I agree with you. Using alien words like caste doesn't help in understanding the situation. The so called castes are merely ethnic groups. Infact even the smallest Jati's have numbers equal to the population of Ireland (2-3 million range). So if a community like the Irish can exist with a unique culture, certainly the numerous Jati's can exist also.
If a Turk kills a Kurd, it's called ethnic tensions, same thing if a Serb attacks an Albanian. If it happens in India it's called inter-caste violence, and people (usually leftists) start rambling on about the evil Hindu society. Logically, I seriously doubt that India could have had a unique system that's unlike anything in Asia, just because of the trade and large amount of interaction that took place (India is not an Island).
The biggest piece of propaganda is the so called oppression by the Brahmins. Many Jati's that are classified as Brahmins have infact some of the highest rates of poverty (much higher than the national average) in India. This was pointed out by a recent article by the White French Journalist Francois Gautier.
[This post was submitted on 0800 VST (Vedic Standard Time) ]
<!--QuoteBegin-Kaushal+Aug 3 2005, 08:51 AM-->QUOTE(Kaushal @ Aug 3 2005, 08:51 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->I disagree w th some fundamental points in the lead article. Caste is a european word for which i have yet to find an exact equivalent in any individual Indian language. The reason is obvioous. There is no exact equivalent. The present incarnation of the Jati system is a creation of the British when they created the first census in 1871 and overnite there arose 20000 castes in the indian landscape.
nThe flaw in the British approach is evident when they clubbed tribes with castes and created magically the schedule of castes and tribes which the GOI follows slavishly even today.
Any discussion of caste in India has to be preceded by a definition of what we mean by caste. What we mean by community is often confused with caste. But community is not caste. A good example is the Kamma 'caste' in AP. I strongly suspect that the Kamma caste is a modern creation and that there may not be more than scant references to a kamma caste going back more than 150 years ago.
Thisd is not to say that there is no class system in India. In this India is not unique. Even a so called egalitarian society like America is rife with class differences.
It is also true that there is much exploitation of human beings and chiildren in India but this has little to do with caste but everything to do with economics and poverty.
Blaming every ill in India on caste is a futile exercise and an excuse for inaction.
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If a Turk kills a Kurd, it's called ethnic tensions, same thing if a Serb attacks an Albanian. If it happens in India it's called inter-caste violence, and people (usually leftists) start rambling on about the evil Hindu society. Logically, I seriously doubt that India could have had a unique system that's unlike anything in Asia, just because of the trade and large amount of interaction that took place (India is not an Island).
The biggest piece of propaganda is the so called oppression by the Brahmins. Many Jati's that are classified as Brahmins have infact some of the highest rates of poverty (much higher than the national average) in India. This was pointed out by a recent article by the White French Journalist Francois Gautier.
[This post was submitted on 0800 VST (Vedic Standard Time) ]
<!--QuoteBegin-Kaushal+Aug 3 2005, 08:51 AM-->QUOTE(Kaushal @ Aug 3 2005, 08:51 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->I disagree w th some fundamental points in the lead article. Caste is a european word for which i have yet to find an exact equivalent in any individual Indian language. The reason is obvioous. There is no exact equivalent. The present incarnation of the Jati system is a creation of the British when they created the first census in 1871 and overnite there arose 20000 castes in the indian landscape.
nThe flaw in the British approach is evident when they clubbed tribes with castes and created magically the schedule of castes and tribes which the GOI follows slavishly even today.
Any discussion of caste in India has to be preceded by a definition of what we mean by caste. What we mean by community is often confused with caste. But community is not caste. A good example is the Kamma 'caste' in AP. I strongly suspect that the Kamma caste is a modern creation and that there may not be more than scant references to a kamma caste going back more than 150 years ago.
Thisd is not to say that there is no class system in India. In this India is not unique. Even a so called egalitarian society like America is rife with class differences.
It is also true that there is much exploitation of human beings and chiildren in India but this has little to do with caste but everything to do with economics and poverty.
Blaming every ill in India on caste is a futile exercise and an excuse for inaction.
[right][snapback]36967[/snapback][/right]
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