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Caste System - a bane or a boon?

I M P O R T A N T :

(This is a very sensitive topic so please note that the opinions may differ.)

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What comes to your mind first when you hear about the caste system??

Yes I know most of you, including me think that this is a total injustice. And I seriously think that this is totally wrong. But this caste system has positive as well as negative effects.

Lets start this discussion right from the history, the time when this caste system was brought into picture.

"Caste system", also known as "Varna Vyavastha" was incorporated in Vedic era. Originally the society was divided into 4 sections :

1. Brahmins - Priests

2. Kshatriya - Warriors

3. Vaishya - Merchants

4. Shudra - artisans (skilled workers)

If we have a look at the past, there seemed to be no discrimination against the Shudras as we see it today. They had a full right to participate in all the religious rituals. But this became progressively restricted in the later times.

Do we have any reasons behind these restrictions?

What was the need to implement this caste system?

Initially, the system was made in order to build and improve genetic skill sets. For example, the son of blacksmith learns the skills from his father and improves it. The same skills been transferred to the next generation with improvisation in every generation.

Gradually, the caste system became more rigid and castes were further divided into sub-castes, sects and clans. The openness in the system was killed. Wasn't this the failure of the caste system?

There were positive effects of the caste system. It preserved the advantages of hereditary skill. The son in early life picks up the trade from his father and becomes skilled. This way, ancient India could develop skilled workforce of warriors like Ram and Arjun, mathematicians like Aryabhatta, surgeons like Sushruta Samhita, blacksmiths who built Iron pillar of Delhi. The caste organisation served as trade guilds. They regulated production and price and settled trade disputes.

But again, every coin has two sides. In modern times, the caste system has negatively affected the Indian society. It does not allow a person to pursue a profession of his/her choice. However, presently it is not valid in urban India but in rural areas it is still prevalent. If a weaver is good at farming and wants to do farming, he will be opposed by people of his caste and other castes. The rigidity of caste discrimination is responsible for the tendency of higher classes to look down upon certain forms of labor. This lack of the sense of dignity of labor hinders the economic progress. Also people are against the inter caste marriages. Marriages in the same caste and relations increase the chances of genetic disorders. In India there are some castes with very less people left in their community. So, in those castes, marriages among cousins are very common. Thus making more prone to genetic disorders.

But if we consider the present scenario, the spread of education and the modern modes of thinking and living have caused a general reduction into the compulsion of caste rules. Boys and girls of different castes study in the same schools. In trains, buses, people of different castes ride together. In the factories and trade unions, the workers feel their unity as workers much more keenly than their caste and religious diversities.

Basically, the caste system divides us. It makes some people superior and some people inferior. This prejudice is dangerous for any nation. Now reservation system has taken place of caste system in independent India which will further divide our society.

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wolf_head_
Rucephine_Ravenclaw
Shalini1801
OwainGlyn
AlexJackson712
mru1202
MXMaria
suvachana
jiggi0203
Umacdnathan
nickyrnd