Guest guest Posted November 7, 2006 Report Share Posted November 7, 2006 Hare Krishna, Curse of caste: A legacy By Khushwant Singh Among the legacies left to us by our forefathers, the worst is the caste system. Other nations have class hierarchies depending on how much a person owns... Among the legacies left to us by our forefathers, the worst is the caste system. Other nations have class hierarchies depending on how much a person owns. If a poor man becomes a millionaire, he becomes an aristocrat and we Indians are cursed with a system which determines our status in society from birth to death. Much as our reformers preached against it, they failed to achieve success. With the Hindus it was sanctified by our sacred texts. The Gita warned us against mingling of castes because it would lead to chaos. Manu codified it. Muslims have a caste hierarchy of their own. The upper sections claim their ancestry to their Afghan, Persian, Arab or Turkish ancestors. Others who converted to Islam in India boast of descent from Brahmins (eg Allama Iqbal and the Kashmiris), Rajputs or Jats. They look down on converts from lower castes. Sikh’s ten gurus wrote against it but not one of them married outside their Khatri castes. Guru Gobind Singh proclaimed “Maanas kee jaat sab ek hee pehchan bo — regard all humanity as one caste.” Nevertheless there are hundreds of villages where Mazhabi (Scheduled Caste Sikhs) have been forced to have separate gurdwaras. Even Christians of different denominations are conscious of their Brahmin or Khatriya ancestry. The acid test is whom one can marry. You don’t need to have this confirmed, just take a look at the matrimonial supplements of the Sunday papers. What matters most to us while looking for husbands or wives, are their castes and sub-castes. There is no logic about the caste system. A man who patronises his brothers does not ask about the castes of whores they make love to in return for cash. Nor do they ask, when they seduce their maid-servants, dhobans (washerwomen) or sweeperesses. Then they forget about untouchability or pollution. But when it comes to marriages of their sons and daughters, caste raises its ugly head. It is a stigma tattooed on our flesh and cannot be washed away with soap or detergents. We could think of no better solution to the problem than providing the lowest castes with reservations in educational institutions and jobs. We did so in the hope, that in due time they will become as educated and prosperous as upper castes. I am not sure if reservations will work; I keep my fingers crossed. Meanwhile, educated Christians are upset about Dalits of their community being excluded from the list of beneficiaries. I got an anguished letter from Jaya Thadani, daughter of the late Sir Dalip Singh, Judge of the Lahore High Court. His branch of the ruling family from Kapurthala including Rajkumari Amrit Kaur converted to Christianity. Jaya, married to a Hindu, is a devout Roman Catholic and has been living abroad for over 30 years. “Why don’t you protest against the discrimination against Dalit Christians?” She wrote to me. With Love, Sree Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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