed in the
interests of the nation.
·
Caste System is not about just people!
Often we think that CS applies only to’ human beings’ ! However if you critically analyse you will
know that the tentacles of Caste System possibly extends into every area of
human activity in India.Let us see how.
The’
left hand ‘of the body is treated as inferior to the ‘right hand’ and is used
for cleaning ***.Similarly the ‘leg’ is treated as’ low’ as it carries all dirt
of walking etc.Most Indians wash their legs when they return home after going
out.’Shudras’ the low castes varna were born from the leg of Purusha ,according
to Manusmriti.Among drinks coffee is considered as ‘high’ and ‘tea ‘is
considered ‘low ‘.The reason is’ tea’ is normally consumed by people who are
the’ labour class’and coffee is taken by upper caste ‘thinkers’! Now, about
cars. Maruti 800 is a’ low caste’ while Dzire/Sedans will fit into ‘high caste’
. Among towns also a caste gradation exists.For example,in Tamil Nadu Sri
Rangam,Kumbakonam,Thanjavur are Brahmins while Perambalur,Jayamkondan are
Shudras.The snacks are also not exempt from gradation.Some are considered low
and some as high depending on each area.When it comes to families,in certain
Hindu families, the eldest son is treated like the high caste as against the
youngest who is the servant caste.The youngest is supposed to serve all in the
family.Similarly between ‘man’ and’ woman’ a woman is always the low caste and
is entitled only to what is left after the men in the family have their
full.Among the animals dogs are considered low and that is the reason why
Indians have the minimum number of dogs as pets per household in the entire
world .Brahmins never have any pets .
In Satapatha Brahmana 14:1:1:31‘women ,dogs and shudra are
equated in a verse ‘-
“And whilst not coming into contact with Sudras and remains
of food; for this Karma is he that shines yonder, and he is excellence, truth,
and light; but woman, the Sudra, the dog, and the black bird (the crow), are
untruth: he should not look at these, lest he should mingle excellence and
sin, light and darkness, truth and untruth.”
Among
cattle the poor buffalo is low caste as its’ varna’ is black ! Cow is a Brahmin
among the cattle.Garden lizards are to be killed as they were anti-Rama and
squirrels are ‘reverential’ as they reportedly helped Rama in building the bridge to Lanka!
Among diseases,’autism’ is high caste while TB is low caste!
When it comes to language ,appropriate words of respect or contempt are
available to ‘place’ people in their slots.To address a Brahmin the word is
‘Samy’ and for others ‘Neenga,Neer,Nee ‘ in descending order of respect are
available for the one English egalitarian word’you’.
Let us understand that CS is not about just ‘people’ but
about every thing living and non-living ,in India.
·
‘Untouchable Brahmins ‘?
Read this interesting articles on the
‘untouchability’ practiced within Brahmins themselves!
·
Caste Spirit makes one knowledge-proof !
When CS rules one’s mind, the
person may learn new things but nothing that is inconsistent with the CS ever
enters his mind. So however high one’s education may be, he may acquire just
academic knowledge but he continues to remain change -proof when it comes to
his opinion or behavior with respect to superstitions, caste discrimination
etc. Indians who are educated in Harvard, when they return back to India,
do not change their behavior in any manner.They continue to practice whatever
they they were practising before their overseas exposure.When it comes to their
marriage,they marry within their caste only. They do not fight against
social injustice or superstitions ,as CS still has control over their thought
process.Space scientists in India who are capable of sending rockets into
the space ,continue to look for auspicious omens before launching the rockets !
CS effectively ensures against any kind of
change in the superstitious culture of the Indian intellectuals,through
acquired knowledge.
Compare this with a particular
tribe in North Eastern India ,who used to kill their enemies and hang their
skulls , in their verandahs,as a statement of their valour.When the
Christian missionaries who served there ,taught them right values ,they changed
their century old obnoxious practice .How could they change a century old
practice? Because they are free from the
control of any force like the powerful CS !
·
CS and Sharing Knowledge
‘Sharing knowledge’ is against
the very spirit of CS as if others know ,what you know,you can no more claim
‘superiority’ over them.So CS makes ‘easy things’ difficult to understand.The
Hindu,the popular English daily in India reports”Pachyderm runs amok!”The
intention is that the average English reader should not understand the ‘high’
English used ! Incidentally’Pachyderm’ is nothing but ‘Elephant”!Compare this
with ,foreigners who make even ‘stem biology’ easy to understand to a common
man !
·
CS is against emergence of leadership
As CS reserves leadership positions to
Brahmins exclusively,potential leaders in other castes are suppressed from
emergence as leaders.For example,the emergence of Dr.B.R .Ambedkar as a great
leader was shunned by the CS and it put lot of hurdles on his way.How ever in
case of Brahmin leaders,CS gives out of way support in making him a leader.For
example,Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth day was celebrated as the Children’s Day and
given holiday.In what way Nehru is connected with Children’s welfare? ‘He loves
children’ is the clever answer.Is there any one who do not love children?
Similarly Dr.S.Radhakrishnan’s birthday is celebrated as ‘Teachers Day’not because
he was a teacher but because he was a Brahmin!
In its attempt to support Brahminical
leadership ,CS has drawn the concept of ‘Hero Worship’ into play.In ‘Hero
Worship’ a particular person is projested as a ‘hero’ who can save you from all
your troubles and people are made to worship him.The ‘Hero’ promoted thus has a
hidden agenda of strengthening the CS. Rama is the best example of such a hero
promoted by the media and culture.
