Understanding Of The Caste System In India

Understanding Of The Caste System In India There is a vast literature on Caste system in India with a long and diverse background. This chapter aims to review some of the relevant literatures pertaining to the caste system prevailing in India. Different authors might have varied perceptions about this particular topic for discussion. M.N.Srinivas (1962) in his book Caste in Modern India and Other Essays, highlights the part played by caste in democratic processes of modern India in administration and education. The author came across certain conflicting attitudes among the people of the elite class whereby one group wanted legislation to eradicate the social evils pertaining to the caste system and on the other hand, there were people who were not only determined not to fight the evil but also tried to practise this system. In his work he tries to explain the concepts of two social processes namely Sanskritization and Westernization. Sankritization is the part of social mobility as well as the idiom in which mobility expresses itself. This is said to occur within the framework of caste whereas Westernization happens outside the framework of caste. However, Sanskritisation may lead to castes becoming unpopular with their neighbours whereby the leaders of upper or dominant caste may show their bitterness by even to rturing the members of the lower castes. In independent India, the reservations and safeguards granted to the backwards sections especially the Scheduled Caste and Tribes have helped in the upliftment of the lower caste. He also brings into notice the effects of British rule on the caste system which in a way helped in taking over the power previously exercised by the caste panchayats. A new principle of justice was introduced by the British which said all men are equal before the law, and that the nature of a wrong is not affected by the caste of a person who is committing it, or by the caste of the person against whom it is committed (M.N.Srinivas, 1962). This has not been fully followed in the rural areas where caste panchayats are still functioning strongly. The author argues that the Varna system has certainly warped the caste but it has enabled ordinary folks to comprehend the caste system by providing them with a simple and candid system that is applicable to all parts of Ind ia. To the question of can castes exists in the India of tomorrow the author opines that only a minority considers caste as an evil to the whole nation and that this minority is gradually increasing every day. Moreover in rural areas it is possible to come across urbanized young people who consider caste detrimental to healthy relations between people. He concludes by saying that nothing else but the people themselves must understand that caste necessarily means casteism and that benefits it offers are bought at a heavy price for the country as a whole. Taya.Zinkin (1962) in her book Caste Today describes the caste system in India. She considers its origin, the way it works, what democracy is doing to caste and vice versa. In her work she states that caste is not class and that every caste has educated and uneducated, rich and poor, well born and ordinary born. The author also says that caste is not dependent on colour because a Brahmin will not stop being a Brahmin if he is black skinned nor does an untouchable stop being one if he is fair skinned. She also argues that caste is not based on occupation, however various other literatures may not completely agree to what this author states. According to her caste is a way of life which divides society into small groups, each of which lives in a rather different way from the rest. Due to these differences, tiny groups and important aspects of life like marriage take place within them, these groups have immense control of power and thus a better survival. Before she goes into the detail s of castes, sub- castes and untouchability she tries to explain the concept of re- incarnation. It is said that the whole system is based upon a combination of status fixed by birth and rebirth. This means that a persons birth in the existing life depends on the consequences of his deeds done in past life i.e. if one performs his duties well complying with what he is supposed to do then he may be reborn in a better situation or not be reborn at all. Marriage customs vary with castes and sub-castes. Untouchables usually make late marriages unlike the Brahmins who make early arranged child marriages. Finally Tan Zinkin(1962) talks about the beginnings of the breakdown and the loss of belief of the Hindu society. Change of attitudes among the castes and sub-castes were witnessed. More recently, loss of belief has been the result, of the spread of education to the rural areas. With education came an arousing of new expectations, which through much of the Indian peninsula produced a new non-Brahmanical leadership, a leadership which was not only non- Brahmin but positively anti -Brahmin (Tan Zinkin, 1962.pp38). Tan Zinkin has been pretty much argumentative on the concept of caste. She strongly says what caste in not rather than what caste is. The theory about re incarnation has helped me to know more about the birth and rebirth cycle with regard to the caste system. Marc Galanter (1963.pp 544-559) in his article Law and Caste in Modern India focuses on caste and laws pertaining to it during the British rule in