One of the states in India is called Gujarat and in this state’s court there has been an interesting incident already some time ago. Two men were standing against each other in that court. One of these two men however had an objection when they announced who the judge would be. He said the judge was from a higher caste than his. His objection was that the judge would not be able to make a neutral decision, that there would not be any justice for him with this judge simply because he is from a lower caste and would always get a negative sentence from a judge of a higher caste. What he did was to simply request a change of judge or to be moved to another court with his case.
With this example you can see what is happening in our country. There are caste-based parliament elections, caste-based village and city elections and assembly elections. They do job reservations for people of certain castes. People want to have political leaders from their caste, teachers in school of a certain caste, and officers from a certain caste. We do our population according to caste these days, too. I already told you that some parents here in U.P. taught their children to boycott the school’s food because it was cooked by lower-caste employees. Now people want to have judges from their own caste!
We heard about an incident that happened in Goa. Temple priests are always of the Brahman caste, the highest caste. Such a priest was thrown out of his village with his wife and three small children only because he gave blessings to a couple of the lowest caste, the untouchables. The people of his village evicted the priest and his family from the village and with swear words told them that they were untouchable now, too.
All these incidents show that there is no equality as long as such a thinking exists. It is not human. Maybe people will say some day that there should be separate offices for lower castes and higher castes. Maybe they will separate the seats in busses just like they did in the time of Segregation in the USA.
They divided India and Pakistan because of religion. One country for Hindus, one country for Muslims. Back in the 80s a group of Sikh people in Punjab wanted to create their own country called ‘Khalistan’. In Kashmir there are still separatists who want to have a separate country. So maybe in future there will be activists who would like to separate the country by castes.
Again and again I have to repeat that our government and our politicians have to set an example and act according to their words. They say they want to destroy caste thinking but in reality they plant the seeds in peoples’ minds through all those actions explained above. They agree on the reservations, on the caste-based elections and they even push the population count according to castes. They want to know the exact number. Don’t they realize that we can only make the dream of Gandhi of equality among people reality, if we forget all about castes. Give all people an equal message, no matter what caste they are of. Then nobody will get the idea to ask for a judge of his own caste because everybody gets his sentence according to truth and justice.
Related posts
कृपया ग्लानि न करें यदि किसी की कल्पना करके आपका खड़ा अथवा गीली हो जाए
Bitte haben Sie kein schlechtes Gewissen, wenn Sie eine Erektion bekommen oder nass werden, weil Sie sich jemanden vorstellen
Please don’t feel guilty if you get erection or wet by imagining someone
Meine Beziehung zu meinem Vater
My relationship with my father
पिता के साथ मेरा सम्बन्ध
Neues Kapitel im Leben, Herausforderungen und Lektionen
New chapter in life, challenges and lessons
This photo is amazing! Anick has such a pretty smile.
So many people here, especially at your school, are so hungry though! I can’t believe they said that about lower caste cooking. That’s… so sad.
Hinduism has been around for a few thousand years. Has the caste system been around for a few thousand years?
Can’t believe people would do that to an esteemed priest and his family. It is such a crazy thing to say “This person is disgusting and it’s a fact” and then take someone to whom you’ve said “This person is greater than others and that’s a fact” and then say to that person “Now it is a fact that you are disgusting instead of great.” I don’t… Don’t even have words.
India is not the only place with caste systems, they are just the most modern place that doesn’t pretend it’s not happening, you know what I mean? Like in America there are people we think are better than others, people we think are scum. We just don’t call it caste.
yes, Charles, people all over the world think they are better and others are less than. But often the people we think are less- we judge because of their actions. For example, Family-beating alcoholics are thought of as less and it is because of what they do. But they can shop and eat where they want. They can get jobs. People don’t read their last name on a sheet of paper and say “Oh this person is less than me, I won’t even eat food he has been near.”I would love to say “I am being open minded and seeing how people all over the world judge other people” but not all discrimination is the same. The caste system, without a doubt, should be abolished.
People will have to change their names and facial features in order not to be recognized, won’t they? India has so many good things, it has taught me so much. I’m surprised that something like this is so deeply ingrained.
You know… I agree that this is bad. But I have hope for India. Look at how fast it is changing all around. I’m sure this change will happen too- that people will be more loving and see the truth.
It is hard because the caste system hasn’t always meant people were higher or lower than others. That is something it *became. so there are scriptures backing up its existence, aren’t there? And I’m sure people are more than ready to twist them to justify treating people poorly.
People just like to view their world through some sense of order or some ethical code. so they can say “this is definitely true,” “False” you know- absolutes. Can’t blame them for wanting order. wish this wasn’t the order they sought though.
Cast and religion have been used by powerful rich and influential leaders to rule the masses by injecting hatred and anger within the masses. The same is applicable to addictions like alcohol and tobacco.
