How Caste is Cast Away

The debate regarding caste-based discrimination and reservation has dominated the political life our nation for long. Though everyone seems to agree that caste discrimination is undesirable, there has been a lot of opposition to the idea of caste-based reservation. This opposition became more vocal among the urban upper/middle class after Mandal Commission extended reservation to the OBC along with SC and ST.

Caste blindness is in vogue among the educated elite of modern India. The “My Caste is Indian” tag seems to be the in thing. It is the progressive step which every patriotic Indian who wishes the nation to be a more developed country is expected to take. Though caste blindness, as an idea, seems to be very noble, its implications could be negative.

Caste blindness leads us to say- all Indians are equal, should be treated equally. Why reservations? Why special treatment?- Constitution guarantees equality- caste based reservations violate equality. All this is said by the new educated Indian who does not realize that his views are contrary to that of the Constitution of India, in letter and in spirit.

The idea of equality, at least according to Indian Constitutional thought, means that equals must be treated equally and unequals, unequally. Our is nation that has practiced and propagated inequality, with religious sanction, for centuries. Lets not forget that India is the only state with a full-fledged caste system. We have shamelessly practiced a system where the social status is unchangeable and is purely determined by birth.

It is ironic, that the people from the upper-caste/class now allege that the government is practicing caste based reservation against them. But who are the people who have been denied positions due to their caste for centuries? Who are the people who have suffered due to the lack of opportunity, due to the absence of access to the resources? The question is never answered.

However hard we try to deny it, the fact remains that caste discrimination has always existed and continues to exist and almost always, it is the lower castes who constitute the lower classes. Pointing out a few exceptions where there is no convergence of caste and class will not make caste irrelevant.

It is due to these exceptions, the "creamy layer" principle exists- to make sure that the socially and economically advanced people among the lower castes are excluded from the quota. The caste based census by collecting the caste data from these groups can give solid evidence to the fact that we simply try to ignore- that caste and class converge.

If we takes a casual look at the surnames of all the "successful" people- deans, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, it would reveal how skewed our social system is. It has been the same upper-class/class section of the society that has continued to hold and control the social system. In fact a lot of what we are today are because we were born where we were.

With a self christened title of middle class Indians, the upper-class/caste Indians display their aversion to caste and all other identities that “divide India”. In this process, the existence of caste based discrimination is also denied. Though it looks ironic, its natural that the very people who have created and benefited out of this caste system oppose any caste based actions. After all the status-quo will always be better for the oppressor.

But caste based discrimination is now seen at an individualistic level which leads one to think that his/her "meritorious" rights have been denied. Caste is hence seen merely as a tool the politician adopts to exploit this patriotic middle class Indian. How much more myopic can one get. The caste of a person is hence considerd only when one is denied a seat in a government institution.

No one bothers to of what caste the domestic workers, the manual scavengers, the street sweepers or the beggars belong to. Caste is only observed when it affects a person at an individual level. Otherwise we are blind. How convenient. Unless one gets out of this urban, upper-caste, upper-class mindset, we will never be able to fathom the historic truths and social realities of India.

The Rupee Symbol- What it means?

The Indian Rupee symbol is out (as in its in). It’s perhaps the sign of a new era of the great Indian growth story. Maybe it isn’t. Or maybe it’s a sign of all the struggles, successes and contradictions that make this nation. Maybe its just a brazen attempt to get world publicity.

From a design angle it seems to be a winner. It looks fine and is easy to use. Perhaps it could have been more beautiful, but how difficult would it have been to inscribe the symbol in our daily use if it were so. Hence it wouldn't be wrong to say that it has found the right balance between looks and practicality. A sure shot winner of 'beauty with brains' pageant.

The symbol is more than just a combination of lucidity and charm. It is a combination of the Devangri script ra and the Roman R. Sign of the confluence of traditionalism and modernity, culture and urbanity, nationalism and internationalism. In other words, a sign of what independent India has come to mean, especially in the post-liberalisation era. Or so we believe.

Also we have the tricolour mounted on the top, flying high in the form of the two lines. The white portion in the middle (white?) is supposed to stand for the white of the flag with the bulge of the R/ra in its middle symbolizing the Ashoka Chakra. We have to imagine that the two lines are in the hue of saffron and orange, just to keep the Hindus and Muslims happy. An arithmetician would see the flag as the equals to sign, while the egalitarian living in him would see it as a sign of equality.

Beyond an analysis of the symbol, India joining the elite superpower club of Americans, Europeans, Japanese and Britons as the uninvited 5th member might symbolize something more. The uninvited brown entrant wants to end the exclusive party of the whites (and a yellow). The Rupee has entered the elite club and wants everyone, those in the club and outside it, to recognize her within one-and-a-half years, or else….

The adoption of a Rupee symbol seems not to be merely for the practical purpose of affixing a symbolic designation. In a more political and philosophical vein, it symbolizes the aspiration of a developing nation to challenge the existing world hegemony. It can stand to represent India’s desire to be recognized and a desire to alter the balance of power. Or at least, an attempt to make India’s soft power not limited to the mostly excruciating Bollywood movies.

But can the Rupee symbol emerge to be the sign of the awaiting superpowerdom that the nation believes itself to posses? Or have we got our aspirations wrong? Does the desire to be an economic magnate run contrary to the foundations of this nation? India’s freedom movement represented more than her desire to be an independent nation-state. It was an effort to break away from the burdens of the past, from the clutches of imperialism and for realization of her many dreams.

Freedom hence was a means to an end, the end being raising of the people to a level which gives every Indian the opportunity to develop himself to his fullest capacity. The rise of India should then mean the rise of Indians, if this does not happen, it is no rise at all. While “India” has developed at a fast rate in the recent past, can we say that “Indians” have developed in the same manner? The answer is sadly in the negative. Hence there must be every effort to translate India’s advancement to be the advancement Indians. And if at all the Rupee Symbol symbolizes anything, it must symbolize the reemergence of a nation whose people posses the capacity to lead a life in all its fullness.