Caste System
Definition 1
Caste System is a career-based internal marriage system divide the Indians into four parts centered on the ruling class. This system covering the vast majority of groups in India, and it is the most important social system and social norm in traditional India. This system is not equality and opposite to democratic institutions and human rights, so this system always has been criticized as a backward system against modernization, even regarded as a obstacle that hinders the progress of Indian society.
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Population is the most important element for social development, more population means more talented person and bigger consumer market. India has the second largest population in the world, but the development in the social field in India is almost stop, the reason is the caste system. In India, every people have different caste when they born and their descendants continue hereditary. If different caste people married, their descendants will lose caste and become untouchables. This system was repeal for a long time but the impact of this system is still exist, and binding the development of India.
In my own life, I have been to India one time. At that time, I went to a lot of different city in India, in rich area, the most of people that I had seen are white people which are belong to higher caste, and in poor area, the most of people that I had seen are black people which are belong to lower caste. In addition, I have seen some India movie from Bollywood(Hollywood in India), most of the movie stars in those movie are white people which is belong to higher caste. I was very surprised about that because we have caste system in China too, but that’s a long time ago, and the Yuan Dynasty which is use this caste system was overthrown very fast. I don’t know how can this system exist for such a long time.
Definition 2
Untouchability: ‘Caste System’
Caste system is a social practice where there is a classification of several hereditary groups of hierarchical social class. The caste system has been practiced in Nepal from long time ago and continues. The first Prime Minister of Nepal, Jung Bahadur Rana incorporated the Hindu groups under the caste system. Basically, the four broad castes are categorized which are Brahmin, Chhetriya, Matyauli and Dalit. This social practice has tremendously impacted every social groups and individual lives in negatively. Similarly, India also follow the same caste system because both Nepalese and Indians follow Hinduism religion.
My father is a math professor and my mother are a businesswoman. I am from high educated family. We are from Brahmin where our society put us as high class and put as respected class. And, my brother told to mom and dad, he wants to marry his girlfriend. They were happy but they told us the thing that we didn’t knew for so long years. They told us, that our parents had inter-caste marriage. My mom is from Dalit caste which is categorized in lowest class because my mom family works in the tailoring the clothes whereas my dad is from brahmin family where he is categorized as high class because my dad father is a priest and read any Hindu literature and worship in temple. When they fell in love, their families, especially my dad side forced them to separate and warned them if they saw together by any third person they will be boycott from the village. That’s why, they took decision to eloped from their and running marriage. (running marriage means girl and boy ran away in the intention to get married without parents’ consent.) And, our parents told us that we didn’t have grandfather and grandmother from paternal and maternal side because till this date both the families have not accepted them yet. And, still they are alive, and we have not seen them yet.
My parents and my brother and I were grown up in educated family and we thought this caste system doesn’t matter in this generation. It’s because girl family were also from educated family so, as our planned we went to girl house to ask her hand and told them that our parents had inter-caste marriage. When they heard, they got angry and kicked us from their home that, “How dare can you ask my daughter hand for your son? Being Such a lower caste family. Even the girl who had been relationship with my brother for five years, she broke up with him. That was the day when I really meant to be Dalit and socially categorized in lower class as sin. When it happened, I also had a fear of losing someone. I had a boyfriend and was about to four-year relationship and I told him my parents had intercaste marriage, he just broke up with me in a couple minute and replied to me, I don’t want to be son-in-law of Dalit family.
I am 26 years old and I have not got any marriage proposal where normally girls in our country start to see many marriage proposals. My friend, four closest friend they already get married at the age of twenty or twenty-one. I do realize now how caste system has ruined the individual life and not to get their loved ones in their life. If they want to live their life with loved ones, they must live their family.
This is my story that really impacted in our lives though we are from strongly financially and educated family, but we felt like we unlikely unaccepted by society. The caste system is still intact today but the rules are not as rigid as they were in past.