Caste: Still Relevant Today?

Namaste from India!

After spending a month and a half studying in India, I have begun to grasp the cultural intricacies that make up this wonderful country. India is becoming more and more progressive in many ways. College students love to hang out in cafés, western style clothing is becoming more accepted, and nearly everyone has an Internet capable cellphone. Despite this progression in the social sphere, tradition still clings to many aspects of Indian daily life.

The caste system, a seemingly archaic idea used to systematically categorize people by their profession and place in society, continues to be woven throughout Indian tradition. In 1950, castism, especially any practice of untouchablity, was outlawed with the Indian Constitution and independence from the British Raj.

Although I knew very little about the caste system before arriving in India, I observe it in practice each day. My host mother, a Brahmin (highest caste) chose to marry into a lower caste. This created a source of great tension within her family, even so far that her parents refused to speak with her until my host sister was born. She continues to emphasize that family and religion are the most important aspects of one’s life here, and that her choice to marry “beneath her” was so controversial, that it almost severed her relationship with her family.

Although her family has since reconciled, I can tell that this subject is incredibly difficult for her. She says that she is happy with her decision to marry into a different caste but would not recommend making a decision like that to anyone.

Hearing a more modern perspective from an Indian student who attends the University of Pune, I learned that he and many other students are just as aware of caste distinction today, although it manifests itself in a different way. Joking about any girls he could see himself dating from school, he promptly answered that none of the girls in his classes were of his same caste, and therefore he had no interest in getting to know them.

When I asked how he could tell they were of a different caste, he replied that it’s easy to tell by the brand of jeans they wear or the style of their hair. His judgment comes from socio-economic distinction rather than the traditional indicators of caste. For the millennial generation in India caste and class have become synonymous.

Traditionally, caste is identified by a person’s last name. Recently, it has become quite common for educated people of every caste to change their last name to something neutral – representing no caste. Although you can change your name in India, it is not a permanent switch. The original caste-distinct name remains on transcripts and is required for many legal transactions, so you can never truly escape the imprint of castism.

There are many initiatives by the government to abolish the caste system. The Indian government holds reservations for people from backward or scheduled castes (mainly the dalits and “untouchables”) in the government and certain universities. Similar to affirmative action in the United States, these reservations hold a certain amount of seats for the representation of scheduled caste members.

But are these reservations really assisting in the eradication of the caste system? In many respects they just continue to isolate the lower castes, distinctly labeling them as a minority. Although the reservation system makes it easier for people of lower castes to get a job in government, often times, the people who are offered the seats do not have the education to make informed decisions and are resented by the educated elite. As opportunities for education and social mobility become more accessible for those of every class, the next challenge for India is the acceptance of this social mobility.