explain in detail how caste -based discrimination is followed in the current society?
Answers
Explanation:
Unfortunately, India’s caste system is still alive and well, despite some waning in its influence over the past half century. It continues to divide society, restricting opportunity for large numbers of Indian citizens and preventing the nation from realizing its full human potential.
“I can sweep your living room, Ma’am, but I cannot sweep your garden. Someone from another (lower) caste must do that”.
This fragment of a conversation between an Indian maid and her Western employer reveals many things. First, despite some waning in India’s caste system, it is still alive and well, even in a big city like New Delhi. This should not be totally surprising. England’s time-honored class system is also still alive and well, despite industrialization, urbanization, modernization and democracy. Second, India’s caste system is also more complex than the simple four groups presented in introductions to Indian society.
Academics are still debating the origin of India’s caste system. However, all societies have been shaped by social stratification, which was more deep-seated before modernization. But India’s caste system has now endured longer than most others, and seems more rigid.
The caste system is typically classified into four castes, namely, Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (merchants) and Shudras (artisans). Dalits or untouchables were excluded from this classification. In reality, there are thousands of sub-castes. And even within the Dalit, who account for over 200 million of India’s total population 1.3 billion, there are reportedly more than 900 sub-castes.
The term Dalit means in Hindu "ground", "suppressed", "crushed", or "broken to pieces". Traditionally, they have worked in “impure” occupations involving leatherwork, butchering, removal of rubbish, animal carcasses, and cleaning streets, latrines, and sewers. Hence, the argument for separating them from other castes. While upper castes were happy to employ Dalit for these tasks, even today some Dalit are keen to keep their monopoly over these occupations.
Discrimination against lower castes is illegal under India’s constitution. And since 1950, the government has implemented a number of affirmative action initiatives, such as college entry quotas and job reservations, to improve socio-economic conditions.
There certainly has been much progress in the situation of Dalits, especially in the urban environment. Some Dalit success stories are the elections of K.R. Narayanan as President of India from 1997 to 2002, K.G. Balakrishnam as Chief Justice, Mayawati Kumari as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and Meira Kumar as the first female speaker of the Indian parliament.
Today, Dalits are doing much better than before in terms of education, health, and poverty. Inter-caste marriage is also increasing, though limited in this country where arranged marriages are still all too common.
Despite these positive trends, Dalit poverty is twice the national average and discrimination on the ground remains endemic, especially in rural areas where most Indians live. In parts of India, Dalit communities are still denied access to community water sources, denied service by barbers, served tea in separate cups, barred from entering shops, excluded from temples, and prevented from taking part in community religious and ceremonial functions. Not surprisingly, most people of low caste background remain low in the social order today, and most of those from the higher castes, are still top of the social pecking order today.
In 2007, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination found that “de facto segregation of Dalits persists” and highlighted systematic abuse against Dalits including torture and extrajudicial killings, an “alarming” extent of sexual violence against Dalit women, and caste discrimination in post-tsunami relief. The Committee called for effective measures to implement laws on discrimination and affirmative action, and sought proper protection for Dalits and tribal communities against acts of “discrimination and violence.”
Answer:
Unfortunately, India’s caste system is still alive and well, despite some waning in its influence over the past half century. It continues to divide society, restricting opportunity for large numbers of Indian citizens and preventing the nation from realizing its full human potential.
Explanation: