The Dark Side of India: The Caste System

Most societies, if not all, are hierarchical to some extent. People are divided among the very rich and the very poor, the historically prestigious and the struggling minorities, the powerful and the weak–the list goes on. In the modern world, where equality is supposed to be the norm, we think of these divisions as outdated structures that previous, greedy and unenlightened generations created. For the moderately to highly privileged, we can ignore these divisions because they don’t affect our quality of life. Others, who have been handed the alternate, less-desirable fate of being socially and financially insecure, are embedded in a society that gatekeeps opportunities. 

While inequality can be found around the world, the Indian caste system is a particularly interesting case of class division. Although technically illegal, it’s still deeply a part of Indian culture–affecting people in ways that the West can barely fathom–despite the West, more specifically England, being partially responsible for its severity. 

The caste system is an ancient social hierarchy system that dates back to roughly 3,000 years ago, and people—more particularly Hindus–are classified based on their Kharma meaning “work” and their Dharma meaning “duty”. While the caste system has ancient roots, the British during colonization really solidified it and made the social hierarchy more extreme.

There are thousands of subcategories, but people have been mainly, historically categorized into following castes: 

1. The “Brahmins”, also known as the academic or priestly caste. 

1. The “Kshatriyas”, which are the rulers, warriors, administrators. 

1. The “Vaishyas”, also known as the artisans, farmers, tradesmen, and merchants.

1. The “Shudras”: the manual laborers. 

1. The “Dailts” which are also known as the “untouchables”. These people are at the very bottom of the hierarchy. 

The Dalit caste now consists of roughly 200 million people that are systematically oppressed. While the caste system was outlawed in 1949, it still greatly affects people’s wellbeing. It limits which economic, educational, and marriage opportunities people within this caste receive. Historically, Dalits were prohibited from taking part in community social life and religious events. To this day, they are forced to take extremely low-tier, dangerous jobs such as scavenging, disposing of dead animal carcasses, and working in sewers.

While I was volunteering in Tamil Nadu, India as a photographer and videographer at a remote, residential school, I was able to catch a glimpse into the reality of the Dalits. The school focused on counteracting the negative effects of the caste system through education–which is one of the most important factors in eliminating social inequality completely. As I traveled through South India’s cities and villages in the coming weeks, I saw the contrast between the castes–from highly educated women working high-tech jobs that provide them with all the modern conveniences to village women hauling water to their huts. I witnessed some kids eating at posh cafes while others begged barefoot in the street for money–prompted by their parents who have taxes to pay to the local mafia. 

Social inequality isn’t a phenomenon of the past; it’s a living entity–only visible to the ones experiencing it or to the people conscious enough to realize its impact. Education will be critical in closing the gap, but it’s also going to take a greater social awareness, empathy, and generosity from society. It’s easy to fall into habits of indulgence and endless consumption once we’ve achieved security, and the privileged-including myself-often forget about others who struggle everyday to obtain basic necessities. 

Let’s keep our eyes and heart open, and let's do good when, and where, we can.