Thus CS effectively suppresses the
emergence of great leadership in Indian society.This is the reason why there
was not a single upper caste leader during the last 3000 years who wanted to
fight against the evil of untouchability.Compare this with Dr.Abraham
Lincoln,the white leader who gave up his life to fight against the evil system
of slavery in US.
·
‘Lying’ is the mother-tongue of Caste System
!
The spirit of caste ,over rules
every thing else in India.It shapes all your opinions and views.It determines
the direction of your ‘decisions’ as well.
Eg. A Painting Competition was held in a
Chennai Public Sector Unit for the children of the staff .The Paintings were
viewed and given marks by all the viewers .A particular Painting P1 came first
followed by Painting P2 ,in this viewers rating.The viewers who gave marks were
not aware of who painted P1 and P2.Now a Brahmin Judge comes to finalize the
award and he quickly gets to check who painted P1 and P2.Unfortunately P1 is
done by a dark Dalit and P2 done by a fair Brahmin ! The moment he comes to
know this the Spirit Of Caste(SOC) takes over and commands him to comply with
‘Caste Dharma’.So the Judge tries and finds out some’faults’ in P1 and declares
P2 as the winner of 1st Prize ! Here the beauty is that the Judge
himself may not be aware that SOC has taken him over and that his decision is biased !A ‘foreigner’ can
sense it immediately.
Sometimes it becomes so exhausting in convincing the Indian
intellectuals,what is patently acceptable ,if their accepting that fact can go
against the CD.The intellectuals draw all their argumentative skills to the
fullest extent and put down the argument.Suppose a Dalit argues that the sun
rises in the East,the response from the intellectuals would be ‘Well,depends on
which direction you are sitting !’.The same argument is put forward by a
Brahmin,the response would be something like this’That,of course, is a
universal truth!’
This is the reason why Indian intellectuals keep on denying ground
realities relating to ’untouchability’ ‘ beef ban’etc.They may not be aware that
they are doing it at all,as they are under the SOC.
As a natural consequence
of this imperative,one is required to do any thing or pay any price to maintain
and uphold the ‘Caste Dharma’(CD).That anything includes ‘lying ‘and that is
why ‘lying’ is so common in India among intellectuals and others.When the
intellectuals practice ‘lying’ ,others tend to imitate the same.So’ lies’ breed
‘lies’ and soon it becomes the official language of the Caste Kingdom.So
’Lying’ becomes an essential part of Caste System(CS) as it is an easy way out
when the ground realities clash with the mandated requirements of CS.
This is the basic reason for lack of integrity among the intellectuals
and the accused in India never admitting to his guilt on his own.
·
Caste System controls Judgment/Justice/Law
CS
prevails over all judgments including all judicial decisions.
Let me illustrate the hold CS has over
judicial ‘judgments’ with the following explanation.
The western concept of ' justice' implies
the following:
1)
just 2) equal 3) neutral 4) impartial 5 )without prejudice 6)fair 7)
crime-based
The
Indian concept of ’Dharma’ is concept
unknown to the west.
‘Dharma’ implies the following.
1. Based
on one’s birth in a ‘caste ‘,each caste is assigned a duty. The Caste Dharma is
to do that duty sincerely. If they do not do their assigned duty and try do the
duty of some other caste it is called ‘Adharma’.
2.‘Adharma’ is punishable under Hindu law.
3.The punishment for any crime committed,as
per this dispensation, depends on the’ caste of the criminal ‘and not ‘on the
crime’. This means for the same crime, different punishments are applicable
according to the caste of the criminal.
For
illustration, let us assume that X murders Y in England. The punishment for
murder as prescribed in the criminal law
of the land will be awarded to X in England.
1.
But suppose the same X murders Y in India.
Let us see how Dharma works.
First of all the caste of X will be ascertained .
The punishment will be as under.
a)If X belongs to Brahmin caste ( priestly
caste) -Punishment will be very low ,say something like ‘ plucking a few hairs
from his head’.
b)If X belongs to Shudra caste(servant
caste) punishment will be severe like capital punishment. The lower the
caste, higher is the punishment
Hence Caste Dharma practically translates in
to’ injustice’.
So Caste Dharma is the opposite of’
Justice’.It is not crime-based but criminal-based.
It is unfair,unjust,prejudiced,partial and
unequal .
Now ,how does ‘Law’
fit into CS ?
Law & Practice
According
to the constitution of India, India is a Sovereign, Secular, Democratic
Republic.While the de-jure position is amply clear, what is the de facto
position? Is the country secular and democratic as claimed and declared? Does
rule of law prevail or rule of religion prevail?Let us examine.
Interpretation As A Powerful Weapon!
After
completing the longest Constitution in the world,written after studying 70
constitutions , Dr.B.R. Ambedkar, Chair Man of the Drafting Committee,
remarked'If after all these checks and balances,the constitution does not
work,well ,let us remember that man can be vile..' His expectation regarding
the vile nature of man did materialise, with our legal experts diluting the constitutional provisions
through' tricky' interpretations.
'No' means 'Yes'!
The
word 'secular' played into the hands of our legal experts. Oxford English
Dictionary authoritatively defines' Secular 'as ' Not connected with religious
or spiritual matters:
secular buildings secular attitudes to death Contrasted with
sacred .'
But our
Authorities over- ruled the Oxford and defined' Secular' and defined it as 'relating to all religions'. Its like
interpreting' No' as clear ' Yes'! This small trick is a great leap for the
religious forces to pierce through the formidable firewalls of the
Constitution. Religious forces displaced the throne.
