UK Council on CASTE SYSTEM -- http://worldmonitor.wordpress.com/

[Guest guest]

[moderator' note: Varna system and caste system are not one and the same. varna

is a division of power of the society. Caste system has replaced varna system,

though it has been tried to fix the castes into a four fold air tight divisions,

which was not possible even though the three so called upper varnas retained

their name and to some extent, their nature. For eg., the agriculturist who was

a vysya in the varna system is no more one in the caste system. Many of the

intellectual occupations pursued by Brahmins in the varna system are delegated

to non brahmins in the caste system. Similarly, radhakaras or carpenters are

also no more vysyas. The concept of sudra has become totally blurred in caste

system with the middle order castes coming up, thanks to their intellectual

and/or land holding capacity in the society.

 

One of the dysfunctional offshoot of flagging varna system was pancamas. These

people were originally sudras but later times have seen them become pancamas or

the fifth varna. they seemed to be there only in post MBh times and not before.

Yet, I would be happy to know further facts on this.

 

Also note that the Varnasram is not a divison of society. It indicates the four

fold states of one's life cycle]

 

 

UK Hindu Council on Hindu caste system

http://worldmonitor.wordpress.com/

From Dhiraj D. Shah, Organiser

 

The Hindu Council UK (HCUK) has released a revealing

report on varnashram or the caste system, a subject

HCUK says is much misunderstood by the British media,

politicians and the public.

 

“Caste has been the subject of ill-informed comment

for too long,” says HCUK General Secretary Anil

Bhanot. “Today, we are putting the record straight. We

are also naming and shaming those who spread

misinformation about Hinduism and its relationship to

caste in an ill-disguised attempt to vilify the Hindu

people and cause division within our community,” he

added.

 

The result of several months research by Dr Raj Pandit

Sharma, a member of the HCUK’s Executive, the report

lifts the lid on rarely-heard Hindu perspectives on a

subject assumed by most non-Hindus to be always a

gross form of unjust discrimination, an alleged

feature of Hinduism so maligned it justifies attempts

by Christians to convert Hindus here in the UK, in

India and elsewhere.

 

While the report acknowledges and condemns the fact

that abuse of varnashram continues in India, despite

an official ban on caste discrimination and the

introduction of positive discrimination policies to

emancipate lower castes, in particular dalits, or

‘untouchables,’ it questions the existence of caste

discrimination in the UK, saying no one should be

fooled by groups making allegations of such

discrimination who are seeking Government legislation

and Government funds to tackle this supposed problem.

 

Shri Bhanot argues in his Foreword to the report that

MPs such as Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West) and

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North), who are lobbying the

Department of Communities and Local Government to

legislate against caste discrimination may have been

“misled by Christian groups who want, quite simply, to

‘save’ people from the ‘falsehood’ of Hinduism and

convert people to Christianity.

 

This view is shared by UK dalits. In a statement

prepared for inclusion in HCUK’s report, the Shri Guru

Valmiki Sabha in Southall, London, says: “We resent

having the word dalit ascribed to us by the British

media and Christian missionary organisations.”

 

The Executive adds that organisations professing to

tackle caste discrimination in fact “help create

further divisions in our society.”

 

The community admits there are problems with attitudes

in the older generation, but believes inter-caste

marriages and the opportunities Britain affords to all

are changing this lingering prejudice and will finally

eradicate it.

 

In particular, the detailed HCUK report challenges

assumptions about caste and the claims made by

organisations such as CasteWatch UK and the Dalit

Solidarity Network UK, concluding that contrary to

their assertions and popular belief, caste, as

described in the Hindu scriptures, is not determined

by birth.

 

Neither, says the report, is the notion of caste

exclusive to the Hindu religion or to Indian culture.

 

The report also traces the spiritual and historical

roots of caste, concluding they lie ultimately in the

Indian people’s need for spiritual and cultural

protection in the face of numerous invasions and

foreign rulers, most significantly by the Portuguese

and the British Raj, who then perverted the system to

their own ends.

