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Essay / The caste system in India, its development and its influence on society
The caste system is an ancient hierarchical social segregation that has plagued Indian society for years. It follows a well-defined system of stratification and discrimination that has resulted in years of regressive behavior and oppression of lower castes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Caste is linked to Hindu philosophy, family structure, traditions and culture. It is believed to have a divine origin and sanction. The divine origin theory states that the Hindu God of creation – Brahma, gave birth to the four 'varnas' which divided Hindu society based on birth and occupation. The Brahmins were at the top, then the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas and finally the Shudras. This system has been supported for centuries by religious and social practices. The caste system is based on restrictions and regulations of all members of the caste. Every aspect of an individual's life must be dictated by each his own caste which has its own rules and regulations. This rigid system has survived for centuries in India, it is practically a characteristic feature of the nation. A particular view that fuels the existence of this archaic system in our country is that it has served the preservation and development of the Hindu community. The fact that the caste system has kept alive the traditions, cultures and spirit of ancient Hinduism is considered a merit. According to KM Panikkar, the Hindu people constitute one of the oldest integrated societies in the world – they have existed for more than two and a half thousand years. He referred to the organized social system of caste division as the one that has miraculously kept Hindu society alive over the years, making it an active and vigorous society ready to make its place in the world. The caste system serves as a sort of Constitution for Hindu society – it gave structure and rules to all castes, with consequences up to and including social isolation if it was not equally respected (e.g. , if a Kshatriya woman also married a Shudhra boy, she would at the very least). be excluded from their community). It has been hailed as a fundamental source of social stability. The fact that the caste system is touted under the guise of keeping a particular religion alive is one of the main reasons why it should not exist. According to the preamble of the Indian Constitution, we are a secular nation. This means that no religion is given special treatment, none is ranked higher than another. Yet we allow the operation of an oppressive system, based on the Hindu religion, that divides society based on birth and rank. This is a purely undemocratic stumbling block to the progress of the nation. The system that would have kept Hindu society alive divided it into hostile and conflicting groups and subgroups and resulted in the inhumane practice of untouchability. The caste system is the cause of the degradation of a large part of the Hindu population. The Shudras were and still are treated as subhuman. They are deprived of all social privileges and subject to several restrictions due to their birth. The caste system excludes hundreds of thousands of people from traditional Indian life, even in the 21st century. The restrictions imposed by the so-called upper castes on the so-called untouchables created disunity in Hindu society. The unity of the Hindu community has been lost over the years as systems »..