Follow @is0ac Biblical Perspective: casteism
Showing posts with label casteism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label casteism. Show all posts

Casteism in India and Untouchability

On the last day of a whitewash contract, while my team of Painters was working in a flat, the lady of the house told the man of the house that once the work is complete, we need to throw away the bottle from which the Painters drank water.

Following the same pattern, which is way too common, i along with my team of Painters, noticed that the cups in which tea is served to us in the afternoon, are either plastic or paper cups or are designated cups, which are discarded or kept separate or distinct, once the work is complete.

Welcome to the World of Casteism and Untouchability in Indian homes. Casteism in India is a deeply rooted phenomenon, is alive and thriving well in the well-to-do, educated, working professionals (including IT professionals), working in Multi-National Companies, many of whom have even visited foreign countries and are exposed to US and England's culture.

And yet they refuse to let go of this despicable and shameful Caste discrimination based solely of social status. All of the times, I’ve experienced this, I felt awful. It is so shocking to see such actions from individuals who reside in societies, whose children study in best of the English medium schools.

All of the education, exposure to international culture, travels to foreign countries are futile and have failed to eradicate or alter the mindset of Indians. Casteism and Untouchability is an inherent part of social structure. Indians cannot and will not comprehend the fact that people who are doing manual work are no lesser than them. Manual labour, in any form, is considered a menial job and thus to be looked down upon. They themselves won’t and can’t do it and yet they won’t respect others who do it for them.

With their little brains, they can’t comprehend the fact that whitewashing or home painting involves Art as well as Science. Painting a home or a flat involves mathematical calculation as to the amount of paint to be bought and consumed, based on the size of walls and ceiling, understanding of colors and their association with each other, labour days and labour cost to be calculated based on the size of flat or a house, customer handling skills, and communication skills. A Painter holds the paint brush or a roller in such a manner that not a drop of paint falls on the ground. It is a matter of Art that he or she ensures that while painting the edges of walls, he doesn’t let the brush or roller touch the other wall or surface. In addition to these, a Painter or a Contractor needs to possess honesty, integrity, and marketing skills, an understanding of different cultures based on religion, language, age, education, sex and geographic location.

Caste system and Untouchability is here to stay and I don’t find any near end to it. There is one way around for those at the receiving end to react to such inhumane, shameful discrimination by understanding and studying the mindset of individuals practicing Casteism and Untouchability.

First, those who are involved in manual labour like painting a home or whitewashing a flat should work on their personal grooming. Wear good, clean and fitting clothes, shoes, and socks. Attend to your personal hygiene. Have an hair cut, apply hair oil, cut your nails, apply cream on your arms and hands (during winters and after every day’s work), have a clean work overalls, quit chewing tobacco, clean your teeth, abstain from using abusive and filthy language.

One of the most effective ways to change or alter the mindset of an individual is by making him or her change his or her preferred taste in music and movies. A vast majority of those who practice Casteism in India and the ones at the receiving end are the ones who are still engrossed in their regional music and movies. Allow them to be exposed to the finest nuances of English music and movies. An exposure to the finest of music and movies from a very tender age is bound to completely alter the hearts and minds of Indians who still believe and practice discrimination based on the despicable Caste system.

Why India cannot stand united in a revolution?


Why India cannot stand united in a revolution?

I find it hard to believe that when across the world, revolutions have and are taking place against the tyrannical governments, the reactions from the world’s biggest democracy and the most populated country is muted or at its best, just symbolic.

I kind of wonder why with the whole system in tatters, open ridicule of politicians to democracy and people of India, that we are not able to bring a revolution to clean the mess? Why we Indians can never stand in unity in our fight against corruption and corrupt system?

As I think over it, i find many reasons which leave Indians at a disadvantage. Religion has always been a cause of confrontation between the followers of two major religions of India. Any temporary unity, if at all arrived at, can easily be broken by fuelling the emotions of either one of them. We find our identity and pride through our religion. We find our being in religion. It is not just a belief system; we are too emotionally involved in it. Any attack on the religious books, places of worship, religious gurus or leaders, gods/prophet, tradition of either one of them, results in anarchy.

Muslims will doubt the intent of any movement if it is led by Hindu leaders and vice versa. Since the end of the Mughal Empire, Muslims have found themselves to be at the receiving end. It is obvious of them to eye with suspicion any mass movement. We cannot ignore their presence with the thought that Hindus being a majority can achieve the objective without the support of the Muslim community. Any voice of dissent will only work in weakening the movement. The strength of a chain is always measured by the strength of the weakest link. We need to stand, walk and fight together this great battle. So, it is reasonable to call for two simultaneous movements led by leaders of their own community. Both the leaders need to have mutual respect of each other and most of all, stand in unity to the cause.

Christians are another community which, I think, watches in silence, which makes me very uncomfortable. Is it indifference or are we just being cowards? When Christians across the world have actively participated in politics, bringing of good governance through war and revolutions, it is also the prerogative of Indian 
Christians to actively participate in the fight against injustice. Christians can be a force to reckon with if we chose to fight with the rest of the nation. Christians are considered ‘the people of the Book’ and find their strength through prayer to the living God.

Our reliance on caste system is also a major reason for our failure to stand and fight together. Our false sense of pride or shame is a hindrance to the common objective of any movement. As long we source our identity in caste, we will always fight for the benefit of our own community. We will not fight for the common good. The fight will only remain sectarian which can and will be easily crushed.

Astrology and religious god-men are reasons which dent our fight against the system. We cannot afford to be guided by astrologers and god-men, who, for their own personal gain, subvert innocent minds and make their followers mere puppet while they continue to hold the rein. Any dependence on astrology only results in fear, which is the main reason for its survival.

Difference in language is another obstacle in achieving unity. We find comfort among people who speak the same language and find our identity through them. This kind of limitation can be overcome if we have travelled or stayed in different parts of India, among people of different regions, for ex. families of defence forces. Unity can only be realized when we rise to the occasion and dispose our sense of insecurity.

South India has always remained relatively calm in comparison to North India. We need to either get moulding hot or icy cold rather than being lukewarm in our response. We may have our differences, and we may not have been dealt fairly in the past, we may have been discriminated by the North Indians on the basis of color and taunted, mimicked by them, yet, we cannot let these excuses as our refusal to join the fight.  We have a common enemy, so, let’s join together. As we fight together, may be, we may be able to erase the erroneous beliefs of the North Indians towards us.

History is proof that we have never fought in unity. Any unified efforts have only remained sporadic and short lived, ultimately yielding to the demons created due to differences in religions, caste, language, region, and colour. We have not been consistent in our unity. The sad part is that the enemy knows our weakness and our unending desire to play into the hands of the enemy. The British and later, our Indian political leaders have used these weaknesses so often, with sure results. If we are aware of our weakness, we would be conscious of the attack made on that and continue to work on the weakness. Social defects of casteism, astrology and religious god-men are sole domain of the followers of Hinduism. We need to work on these areas to eliminate the devastation that we bring about on ourselves.

I know the dream I dream is not possible but I have always believed in, ‘Nothing is impossible’. A lot depends on the leadership skills displayed by the leader of the movement. We need to fight together to change the course of history.