Is caste system really India’s biggest problem?

Quite frequently, someone or the other comes up with vices of caste system that is claimed to run along with the history of Hindus. But, is caste system really India’s predominantly Hindu society’s biggest problem? Has it ever been such?

While this write-up is not intended to hurt anyone at all, a few questions must be raised by us all. Unfortunately, asking questions has become a rare trait that is also responsible for our perennial decay but that would be a different diatribe.

If caste system was or is one of the greatest problems of India, let us evaluate the impact of casteism, as called, with its effects on our society. A natural question arises whether we have had any caste based wars in India in her history. After all, if caste system “suppressed” disadvantaged classes, which have been an overwhelming majority, then there must have been public rebellion or wars against the minority but supposedly ruling upper castes. History has ample evidences all across the globe of the uprising of downtrodden whenever suppression has continued for a long period of time. But, perhaps it will not be surprising for any of us that there have been no caste based wars in India! It would also not surprise that forward castes were not butchered when there was a king from lower castes. For example: Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka or even Raja Salhesh’s history has absolutely no evidence of caste based animosity even though they were all lower caste! It doesn’t end with Ashoka in the north but Nadars in the south who most likely were Pandya kings.

Hope it is also not surprising that quite a few of the greatest kings of India have all been from lower castes! Even Mahabharat was fought between Kauravas and Pandavas and none of them were strictly Kshatriya but descendants of Satyavati, a Mallah, call her a backward caste or scheduled caste, but she was married to Shantanu, the great king we all owe allegiance. Vidur, who is revered by all Indians alike for his political acumen, was almost 75% scheduled caste. Thus, a part of Karna, Arjun or Bheem was also scheduled caste. The great king of Dwarka, Krishna, was also a backward caste! Salhesh, who ruled over Mithila, an overwhelmingly Brahmin majority, in 5th or 6th century was a Dusadh, a scheduled caste. If the claims of Kallars, a backward caste, are accepted, then Cholas and Pallavas were backward caste too! This, in no way, is an exhaustive list but it does prove that they became kings who had the courage to become kings and caste didn’t matter. No story whatsoever exists, that has ever been seen by the author, when a king was opposed, dethroned or killed due to his caste. The story of Chandragupta Maurya is an example. His marriage with daughter of Dhanand, who he had dethroned from Pataliputra, was proposed by Chanakya himself. By the way, Dhanand himself was a Naai, a barber! A backward caste!

Many also forget that Valmiki came from a scheduled caste, as classified today, whereas Vedavyas, born to Rishi Parashar and Satyavati, was at least half scheduled caste. Valmiki wrote the story of Bhagwan Ram, a Kshatriya, and did anyone ever disown him because of his caste? Similarly, Vedyas, unarguably the greatest of all sages, the divider of Vedas, authors of eighteen Puranas, author of Mahabharat and Geeta and Brahmasootra, wrote the story of Krishna, the backward caste aheer. Where were all the Brahmins gone? The story doesn’t end there. Maharishi Parashar and Vashishtha were part scheduled or backward caste whereas Rishi Matanga, Nandanar and Purnananda were all scheduled castes, all proudly pronounced as Brahmins. The story doesn’t end in ancient India. Many Nayanar saints, Alwar saints, Balakdas, Ghasidas, Namdev, Ravidas, Dadu Dayal, Kabir, Kahar, Narhari, Tukaram and Tukdoji were all backward or scheduled caste in post-ancient India. This list is perhaps endless. After all, is spirituality limited to castes or class in Hindus?

Apparently if one reads beyond left leaning authors, it is tough to find caste based “discrimination” prior to Islamic invasion early last millenium. Varna vyavastha did exist, so did castes, if you call it such, but caste-based discrimination doesn’t have any concrete evidence. Hope we all remember, how Markendaya Puran talks about Harishchandra being bought by a chandaal! And did anyone object on the banks of Ganga in Kashi when a Kshatriya was being bought by a scheduled caste? Or, does Markandeya Puran talk of chandals in any derogatory manner? Absolutely none. A few may talk of Manusmriti, which indeed has a lot of caste venom, but what is also to remember is that Manusmriti was a law book. Did any king follow Manu’s laws? Again, a big none. This land and this religion has developed through all types of men and their ideas, but if we weed out scriptures that were or are not widely followed, it helps us seek truth in a better way. Of course, it would take an honesty that might be harmful politically in this era of caste based politics.

What about slavery? A natural transition of caste based discrimination should have been slavery as it was very widely practiced and morally accepted in rest of the world. Perhaps history does provide a strong alibi that slavery didn’t establish roots in India. Because everyone in India had societal and industrial value, mostly likely. Brahmins lived on alms, Kshatriya fought and died in wars, Badhai built wood stuff and perhaps led a better life than some Brahmins, for example. So slavery wasn’t feasible. A great example of slavery in India again comes from Chandragupta Maurya’s life. When Chanakya wanted to take him away to Takshshila to educate him, his maternal uncle demanded a price for the child because he could be made a Daas, a slave. Chanakya first tried to explain but then sold his treasured books and paid the price. Yet, nowhere does this example or a few others mention caste-based slavery. Anyway, these are indeed rare examples of our history.

After all, logically, caste can’t be bad unless people are discriminated against caste; is it not so? But were those discriminations based on caste or were those purely rich poor divide that is commonly understood as class-based discrimination in western sociology? In author’s opinion, much were class based. A poor Brahmin is still not treated very differently from a poor Mallah in Indian villages. Many can testify. Though, the author himself stands as a witness too.

None can, however, deny that medieval India did see caste based discrimination and that is condemnable. But was it a fault of Hindu religion? Or, was it a societal failure that continues even today. Otherwise, how could both Christians and Muslims in India, and even in Pakistan, practice caste-based discrimination so passionately? What is also pitiful to know is that in last few hundred years, there were systematic endeavours to degrade Hindu cultural-religious practices. Much of the exaggerated emphasis on our systems resulted from those endeavours as well. It is widely argued that both Muslims and Christians exaggerated and inflated caste feelings to propagate their religion. Perhaps there is some truth in that. Perhaps not. That, nonetheless, doesn’t absolve upper castes of getting into the caste dogma in medieval India. That, can be argued, was a primary reason that many upper caste Hindus have fought and continue to fight with this society against caste-based discriminations. Be it Raja Rammohan Roy, Vivekanand, Gandhi and so many others. This list is endless too.

Overall, caste-based discrimination in a Muslim or Christian ruled medieval India indeed created social animosity and unbalance, so contrary to Hindu heritage but has that social animosity resulted in a social war? The fact is India always kept fighting with it and so Indians averted those social wars. Our Kabirs, Nanaks or Narayan Gurus ensured that we keep fighting. Also, in a way, it can be argued that, caste system allowed virtual boundaries within our country, so communities married within those boundaries and protected their values or customs, thus no genocide ever happened in India. Otherwise world history is full of genocides wherever two different types of people, differently looking or living with different social practices, have lived within one geographic region.

All communities can take pride in their work, in their castes, if there is no discrimination, as rich world demonstrates. In US, Indians have different localities and Jews different, but do they call for equality? No. Because, they are different and they will always be. Equality and homogeneity are one of those myths to achieve, which only kill. Hitler, communists and now-a-days Pakistan demonstrates it. The fact is that all castes or communities can all live peacefully within their virtual social boundaries. The only prerequisite would be the availability of resources, the wealth in the society, and equal opportunities for all.

So, what actually ails India? Though there is a new-age fashion to blame it on castes, India’s real problems were or are our underachievement in math, science and technology. We lost our edge around 1200-1300 AD, very contemporary of the burning of Nalanda, and our decline began. When Nalanda was burning, Oxford was quite an infant, just about 30 years old. It is then no surprise that Europe picked up the baton around 1600. Some of our other problems have been series of invasions and permanent shift in political doctrine for last 1,000 years that never allowed us to stabilize politically or socially. Our all languages originated from same mother, but raised their own heads, a clear sign of how we disintegrated culturally and politically. Now that we have a political stability, it’s time to rapidly catch up on math, science and technology. That will ensure wealth, which will further ensure resources for all and equal opportunities for all. Like they say, when your own stomach is full, you think of sharing!

The advice of the author would be to forget caste-based discrimination, it was and is a social problem not a religious or political one, and only society can eliminate, of course with the proper laws, which we are very proud and fortunate to have. More caste-based North or Dravidian parties shout, the more caste-based polarization would take place. It will add to the fire more. Forget castes and caste-based discrimination will go away. Remember it every day and discrimination stays. Castes aren’t going anywhere though.

In the end, I would just like to quote Chanakya, “Fallen civilizations find faults with each of their practices “. Let us not commit that mistake. Not everything is so bad in India. Let us leave a few things to this land of the sages, who as demonstrated, continue to come from both forward and backward castes. Jai Hind!