Class difference and social inequality are present in all societies
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1. In the late 19th/early 20th century, British colonial administrators like Herbert Hope Risley developed racist theories to differentiate and categorize Indian castes and tribes, including the notion of Aryan and Dravidian races. 2. Risley used pseudoscientific measures like nasal indexes to develop a racial taxonomy and imposed a caste hierarchy through the Indian census. 3. Scholars like Ambedkar later debunked Risley's theories by showing data did not support differences between castes. However, the British entrenched caste in government and society.
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Class difference and social inequality are present in all societies
- 1. CLASS DIFFERENCE AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY ARE PRESENT IN ALL SOCIETIES! The upper caste prohibiting even the shadow of the lower caste falling on them does not have the sanction of Hindu scriptures. They were manmade later. The Muslim rule and later British rule contributed to the many divisions we find in our society today. Caste system is deeply entrenched in the government machinery by the British and the system is followed even today. The eighteenth century European scholars invented the Race Science, and the colonial administrators quickly utilized it as an effective governing tool. Based on Biblical reference points, they imposed racist mapping on communities in India. Max Muller after having proposed the IMAGINARY Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT) he was searching for physical features in the Sanskrit literature distinguish between Aryan and Non-Aryans. Muller tentatively interpreted nose-length as one differentiating feature. Sir Herbert Hope Risky (1851-1911) was a powerful, colonial bureaucrat, in the Royal Anthropological Institute, and based on Max Muller speculation he developed the Nasal Index. During his four decades stay in India, he made an extensive study of Indian communities based on the Nasal Index, his aim being to differentiate between Aryan and Non-Aryan communities. He was appointed the commissioner for Indian censuses, from where he imposed Taxonomy and racial framework for Indian people. In 1910, Risley became the president of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Risley came with this fantastic theory that Aryans from outside came into India and started intermingling with the so called Dravidians. According to him white men having sex with women of color produced the various inferior offspring races of half-breeds. Added to that the antipathy of the higher fair skin race for the lower dark skimmed race, fueled the formation of the castes in India. He was knighted for his caste-race theories. He argued that the caste, tribe, or race to which he belongs is the reliable form of identity for an Indian. As the commissioner of the 1901 census in India, Risley wrote the section on caste, which was published in the imperial Gazette of India, which became a template for colonial administrators to do their duties. He decided that Indians consisted of 2378 main castes and tribes and 43 races. He did not list his castes on alphabetical order in the forms, rather he listed them on what he considered socially preferable, order of importance based on native opinion and thus constructed a caste-social hierarchy which was made official for the first time in India. The opposition is raised by scholars and a few Indians to the caste is race and social position of caste varies inversely to the Nasal Index were simply ignored. It is interesting to note that Risley used American Slavery as his model to project the interaction of Aryan invaders with the native Dravidians. These false racial categories paved the way for the subsequent Afro- Dalit-Dravidian movements and anti-Brahmin movements. Dr. Ambedkar (1891-1956), a Dalit leader and also the architect of the Indian constitution was a historian and scholar of ancient Indian societies. After studying the voluminous data on Nasal Index he came to the conclusion that Risleys thesis was without support from his own data. To quote Dr. Ambedkar, The measurements establish that the Brahmins and the Untouchables belong to the same race. From this it follows that if the Brahmins are Aryans the untouchables are also Aryans. If the Brahmins are Dravidians the Untouchables are also Dravidians. If the Brahmins are Nagas, the untouchables are also Nagas. Such being the facts the theory must be said, to be based on a false foundation. Dr. Ambedkars debunking of the Nasal Index and such ideas having no foundation of fact does not make these wild theories go away. Having entrenched the caste-race theory in the government machinery and the imagination of the public, it was used by the colonial administration to their advantage. (From Breaking India: Rajiv Malhotra and Aravindan Neelakandan, 2011, Amaryllis) Risleys 2378 main castes in 1901 have risen to 4000 plus in governments list today. As the British did, we in Independent India are required to fill in caste columns in our application forms, with supportive proof from the local Tahsildar. Varna could be changed by conduct, behavior, education etc but caste cannot be changed even if you get married to a higher caste. According to Risley intermarrying between castes produces only half-breeds and a new caste! Why are we still holding on to the castes? Why is the Government so keen to keep you in your own caste? By providing caste based reservation the government plays on the emotions of the selfish motive of the lower caste people and the deprived anger of the higher caste people. By keeping these groups poised against each other, successfully divide and rule is practiced with sugar coated words like, social equality, thousands of years of oppression only way to remove social inequality etc. What is started as a divide and rule policy by the colonial masters, after independence the successive Indian governments are
- 2. no mood to put a stop to the reservation policy since it is a perfect instrument for continuing the divide and rule policy. If one group is removed or added the other group gets upset and angry, so much so no party wants to earn the wrath of any community. The same group which was instrumental in entrenching the caste system in the government machinery is also blaming the Hindu religion for practicing the caste system. The present caste system of 4000 plus castes do not have the religions or scriptural sanction of Hinduism and there is no meaning in blaming Hinduism for it. The Indian society has brought it upon itself and it must get out of it. We need a strong leader with a vision who will remove the caste column in our application forms, overnight with an iron hand. The aim of the groups, who blame Hinduism for the caste system, is only to take a pot shot at Hinduism to belittle it. The one book, one prophet religions know how hollow they are when it comes to theology, philosophy and culture. They are envious of Hinduism for its broad mindedness, deep philosophical depth, vast body of Sanskrit and Tamil religious literature it boasts, the tradition of Rhishis of Bharath who shaped its theology and philosophy, the tradition of arts, dance, crafts, associated with it, which made this country tops in everything! It is the duty of every Hindu to feel proud of his religion, strive hard to preserve its glorious tradition.