Hindu History

The Origins of Our Caste System in Vedic Times - Brahmins

Caste is an institution which is truely Hindu (Indian) in character. So much so that even the Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it as, Hindu hereditary class, with members socially equal, united in religion, and usually following same trades, having no social intercourse with persons of other castes. The word caste itself is derived from the Portuguese word 'Casta' which means pure or chaste. In the Indian lexion we refer to caste by the words 'Varna' meaning colour and 'Jati' which is derived from the root syllable 'Ja' which means 'to be born'. But why does the caste system that prevails mainly among the Hindus, also exists in a subconscious manner amongst Muslims in India (Pakistan and Bangla Desh) as also among the Christians and Sikhs in India? For a long time people from some castes were not allowed entry into temples - A deformity created by the caste system. Casteism amongst Muslims (in Pakistan and India) Despite their conversion to Islam; Pakistani Muslims still refer to themselves as Jats, Gujjars, Rajputs, etc. This is especially so during match-making in an arranged Nikah (marriage). One instance of the visibility of casteist feelings among Pakistanis is the reference Benazir Bhutto makes in her book 'Daughter of the East', when she says, "In my veins runs the blood of a Wadhera". Wadheras are a Rajput clan from Punjab and Sindh. Caste also exists among Bangla-Deshi Muslims. Why is Casteism an Indelible Pan-Indian (and Pakistani) Reality? Why is Caste so indelible that it can remain among communities who now profess religions that decry caste distinctions? Why is it that among Hindus caste is such a sticky factor that it refuses to die despite the Constitution of India's ban of the system? Why do we still have a Mandalization of Indian Politics? Why many centuries after their conversion to Islam and Christianity do Muslims and Christians still subconsciously (and at times openly) observe the caste system they inherited from their Hindu ancestors?

Why is Casteism is today still a living, rather festering, practice which continues to plague our 20th century Indian society? Time and again our newspapers carry reports about caste wars in various parts of our country. While reading about Parliamentary news in newspapers, we come across references to the Jat Lobby, Maratha Lobby, Rajput Lobby, Brahmin Lobby, Dalit Lobby OBC Lobby, etc., which brings to the fore the fact that even at the highest level of our country's democratic institutions, caste as a factor is still a living one. And this brought to be so as in the electoral strategies of political parties we hear of caste-based vote banks, caste politics, caste equations in voting patterns, caste-based reserved constituencies, caste based job reservations (that have existed since independence and have been further articulated by the Mandal Commission), ad nauseam. All this along with the recurring caste carnages and the ongoing caste politics are a constant reminder to us Indians that caste and casteism which we have inherited from our history are still active and alive around us.