inspiration speech about caste discrimination in india
Answers
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.
caste discrimination
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