Page 102 - DSOC202_SOCIAL_STRATIFICATION_ENGLISH
P. 102
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
LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 97