History Main / TypeCaste

The Indian Government classifies people into castes in order to run affirmative action programs as it reserves some seats in the various national and state legislatures for disadvantaged castes, as well as universities and[http://surerecruitment.in Various government jobs]. This is subject to controversy similar to debates about affirmative action in the United States. Intermarriage between castes does take place, but is unusual. With arranged marriages, often people will specify what caste they want potential partners to belong to. Caste-based political parties also exist.

The Indian Government classifies people into castes in order to run affirmative action programs as it reserves some seats in the various national and state legislatures for disadvantaged castes, as well as universities and government jobs. This is subject to controversy similar to debates about affirmative action in the United States. Intermarriage between castes does take place, but is unusual. With arranged marriages, often people will specify what caste they want potential partners to belong to. Caste-based political parties also exist.

The Indian Government classifies people into castes in order to run affirmative action programs as it reserves some seats in the various national and state legislatures for disadvantaged castes, as well as universities and [[http://surerecruitment.in Various Government Job]]. This is subject to controversy similar to debates about affirmative action in the United States. Intermarriage between castes does take place, but is unusual. With arranged marriages, often people will specify what caste they want potential partners to belong to. Caste-based political parties also exist.

The Indian Government classifies people into castes in order to run affirmative action programs as it reserves some seats in the various national and state legislatures for disadvantaged castes, as well as universities and [[http://surerecruitment.in/Various Government Job]]. This is subject to controversy similar to debates about affirmative action in the United States. Intermarriage between castes does take place, but is unusual. With arranged marriages, often people will specify what caste they want potential partners to belong to. Caste-based political parties also exist.

The Indian Government classifies people into castes in order to run affirmative action programs as it reserves some seats in the various national and state legislatures for disadvantaged castes, as well as universities and [[http://surerecruitment.in/various Government job]]. This is subject to controversy similar to debates about affirmative action in the United States. Intermarriage between castes does take place, but is unusual. With arranged marriages, often people will specify what caste they want potential partners to belong to. Caste-based political parties also exist.

The Indian Government classifies people into castes in order to run affirmative action programs as it reserves some seats in the various national and state legislatures for disadvantaged castes, as well as universities and [[http://surerecruitment.in/ Government job]]. This is subject to controversy similar to debates about affirmative action in the United States. Intermarriage between castes does take place, but is unusual. With arranged marriages, often people will specify what caste they want potential partners to belong to. Caste-based political parties also exist.

The Indian Government classifies people into castes in order to run affirmative action programs as it reserves some seats in the various national and state legislatures for disadvantaged castes, as well as universities and government jobs. This is subject to controversy similar to debates about affirmative action in the United States. Intermarriage between castes does take place, but is unusual. With arranged marriages, often people will specify what caste they want potential partners to belong to. Caste-based political parties also exist.

* In an episode of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', Raj's parents set him up on a date with an Indian woman whom he knew as a child. He remembers her as, "The little fat girl that used to kick me in the samosas and call me untouchable."

* The novels of Philip Meadows Taylor dramatizing Thuggees brush into caste as a matter of course. In ''Literature/{{Seeta}}'', for instance, the leader of the Thuggees, Azrael Pande, is noted to be a Brahmin, a holy man, in spite of being in a murderous dacoit bandit.

* The matter is also touched upon in the ''Raj Quartet'' set in TheRaj, where an Indian [[StrangerInAFamiliarLand brought up in England]] is asked to take part in a ceremony to rectify this.

* In an episode of ''{{TheSimpsons}}'', Apu has casual sex with a random Indian woman at a party. He promises to "tell everyone [she was] untouchable", presumably to defend her reputation.
* OsamuTezuka's ''Buddha'', a fictionalized biography of the Gautama Buddha, deals heavily with issues of caste prejudice throughout the series.

The caste system is a powerful institution prevalent in Indian society. For many Indians, caste is a major aspect of their identity. It is something one is born into. People are expected to marry (and in some places, even socialize) within their own caste. A person inherits their parents' caste, and it cannot change regardless of what job they have or how much wealth they accumulate.