India. He describes the way in which the legal rules and regulations affect the caste as an institution. The legal view of caste is explained under three headings namely personal law, caste autonomy and precedence and disabilities. First being legal rights and obligations of a person which is determined by the identity of the caste group to which he belongs. During the British period caste was little used for the occurrence of legal regulation and moreover all castes irrespective of their ranks had to follow the same rights and duties. However caste customs varied when it came to law of succession, law of adoption and law of marriage. Marriages between different castes or varnas were not allowed. Caste autonomy conferred some right to the caste groups to enforce certain rules which were not disturbed by the government. Precedence and disab ilities dealt with the legal interventions with regard to the relations between castes. Courts imposed certain rules such as restriction on the entry of a particular caste into temples. This shows that even though the British did help in reducing the caste discrimination, on the other hand they ended up aggravating it to a certain extent. The author also talks about the independent India where the higher castes have lost their dominance over legal matters and moreover the lower ahs castes have acquired certain government benefits regarding equality and other preferential treatments. Marc Galanter (1963) concludes this essay by saying that British period may be considered as a period ofSanskritzation in legal notion of caste. (1963.pp559) Caste- based oppression in India lives today in an environment seemingly hostile to its presence: a nation-state that has long been labelled the worlds Largest democracy, a progressive and protective constitution; a system of laws designed to proscribe and punish acts of a discrimination on the basis of caste; broad- based programmes of affirmative action that include constitutionally mandated reservations or quotas for Dalits or so- called Untouchables; and a aggressive economic liberalization campaign to fuel Indias economic growth. Says Smitha Narula(2008) in her article Equal by Law, Unequal by Caste: The Untouchable Condition in Critical Race Perspective. The author talks about the caste system and the discrimination attached to it and the inequality witnessed in India today focusing on the caste and gender- based discrimination and its impact on the Dalits of India. Dr.Santosh Singh Anant(1972) in his work The Changing Concept of Caste in India enumerates the psychological aspects of caste, inter- caste relations and of untouchability. He comments on the theory of status consistency and it is defined as the extent to which an individuals rank positions on a given hierarchies are at a comparable level (Rush, 1967). A Brahmin working as peon in an office and an untouchable or anyone from the lower caste working as a senior officer would be an apt example for status inconsistency. This is however happening due to the spread of education. He brings in one of the several views about the origin of caste system which dates back to 1500 B.C with the advent of Aryans from Central Asia. According to Nehru (1960) The Dravdians were the conquered race and Aryans the conquerors. Since the Dravidians were advanced in their civilization, Aryans considered them to be a potential threat to them. This is considered to be one of reasons why Aryans tried to push th e Dravidians to an inferior position and thus created the theory of four- Varnas or the caste system. The author also points out that socio-economic factors such as education, industrialization, and increase in mobility have abated the rate of discrimination of caste system. Sree Narayana Guru the Ascetic Who Changed the Lunatic Asylum into Gods Own Country is a biography written by Murkot Ramunny about a saint who lived in Kerala state in the Southern part of India. Narayana Guru was a philosopher as well as reformer who immensely contributed to the upliftment of lower castes in Kerala. He helped in bringing about freedom of prayer and education to millions of under privileged in Kerala. It is due to his selfless service to the society that Kerala has attained 100 percent literacy rate compared to other states in India. The author in his article informs us that, even the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi paid him a visit and took inspiration from Guru for the social Upliftment of the lower casts or Harijans (Untouchables). One caste one religion one god for man was his motto. It is years since I left caste and religion. Even then some people are working on presumption that I belong to their community. As a result, a wrong impression has been created in the minds of the people. I do not belong to any caste or religion. In order that only people who do not belong to any caste or religion should succeed me (Narayana Guru, 1091). This piece of literature has helped me in this dissertation to know more about the caste system prevalent in the state of Kerala. According to Harsh Mandir, in his article Burning Baskets of Shame (2010 August 9.pp3), he illustrates a real incident of manual scavenging which had happened in India couple of years back. The statistics shown by him in this article concerning the number of people doing manual scavenging was about 6.4 lacs according to the Planning Commission in 1995. He describes about a campaign