 

“It was the British who single-handedly formulated the

caste schedules that remain in place today,” writes Dr

Raj Pandit Sharma in his report. “The evils manifest

in the current form of the caste system cannot be

ascribed to the Hindu faith. The current adulteration

of the Hindu varnashram system is a direct result of

generations of British Colonial bureaucracy.”

 

The report includes quotations from Hindu scripture in

support of the concept of egalitarianism and cites

many sacred texts – respected and venerated by people

of all castes—that were written by ‘dalits,’ or

‘outcastes,’ proving that in Hinduism, caste was never

intended to be hereditary; that no one is ‘high’ or

‘low’ by birth.

 

The report also highlights the hypocrisy of those who

would criticise caste in India while ignoring

Britain’s own social divisions. “There are now record

levels of homeless people in the UK, who are analogous

with the outcastes of Indian society,” writes Dr

Sharma.

 

He also questions the labelling of caste as analogous

to apartheid.

 

“This comparison is as ridiculous as it is untrue,

especially given the fact these barbaric systems were

born under the shadow of slavery or indentured labour,

based on the colour of one’s skin, and actually

conceived and perpetrated by Europeans, not Hindus.

 

“It is no joke to have to ward off concerted

misinformation campaigns from UK parliamentarians who

really ought to know better,” says Anil Bhanot in his

 

Foreword to the document, but states he has gone

through the difficult process in the hope it will

alert the wider British public to the underhand and

prejudicial tactics carried out by anti-caste

propagandists.

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content & pa=showpage & pid=226 & pa\

ge=33

 

British Caste System @

http://worldmonitor.wordpress.com/2007/11/27/militants-set-france-ablaze/

 

Christians Apologize to Hindus @

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/feb/25apology.htm

 

Invading the SACRED @

http://worldmonitor.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/invading-the-sacred/

 

 

 

 

______________________________\

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[Guest guest]

, WebXpurt <webxpurt wrote:

 

[moderator' note: Varna system and caste system are not one and the

same. varna is a division of power of the society. Caste system has

replaced varna system, though it has been tried to fix the castes

into a four fold air tight divisions, which was not possible even

though the three so called upper varnas retained their name and to

some extent, their nature. For eg., the agriculturist who was a

vysya in the varna system is no more one in the caste system. Many

of the intellectual occupations pursued by Brahmins in the varna

system are delegated to non brahmins in the caste system. Similarly,

radhakaras or carpenters are also no more vysyas. The concept of

sudra has become totally blurred in caste system with the middle

order castes coming up, thanks to their intellectual and/or land

holding capacity in the society.

 

One of the dysfunctional offshoot of flagging varna system was

pancamas. These people were originally sudras but later times have

seen them become pancamas or the fifth varna. they seemed to be

there only in post MBh times and not before. Yet, I would be happy

to know further facts on this.

 

Also note that the Varnasram is not a divison of society. It

indicates the four fold states of one's life cycle]

 

 

UK Hindu Council on Hindu caste system

http://worldmonitor.wordpress.com/

From Dhiraj D. Shah, Organiser

 

The Hindu Council UK (HCUK) has released a revealing

report on varnashram or the caste system, a subject

HCUK says is much misunderstood by the British media,

politicians and the public.

 

" Caste has been the subject of ill-informed comment

for too long, " says HCUK General Secretary Anil

Bhanot. " Today, we are putting the record straight. We

are also naming and shaming those who spread

misinformation about Hinduism and its relationship to

caste in an ill-disguised attempt to vilify the Hindu

people and cause division within our community, " he

added.

 

The result of several months research by Dr Raj Pandit

Sharma, a member of the HCUK's Executive, the report

lifts the lid on rarely-heard Hindu perspectives on a

subject assumed by most non-Hindus to be always a

gross form of unjust discrimination, an alleged

feature of Hinduism so maligned it justifies attempts

by Christians to convert Hindus here in the UK, in

India and elsewhere.