The caste system is a powerful institution prevalent in Indian society. For many Indians, caste is a major aspect of their identity. People are expected to marry (and in some places, even socialize) within their own caste. A person inherits their parents' caste, and it cannot change regardless of what job they have or how much wealth they accumulate.

Modern caste identity is something akin to ethnicity or race, and as with race, some caste groups are distinctly disadvantaged. And though there is a strong relationship between caste, occupation, and economic status, it is not as homogeneous a system as Westerners are led to believe. Its power varies across India and across time. People can and have taken occupations outside those associated with their caste, historically as well as in the present day. [[note]]See the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakatiya_dynasty "Sudra Kings"]][[/note]]

The concept of ''jati'' is closer to the actuality of caste, and infact the two words "jati" and "caste" are often used interchangeably in India. There is not always a clear-cut hierarchy because there are a ''lot'' of jatis, and they change across region and time. They can also arise from various ethnic, tribal, or religious divisions (i.e, not solely from class or occupational divisions). In addition, there can be overlap and redundancy, with more than one jati occupying the same "niche" of occupation or function.

'''However, these are not'' the ''castes.''' This is a common misconception. There are thousands of groups in India that are called castes (such that it would be difficult to list all here in any meaningful way) and an Indian will identify with one of these thousands of groups, not with one of the four varnas.

The caste system, while less prevalent as an institution, is still an issue in India. Caste is a system based on birth, meaning that a person's caste cannot change, regardless of what job they have or how much wealth they accumulate. A person inherits their parents' caste [[note]]It is unusual for people to have parents from two different castes[[/note]].

Modern caste identity is something akin to ethnicity or race, and as with race, some caste groups are distinctly disadvantaged. But though there is a strong relationship between caste, occupation, and economic status, it is not as rigid or homogeneous a system as Westerners are led to believe. Its power varies across India and across time. People can and have taken occupations outside those associated with their caste. Just ask the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakatiya_dynasty "Sudra Kings"]].

Although the British, relying on the ''Manusmriti'' to govern Indians, did use the varna system for categorizing the castes, varna has little practical relevance today except in the case of the brahmins and the dalits. It was a simple theoretical system imposed imperfectly upon a large and complex real one. So, the two concepts of Jati and Varna are not inflexibly linked.[[CaptainObvious Because people are not tropes that can be neatly cataloged]], the lines can be blurred, with some castes not clearly belonging in a varna, some belonging to multiple, and some moving around in status.

Modern caste identity is something akin to ethnicity or race, and as with race, some caste groups are distinctly disadvantaged. But though there is a strong relationship between caste, occupation, and economic status, it is not as rigid or homogeneous a system as Westerners are led to believe. Its power varies across India and across time. [[CaptainObvious Because people are not tropes that can be neatly cataloged]], they can and have taken occupations outside those associated with their caste. Just ask the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakatiya_dynasty "Sudra Kings"]].

Although the British, relying on the ''Manusmriti'' to govern Indians, did use the varna system for categorizing the castes, varna has little practical relevance today except in the case of the brahmins and the dalits. It was a simple theoretical system imposed imperfectly upon a large and complex real one. So, the two concepts are not inflexibly linked and the lines can be blurred, with some castes not clearly belonging in a varna, some belonging to multiple, and some moving around in status.

Although there is a strong association between caste, occupation, and economic status, it is not a rigid system in practice, particularly in modern times. People can and have taken occupations outside those that are considered traditional for their caste. Modern caste identity is something akin to ethnicity or race, and as with race, some caste groups are distinctly disadvantaged.

* The Movie {{Lagaan}} addresses this issue. Kachra, their bowler, is a crippled Dalit. Some of the members refuse to participate in the game and get a morality lecture from the Protagonist.

* The novels of Philip Meadows Taylor dramatizing Thuggees brush into caste as a matter of course. In ''Seeta'', for instance, the leader of the Thuggees, Azrael Pande, is noted to be a Brahmin, a holy man, in spite of being in a murderous dacoit bandit.