named Safai Karmchari Andolan (SKA) which was started as a non-violent mass resistance to end this hideous practice of Manual Scavenging. This campaign was started by an individual who himself was born into a scavenging family who witnessed this abhorring practice from his childhood. As reported by Harsh Mandir in this article SKA is the first movement to end Untouchability in India. But it should be right to say that this was one of the many movements which had taken place in different part of India during different period. In the article The Indian Caste System by Madhudvisa Dasa (August 9, 2010) he tries to explain the caste system in relation to what has been written in the ancient scriptures. He quotes certain ideas from the Holy Book of Hindus, The Bhagavad Gita. The author sheds some light on theVedas, which says that the Varnas or castes are not differentiated on the basis of birth but my mere qualification (Guna) and work (karma). He assumes that the present caste system has degenerated to the extent that people consider men born in Brahmin families as a Brahmin even if he does not exhibit the qualities of a Brahmin. The author agrees to the fact that one takes rebirth according to his past deeds or karma but at the same time he says that in order to become a Brahmin adequate training is required and that it is not conferred automatically by birth as seen in the present generation. Indias hidden apartheid (UNESCO Courier, 2001.pp27-29); an article written by Gopal Guru and Shiraz Sidhva criticizes the abhorrent caste system in India. The article opens with a note which says Indias ancient caste system persists, subjecting millions to degrading poverty and human rights abuses. Attitudes die hard, despite government legislations to usher in change. They comment on the caste system as a means of deployment by the upper caste to suppress the lower caste and thus attain a monopoly over the wealth, knowledge, power and education. The extent of discrimination was immense that these so called untouchables were forced to use drums in order to announce their arrival so that the upper caste is not polluted even by their shadow falling on them. This article informs us that the term untouchables was abolished in 1950 under the constitution of India but there still exists a glimpse of discrimination against them. India has however tried to reduce the discrimination by reserv ing quotas and reservations for the lower castes in education and for government jobs. Caste in doubt: The Indian Census and Caste (2010.June 12, pp46), an article which had been recently published in The Economist has details about the reservations and quotas being introduced for the lower castes. This article also brings into notice the issue relating to the inclusion of caste system in the census which is to be declared in the ten yearly plan in 2011. However this had been faced with criticisms because since 1931 India has not counted caste in the census. Moreover it is impossible for it be included in the census because Indias caste system has not only the four Varnas but also various other sub-castes which may not be evidently recognised by the authorities. In spite of certain obstacles, the economic growth of the country has contributed to the lessening of discrimination on the basis of caste because a number of individuals have moved from the rigid social surroundings to the urban towns and cities in search of jobs where family background is irrelevant. Many Ind ians are becoming caste- blind and marrying across caste lines. Anidhrudda, a 20 year old software engineer in Calcutta, says his inter-caste marriage was no big deal. But even he concedes that there are limits. If he had married a dalit, he says, my family would not have been able to face the society' (The Economist, 2010.pp46). Leaders: Untouchables and Unthinkable; Indian Business (The Economist.2007.pp17) is an article which highlights the point that says that Indian business does not discriminate against the Untouchables or lower castes. Moreover, it condemns the practice of reservation in private sector because it would damage the whole business system. Responsibility for lower castes lack of advancement does not lie with the private sector. There is no evidence that companies discriminate against them. The real culprit is government and the rotten educational system it has created (The Economist.2007.pp17).It is not possible to have reservations in Business like they have it educational systems. This article says that as people get richer their concern about the caste fades. Nowadays middle class Indian families are to be seen marrying outside their caste than the rural poor and less likely to wrinkle their nose at a Dalit. Harold A. Gould in his work The Adaptive Functions of Caste in Contemporary India (1963.pg427) informs us that caste has not fully disappeared even with the advent of modern technology and other social structural changes. His research found out that in rural areas, the existence of caste in the form of ritual purity, occupation, and system of hierarchy still exists in its own way. In contemporary India, however caste system has not disappeared completely but has declined in the urban areas among the educated middle class families. From the above review of Literature and from various other reliable sources it can be understood that it is not possible to witness an India without a small aspect of Caste system. This is because it has been deeply rooted in the minds of Indians since ages and it still continues in certain spheres of their life. Caste system has been a topic of great interest to the Westerners as it fascinates them about the two ideologies- of caste system being important and not being important, existing within the same country and people. Recent articles from The Economist which are mentioned above, mainly talks about the reservations and quotas based on caste rather than discriminating against them on the basis of ritual purity and occupation. However it is not completely true to say that caste system has vanished from the Indian society. Educated Indians know that caste exists, but they are unclear and troubled about what it means for them as members of the society that is a part of the modern w orld. No one can say that it is easy to give a clear and consistent account of the meaning and significance of caste in India today (Fuller.C.J, 1996.Caste Today.pp153)

Consumer and Market Knowledge Essay

During the internship at ITC (in logistics), I interacted with ground level employees (on floor)-even when it is not mandatory. Through which I got in debt understanding of the actual process happening on field. By doing so I was a able to identify that the workers are mixing up the stock without associating with their respective codes. I was also able prove that by abandoning one particular plant J-1(name shortened) will save cost irrespective of its flexibility and proximity. During my schooling, I was the School president during my X- class.There was an alumni meet along with the inaugural function every year. My role that year is to look over the snacks and gifts (for our our alumni and guests). We were allotted a budget and we paid the dealer in advance. The function has been postponed to the next day, So we left the oder (snacks and gifts) in the dealers godown. But the next most of it is spoiled by the rats. The dealer accepted to take the responsibility, but neither is he able to return our total money or reproduce the order immediately. I being the response point took two decisions: For gifts, i made the dealer to give gift vouchers, which we will give to our guests and alumni, through which they can go to that distributor and select a gift of their choice within the price range (discount included as per original agreement). And for the snacks, instead of buffet I opted for dine-in to avoid the stock out situation. And also instead of having three common snacks, we opted for a variety of snacks in small quantities(it includes fruits to a large extent). During the crisis I conveyed my proposal to my Vice-principal, and it was readily accepted. And next day i was applauded during the morning prayer in front of the whole school by the principal for my effective handling of the situation.

Britain vs. Russia Comparative Essay

In the course of history, many philanthropists and great political thinkers had assessed the value of good governance and apt policy-making processes for a country to achieve its goals. We have witnessed, experienced or observed countries that had successfully contributed to one country’s political achievement in the history of the world. Many of the first world countries had attributed its current stance in the world because of their great leaders and effective governance of society that is characterized with differences in almost all aspects. From our history, we know that leaders are dominant in bringing their country to the present state.Their effectiveness in showing their commitment and dedication and commitment to serve their country is an absolute defiance of their legacy. But what exactly do they aspire for? What contributes to a country’s success? Aside from leaders, are there other key players in the process of achieving a country’s goals? What role ar e policies and the manner by which a country is governed affects its nature of success? Through this effort to discern the history of these achievements, we look into the history of two countries which exhibited growth politically, socially, economically and such.Britain and Russia will be evaluated to determine what makes their government effective in their own right in maintaining a stable and first world country that almost all admired. These two countries will be examined by the different political institutions they have and the policy-making processes they adapt in able to cope up with the demands of governing a country. More importantly, we shall be able to asses the differences between these two countries and how they manage to govern their societies. Brief History of Two CountriesBritain, part of the vast European continent had emerged as one of the first world countries since the early centuries. The country which started out as a monarchy state evolved into a political ins titution that aimed to integrate into a single common government that had effective policies. In lieu with this, we shall first determine the history of Britain as a political institution. Britain is characterized with a Parliament political institution. It was a form of government developed over a hundred of years and during the early centuries; the country was ruled by two different Houses, the Commons and Lords.With this development, there was a shift of equal possession of power between the Parliament and the monarchy that had changed the country drastically. Parliament as a political