Caste Discrimination and Social Change In India

Abstract

India has a great history of cultural diversities. It is the land where people of different castes and culture live together but it has been seen that along with unity there exists caste discrimination also. It is commonly noticed that higher caste people always dominated lower caste people with discriminated behaviour. As we all knows that change is the law of nature and change is a natural phenomenon. All things, including ideas, culture, civilization and human activities, are changeable. The circumstances that existed 30 years ago, does not exist today and it will not remain so after ten or twenty years. Many philosophers, educationists and sociologists have given different views regarding caste and the changes which has come with development and technology. The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories- Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation. Because of this distinction the caste which was placed at top dominated other caste which was placed at down. According to this distinction each caste has performed their duties and the type of occupation. The main castes were further divided into about 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, each based on their specific occupation. It has been seen that caste discrimination is mostly prevalent in rural areas as compared to urban areas. In rural areas the upper caste people and lower caste people lived in different colonies, even the people of higher caste does not share their commodities with them. They did not allow them to sit equally and they would not like to take food or drink from the lower caste people. But it has also seen that social changes in India has boost their conditions to much extent and the problems which lower caste people had faced since last centuries has been improved now. In this paper researcher shall discuss the caste discrimination and social change in India.