Essay on features of caste system in india
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Class and caste are two phenomena of social stratification which offer many features in common not only in their origin but also in their development and function. Both are agencies of social mobility and selection in as much as they decide largely the position that a man occupies in society.
The word ‘caste’ is used in everyday life and we use it to distinguish one person from another. We say that such and such person belongs to a particular caste. In saying it we generally mean to convey that he is born of such parents or is a member of the family, said to belong to a particular caste. In this way caste is a hereditary group. In biology this word is used only for descent or heredity. But this definition is inadequate for the purposes of sociology since it requires a more comprehensive and clear definition. Caste may be defined as a hereditary endogamous group which decides the individual’s status in the social stratification and his profession etc.
Modern thinkers consider it best to enumerate the features of caste in defining it. The following are the predominating characteristics of caste.
1. Determination by birth: The membership of caste is determined by birth. A person remains the member of the caste into which he is born and his membership does not undergo any change even if changes take place in his status, occupation, education, wealth etc.
2. Rules and regulations concerning food: Each individual caste has its own laws which govern the food habits of its members. Generally there are no restrictions against fruit, milk, butter etc. but kachcha food (bread etc.) can be accepted only from a member of one’s own or of a higher caste.
3. Definite occupation: In the Hindu scriptures there is a mention of the occupation of all castes. According to Manu the functions, of the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudras were definite. The functions of the Brahmin were to study, teach, guide and perform religious rituals and to give and receive alms, that of the Kshatriya to study, perform religious rituals, give alms, punish the evil and to go to war; that of the Vaishya to study, perform religious rituals, give alms, work in agriculture, trade and animal husbandry; that of Sudra to do menial work for all the other castes. Having developed from Varna system the occupations in caste system are definite. In Hindu society even today in most cases the son of a cobbler pursues the occupation of his father; the son of a carpenter becomes a carpenter.
4. Endogamous group: The majority of persons marry only within their own caste. Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra all marry within their respective castes; Hindu community does not approve inter-caste marriage even now.
5. Rules concerning status and touchability: The various castes in the Hindu social organisation are divided into a hierarchy of ascent and descent one above the other. In this hierarchy the Brahmins have the highest and the untouchables the lowest position. The sense of superiority among the Brahmin is much exaggerated and manifests in the South.
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Answer:
Indian caste system
During the time of the Rigveda, there were two varnas: arya varna and dasa varna. The distinction originally arose from tribal divisions. The Vedic tribes regarded themselves as arya (the noble ones) and the rival tribes were called dasa, dasyu and pani. The dasas were frequent allies of the Aryan tribes, and they were probably assimilated into the Aryan society, giving rise to a class distinction. Many dasas were however in a servile position, giving rise to the eventual meaning of dasa as servant or slave
India’s caste system is a social structure that divides different groups into ranked categories. Members of “higher” castes have a greater social status than individuals of a “lower” caste. Indian law prohibits discrimination by caste, although caste identities remain of great significance at the local level, especially in relation to marriage. A survey in 2005 found that only 11 per cent of women had married a man of different caste.
1) Brahmins
2) Kshatriyas
3) vaishyas
4) shudras
5) Dalits
The caste system is the bane for the Indian society. It divides the Indian society into sectarian groups and classes. Even today, it plays a predominant role in our society despite the growth of culture and civilisation.
The people from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, referred to as ‘untouchables’ form one-sixth of India’s population or 160 million; they endure discrimination and segregation
Article 15 of the Constitution of India prohibits discrimination based on caste and Article 17 declared the practice of untouchability to be illegal. In 1955, India enacted the Untouchability (Offences) Act (renamed in 1976, as the Protection of Civil Rights Act). It extended the reach of law, from intent to mandatory enforcement. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was passed in India in 1989
A caste system is a way of dividing a society into differently ranked tiers of people. Lower castes were denied access to basic healthcare and education and often shunned entirely from society, left to do jobs considered 'unclean' such as waste disposal, toilet cleaning and cremation: