The Die is Caste

The caste system can be weakened if inter-caste/inter-religious marriages happen on a large scale

- Musafir Baitha

ALL our claims and hopes that human beings would become more civilised and that civilisation itself would become more refined with the passage of time are shot to pieces when faced with the poison of the caste system. It is a horrific and unrelenting nightmare that a large mass of humanity should still be driven by caste in a century characterised by the modern forces of science and technology. It may be that caste is not stamped on our forehead, but it is as blatant as that, and as indelible as a fiat cast in stone. There is no escaping caste; once ascribed at birth, it remains with us even after death.

The vile hierarchy based on caste has existed in the Hindu society of the subcontinent and in other religions influenced by Hinduism, namely Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism, since the Vedic period. Thanks to this system, priesthood remains the undemocratic patrimony of a particular caste, and members of this caste-rather than oppose their caste dominance-choose to enjoy its privileges. The castes at the other end, living under the influence of "destiny" and cultural traditions, do not come out against it in an organised manner either. Even a politician of Jagjivan Ram's stature was not immune to being humiliated by the arrogant Pandits of Kashi, simply because he was a Dalit. They publicly "purified" the statue of Swami Sampurnanand that was inaugurated by him. More recently, the priests of a temple dared to humiliate the Chief Minister of Bihar, Jitan Ram Manjhi, who is a Dalit. Our history tells the story of the mighty King Shivaji-who was born a Shudra-being coronated by a Brahmin's toe. Recently, in Gaya, during Pitru Paksha, five-year-old Brahmin children were seen blessing the elders.