Result- utter chaos, hatred, harassment of minorities,beef
on ban etc. To day the nation is at the brink of disaster due to a small trick
of interpretation.
Collapse Of The Rule Of Law.
A series of such tricky interpretations has robbed the Constitution of
its chastity and today the rule of law in India appears to be a distant dream.
But it does not mean “ law" does not work in India!
What ‘law works
and what law cannot work in India?
Three Types Of Law In India.
Those who
keenly observe India, would have noted that everything in India is subordinate
to one Supreme Power. Don’t ever think that the Supreme Power is God! That
supreme power is nothing other than the great Caste System!
Anything, including “law"
inconsistent with the Caste System does not work, what ever you do,however best
you try! The opposite is also true. That is ,anything that strengthens the
Caste System works very well even without any “law"supporting it or
inspite of a 'law' against it!
So, in India, these are 3 types of Law, as under:
Type 1: Mandatory “law"
Which has to be
carried out, against all odds. This category may or may not have legal backing.
But it surely works. This category can work against legal “law" also.
Eg.Government opens a new building.There is no 'law' that
you should perform a 'pooja' while opening a new building.In fact there is
'law' that India is 'secular'.But nothing can deter any one from this ritual
and no Government scheme is launched without a 'pooja' preceding it!
The CS has a
powerful parallel or superseding legal system which is enforced much more
effectively than the constitutional legal system. Recently a kangaroo court in
Uttarpradesh ordered “rape of two sisters belonging to Dalit community” as a
punishment for inter-caste marriage! Imagine the guts with which such sentences
are passed in a country which has the longest written constitution in the
world.The peer enforcement mechanism in such cases is much more effective than
the legal enforcement machinery of the Government.
Type 2 Enacted
“law" which is beneficial to Caste System will be enforced.
There are
hundreds of laws in our statute book.Not all laws are equally enforced.But
'laws' which strengthen Caste System is always enforced by the concerned.
Eg.Pollution Control Laws are never enforced as the
industrialists owning the units are always 'upper castes' but Kerala Bhavan was
raided just based on a phone call , for allegedly serving 'beef'!
Type 3:Enacted law which is inconsistent or against Caste
System.
This'
law'can be treated as good as' dead law'.This 'law' dies as soon as it is born
!It cannot be enforced at all even after exhausting all available legal
avenues.At every level there is stiff resistance against its enforcement.It is
very interesting to know how it works this way.
Eg.Let us take a case of an atrocity committed against a
Dalit and he goes to the Police Station to file a complaint.THE SCHEDULED
CASTES AND THE SCHEDULED TRIBES
(PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES) ACT, 1989 requires the officials to register
the complaint promptly and says " 4. Whoever, being a public servant but
not being a member of a Scheduled for neglect Caste or a Scheduled Tribe,
wilfully neglects his duties required to be performed of duties. by him under
this Act, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be
less than six months but which may extend to one year." But practically
the complaint is not registered and more over the Dalit making the complaint
,is often harassed for making the complaint.At every stage of the
proceedings,the Dalit finds resistance.Suppose he stands firm and fights his
way through,finally the case is dismissed on 'fancy' grounds.
In Tamil
Nadu ,one dalit adolescent girl was raped,murdered and buried in the sand.Her
hands were showing out through the sand and people who saw this ,reported to
police.The case was taken up and closed by the Police as 'suicide'!How did the
Police believe that a girl could committ ‘suicide’,then dug a deep pit,then
crawled into it and buried herself into it and showed her hands out? The CS
made them believe this incredible story !
·
Media’s Major Role in CS
Since media is a major instrument used for maintaining the Caste
Dharma,media can ill afford to be true to the happenings around.The media has
over a perod of time,developed an inherent tendency to project events in a way
that would strengthen the CS in some way or other.
Eg.In the 70s ,once a candidate who
belonged to low-caste Dalit (named C. S. Das,if my memory serves me
right)secured 8th rank in the Open List of the Civil Services
Examination. Now,when media got wind of this info,they chose to suppress it
completely ,as it conflicts with the CS propaganda that Dalits have no brains
or merit .However,despite their best efforts,truth did leak out,but not many
would know it !
A few years back,when
the huts belonging to Dalits, in a
village down in southern Tamil Nadu were torched,the Dalits decided to
retaliate with protests after a day of the incident.A leading English national
paper published from Chennai ,carried the following headlines’Dalits on the
rampage in ……’ The last line in the
report casually mentioned’It may be noted that the caste Hindus in the village
had torched a few huts belonging to Dalits two days back ‘. What one need to
understand is that the paper has not published the first incident of torching the
huts at all,as it is not ‘press-worthy’ in its eyes!
· Is ‘Exploitation’ an essential part of CS ?
Exploitation is an essential part of CS. CD
demands servitude of the Shudra Castes and Dalits to the upper castes. So CS
justifies’ exploitation’ as natural and normal.
Eg. When Government instructed Public
Sector Banks to provide business loans to SCs for their livelihood, some
enterprising youngsters availed the facility. Most of such units failed because
the upper castes’ refused to patronize the units. One young Dalit running a
Cycle Hire Shop in a village, complained that all upper castes did patronize
and were hiring his cycles, but not paying even a paise, for the use! He
felt utterly helpless against high caste customers under whom they serve. Soon
the unit became sick for no fault of his! But a systematic propaganda that
Dalits are not capable of running was let loose,to prevent further finance by
the Banks!
