Caste Differences..Are we eliminating? Or promoting?

Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra –there were the four main caste subdivisions that existed in Vedic times. A division primarily based on the occupation of these men – The priests, the rulers, the businessmen and the labourers or the cleaners doing the menial jobs.


This got divided and sub divided into further sects and today we have innumerable divisions in our society termed ‘CASTE’. With time, the practices related to this classification started taking ugly forms in alarming proportions fuelled by man’s yearning for superiority.

Various reforms were brought about by some leaders and today’s India has a lot more equality to boast about than a few centuries ago.

Yet it’s a fact that there still exist insane practices followed in our nation in the name of caste, predominantly in the rural sections.


Dalits not being allowed to enjoy certain priveleges. Dalits not allowed entry in some places. Dalit people being harassed. Dalits being punished when they ventured into the avenues ‘prohibitted’ for them.

Absolutely Shameful. Many a time I have read of incidents where the ruling Panchayat engages in such atrocious actions

Whatever happened to the ‘equality irrespective of caste, creed, religion’ taught across schools to the children?

These incidents scream at us with vehemence that despite all the economic and social development we have undergone, we still have a very long way to go.

In some parts of India, especially in cities and some towns we seem to have done away with this social evil to a great extent. Atleast people mind their own businesses and live together in harmony. Intercaste marriages are becoming more common. I am positive and confident that with the passage of time the rest of the country will follow suit.

Unfortunately these differences are further magnified instead of getting eliminated by the respected governing Netas of our country. The fanatism for their caste held by various groups is exploited and directed towards achieveing political gains.

Electoral parties get formed everyday for a specific ethnic group or caste.

A ploy used by every other politician to gain votes is that he would fight for the interests of a specific group. SO what about the rest?

If one is interested only in the upliftment of a specific caste, then politics or the assembly is a wrong place to be.

Is any of this directed at doing away with the difference?

In fact in the name of upliftment of the downtrodden castes, I have come across speeches throwing insults at certain other castes in the community for no reason at all.

I was born in a Brahmin family, classified as 'Forward/Upper Caste'. This is not explicitly stated or declared but when it comes to getting a seat in an educational institute, or a job in the public sector , we would be put into the Open Category.

Today when students clear their Boards, in addition to their marks, their parentage i.e. the CASTE they belong to would decide their fate.

 Every student who passes out of school would need to get a ‘Caste Classification’ certificate in addition to his Board Exam marksheet.

30% - BC (Backward Caste), 30% MBC (Most Backward Caste) 35% OC(Open Category) and 5% SC/ST

These percentages may be inaccurate but this is to give an idea.As the name declares OC is for all irrespective of their caste. For the rest there is a quota. The BC,MBC and SC/ST students can get a seat in the Open Category when the seats in their quotas get occupied. But the reverse does not happen.
Today a student in the OC category needs 99% to get a specific seat. For the same seat it would suffice if a student in BC secures 95% and an MBC student would need only 92%. So a student aspiring for a particular institute needs to set his target depending upon the caste he belongs to. Also there is a very good chance that he gets enrolled in a lower rank institute compared to his classmates even though he scored more than them.  Where is fairness here?


Most of the people belonging to castes classified as BC or MBC today are socially well developed and are in respectable vocations some of them lawyers,doctors etc . I mean to say that these competing students are similar in terms of the socio-economic background of their families.
So Why this difference?

This discrimination in a way promotes the exodus of a lot of good talent towards greener pastures outside the country where the competition they face does not have anything to do with their caste.


I am speaking out LOUD here because I know the impact.


Every other day we have one community or the other with a demonstration raising flags demanding a quota for their wards.


If it has to be fair, do away with all these differences. Let the allotment be purely on the basis of merit.


There are specific communities like the tribal folks in some forests etc which need to be uplifted. It may be impossible for these people to compete on par with the rest. There could be a panel of selected members from the society who can allot seats for these students.

For the rest I do not see a reason why there should be a difference based on caste.

 I truly believe that irrespective of caste and creed all men and women need to be treated as humans first and all oppression in the name of caste should be wiped out from the face of the nation. At the same time let us stop glorifying the differences in the name of elimination.

Let there be EQUALITY in the true sense of the word irrespective of caste creed and religion.

Then my India will shine.


Bikramjit Mann's post based on Stayamev Jayate triggered me to write this one.