The Antiquity and Continuity of the Caste System in India: A Dalit Perspective
Published: May 15, 2020
Photo: Prasad
According to Manu, ‘there were originally four varnas and four they must remain’. He also decreed that the untouchables ‘must remain separate and segregated without being a part of the Hindu society’. A still from a Dalit tola located on the peripheries of an upper caste village in Mysore, Karnataka.
Abstract: Why has the caste system survived in India for more than millennia is a question that baffles many. In order to understand it one may have to look into its past and how it was transferred generation after generation. People in denial at most profess to believe that it plays a role only in marriages. Is endogamy not the single most factor for the maintenance of the caste system? There is therefore a need to revisit factors that have kept this system alive and how it is being nurtured even today. Manifestations of the caste system and the inequality and violence it entails are quite broad.
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Already have an account? Log In
Keep reading with one of these options :
OR
MORE ARTICLES
Youth Stress in Institutions of Higher Learning, Can Short-term Fixes Work?
Student distress is an increasingly recognised concern, poignantly reflected in the rising instances of student suicides across institutions of higher learning in India. Despite institutional mechanis...
ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS, BIODIVERSITY
Kaziranga and the Question of ESZ
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced plans to reduce the Kaziranga Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) to one km as opposed to the current 10 km. The state government’s intention has raised con...
Arunachal’s Wetland Wonder: Glaw Lake Earns India’s 101st Ramsar Recognition
Glaw Lake was recently designated as Arunachal Pradesh’s First and India’s 101st Ramsar Site. It is located within the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary. It hosts diverse flora and fauna sp...
Strait of Hormuz and Maritime Chokepoints
Maritime chokepoints are vital points along shipping routes that facilitate the passage of substantial trade volumes. These chokepoints control the global essential supplies such as oil, gas, fertiliz...