CS makes you choose between ‘exploiting’ or ‘being exploited’ as a
compulsory choice ,in any relationship.Let me explain this situation to those
who are new to the system.I leased a house in Chennai .I used to be a good and
co-operative tenant.CS makes this attitude as an attribute of ‘weakness’ and it
gives a message to the owner of the house to ‘ill treat me’ as he wants ! So my
house owner started ‘harassing’ me ! So as a ‘tenant’ I should have been ‘rude’
to guard myself from ‘harassment’ from him ! Either ,you ‘explot’ or be
‘exploited’ is the general rule.
·
Caste System Kills Conscience!
CS slowly kills conscience. As narrated in
the fore-going case, if conscience is present, one will not refuse to pay after
hiring the cycle.Conscience is bound to
prick.
A decade back ,a well known
music maestro of Tamil Nadu ,donated Rs13 lacs for the renovation work of the famous Sri Rangam Temple. Money was
received promptly and used for the renovation work.But when the renovation was
completed and inauguration was done ,the donor
was not invited, as he is a Dalit !
·
Sorry !Forgiveness has no place in CS!
CS encourages vengeance for any action against the individual or caste
for any action that is perceived as intentional insult. Nothing is accepted as
a possible mistake. So there is no place for forgiveness in the CS and
vengeance is almost a ‘certain’ consequence for any perceived offence.
·
What
is Gratitute ?
CS defines that carrying out one’s caste duties without expecting any
recognition or reward is ‘Dharma’.So the quality of ‘Gratitude’ does not fit
into the ‘Dharma’dispensation. ‘Gratitude’is nothing but recognizing something
good done by somebody to us and feeling thankful to him for it. There is no
provision for doing something good to anyone in CS and hence no provision for
gratitude also. In other words,CS is ‘good proof’ ! If some one oversteps and does something
good to anyone, CS does not allow the ‘recipient’ of the benefit, to thank
them.
Eg. Prior to the advent of the British rule
in India,the CS did not allow access to education for the non- Brahmins. But
the British decided against such a discrimination and opened ’education to all
the castes including the Dalits in India. How grateful should every beneficiary
feel towards those who made available quality education to all for free ? But
even national leaders who enjoyed the benefits of British Schools speak against Christianity and the
British on many occasions.Sashi Tharoor went to the extent of claiming
reparations for British exploitation of India !It is CS that ensures that no
one feels grateful when they enjoy any benefit .
When I was serving as a Senior
Executive in a PSB, I had to cancel a particular Banquet Meet ,due to some
unforeseen circumstances.I did not want the lavish dinner I had arranged for
the meet to go waste and so invited some poor workers residing in the area ,to
enjoy the dinner.They all came,sat and silently enjoyed the dinner.When they
left NOT A SINGLE SOUL chose to thank me for the gesture !They do not know what
a ‘thanks’ mean and why they should ‘thank’.I won’t blame them but blame the CS
that controls them.
·
CS and ‘Love-Hate’
Caste System imbibes an unusual quality in every member.That is ‘Every
one should either ‘love’ or ‘hate’ other member as per his ‘caste’.This is
compulsory.There is no neutral position.If you ‘love’ some one ,you need to
‘love’ what ever he does’good’ or ‘bad’.Similarly if you ‘hate’ a person,you
should ‘hate’ whatever he does,including ‘good’ also.Eg. X is a ‘Brahmin’ and
so ‘he ought to be good’ only.You should ‘love’ him even if he commits a
‘heinous’ crime ! After all ,he is ‘good’ only.On the other hand, Y is a
‘low-caste Dalit’ and does lot of ‘good’Nevertheless he is to be ‘hated’ only
as he is a Dalit !So values are de-linked from your inter-personal
relationships/ responses effectively in the CS.
·
CS and Driving Style
You might wonder how seemingly
unconnected issue is the real cause of angry driving in India.The well
established Caste Spirit in India,allots different privileges to different
castes.Priority right to way is one such right.So 75% of Indians(except Dalits)
enjoy this right over some caste or other.This is why Indians can’t stand in
queues peacefully.’Queue is for him not for me!’ is every Indian’s
thought.Unfortunately ,traffic signals are not subject to Caste Spirit !So
every one is angry that he has to wait like that poor low-caste guy riding a
low-cost moped!What is this?The privilged want their right to way irrespective
of any other waiting for hours.That’s their inseparable privilege!So they are
naturally angry!
·
“Merit” according to CS means………..
CS has no place for’ merit’
as ‘merit’ is inherently attributed and reserved only to Brahmins who
constitute just 5% of the society .By
continuous propaganda ,people are made to believe that other castes do not or cannot have ‘merit’ what ever they do.This
propaganda is so powerful ,even the target group themselves are made to believe
that they have no brains !
What happens if some’ news
‘going against this propaganda leaks out ? Ramar Pillai, a Dalit village
scientist from Tamil Nadu,invented a method of extracting petrol from herbs.
Even though he proved the process before scientists of IIT Madras, the entire
Indian intellectuals mocked at him and
humiliated him on grounds of his low
caste.Later the same process has got approved but not credited to him!
Similarly while selecting sports persons ,low caste people are ignored even if
they are excellent performers.Fishermen are excellent swimmers but never
selected for swimming contests of national or international levels.
On this issue of ‘merit’ of Dalits ,I reproduce hereunder what one
anonymous Dalit has to say, in the Quora Answers forum:
How does it feel to be a Dalit in India
?
In fact,being a Dalit in India,
is not a problem at all, as long as one accepts the slot allotted to the Dalits
in the prevailing social system.
This means a Dalit has to
willing accept the following with out
any kind of resistance.
1)He should allow the upper caste
Hindus(UCH) to freely trample on him
without any reason.
2) He should allow them to spit,
insult or do anything extremely atrocious to him.
3) He should not aspire to raise
in his life.
4) He should not dress well or
wear slippers.
5) He should not talk back when
asked to do something.
6) He should stand with a position
of respect in front of them.
7) In case he does any creditable
thing, he should not claim it.
8) Many more such expectations.
What happens if a Dalit chooses to
revolt?
1) He is suppressed with all
possible power/might at the command of the UCH
2) He is side lined and trapped in
some misconduct or disciplinary proceedings etc.
3) If the Dalit is smart and
intelligent,its all the more trouble for him. All people join together and
launch a whisper propaganda against the
Dalit.
4) Every body joins
together to make his life a hell of a misery.
5) If in a incognito contest a Dalit scores high marks it is reduced the
moment the identity is known.
I secured 142 general rank in a tough All
India Exam competing with 78000 candidates in 1976,the moment they checked my
papers,I was put under SC/ST category !
I topped as no 1 in collection of
a particular business and the incentive foreign tour due for the achievement
was given to a totally unconnected UCH !Even my own staff were shocked as my
Brahmin Boss decided on this !I often got admitted for 'heart aches' whenever
'injustice'was unbearable. This only one example !
I joined as Level 1 direct officer and
should have reached Level 12 in the normal course ,which is like MD, for my
merit and performance.But with the Dalit tag ,I could not cross Level 4 ,at my
retirement.
Now I publish my works in US easily
than in India. US recognises me because its a nation of merit.
Often I tell my daughters "If
your Dad was born in US ,I am sure he would have been a Bill Gates or like
"
Thats it.”
Caste Spirit Versus Olympic Spirit
The motto of Olympics is is made
up of three Latin words : “Citius - Altius – Fortius”. These words mean Faster
- Higher - Stronger. Reaching new levels is the objective and it is a value
towards excellence.As against this Olympic objective,the only objective of the
Caste System is ‘Put down,Suppress,Hate’ the ‘lower castes’.So the CS cannot
form a ‘team’ with ‘lower castes’ to win other nations.They would rather make
‘other nations’ win than our ‘lower castes’ win!This ‘spirit’ kills the ‘team
spirit’ that is needed for our Indian players to win in Olympics.
This speaks about
how ‘merit’ in India fares in 21st century.When India suppresses its
‘merit’ ,how can it compete with the world?That is why India(Rank 55) lags behind even small countries like South
Korea(Rank 5) in Olympics Medal tally.We talk about ‘level playing field’ with
other countries while denying the same to our own nationals!
·
Caste System Freezes ‘Thinking and
Leadership’
Since CS allots ‘Leadership and
Thinking’ as exclusive attributes of Brahmins,it effectively makes other people
as just’followers’ or ‘conformists’.They are not allowed to ‘think,question or
strike new paths’ but just follow what is laid down by the Brahmins.
·
‘I know every thing!You know nothing!
Often ,in India,we find it difficult to make one accept
simple,obvious and straight facts,during serious discussions.People stick to
their positions and do not budge an inch.For example,the introducing the
subject of Yoga in schools.It’s very obvious that Yoga is a Hindu subject and
one does not need rocket science to understand that fact.But,even the Govt
refuses to accept the fact .One has to argue his lungs out or go upto Supreme
Court ,to prove that simple obvious fact.Why is it like that?
The reason can be attributed to that all-powerful Caste
System that is ruling Indian mindset.The Caste System offers exclusive rights
to knowledge,only to Brahmins.So its almost against ‘Dharma’ for others to
‘know’things they ought not to know.When ‘knowing’ itself is not permitted,how
can arguing be allowed?So it leads to a position’I know every thing;you know
nothing.Shut up!’Arguments are not relished and so arguments come up,they
simply disagree or make fun of it!So Caste Spirit does not give you a right to
dissent.This is why simple facts are not accepted in India.
·
Caste System Makes Hindus Unfit To Rule India
The CS makes every Hindu grossly unfit to
rule over any other Hindu,Christian or Muslim as it mandates an unjust
treatment to them based on their birth.CS mandates ill-treatment to lower
castes and respect to higher castes.The basic requirement of any fit governor
is fairness,justice and equal treatment based on merit which is anti-thesis to
Hindu values.
‘Socialising’ is ‘Antithesis’ in CS !
Society means” the aggregate
of people living together in a more or less ordered community”.
If you apply the ingredients of this concept, I am not quite sure
whether a caste- based- society would ever qualify to be called as a ‘society’at
all. In the Caste System, the vertical hierarchy of the castes makes it more
akin to a military structure than a society. More over a period of time, lot of
myth,superstitions, proverbs, adages about each caste have been created and
floated, to ensure against free interaction among the castes.A particular caste
is ridiculed for being stingy,another for being foolish,another for being
crafty etc. This makes free
interaction,fellowship,helping each other,working for common good etc as practically
impossible.A kind of ‘hatred ‘between the castes is fuelled by constant
back-biting.
I would like to share
an incident to illustrate how this CS works against helpful socializing.When I
was in Chennai during the 70’s I used to visit one of my close relatives staying
around 20 kms away.I travel all the way in my car along with my family during
the week-ends just for a social call. On two such occasions, it so happened
that the head of the house, one old uncle of around 80 years old,fell sick.We
were happy that we were there at the right time to help him reach the hospital
for treatment. This happened two times.We felt happy that we were able to help
during two occasions,but the wife of the
old uncle did not feel so! She felt that every time we made a visit, the old
man fell sick!What a perverted thinking ! What a world of difference between
this perception and our perception of the same incident ! So she started
indicating to some others ,not to us ,that we were sort of ‘bad omen ‘bringing
sickness every time we visit! How hurting to hear such remarks !Who will go
visit them if they categorize people helping them like this? We also felt bad
and stopped visiting.The winner is the indomitable Caste Spirit ultimately.
Now the question is, why are they not able to
identify someone who is genuinely helping them? You cannot but blame the CS
only,for this perverted thought !CS sharpens conflicts and promotes
division.It also puts down collaboration and co-operation.
·
CS is against Friendship, as well
It is difficult for
lower-castes to have friends as CS militates against ‘friendship’ which
destroys hierarchy.Even in office ,if one of the peers gets ‘promoted’ he
starts feeling ‘superior’ and ignores his earlier friendships.
‘Common Good’Has No Space here!
So there is no space for common good.This is the reason why the common
roads are dirty,traffic is chaotic and any common facility is not taken care
of.For example,I will throw all waste on the roads because it is not my caste
duty to keep the roads clean! My job is
to ‘dirty ‘ it and their job is to clean
it !”Let them come and clean” is the general attitude.
Often in India,the complaint heard is that
if some body misbehaves with a girl,no one dares to ask.Bystanders ,simply
watch even if the accident victim screams
for help.CS makes people apathetic to others cries or pain.Once Tamil Nadu milk
men poured 10000 literes of fresh milk on the roads to protest about price
hike.Don’t they know that 100s of children are starving for want of milk?Why it
did not strike in their hearts to give this milk to them? CS does not allow
such thoughts at all!
Once in my friend’s marriage party held in southern Tamil Nadu,there was no low-caste person
available to clean the dining tables .Dinner was served on plantain-leaves and
guests are not supposed to remove it.My friend did not know what to do as the
leaves were piling up.At that point of time one hungry beggar came and asked
for food.My friend thought that he can
use him to clean the tables and give him food and some money,in addition.But
the beggar promptly refused ,saying “I am a --------caste man,I won’t do such
work !’ My friend quipped ,” But,you are begging for food ! Is that ok for
your ------caste ?” He would not reply but have the food full! Yes,CS
permits any caste to beg rather than do work of the lower caste ! So
however best we try,CS prevails over our intentions and make us comply with our
caste mindset.
·
CS Weakens The Community’s Military Power
Dr.B.R.Ambedkar said that while an attack on a single Muslim is
taken as an attack on the Muslim nation,an attack on 300 million Dalit Hindus
would amount to nothing for the Hindu community!They would either remain silent
or enjoy the attack at the most!Why ? That’s what CS tells them to do !This attitude
inherently weakens the Hindu society(sic) and makes them vulnerable to attacks.The
little rat Sri Lanka can insult the ‘mighty cat ‘India by arresting Tamil
fisher-men,because they know the cat will not respond to this actions ,due to
CS !
·
CS Determines All Sensitivities !
It is interesting to note
that the CS holds sway over all the ‘sensitivities’of Indians. So, it is very
common to observe that the average Indian is not sensitive to what all other
civilized citizens of other nations are sensitive to.CS makes one insensitive
to the merits of any issue which makes the member unfit to differentiate
between ‘good’ and ‘bad’.For example, a little baby fell into a well in
Rajasthan and a bystander who saw this bravely jumped into the well ,caught
hold of the struggling baby and saved it from death.Now ,if this incident had
happened in England or anywhere,the family of the little baby would have
rewarded the bravery of the savior.But what happened here after the incident
would shock any one .Yes,the family of the baby thrashed the savior for
‘touching’ the baby to save it ! The ‘savior’ is an ‘untouchable man’ who
cannot touch upper castes !So the CS has blinded the eyes of reason and makes
people differentiate between ‘good’ and’bad’!
Let us now see the list of ‘insensitive’ and ‘sensitive’
aspects of an average Indian.
Not Sensitive To
·
Choas:
For example chaotic traffic does not disturb any Indian. Similarly
chaotic religious festivals like Kumbh Mela
or any local festival,choatic admission procedure in schools, colleges
etc. Choatic government procedures for obtaining approvals.
·
Cleanliness
An average Indian is not disturbed by dirt,
filth, gutter water sewage seeping over the streets.
·
Queues
An
average Indian is not disturb by jumping of queues and given an
opportunity he would also jump the queue happily.
·
An average Indian is not sensitive to work
commitment or perfection.
He will claim that work is worship and all that but not in
practice.Recently a electrician in Tamilnadu working on a transformer was
electrocuted to death for a “minor mistake”. That ‘minor mistake’ was ‘working
without wearing hand gloves’on a high-voltage transformer! No newspaper talks
about such a major negligence but disposes off
it as his fate’.Mind you,he is not an exception;he is the rule.
CS is against any
kind of work ethics as perfection does not matter in a CS environment .The job
of each caste is assured from their birth and they need not prove their
eligibility or skill to do it.Accordingly a Brahmin who is suffering from even venereal
disease is not ineligible to serve as priest in a temple.Compare this with the
biblical instructions on priest hood which prescribes the following for
priest-hood:
1)Num8.24 commands, “This applies to the
Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work
at the tent of meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their
regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in
performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do
the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the
Levites.” God regulated the priestly office and limited the age of priests to
25 to 50 years. Anyone younger or older was not eligible to serve.
