The Caste Reality: Hierarchy, Groups, Sub-Groups Ad Infinitum
Tanmaya is a budding journalist
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By Tanmaya Das
First publised on 2021-02-08 09:13:30
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Tanmaya is a budding journalist
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A kangaroo court in Bundelkhand has directed 25 people of the Ahiwar community (SC) to shave off their heads and take a dip in the holy Ganga for purification. They participated in a Tehervi ritual (death ceremony) of a deceased in the Basod family, a part of the SC community but lower in the hierarchy. All 25 young people from the Ahiwar community were punished for their participation. However, one of them has registered a complaint. The police are investigating the matter.
The incident highlights how subdivisions among already divided castes have become so rooted that the compartmentalization of people along caste lines has now reached absurd levels. From four broad groups, we now have thousands of sub- groups fighting for rights and political patronage. The government has not helped by issuing lists categorizing such groups separately. This is not the first time such a punishment has been handed out by such kangaroo courts. Although more prevalent in UP and Bihar, this practice is seen in most states as elders seek to retain their supremacy over the tiny groups.
The caste system in India is an ancient practice that has segregated society as per the occupation. For centuries, the caste dictates the position of each group, arranged in a complex hierarchy. However, the purpose and meaning of such division has changed over time. Today, the caste division is more prominent in rural communities and loses its potency in the sea of people in urban areas.
Irrespective of castes, rich people of all castes are more privileged than poor individuals including Brahmins, the highest in the hierarchy. Financial insecurity has created more division, but our legal system, barring the exception of introducing a "creamy layer" for applying affirmative action, has followed fixed social norms. The virtual reality of caste division has not changed our perspective. A poor Brahmin may still not share his customs and traditions with a rich Shudra.
Although banned by the constitution, discrimination based on caste is implicit in the political administration of our country. Politicians look for electoral gains while dividing communities along caste lines. Merit is the biggest loser as we seek to expand affirmative action to undo the historical wrong meted out to the lower castes. Kangaroo courts will keep on punishing people as long as we keep segmenting them along caste lines and keep on creating smaller compartments for them.
