Equality, Education and the Caste System By Tomazinho Cardozo
India is a country of many religions. Every citizen follows a particular religion with its own culture. In India, one's religion plays an important role in shaping the future of the individual and, in turn, of the whole society in which he lives. The dominant religion of this country is Hinduism. This religion is based on caste system. Therefore caste system became the prominent feature of the Indian Society. The British, Portuguese and French reigned over different parts of this country at different times. Many Hindus converted to Christianity. Although they became Christians - Christianity does not profess caste system at all - they still maintained their castes. Therefore it is only here, if I am not mistaken, that Christians believe in caste. Although India has completed 60 years of its independence and although we live in the 21st century, the influence of caste still completely dominates the lives of the people of rural India. The so-called elite families in urban India too are the victims of caste even today.
Just analyse the people in the different strata of our society. All leaders, be they politicians, social workers, industrialists and even religious leaders, do not hesitate to preach equality and brotherhood among the people. But when it comes to the marriage of their son or daughter, it must take place with a boy or girl from the same caste. That does not mean that there are no inter-caste marriages taking place in the society. Yes definitely such marriages take place but unfortunately, the family members and the society do not accept these marriages too.
One of the most important factors that does not allow our society to progress towards equality and brotherhood is the caste system. The caste system has created barriers within the Indian society. In this century we are clearly observing the winds of change but this change is limited to a very minute section of the Indian society - the urban community. India lives in the villages - stated Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the nation. Hence, these winds of change must blow through the villages to achieve a casteless society.
Industrialisation has definitely helped to lessen the evil effect of the caste system on the society. But it is restricted to very few areas in the country. Industries and factories need to be set up in the rural areas. In factories members of all castes work together. By their work they come closer to each other and knowingly or unknowingly become friends. This helps in breaking down the distinctions of high and low caste. Industrialisation leads to urbanisation in which new townships come into existence. In towns, members of different castes come together and the sense of separation or isolation is not maintained in the new environment. Thus urbanisation leads to a relaxation in the caste system. The traditional feudal order prevailing in the villages may also be broken. Means of transport too can play a major role. Education is yet another factor that can disseminate knowledge, understanding and values of modern life such as equality, fraternity and liberty. Many went to Europe for higher studies and they came back fully westernised and critical of caste distinctions. The influence of the Western culture helped to relax the bondage of the caste system. Under the impact of the Western culture, the dress and food habits of members of different castes showed rapid signs of change.
These daily happenings in the schools, buses, and at the work-places helped in creating friendship. Under these circumstances, an individual looks at the behaviour of the person only and not at the caste. In fact this is an excellent example of a casteless society. All is fine as long as the son/daughter is studying in the schools, colleges or universities. The students also make maximum benefit of their time to promote friendship and brotherhood among all. But after the journey of education is over and when the issue of marriage of the son/daughter in the family comes to the fore, all the freedom to promote unity and brotherhood among the people of the society is lost. Marrying in the same caste is considered as saving the prestige and the honour of the family. Educational qualifications are considered of no significance before caste system and mind you that such things happen in the families of the so called 'high' societies.
Today we live in a highly developed society. This is an era of specialisation. People who have specialised in different trades undertake different jobs. Accordingly, the bread that we eat is the product of the work of many people whose caste is not even known to us. Workers belonging to different castes purify the potable water supplied by the PWD, before sending it to us. So also, at every step of our lives, we need the co-operation of others whose caste backgrounds we do not know. We do not mind eating the bread or drinking the water because we cannot survive without these necessities. But at the time of marriage of the son/daughter in the family we stress on caste because we can afford to impose our ego and get the things moved the way we want under the guise of maintaining honour of the family. In other words, the caste system still dominates our lives however educated and illustrious we may be in order to satisfy our selfish and egoistic motives.
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