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Unit 6 : Caste


            6.1 Concept of Caste                                                                     Notes

            The word caste derives from the Portuguese casta, meaning breed, race, or kind. Among the Indian
            terms that are sometimes translated as caste are varna, jati, at, biradri, and samaj. All of these terms
            refer to ranked groups of various sizes and breadth.  Varna, or colour, actually refers to large
            divisions that include various castes; the other terms include castes and subdivisions of castes
            sometimes called subcastes. Many castes are traditionally associated with an occupation, such as
            high-ranking Brahmans; middle-ranking farmer and artisan groups, such as potters, barbers, and
            carpenters; and very low-ranking “Untouchable” leatherworkers, butchers, launderers, and latrine
            cleaners. There is some correlation between ritual rank on the caste hierarchy and economic
            prosperity. Members of higher-ranking castes tend, on the whole, to be more prosperous than
            members of lower-ranking castes. Many lower-caste people live in conditions of great poverty and
            social disadvantage. According to the Rig Veda, sacred texts that date back to oral traditions of
            more than 3,000 years ago, progenitors of the four ranked varna groups sprang from various parts
            of the body of the primordial man, which Brahma created from clay. Each group had a function in
            sustaining the life of society— the social body. Brahmans, or priests, were created from the mouth.
            They were to provide for the intellectual and spiritual needs of the community. Kshatriyas, warriors
            and rulers, were derived from the arms. Their role was to rule and to protect others. Vaishyas—
            landowners and merchants—sprang from the thighs, and were entrusted with the care of commerce
            and agriculture. Shudras—artisans and servants—came from the feet. Their task was to perform
            all manual labour.
            Later conceptualised was a fifth category, “Untouchable” menials, relegated to carrying out very
            menial and polluting work related to bodily decay and dirt. Since 1935 “Untouchables” have been
            known as Scheduled Castes, referring to their listing on government rosters, or schedules. They
            are also often called by Gandhi’s term Harijans, or “Children of God.” Although the term
            Untouchable appears in literature produced by these low-ranking castes, in the 1990s, many
            politically conscious members of these groups prefer to refer to themselves as Dalit, a Hindi word
            meaning oppressed or downtrodden. According to the 1991 census, there were 138 million
            Scheduled Caste members in India, approximately 16 per cent of the total population. The first
            four varnas apparently existed in the ancient Aryan society of northern India. Some, historians say
            that these categories were originally somewhat fluid functional groups, not castes. A greater
            degree of fixity gradually developed, resulting in the complex ranking systems of medieval India
            that essentially continue in the late twentieth century. Although a  varna is not a caste, when
            directly asked for their caste affiliation, particularly when the questioner is a Westerner, many
            Indians will reply with a  varna name. Pressed further, they may respond with a much more
            specific name of a caste, or jati, which falls within that varna. For example, a Brahman may specify
            that he is a member of a named caste group, such as a Jijotiya Brahman, or a Smartha Brahman,
            and so on. Within such castes, people may further belong to smaller sub-caste categories and to
            specific clans and lineages. These finer designations are particularly relevant when marriages are
            being arranged and often appear in newspaper matrimonial advertisements. Numerous groups
            usually called tribes (often referred to as Scheduled Tribes) are also integrated into the caste
            system to varying degrees. Some tribes live separately from others—particularly in the far northeast
            and in the forested center of the country, where tribes are more like ethnic groups than castes.
            Some tribes are themselves divided into groups similar to subcastes. In regions where members of
            tribes live in peasant villages with nontribal peoples, they are usually considered members of
            separate castes ranking low on the hierarchical scale. Inequalities among castes are considered by
            the Hindu faithful to be part of the divinely ordained natural order and are expressed in terms of
            purity and pollution. Within a village, relative rank is most graphically expressed at a wedding or
            death feast, when all residents of the village are invited. At the home of a high-ranking caste
            member, food is prepared by a member of a caste from whom all can accept cooked food (usually




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