Why at all there has to be a reservation in education system based on cast and religion? Probably because some communities are financially weaker or economically poor. If that 19s the case then what 19s the cast or religion got to do with reservation system? If any individual is weaker financially then definitely he or she should be helped financially by giving generous loans, but is it right to neglect the intelligence, or do injustice to hard efforts, or compare the intelligence based on the cast or religion.
For example let 19s consider 1CA 1D a person without any reservation, and another 1CB 1D person with reservation, now let 19s assume both have scored A+ marks for example 70% aggregate. 1CB 1D is financially weaker than 1CA 1D, right? Can we ever classify them based on their intelligence and efforts? We know that both have equally scored because of their intelligence and efforts. So why give admission to 1CB 1D instead of 1CA 1D. It would be fair if 1CB 1D had a financial help or grant from the system. It would be fair enough if both had got the admission without any reservation for cast and religion.
Here are a few similar articles for reference:
http://perceptionsforall.blogspot.com/2006/11/free-and-fare-education-system.html
http://perceptionsforall.blogspot.com/2006/11/impact-of-reservation-based-on.html
Swami Ji, do you see the caste system on the whole getting stronger or less effective? I don’t know much about its history. I assumed that it is slowly dissolving (because people are fighting it with their words as you are) but your comment about future segregation makes me wonder. What do you think/see?
I think it is interesting that with the most positive change comes the strongest, most insane and most violent resistance.
Swami Ji,It is a joy to know you and the rest of your family and to watch you clearly put your words into practice. Many people talk without doing and many people do without being. When you say that we are all humans you also treat each person as a person to whom you show love and respect. Thank you Swami Ji!
“Don 19t they realize that we can only make the dream of Gandhi of equality among people reality, if we forget all about castes.” No they don’t realize. Now what?
I know what you mean Theresa. And I think there is a lot to think about and learn from what you are pointing out.
Haha Awesome.
I really thought Goa would be more open minded than that!
This is a really serious issue. I can’t believe that more people around the world and certainly around India aren’t more enraged by it.
This man who wants a different judge: It seems, unfortunately, like a valid concern, or at least one that I am familiar with from home, where it is written into the constitution that everyone has a right to an impartial jury made up of their peers. In order to have the fairest trial possible you try to eliminate biased. Law is written assuming the worst case scenarios. If someone is crazy enough to kill what do we do? If someone is crazy enough to rape what do we do? That mans desire to change judges, any “right” in this sense is a mild form of protection in a world of unconsciousness that would never be necessary if people genuinely understood what Gandhi was trying to say about cast. Necessary may even be the wrong word. If the world was full of people that were full of love, people that were enlightened, requests like these would dissolve themselves. But since human beings have not gotten there yet, I think this man has the right to ask for this change, even if it was unnecessary in this case. If the judge was too worthy for this request in the first place, I think he or she will view the man with compassion and understanding and not take insult.
I know, it is terribly sad and I think about all the things I have said or done in my life in order to separate myself from others; to be able to say to myself “I am not them,” even if I am thinking of a great oppressor or murderer. And that also makes me sad, but helps me understand how people can do the hurtful things they do and makes me feel more determined not to repeat my own mistakes.
I know, it is terribly sad and I think about all the things I have said or done in my life in order to separate myself from others; to be able to say to myself “I am not them,” even if I am thinking of a great oppressor or murderer. And that also makes me sad, but helps me understand how people can do the hurtful things they do and makes me feel more determined not to repeat my own mistakes.
Great entry Swami Ji! I don’t know what you mean when you say “Again and again I have to repeat…” but it brought a question to mind, which is, how many people that believe in the cast system read what you are writing about? How many people that disagree with you or don’t understand you at all read this? My guess would be not many but I don’t know. Have you ever thought about speaking to them?
Hinduism supports castes, as in people having differences in role but it hasn’t traditionally supported believing one is higher than another. Of course naturally people believe the priests and teachers are higher than those who wash dishes.
There are so many different people groups in India, I’m surprised it’s all still one country.
I understand in the US it’s all one country because though there are kind of different cultures around they are all mostly new cultures all founded in America. But in India there are many different cultures who are ANCIENT and have been around and set in their separate ways for thousands of years.
I didn’t know that the Indian government claimed to be against the caste system! If it is still so prominent in India, then they should be doing something about it.
The problem with political change is that it can be very slow. Sometimes it takes generations of new minds to change the way the population thinks and acts. These politicians are probably trying to maintain a moderate path where they please the peole who are against castes by saying they will stop the system, while they appease those who believe in the caste system by letting it rule the country.
Wile I definitely do not agree with the caste system I wonder how it would be to be rid of the system that has been been engrained in this country for so long. Even now it is said that the caste system doesn’t have much influence but still there are people who believe in the system and it is very much alive. Even in the USA down south, some people are still in the mode of segregation…it is pitiful and sad, how do we stop it?