system originated in the 12th century when King’s councils were held which includes barons and archbishops. Their main concern at that time was regarding taxation of the people and judgments. But over a period of time, the role has changed into a formal one that had knights representing each country. This started the emergence of the House of Commons in the Parliament.The term â€Å"Parliam ent† was used during the early century to describe the meetings held by the House of Commons. The Parliament has the essential role in scrutinizing the work done by the government. This involves rigorous debates, essential inquiries and other processes by which it could examine the extent to which they can challenge the government. It also has the responsibility of the legislative role. This process was seen very effective because at most times, the civil society was taken aback by the lack of good governance from the monarch institution. There arose the need for another political institution to govern the country.The Parliamentary system holds the majority constitutional power to exercise its role in the society and was perceived to have made the monarchy as a symbolic political institution rather than the traditional stance it used to hold. Russia had been ruled by dictators for more than hundreds of years. in the 1980's however, Mikhail Gorbachev committed its leadership in political reforms that aims to allow competitive elections, liberalization of the press, the conception of political parties to challenge different political ideals and the ascendance of a civil society.When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, it was evident that Russia was taking a more independent role in pro-democratic political institutions through various reforms. Russia is torn between the transitory periods of dictatorship to democracy. The initial step to become a democratic country was initiated by Gorbachev, eventually; Russian President Boris Yeltsin held this idea in his leadership. But the step taken was taken was challenged gravely by the political institution itself that was not used to the independence these two presidents were trying to achieve.Until, Vladimir Putin, the incumbent President constitutes this initiative and desired a more aggressive role towards independence of Russia and democracy. Putin was very influential and was perceived as a political maverick of Yeltsin. he was even perceived as both the continuity and change of Yeltsin's leadership. Putin was very much like the past Russia but definitely has the intention to break from it. In his leadership, Russia underwent dramatically transformation.A proof of a pragmatic manager, he was able to tame the Russian elite and arrogant tycoons, supported the economic reforms of started by Yeltsin and has a pro-Western stance in his policies. This had greatly affected his role as a leader who would open Russia to the world and to the ideas of democracy. However, there still remains his distrust of the major democratic institutions and is very much concerned over taking control of the society. To sum up his style, Putin is an authoritarian that incorporates his economic liberalistic ideals that aims to define Russia as pro-democratic in the modern society. The Difference in GovernanceIn determining what these two countries share and differ may be attributed not only because of the countrie s geographical differences but also in their own respective culture. In an article written by Heintz (2007), during the young succession of Putin as Russian president, he met with Tony Blair, then Prime Minister of Britain, in Moscow. The meeting was deemed as a starting point of a very good relationship between the two countries. But this never did occur. Both countries are addressing how the other had disrespected or misunderstood the other. The first thing we determine is the difference between their government traditions.Britain, being a Western nation with a long democratic tradition contradicts the attitude of Russia which for so long has shown discomfort on the idea of democracy and had a long deep suspicion of the West’ interest and motive. In present time, Britain maintains its commitment to exercise democracy while Russia is opening itself up, making efforts to reach out to the West with some form of common ground. At one point during the War on Terror staged by the United States, Britain and Russia staged an alliance to fight and condemned the proponents of the mass murder and provide tougher measures against Iraq.Let us discern the concrete comparison between the two countries through the event that signified how different they are. As an example, the war in Iraq greatly affected the relationship of the two and provides a great scope of the two countries comparison. At one point, Russia denounced the beginning of the Iraq war; Russia resented Britain for granting asylum to Putin’s opponent Berezovsky. Britain on the other hand encouraged the so-called â€Å"color revolutions† in Georgia and Ukraine that disrespected Russia and was seen as an undermining effort to Putin’s regime.Russia went further by accusing Britain of spying and funding Kremlin-critical organizations. To add more to the tension between these two countries, one former Russian agent named Alexander Litvinenko was found to be dead due to poisoning in Lond on. All these accounts show the difference in political traditions of both countries. Russia, being used to