2) God held the priests to the most
stringent standards of behavior and ritual purity (Leviticus 21). Abihu and
Nadab were sons of Aaron and two of the first priests. They disobeyed God,
however, and were instantly struck down (Leviticus 10:1–2). Later, the sons of
the high priest Eli “treated the offering of the Lord with contempt” and were
also judged (1 Samuel 2:12–17).
Since work ethics is not
considered important,an average Indian worker is not punctual,not sincere in
work,often misleading the customer,having tendency to do certain things
stealthily without the customer’s consent and not feeling bad if caught
red-handed.
An average Indian worker does not feel
proud about his work or his skills.He is more concerned about making money
somehow. A biscuit manufacturing unit in Tamilnadu had surplus capacity which
was leased to a foreign biscuit company for manufacturing their products,on one
condition that the workers shall wear hand gloves without fail, for reasons of
hygiene.The staff union agreed to the condition.However random inspections
carried out subsequently, proved that the workers stealthily removed their
gloves during the work, whenever the Supervisors were not seen around! Whatever
best the management did to prevent this practice failed because of the workers’
mindset.Who controls their mindset? You should have known it by this time !
Sensitive To
While the position is so the average Indian
is highly sensitive to the following.
·
Any help done to the poor or needy.
Nobody wants any kind of help to be done to
the poor labour category like porters, auto drivers, beggars etc. In Bangalore
railway station the maximum porterage charges limit is fixed at Rs 70/- I am
not aware of any maximum charges on Brokerage fixed for real estate deals. But
in case of a porter demanding Rs 10 extra an average Indian fights tooth and
nail to avoid giving it. He posts complaint in social media for Rs 10 /-extra
!An average Indian is not willing to give Rs 10/-per month,for door collection
of garbage but will happily give Rs 5000/- for a 10 day summer camp for kids !
·
The second sensitive area is that of caste. An
average Indian can not tolerate any kind of benefit ,reservation or advantage
that is given to a caste other than his caste.He employs all his arsenal to fight against such a move tooth and
nail.More than the desire for benefits for his caste,the feeling that the other
caste should not get anything rules.
He is against any sort of dilution of the
caste system through inter caste marriages. He will go to any extent to defend
the caste.’Any extent’ means and includes’ killing of own daughter,son or
sister who gets into a intercaste relationship’.This he considers as a’ honour
killing ‘to save the caste system!
·
Is‘ Hatred’ ,a part of Caste System ?
Since the caste system is a vertical
arrangement of various castes,every caste feels superior to the castes which
are placed below them and inferior to the castes which are placed above them . So none of the castes except the
highest that is ,Brahmins feel adequate and full. The lowest in the ladder,
that is the Dalits feels the most crushed and rejected by every body .They are made to feel that they are zero in the system.
One common thread that seems to
run through the entire CS is the utter contempt for the lower castes and high
respect for the higher castes In
practice,however this translates into a vein of ‘hatred ‘running through entire
line of hierarchy. Due to this feeling of hatred the Hindus are not sensitive
to the suffering of the other castes ,though they are part of their own religion. However,they may become be sensitive to the suffering of
people in different countries. The Government of India ,once raised funds for
Nelson Mandela to fight against Apartheid in Africa, while 300 million Indians
are still suffering under the curse of untouchabllity right on is own soil!
This
inbuilt ‘hatred’ in CS works against the feeling of ‘one nation’.
Another interesting point to be observed is
that Caste Spirit converts every incident as an opportunity to strengthen the
‘hatred’ between people.For example,in Kumbakonam a fire accident took place in
a school and 94 students died.Now,the reason for the accident can be attributed
to corruption in granting approval for thatched building,improper wiring by the
Electricity Dept and many such factors.But CS takes this opportunity to put the
entire blame on a ‘person’ and make him the ‘villain’ of the piece,as if he
planned the ‘accident’ and caused the death.People’s anger is directed towards
a ‘person’ in all accidents.People instead of feeling for the death of their
loved ones are misled to ‘hate’ some body.The spirit of hatred ,thus grows.
·
CS Sure Breeds Inferiority Complex
At the cost of repetition,let me tell that the caste system is a vertical arrangement of various castes.
Every caste feels superior to the castes which are placed below them and
inferior to the castes which are placed above
them . So none of the castes except the highest that is ,Brahmins
feel adequate and full. The lowest in the ladder, that is the Dalits feels
the most crushed and rejected by every body .They are made to feel that they are zero in the system.Overall,every caste suffer from
a strong feeling of ‘inferiority complex’s an essential part of CS mindset.
Compare this position with the poor in Africa. Even the darkest Africans or
Afro-Americans always feel proud about themselves.
·
CS and Communication
CS affects communication as such as each caste perceives any issue
or problems with its own eyes. In other words what is a problem for one caste
need not a problem for another caste. Some times what is bad for one caste may
even be a source of joy for another caste.This prevents proper communication
between two different castes. CS prevents free communication due to clash of
interests .This is the reason for the
foreigners’ observe that Indians do not mean what they speak!
