“சாதிகள் இல்லையடி பாப்பா! – குலத் தாழ்ச்சி உயர்ச்சி சொல்லல் பாவம்!”: so sang Poet Bharati aspirationally in yester years.
I wonder how he would react were he to be faced with a twitter news item like this in 21st century India.
*A dalit girl had a bath in the river of U.P. The Hindutva Goondas of BJP tortured the girl to spoil the sanctity of the river. Let us make it known to the world by sharing widely.* pic.twitter.com/ynKCx6y4Ns
— Muhammad Hamza Rajput Official (@HamzaRa45710258) February 19, 2023
You can go through the paper with a fine-tooth comb, but no, you won’t read this in “The Hindu”. This Paper presents only sanitized news fit for infants a long way off from reaching maturity. In fact the Daily is walking on a tightrope, with the current editorial team careful not to ruffle feathers in the ruling dispensation while one former member is going hell for leather! The result is akin to Amul baby food. Somewhat bland!
To carry on in the same vein,
if you were to be immersed in the “Hindu” all your life, you will develop a feeling that things in this country are not too bad. Yes, a bit of violence here and there in the name of religion, occassional fracas due to lingering feelings of caste spiking up from timt to time – nothing that cannot be dealt with symmetrically and counterbalanced conveniently in its famed editorial adducing the basically sound policies of the government and display of its good intentions, all couched in astute and nuanced English with its mildly lulling properties!
In fact if the “Hindu” were dealing with the Passion of Christ, it is most likely to show His trial at the court of Herod and His burial in Arimathea’s tomb and completlely give a go-by to the gruesome scene of crucifixion; and in the process earn a couple of pats from the Roman empire for its balanced coverage of their criminal justice procedure!
But this is not about “The Hindu” bashing. The paper is famously resilient anyway. Let us regain our focus. Shall we?
In keeping with the times, I posed a question to ChatGPT on the matter of caste, asking if she/ he / it/ they had some thing to say on the subject. I did not have to wait long for the response: “Certainly” the AI said. “The caste system in India is a complex social structure that has been in place for thousands of years. It divides society into distinct groups, each with its own status and role in society. The caste system is traditionally based on the principle of birth, where individuals are born into a particular caste and are expected to follow the customs and traditions associated with that caste throughout their lives.”
“The caste system has been a source of controversy and conflict in India for many years. It has led to discrimination, inequality, and social injustice, with individuals in lower castes facing discrimination in many areas of life, including education, employment, and access to basic services like healthcare and sanitation.”
“Although the Indian government has taken steps to outlaw discrimination based on caste and promote social equality, the caste system still persists in many parts of the country. The issue of caste has also been politicized in India, with politicians using caste-based politics to garner votes and support.”
“It is important to note that while the caste system has been a part of Indian society for centuries, it is not a monolithic structure, and there are significant variations in the way it is practiced across different regions and communities. There are also many individuals and organizations in India working to promote social equality and challenge the caste system, and progress has been made in recent years.”
“Overall, the issue of caste in India is a complex and multifaceted one, with no easy solutions. It requires a sustained effort from all levels of society to promote social equality and challenge discrimination based on caste.”
Pretty good, eh? The ediorial writing cabal in “the Hindu” can go into early retirement. Enthused by the informed opinion I received, I posted a further questions to the non-person:
“The Manusmriti is an ancient Hindu text that is considered to be one of the important sources of law and social norms in the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have been composed between the 2nd century BCE and the 3rd century CE.
The Manusmriti lays down various rules and regulations regarding the social hierarchy in ancient India, including the caste system. It defines the four main castes, namely the Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), Vaishyas (merchants and farmers), and Shudras (servants and laborers). It also describes the duties and responsibilities of each caste and how they should interact with one another.
The Manusmriti has been a subject of controversy and debate in modern India, as some of its verses have been interpreted as supporting the caste system and promoting discrimination against lower castes. However, it’s important to note that not all Hindus view the Manusmriti as an authoritative text, and many reject its teachings that promote discrimination and inequality.
In recent years, there have been efforts by progressive Hindus and social activists to challenge the Manusmriti’s influence on Indian society and promote equality and justice for all castes. They argue that the caste system is a social construct that should be dismantled in favor of a more inclusive and egalitarian society.”