the dictatorship and superiority of political leaders throughout its history greatly puts emphasis on their leaders’ credibility. Without any question and unruly remark, the leader is chosen because of his wisdom and effective governance.Russia is described as very suspicious of other people, especially with other countries because of its great desire to protect their own country. Then PM Blair had made his efforts to reconcile with Russia, but with the new governance of PM Brown, a new issue arises as he expelled four Russian diplomats as retaliation to Russia’s refusal to extradite the suspected murderer of Litvinenko. Political analysts see this situation as a recurrence of many other grievances brought out by both countries.Russia, being very decisive and strong against its opponents, do make necessary actions to make their enemies pay, or even be accountable to whatever bad reputation or any bad image it had generated. CONCLUSION: Both Britain and Russia certainly have their distinct character in their own political institutions. While Britain maintained their distinction between the two houses, representing the Parliamentary system and the monarch authority, they have yet to settle their difference in ideas and political attitudes through the debates held by the Parliamentary body only.We realize now that the monarchy basically becomes a symbolic political institution and does not have any active role in the governance. Maybe that is the reason why the country had achieved success or maybe it is the cause of many of its downfall. In Russia however, the situations concerns the political idealism and form itself. For many years, the country was led by dictators. In recent years, after the abolishment of the USSR and the attempt to democratize the country, somehow the situation becomes difficult for the leaders themselves.As they try to liberalize their ideas and give freedom to their people, the past traditional political institutions they had adhered to comes to haunt them and cast shadow in their country. While many political, social and cultural reforms aimed to address the goal to become a democratic country, the current leader is perceived to be just continuing the past and not really disowning the authoritarian government Russia was accustomed to. As mentioned, this can be deemed as either a threat or a benefit for the civil society.Maybe in the end, history can only distinguish which country is better, but today, we must look into their different situation and realize that both Britain and Russia had become successful and considered as one of the first world nations because of the efficacy of their governments and implementation of political idealisms. In all these analysis between the two countries, one very significant comparison that can be made is that Russia is very aggressive and very driven to protec t their own county’s interest.They do not care about other countries or Britain in particular because they know their strength as a country. Suspicions on the Russian part and the tremendous affect the dictatorship method of political ruling in Russia had gravely affected their ability to trust other nationalities and form foreign relationships with their neighboring countries. To that, Britain’s democratic and optimistic political institution can not jive with.The sense of commonality and agreement between the two political institutions differs gravely in history and experience, thus having the future of these two countries in sound relationship may seem a little distant for now. Reference: 1. Shevtsova, Lilia (2003), Putin's Russia, Washington D. C: Carnegie Endowment fro International Peace 2. Shevtsova, Lilia (2006), Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions, Volume 8, Issue 4, Carnegie Russia 3. Heintz, Jim (2007), Russia-Britain relations reach low poi nt, Associated Press

Shakespeare s Twelfth Night ( C. 1600-01 ) - 2907 Words

INTRODUCTION Twelfth Night (c. 1600-01) is a complicated play which deals with the nature of love, gender role and the intricate comic and tragic experiences of love. The characters have multiple layers of gender roles and sexual attractions which makes the issue of gender identity more complex. For example, Viola, the heroine of the play is dressed as a male, Cesario, throughout most of the play. As a male, Viola woos Olivia for Orsino, resulting in Olivia falling in love with Viola-as-Cesario. At the same time, Viola, dressed as a man, falls in love with Orsino. STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE ELIZABETHAN (RENAISSANCE) SOCIETY The Renaissance society to which Shakespeare belonged viewed the role of women and men in the society as varying greatly. Men were generally seen as having the ruling voice as fathers, husbands, masters, teachers, preachers, magistrates, soldiers and lords. A public life was practically impossible for a woman and even if a woman had some public reputation she was vulnerable to fall prey to some kind of scandal or the other. The stereotypical ideal woman was one who was submissive and obedient. Women were valued on the basis of their physical features and beauty and obedience, quietude, sexual chastity, piety, humility, fidelity, patience etc. were the standardised attributes that were expected to be possessed by the â€Å"virtuous† women. Women who did not emulate these conventions were regarded as objects of criticism by the male dominated society and this,