The treatment of each caste in a CS depends
on the position they occupy in the hierarchy .As per the position the degree of
respect or contempt for the caste is decided .The higher the caste the higher
the respect and the lower the caste higher is the contempt .Accordingly a low
caste person is treated lower than even animals.While the animals are permitted
to pass through the streets or the higher caste ,the lower caste Dalits are not
permitted to pass through the same streets,As a consequence of this any kind of
suffering undergone by the Dalits are simply not visible to the eyes of the
upper caste.CS.As this attitude gets imbedded in the Hindu mind set ,they
simply ignore victims of accidents or those who are in a SOS situation.The
person affected does not mind about this indifference of others who is
suffering as he is conditioned not to expect any help from anyone.This is the
main reason why bleeding accident victims in India are not helped by anyone
passing by.During the Chennai Floods,none of the Brahmins or their
organizations came for rescue but were keen on conducting the annual music
festival ,immediately after the floods !They may give different reasons for
their apathy,as they themselves may not be aware of these real reasons.
·
How does CS impact Depression/Anger /Anxiety
?
Caste system nurtures negative feelings like ‘depression anger
,anxiety,etc’ in every one.The lower caste always feel ‘threatened’ despite
having intelligence,etc as the higher caste who are the rulers never recognize
the merit of the lower classes.As a consequence, these people suffer from
constant anger,anxiety ,nervousness and related health problemsl.They are not
sure of their future or even the next moment.
·
CS and Cheating
Since CS does not accept ground realities
which clash with the CD of the system,it has either to put it down through lies
or cheating.Many of the literature carry stories of vile cheating tricks etc
employed to save the CS from destruction.Hence cheating becomes an accepted and
essential part of maintaining the CD.
·
CS and Personal Grooming
CS does not attach any importance to presentation,personality,looks etc
which are required for executive jobs in other cultures.A Brahmin is considerd
as belonging to a high caste even if he is half clad without any upper garment
or in whatever look he wants.Similarly a person belonging to a low caste is
considered as low even if he is smartly dressed in a coat and suit and well
groomed.Consequently personal grooming in a caste society does not matter at
all. all.Even public leaders are casually dressed and their personal looks are
hardly given attention to.The only well dressed Indian political leader happens
to be a Dalit,Dr.B.R.Ambedkar,always dressed right.Even Rajinikanth ,a famous
cine-actor,known for his ‘style’, appears in public meetings dressed in
surprisingly inappropriate attire.In fact earlier before the advent of
globalization in India,many Indians would not have had regular haircuts.More
over certain communities believe in having tied up hair than a smart haircut as
a part of their caste requirement.So when compared to even the poorest African
countries,Indians do not attach any importance to looks and personal
grooming.Married women moreover are not expected to ‘make-up’ for fear of
attracting other men.
·
C# Helping Unknown People/Humanity
We have already seen how CS is totally
insensitive to the suffereing of the lower caste belonging to the same
religion.When the upper caste are so insensitive to the suffering of their own
people,how will they react to the suffering of unknown people or the
humanity.Their mindset is built against helping people.This is a reason why so
miuch food is wasted in India when millions of people go hungry everyday.
·
Caste Spirit Decides One’s Response To
Anything!
It may sound incredible,but is
true that every response ,for any issue ,by any one in India,is dictated by the Caste Spirit,though the person
may not be aware of it.Let me illustrate this finding with an example.On
the Chennai-Tirunelveli Trunk Road,is a major town named Perambalur,which is
the headquarters for Perambalur District.As Perambalur has Dalits as
majority,it was treated as a Dalit place,deserving a low treatment as a Dalit
is treated.If you visit the TN Registration Dept.Website,you won’t find
Perambalur Dist under any Zone.You will find all ,even smaller districts
readily,but not Perambalur !How is that only Perambalur is missing?Did Govt.
instruct so?No.It is simply ‘just natural’ for all the staff involved to
omit it,without any one telling about it!Till recently,even the town’s name
board ‘Perambalur’was not erected in the Trunk Road,though smaller villages
name boards on the same trunk road ,were erected without fail.However,instead
of ‘Perambalur’ another name ‘Thuraimangalam’ was put up as the name of the
town.’Thuraimangalam’ is a part of ‘Perambalur’.Its like putting up ‘Saidapet’
for ‘Chennai’!How mischievous!
During conducting of any examinations,the room next to the
stinking toilet is invariably allotted for the SC/ST candidates.Let us know
that Govt.does not issue any such instructions,but it is always a ‘designed’
accident ,in all exams!The organizers cannot be blamed as they may not be
conscious about what they are doing,when they are under the spell of the
powerful Caste Spirit.
Let Us Join Hands And Kill This Monster!
I have not covered
the impact of CS on some more areas like hypocrisy ,for want of space. Having
known about the ill effects of CS over the mindset and attitudes of every
Indian,I feel ,I need not emphasize the need to annihilate the entire system in
the interests of the nation.The first step towards that can be taken by the
Government of India and the State Government.They can create a new category of
casteless people in India called “X” and encourage people belonging to any
caste to renounce their caste and be called the “X” category.Government can
consider reserving 20% of all the Government/public sector/private sector
vacancies to this newly created category.The reservation percentage may be
reviewed later and increased if necessary.This reservation can be in addition
to the stipulated maximum percentage of 50% for reservations.Apart from this
Government can also encourage inter caste marriages whose offsprings can be
categorized under “X” category.All educational institutions should make
available this option of declaration as “X” category while admitting students.
Media should be barred from highlighting
caste based activities and news.Caste references should be dropped in talks and
people encouraged to drop their caste surnames with incentives.
As building up this rigid caste system took around 3000 years,breaking
it down may also make take sometime.Neverthless the first step needs to be
taken so that the country moves forward to become a super power in
reality.After all Caste System is nothing but celebration of division and not unity !And unity builds the nation while division destroys it.
(Published earlier in Quora)