* The ''{{Mahabharata}}'': Karna is condemned to not participate in a match of arms because he is the son of a charioteer by Kuru elders and the Pandavas. He is rejected by Draupadi as a potential suitor because of his origin. He becomes a warrior and a King regardless due to the help of Duryodhana, the serial antagonist who gifts him the kingdom of Anga and his superior archery skills. It is later revealed that he was actually the son of Kunti and therefore half-brother to the Pandavas.
** In the expanded version of the Mahabharata, Krishna, the Avatar is criticized by Uttanka, a brahmin for not having stopped the Kurushetra war and his partiality towards the Pandavas. Krishna is impressed by his argument and promises him that he would get water whenever he is thirsty. Uttanka wanders in the desert and is thirsty. He sees a untouchable who walks up to him and offers him water in a bag made of animal skin. Uttanka refuses due to his prejudice. Krishna appears and states that the untouchable was actually Indra who had ambrosia/nectar in his bag that would make him immortal. He then chastises Uttanka for his own prejudice.
*** Women in the Mahabharata were less subjected to caste restrictions and could rise up to a higher caste/social station through hypergamy. Satyavati is the daughter of a fisherwoman and becomes the wife and Queen of Shantanu. Vidura's mother is a slave who slept with Author Avatar Vyasa whose son therefore easily rises to the level of Vizier.

** This is very much the case. The caste system reached the peak of its complexity and oppressiveness only in the 19th century, during the British occupation, as the Brits limited their favour to few castes, in practice leaving the rest with nothing.

* The novels of Philip Meadows Taylor dramatizing Thuggees brush into caste as a matter of course. In ''Seeta'', for instance, the leader of the Thuggees, Azrael Pande, is noted to be a Brahmin, a holy man, in spite of being in a murderous dacoit bandit.

* ''Literature/TheMoonstone'' (published in 1868) correctly states that observant Hindus lose their caste when they cross the sea/large body of water.
** This is, however, by no means universal. South Indian Hindus didn't have much of an issue with crossing the Black Water as the maritime kingdoms of the region attest.
** Hindus living in the Caribbean (the descendants of Indian indentured laborers brought by the British to [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]], [[{{UsefulNotes/TrinidadAndTobago}} Trinidad & Tobago]] and [[{{UsefulNotes/Jamaica}} Jamaica]]) eagerly used this loophole to escape from the caste oppression that had bound them when they lived in India, to the point where Indo-Caribbeans today have pretty much put the caste system completely behind them.

The caste system, while less prevalent as an institution, is still an issue in India. Caste is a system based on birth, meaning that a person's caste doesn't change based on what job they have or how much wealth they accumulate. A person inherits their parents' caste [[note]]It is unusual for people to have parents from two different castes[[/note]].

The Hindu scriptures theoretically divide society into four "varnas" listed below, which are further divided into "jatis".

* Brahmin - intellectuals, religious priests and scholars

''However, these are not'' THE ''castes.'' This is a common misconception. There are thousands of groups in India that are called castes (such that it would be difficult to list all here in any meaningful way) and an Indian will identify with one of these thousands of groups, not with one of the four varnas. Although the British census did use the varna system for categorizing the castes, varna has little modern practical relevance except in the case of the brahmins and the dalits. It was a simple theoretical system imposed imperfectly upon a large and complex real one. So, the two concepts are not inflexibly linked, and the lines can be blurred, with some castes not clearly belonging in a varna, some belonging to multiple, and some moving around in status.

The concept of ''jati'' is closer to the actual idea of caste, and the two words "jati" and "caste" are often used interchangeably in India. There is not always a clear-cut organization or hierarchy as there are '''a lot''' of jatis, and they vary across regions. Many arise from various ethnic, tribal, or religious divides, along with the expected class or occupational divides. In addition, there can be overlap and redundancy, with more than one jati occupying the same "niche".

* ''VideoGame/Unrest'' is set in the city-state of Bhimra, a fantasy interpretation of ancient India, complete with a caste system. Tanya, [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent one of the protagonists]], has her story begin with her parents arranging for her to marry Hanu, a young man of the merchant caste.