Recently, Government of India declared to give 10% of reservation to ‘economically weaker section’ of the ‘upper class’. Yes, there Is a division among us, that is, the Caste System of India. We all are aware of present day caste divisions but I am here to take you back to the time where it all started. And one of the bitter truth is that no matter how much our government says through it’s ‘official’ documents that discrimination on the basis of caste has been demolished and no matter if our Constitution says that discrimination on the basis of caste is ‘illegal’ and ‘punishable’. We all, more or less, are still having the mindset of being divided and being either inferior or superior to the other. Rubbish this all is, isn’t it? On the basis of caste we even decide that who must be more intelligent than the other!
Now, let’s get back to the time when all this chaos started. India, it has always been a land of great diversity not from past fifty or hundred years, but right from the time when the ‘Vedas’ were written. The Vedas were the first text to divide our society in four section which are; Brahmana- priests, scholars and teachers; Kshatriya- king, administrator and warrior; Vaishya- artists and traders; and lastly the Shudra- labor and service provider.
You see, this division among the people was made on the basis of their jobs just for the better functioning of the society. None was considered inferior than the other and none was even barred from changing their caste! It was not necessary for the people to do the job what their forefathers did. Suppose, a Shudra could easily become even a Brahmin just by gaining the required knowledge; a Vaishya could easily become a Kshatriya just by learning fighting skills. None was restricted, it was a society of free mind and that’s where rules were so cunningly bent and misinterpreted that this division based on ‘jobs’ became their ‘ideological’ divide. It’s not to blame any particular caste or division, it’s everybody’s fault. Well, it is merely the history of caste division and there seems no point on criticizing the history.
The fact that remains is that right from the history till this 21st century, we all more or less, are a bit of same. It’s not false that we have not changed. Yes we have changed but still we have most of our rural population sank in the culture of caste. With the independence struggle of India, many movements for abolishment of caste happened and there emerged some famous people; most famous of them, of course, being Dr B R Ambedkar. He himself being a part of lower class, was the leader of this movement and the most famous and inspirational personalities among the deprived people. He still remembered for his clash with Mahatma Gandhi in the Round Table Conference held at London . After our Independence, Dr B R Ambedkar proposed the reservation for the backward class, though opposed, this reservation system was finally accepted and only for 10 years; because it was presumed that within 10 years our society will become strong and harmonious enough that division among us will end.
And yet here we are. Still fighting for equality among us. Though we have changed a lot, but there is still a lot to achieve. So, what as a society we all can do? Answer is very common and simple. Let us all, we the young generation, take the initiative to spread awareness among people and to live as united as we all can.