 

While the report acknowledges and condemns the fact

that abuse of varnashram continues in India, despite

an official ban on caste discrimination and the

introduction of positive discrimination policies to

emancipate lower castes, in particular dalits, or

`untouchables,' it questions the existence of caste

discrimination in the UK, saying no one should be

fooled by groups making allegations of such

discrimination who are seeking Government legislation

and Government funds to tackle this supposed problem.

 

Shri Bhanot argues in his Foreword to the report that

MPs such as Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West) and

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North), who are lobbying the

Department of Communities and Local Government to

legislate against caste discrimination may have been

" misled by Christian groups who want, quite simply, to

`save' people from the `falsehood' of Hinduism and

convert people to Christianity.

 

This view is shared by UK dalits. In a statement

prepared for inclusion in HCUK's report, the Shri Guru

Valmiki Sabha in Southall, London, says: " We resent

having the word dalit ascribed to us by the British

media and Christian missionary organisations. "

 

The Executive adds that organisations professing to

tackle caste discrimination in fact " help create

further divisions in our society. "

 

The community admits there are problems with attitudes

in the older generation, but believes inter-caste

marriages and the opportunities Britain affords to all

are changing this lingering prejudice and will finally

eradicate it.

 

In particular, the detailed HCUK report challenges

assumptions about caste and the claims made by

organisations such as CasteWatch UK and the Dalit

Solidarity Network UK, concluding that contrary to

their assertions and popular belief, caste, as

described in the Hindu scriptures, is not determined

by birth.

 

Neither, says the report, is the notion of caste

exclusive to the Hindu religion or to Indian culture.

 

The report also traces the spiritual and historical

roots of caste, concluding they lie ultimately in the

Indian people's need for spiritual and cultural

protection in the face of numerous invasions and

foreign rulers, most significantly by the Portuguese

and the British Raj, who then perverted the system to

their own ends.

 

" It was the British who single-handedly formulated the

caste schedules that remain in place today, " writes Dr

Raj Pandit Sharma in his report. " The evils manifest

in the current form of the caste system cannot be

ascribed to the Hindu faith. The current adulteration

of the Hindu varnashram system is a direct result of

generations of British Colonial bureaucracy. "

 

The report includes quotations from Hindu scripture in

support of the concept of egalitarianism and cites

many sacred texts – respected and venerated by people

of all castes—that were written by `dalits,' or

`outcastes,' proving that in Hinduism, caste was never

intended to be hereditary; that no one is `high' or

`low' by birth.

 

The report also highlights the hypocrisy of those who

would criticise caste in India while ignoring

Britain's own social divisions. " There are now record

levels of homeless people in the UK, who are analogous

with the outcastes of Indian society, " writes Dr

Sharma.

 

He also questions the labelling of caste as analogous

to apartheid.

 

" This comparison is as ridiculous as it is untrue,

especially given the fact these barbaric systems were

born under the shadow of slavery or indentured labour,

based on the colour of one's skin, and actually

conceived and perpetrated by Europeans, not Hindus.

 

" It is no joke to have to ward off concerted

misinformation campaigns from UK parliamentarians who

really ought to know better, " says Anil Bhanot in his

 

Foreword to the document, but states he has gone

through the difficult process in the hope it will

alert the wider British public to the underhand and

prejudicial tactics carried out by anti-caste

propagandists.

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?

name=Content & pa=showpage & pid=226 & page=33

 

British Caste System @

http://worldmonitor.wordpress.com/2007/11/27/militants-set-france-

ablaze/

 

Christians Apologize to Hindus @

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/feb/25apology.htm

 

Invading the SACRED @

http://worldmonitor.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/invading-the-sacred/

 

 

 

 

 

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category=shopping

 

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