Time for renaissance

.....The examination was over and the teacher had just compiled the result. Now, while preparing the merit list, he was looking at the result-sheet when he suddenly got a jolt.

“Shyam, the son of a mochi (cobbler), is the topper, has got more numbers than anyone else, even ahead of my own son”. “Everyone in the village would spit on my face that the mochi’s son is more intelligent even though his father mends the shoes”. The Master sahib was really upset.
Furious, he got to his feet and rushed to the other side of the room. He unlocked the almirah and took out the stacks of answer-sheets. One after the other, each stack was opened. One answer-sheet was taken out from each stack and kept aside.

The selected answer-sheets were now placed in a corner of the table. Master sahib, took out his specs, cleaned the glasses and began re-evaluating Shyam’s answer-sheets. Ample changes were made and the answer-sheets were again placed in the stacks and shut in the almirah.
A new result sheet had been prepared. After failing in the examination, Shyam had taken up his ancestral work at his father’s shop.......

India, a country so vast and diverse has had a vivid history. We have been brought up in an era where our country has accepted, promoted and worked on change, change for good. We have been taught to accept and induce the good from different cultures, ethnic groups and countries.  We have focused now, on shunning the negative things associated with our culture. Mental growth, development, technological advancement has taught us to distinguish between wrong and right, good and bad.  Out of so many evils that once possessed our society caste system and social discrimination has been one of the most prominent one. For centuries our country has experienced it.  The dalits, harijans, shudras, lower caste or the untouchables have been ways of referring to the lower caste. There is no doubt that what our ancestors did make us feel ashamed of ourselves as well as the roots we have been associated to. There is a need for people to realize the trauma and atrocities these people have faced for centuries. The above story showcased the true Indian milieu.

 Let us take you on a time travel from the early 1800s to the present 2014 India and experience the transformation in our beliefs and system.

The 1800s

This was the time when this system of social stratification was most prominent. There were certain rules and regulations made so as to make sure that people from lower caste never entered the territories of the upper caste. The village well was supposed to be a luxury for the upper class which the lower class was not supposed to use. They were prohibited to enter temples, schools and all local bodies. If somehow they were permitted then they were made to sit in a separate corner. It was easy to identify the people of lower caste as they had long hairs. The reason being that even the barbers did not approve of cutting their hair as they were untouchables.  The dalits were reduced to performing jobs high caste hindus found polluting.  They handled dead people and animals, soil, and waste respectively as cremators, cobblers, potters, gardeners, sweepers, and scavengers. It has been a constant struggle since then.

During the time of Independence

While some were struggling for India’s independence people like Dr. B. R. Ambedkar were working for the noble cause of uplifting the backward classes of our society. Even after being so well educated and being the chairman of the drafting committee of our constitution he had been another victim of this system and had experienced the worst. He was so highly disappointed by the caste system that a few weeks before his death he converted to Buddhism and with him around 5 lakhs people too adopted this religion. This has been the highest conversion at a time, till date. Well, the struggle continued....

Reservation policy

The reservation policy for the lower sections was brought into the system since the early 1900s in various departments and states of India. Since then reservation has been introduced in government jobs, admission to various colleges and other bodies. This has definitely improved their condition.

At present these people are quite well off and have been given a rightful position in our society. We eat with them; sit with them without giving a thought as to where they come from. Somehow it doesn’t really matter. We have learnt to be one. This is a major factor which has led to the development of our nation.

But, now we believe that we need to give a thought to the reservation policy of our country. There is a need to modify it. Instead of focusing it on the lower classes we should now switch over to the people who are below poverty line. The caste system at present is really not a matter we think of. But what we really do think is there is a need to end poverty. There is a need to give reservation in field of education and jobs to those who don’t have proper resources to educate their children. It is they who need money and help from the government. These people don’t come from some particular section of the society. They can be a Brahmin, a Rajput, a Hindu, a Muslim, anybody!

Anushri joshi

Kamla Nehru College

Delhi University