The Caste System in India - History and Modern Perspectives

India's Population

• Today, India has a population of over 1.1 billion people
• About 80% of Indians are Hindus
• About 13% of Indians are Muslims
• There are more native English speakers in India than in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand combined
• It is the second most populous country in the world today
• It houses about 16% of the world's population - on 2% of the world's landmass
• Approximately 70% of people live in villages
• The other 30% people live in 200 cities across the country

India's Languages

• India is a land of many languages - 16 official ones, including English
• In the north, Indo-European languages are spoken: Hindu, Guajarati, Bengali, Punjabi
• These languages are distantly related to English
• In the south, Dravidian languages are spoken: Tamil, Malayam, Telegu
• These languages have little in common with the languages of the north

Indian History

• The British ruled India from 1858-1947
• The kings and queens of England were also Emperors and Empresses of India from 1876-1947
• In 1947, India gained independence from Britian, thanks in part to Gandhi
• The country was divided (partitioned) into Pakistan (Muslim majority) and India (Hindu majority)
• Partition was a very bloody time; Muslims and Hindus fought many battles
• The area of Punjab is still claimed by both Pakistan and India
• The 1950s and 1960s were a time of economic development for India
• Modernization came to India, but at a human price

The Caste System

• The Hindu population is divided into four (4) official castes: Brahmin (priests and scholars), Kshatria (rulers and aristocrats), Vaisia (businessmen and landlords), Sudra (peasants and workers)
• The higher the caste, generally the richer the members of the caste
• The Sudra have few economic and social rights
• A fifth caste is a "non-caste", known by several different names: the Untouchables (higher castes were not supposed to touch them), Dalits ("the oppressed" - the politically correct term today), Scheduled castes (because they are "scheduled" by the government to receive fairer treatment).

The Fifth Caste

• The Untouchables did the work that the other casts considered unclean: butchers, latrine cleaners, tannery workers
• The Untouchables had almost no rights
• They were often considered as a "pollution" and had to live away from the others
• Discrimination against the lower castes was outlawed in 1947
• In reality, discrimination is still common, especially in traditional rural areas
• Many Dalits have gone into the public service and work for the government