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Inevitably, we are getting to a point where we are finding it difficult to distinguish between what is written by Me and the outpourrings of ChatGPT. Hip hip hurray to the latter for saving me much content creation!
“Seattle has not enacted a ban on caste-based discrimination, at least not at the time of my knowledge cut-off in September 2021”
Ugh…ugh..Clearly ChatGPT is not upto date. Please get up to speed, AI! I tried Google. Its answer:
“The Seattle measure was opposed by the Hindu American Foundation, which said that it was against caste-based discrimination but argued that the measure would single out its community.”
Ah, ah..there it is. So the cat is out of the bag! The Hindu community is worried that its caste influence is sought to be eroded!! It is a cinch that this community mostly comprises the so called higher castes. According to the Wikipedia “Hindu-Americans hold the highest levels of educational attainment among all religious communities in the United States”. I don’t have to tell you that the lower classes generally do not reach those heights – for whatever reason.
I checked the Christian position from https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-classism.html. From the site:
Quote:
Jesus’ arrival in the world exploded the social hierarchy of the day. Although rightfully a king, Jesus bypassed Herod’s palace and chose to be born into a working-class family. He sent the first birth announcements to a group of shepherds, an even lower rung on the social ladder (Luke 1 — 2). As a man, Jesus could have become a Pharisee and lorded His high position over everyone else. Instead, He ate “with tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:11). He was considered a rabbi, an exalted position, yet He never used that title to exploit or demean others. He bucked the classism that existed in His world by choosing fishermen and a tax collector as disciples (Matthew 4:19; 9:9), honoring a poor widow (Luke 21:1–4), and publicly forgiving an adulteress (John 8:1–11). He used a Samaritan as the hero of a parable (Luke 10:25–37) and validated women by seeing that they were the first to tell of His resurrection (Luke 24:1–10). He later broke down even more walls by giving Peter a vision and telling Him, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). By this, Peter knew that Jesus was offering eternal life to Gentiles as well as Jews.
Christianity is the great equalizer in that it destroys self-righteous classism. The Bible explicitly forbids classism in the church (James 2:1–4). According to the Bible, all people are sinners and equally undeserving of forgiveness (Romans 3:23; 6:23). We must all stand before God one day, and there will be no favoritism then (Acts 10:34). When Jesus took on the sins of the world, His sacrifice was extended to everyone who believes (1 John 2:2). Paul says, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are . . . heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26–29).
Unquote
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All very well, but in practice?? Sadly a disappointing record:
With caste-based reservation prevailing in institutes of higher learning, Christians are not to be left behind in burrowing into their past to discover a subcaste that qualifies; and getting it certified (maybe for a price?)
Parents of little children seeking first time admission to school having to enter their caste names (this is no way of eradication of caste; won’t this perpetuate the system?) . Christians are not exempted.
Marriage – even among Christians – normally only between persons of same caste.
The government denying Sceduled Caste benefits to converts to Christianity – in a way acknowledging that Christianity is caste-free – but paradoxically preserving the caste structure.
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I thought it good to check some ancient Tamil lierature on the subject. This is what the சங்க கால ஔவையார் writes in her நல்வழி.
நீதி வழுவா நெறிமுறையின் – மேதினியில்
இட்டார் பெரியார் இடாதார் இழிகுலத்தார்
பட்டாங்கில் உள்ள படி
உண்மை நெறிப்படி கூறுவதாயின், உலகத்தில் பிறந்த மனிதர்களில் இரண்டு வகை ஜாதியினர் தான் உள்ளனர். ஒருவர் அடுத்தவருக்கு கொடுத்து உதவும் நல்ல குணம் படைத்த மேலோர், மற்றொருவர் தன்னிடம் உள்ளவற்றை அடுத்தவருக்கு கொடுத்து உதவாத கீழோர்..மேலோர் கண்ட நீதி நெறி நூலில் சொல்லப்பட்ட விஷயம் இது தான், இதை நன்றாக உணர்ந்து கொள்.
குலங்களேது தான் அதி னுட நலன்க ளேது தான்
What is your Caste, dearie?
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